LOST AND FOUND

Rose walked home in the pouring rain. There were so many things on her mind. She wanted to think more of her life and the things she missed terribly, and the void feeling she had of growing up without her real parents. She is contemplating the arrival of her birth father today. She wished she did not allow herself to say yes to this visit. She still feels insecure, about her father missing from her life.
She shrug herself out of the thoughts wondering what was wrong with her. Any child would jump at the chance to meet a father for the first time, especially when he took the time to look for her. She hoped that walking in the rain would wash away all the nagging feelings she had over the years. The longings of her heart to know where she really belonged. Why did it have to be her suffering from a parent’s decision?
A car startled her. It was her husband Tamer coming to look for her. He knew where her thoughts were going. And he did not want to add more pressure to her mind. He felt her shivering from the cold, and wrapped his warm jacket around her, as he sped down the road

Her mind was still chatting as she hopped into a warm bath. Her heels were hurting a bit from the long walk. She lay there thinking that she was already feeling safe in the love of a man who adored her. She needed no other major calamity in her life right now. She buried her head underwater, and came up breathless. She decided to let all her negative feelings go down the drain with the rushing water, and give herself a break. After all, this might turn out better than she expected.
“Rose, are you okay in there?” Tamer called. “Yes I’ll be right out,” her little voice answered. When she finally came out she was greeted by the sweet aroma of coffee, and a spinach pie she loves so much. “Yummy,” she smiled at Tamer who was now waiting patiently for her.
She took one look around the place. Everything was in order. She was proud of her hard work to get her home ready for this visit. The fridge and freezer were stacked, and everything was in its proper place. She was ready to greet him.
On the way to the airport, she chatted nervously to Tamer. And sensing her nervousness, he said, “Relax! it’s your chance to meet him. Think how good you will feel, knowing that you had the courage to do this. After all it took him some time to track you down.” She nodded with a smile.
“I will drop you off at Arrival, and I will park the car elsewhere, call me when he arrives and I will pick the two of you up at the far end, it’s less busy there.” He was just about to leave, but he called her back and added, “Take your time. I’ll come when you are ready.”
She walked into the Arrival Floor at the airport and looked up at the board. The plane had just landed. She dismissed the butterflies she was feeling and walked up to stand near the entrance. She stood there for ten minutes and the passengers started to drift through the arrival gate. There’s those butterflies again, she can’t help it, she was nervous.
Five minutes later, there he was, standing at the doorway scanning the crowd. Their eyes met, and a big smile light up his face. He was taller and fairer than she imagined from the photo he sent her. She walked up to him and offered to shake his hand. He hesitated for a moment, then he gathered her into his arms. All she could hear herself say was, “Dad.”
He whispered back, “I waited too long for this moment.” She looked up to see the tears in his eyes. It was a beautiful moment, when the heart was silenced and touched. All the yearnings of the past melted into that embrace. She felt happy as they walked past, oblivious to the staring eyes of these strangers. The feeling she had of stretching her heart to include him as part of her family.
“We have a lot to catch up on,” he told her. “I was afraid of not finding you, but today I can’t explain how happy I am to finally see you.”
She decided to have a cup of coffee with him at the airport. She wanted to have a little private time, before she introduced him to her family. She picked the corner table far from anyone’s hearing.
He told her the reason why he was absent from her life. Her mum’s family did not approve of him, and finally her mum Angie gave in to them. The baby was adopted, and her mum was never the same after that. Two years later, she had a car accident that took her life. When he finally learned about her passing, he decided to find his daughter, but they had already left the country, and moved from place to place.

As she listened to him speak, everything made sense to her. She put her hand on his arm and said, “Dad, I understand you. You have gone to a great length to find me. I want you to know that I have had a good life with my adopted family, but at the back of my mind I never stopped wondering about my own parents.” She tried to hold back the tears, for she never realized how deep that sorrow was in her heart. She continued to say, “All the questions in my heart are now answered. I would have loved to have Mum in my life, but there is nothing we can do about that now. Let her rest in peace.”
George looked at his daughter, and marvelled at the understanding and the maturity of her thoughts. She reminded him of his own mother who had American Indian heritage, and his dad was English. Often his mother would tell him tales of her people. He can tell that her adopted family have taught her well. He said to her, “Rose, I apologize for the lessons of the past, and I am here to ask for your forgiveness. It’s too late for me to say I could have done this and that. The ache I carried in my heart never left me till this day, when I saw you standing before me.”
Rose stood up, then looked her dad straight in the eyes and said, “Today is a new day. We will put all that in the past. I don’t know what life will bring us in the future, but right now let’s work on it. Just be my Dad.”
She suddenly remembered Tamer waiting for them. She called him to pick them up, and they gathered their stuff and walked to the pickup point. Tamer greeted George and looking at him. He can see the resemblance in the two. He also noticed his wife was more relaxed. She had been stressed for the past month, ever since she agreed to this meeting.
Tamer brought in the luggage, and showed George his room. Rose told him to make himself at home, and rest a bit before the children get home. Today was a special day, and she wanted to cook them a special dinner.
Two hours later George heard a knock at his door “Lieutenant George,” then a giggle. “It’s Myra reporting to you Sir.” George opened the door to find a beautiful seven year old smiling at him.
“Oh so good to meet you Myra, can I give you a soldier’s hug?”
Myra giggled again. “Are you really a soldier?” George lifted her up, and let her sit on his right shoulder, and started marching into the kitchen where her Mum was cooking. Myra was screeching with delight.
“Look Kris whoopieeeee.” Kris was standing there and eyed the stranger. He was not quite sure what to think of him. Then Mom introduced him to his grandfather and he stepped forward respectfully to kiss him on the cheek. Myra never stopped asking questions about his life as a soldier. They got to know more about George from Myra’s many questions.
Now and then Kris would ask about the wars, but it was Myra who stole the show of the night.
Kris reminded his Mom about the school trip the next day. The dinner was beautiful, and everyone enjoyed the special treat of chocolate mint ice cream, and fruit salad, with pavlova topped with passionfruit. They settled down and relaxed for the evening, chatting late into the night.
The next day the kids left for school. Rose and Tamer are on a week’s holiday and decided to take George for a drive to show him around. The three of them were having a good time.
Just then the mobile phone rang and it was the school master, notifying them that Kris went missing on the hill trek. Everyone was looking for him. The police were notified, and on their way. Rose was getting hysterical, and Tamer was driving faster than he normally does to the hills.
George was sitting quietly at the back. His mind went to the evening before. He was engrossed in Myra’s jovial nature, that he did not make too close a bond with his grandson. He thought, “I can’t have anymore loss in my life. This was my grandson.”
The teachers were panicking and showing the way they went. Rose and Tamer started walking one way, and George took off without anymore directions. His instinct as a soldier led him forward. He had not considered the possibility of losing another life again. He followed the footprints of the kids and where they went, keeping his eyes on everything.
Rose was walking around in a panic. She was feeling that lost and empty feeling that she always known. She can’t lose her son to this mountain, and with that the tears started rolling down her face. She lost a mother and she can’t lose a son too. In her heart she had a lot of faith in her dad and Tamer who are out there looking for him.
The police arrived, and started their search. In her panic she called the ambulance too, and now the ambulance was approaching.
.
As George was on his knees looking at the footprints, he faintly heard the flight of an owl from its resting place. He quickly turned towards the sound. He knew from many times before, that the owl had been nearby when he needed direction. He was wondering if that applied to this foreign country. He followed the sound to a tree, and there he saw his grandson lying there. He hurriedly examined him, and discovered that his arm was broken, and a nasty wound on the side of his head. Kris stirred and became conscience and feel great pain in his arm. He opened his eyes and saw his grandfather bending over him. “Grandpa” he whispered.
“Shhhhhh, its okay son I’m here. Dont move”
George took his belt off and use it to strap Kris’s arm to his side before lifting him. He said to Kris “I’m sure this little belt can whip that pain off your arm” He smiled at his grandson. And Kris seeing the humour in his grandfather’s words, started to smile too. George realized he must have slipped down the ditch and hurt his arm on the rocks. His closed hand was clutching a little bird that was now crushed.
“What happened to the poor fellow” pointing to the crushed bird.
“I saw that his wing was broken and I tried to get to him so I can have a look, and the next minute I slipped”
Just then the owl landed on a branch nearby.. George looked at the owl and said
“Thanks” Kris looked up and smile at his grandpa. “Are you talking to the owl?”
George seeing his grandson’s interest responded, “It was her that guided me to you”
Now Kris was excited, he loved listening to stories.. “Tell me grandpa” and George told him a story;
“My mother taught me that whenever I am lost or worried or scared, that I should open my heart, observe and listen carefully to the sound of the wind, of birds and animals, one of them will respond to the call of the heart. I notice that the owl is always there when I am in grave danger, or when I am worried. Today when I hear her call, I followed her here and sure enough, I saw you here”
There was no stopping to Kris questions now, but his grandfather said to him
“Later son, I will tell you about the stories of the owl, right now I got to take you to your mom, she is worried about you. And you need to be checked over, you have a nasty wound on your head”
Kris looked up to his grandfather with love. It felt good to have his own real grandfather. He can’t wait to sit down with him and listen to all his adventures.
He lifted his grandson carefully into his arms, and started walking back the way he came.
He looked up to see where his guide was, but the owl was nowhere to be seen. He quietly gave a thankful look heavenward for the events of the day.
When he arrived at the top of the hill , the place was swarming with people in the search. George yelled, “Found him!” He could hear the excited noise from the worried people waiting for any news. The ambulance people had just arrived. It was quite a gathering.
When Rose saw her son and Dad coming down the mountain she rushed forward to meet them. She put her arms around both of them with joy.
George said, “Wait Rose, let the ambulance people double check him first.”
The kids were gathering around to hear Kris tell them what happened. But Kris’s arm was hurting too much. He did not feel like talking. He just opened his hand to show the kids the little bird that he was still holding.
The men checked Kris situation and got him into the ambulance. Rose looked at her dad and gave him a big hug. “Thanks dad” She hopped into the ambulance and sat beside her son. She knew she can’t bear to be away from her son right now. Tamer kissed his son and waved at him. she was going with him.
Just before they close the doors, Kris called “Wait” he yelled ..
“Thanks grandpa, see you later”
George waved. A smile of gratitude crossed his face. The feelings of great happiness filled him. He has found his lost family and the events of the day had made him realize how much he loved them.
In the ambulance, Rose was fussing about her son, and Kris was still excited about what his grandfather told him about the owl. “Hey mom,grandpa told me that the owl guided him to find me, and while I was there she perched on the branch and looked down at us. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the story”

As for Rose, she did not mind stretching her heart to include her dad into her life. For now she sees what love can do to a parent. The feelings she felt about losing her son, must be what her dad felt at losing her. She understood. She would have given her own life to protect her son. The events of the past no longer hold her a prisoner. She knows that the only way to exist is to live in the present with love and gratitude. And her dad has shown that to her today.
Rose noticed that her children loved their grandpa. Her heart was open to gratitude, and said a silent prayer of thanksgiving. The feeling of void she felt throughout her life, was now flowing with tears of gratitude.

Katesa Wesche