Where the Wind Blows

Preview I

Kenn gingerly stepped outside the door and at a snail’s pace walked to the blue Volkswagen. He unlocked the door, opened it and sat down. He inserted the key into the ignition and turned the key, and the engine roared to life. He slowly turned his neck, and with a dry smile he waved to Charles and started his journey back home.

“He’s a man who bears an upright and admirable bearing. God bless him,” Charles commented and strode back into the room.

In the room, alone, he thought and pondered about his mother’s love for him. He opened his mouth and soliloquized, “The sweet love of a mother so rich, pure, and understanding; the loving tender touch of a mother, so rewarding and healing. It is the precious love of a mother that mystifies and confounds the male species. It is the warm soothing love of a mother that offsets the inflexible exterior of a father. It is the unrestricted love of a mother that remains steady and flows freely till the finish. The love of a mother so accommodating, forgiving, blind, tender, and beautiful. It is that kind of cherishable love that flinches not in the face of adversity; and it is that serene love that is ever standing by to calm and comfort the crying child to sweet slumber.”

In such difficult moments Charles, if truth be told, missed his mother’s comforting and consoling presence. He realized that a mother’s love was quite mysterious and truly precious. 

Overwhelmed by the events, he slumped into the sofa with a heavy sigh. He covered his face with a sheet of list of wedding invitees he was putting together. The more he tried to make sense of things, the more he failed, until he finally dozed off.

Preview II

Realizing that knowledge does not reside only in one mind and that the counsel of a second person was pivotal to the planning, he aggressively sought that from old Henry.

After briefing old Henry about his plans, old Henry propped his chubby cheek, as usual, on his right hand and asked, “Have you made room for back-up plans or some kind of contingency measures? How much preparation has gone into this venture?”

Charles kept quiet for a moment and with a grin replied, “It’s good you brought it up. But I don’t know if I have a back-up plan in place. With or without back-up plans, I’m going. Consider Charles long gone. Too many preparations sometimes delay the start of a project. The more one looks critically into issues, the more one gets terrified, anyway. I’ll make amendments, if necessary, as I plod along.”

“You may want to, at least, check into all the known consulate offices in that region in case you may need their assistance in any form.”

Tilting his body forward and spreading his arms Charles responded, “I’ll definitively check into that. However, I’ll not lean on it.”

“You strike me as young man with a lot of confidence in life any time we enter into a discourse.”

“Old Henry, I strongly believe in excellent preparation. That is great!  No equivocation about it. But I even more robustly believe in breaking down problems and solving them as they come along. I’ll succeed in my undertaking, and I’ll not fall short of my mission. I have to triumph; I will triumph. The road may be rough, rocky, and even bumpy; however, I still need to triumph. I cannot fail; I must not fail; I will not fail; I will succeed. I rely not on my strength but on the strength of my Maker.”

“If I had any doubts at the beginning of our talk, you have completely shattered them into smithereens. All I say is I wish you good luck when you leave.”