Triumphant : My father arrives from London

Those days and these days...when one makes MONEY...you triumph over poverty. Despite the saying'
  'money is not everything'..it is ALMOST everything, given good health in body and mind. Your confidence soars  when your pockets are lined with money... you walk into a 'exclusive' shop or you are sitting down at a fancy restaurant..and you can buy most anything you want.
                                  
                              The journey from Colombo  to Galle Fort

Wapa had arranged to be picked up from Colombo Port Harbor ....and then make his way to Fort Galle. The children..that's us....learned from Umma that Wapa  would be arriving soon . Rizvi and I popped out every little while , staring down the road to see if there was anything happening.

Nakshab and his friend 'Rubee'  Idroos were seated on the stone steps of the rampart...away from the younger siblings...as at most times, avoiding being seen with his 'silly' younger brothers...who were not
'mature' enough for him. I might have been about seven years and Nakshab was seven years older to me. 

Through the Lighthouse street side windows of our house, we could see Mohmedh Ali Nana's house.  Ali Bros Jewellers & Watawela tea estate...which was their source of wealth, I learnt later on. It is fascinating to  to think that I can remember every detail of things that took place many many decades ago and I was only a small boy..six or seven years old. 

I  wonder why 'indelible memories' are stored by one's mind (brain)..and why it ignores and relegates 'other memories'  to the  forget-it-bin. So, to continue...I can remember Madhen dhatha, Nasabiya and Fawziya, Dheen Ali and Izzeth Ali...were peeking through their window...trying to see what was happening  in 'Thaiba dhatha's ' house..Fowkiya....Sithy Abbasiya Macan Markar's ..daughter was there as well. She was the constant companion of Fawziya..who was next door to her.

Then,  then...I saw a car driving slowly down Lighthouse street....there was a driver and another seated in the front seat. A shiny metallic silver color...gleaming new car stopped in front of 'Pakistan House' ...and a man..or rather  a 'gentleman' ( this label attributed to ANY who wore a full suit !)  alighted from this terrific looking NEW car. He wore a shale grey suit with dark pencil striped lines. Gosh ! Absolutely resplendent...Like a Hindi Film star...Can this be my father...Vadood hajiar ?

to be continued