Building Blocks - Part One

(This is a true story. The characters' identities may be revealed in future posts)

A few decades ago, a man married a woman, and had three sons. The man had a serious drinking problem and was rarely willing to take up his family responsibilities. His wife was left helpless, to fend for herself and her children. Miraculously, her in-law weren’t cruel and a taunting lot. They helped the man’s wife and her sons, even though their own means were limited. The man passed away. All three sons grew up well, are married happily and quite successful in their respective careers. One flew abroad and works there. One of the three sons struggled through the hardships life flung in his path and rose from being an auto-rickshaw driver to a successful builder. One owns an estate agency. Let us name him Mr. A.

Today, Mr. A lives in the city and has a comfortable life. His paternal relatives, however, aren’t that lucky. Polio struck one of his father’s sisters at a very young age, deforming both her legs to a great extent. Thus, she never married. One of his father’s brothers has always been mentally challenged. His father’s mother, somewhere in her 90s can barely get off the bed. These are the people who have looked after him, when they could have just turned a blind eye to his condition. His father has two more siblings – a brother and a sister, who have run from pillar to post all their lives to make sure that their aging mother and unfortunate siblings spend the remainder of their days in livable conditions.

Let me elaborate the ‘condition’ of the house that they live in. Village houses have always been simple, with leaky roofs and mushrooms bursting through the cow-dung floors. In addition to that, the entire compound floods every monsoon, till the bed has to be mounted up on whatever is available so that the mother and the brother are not adversely affected by the muddy water gushing in. Repairs have been undertaken by the man’s brother, but his means are limited too. The people who helped Mr. A and his family when they were in dire need of support are suffering day in day out. All this can end though. The compound that they live in is family property, so it will have to be divided among the children equally. If the property is sold, the aging mother, her mentally challenged son and his sister will get an opportunity to see better days. The value of the plot may run into crores, but there is a problem.

Mr. A knows the worth of a good piece of land when he sees it. If the land is sold and the money divided now, there will be more shares made. However, if the mother, the brother and the sister pass away, it will mean 3 less shares, which will mean more money for Mr. A. So Mr. A plays his cards as well as his worldwise-mid has taught him to play. He postpones the fixing up of the house. The entire is cost borne by the rest of the family. When his uncle (father’s brother) asks him to sign the property papers, so that the house and the plot can be sold, he assures him that he will do it, as soon as his brother arrives in India. So the sale is postponed again. Mr. A’s father’s mother’s and brother’s condition worsens by the day, yet Mr. A’s heart does not melt. When his brother does return from abroad, his uncle approaches him again, but Mr. A assures him that he will sign the papers soon and even find them a customer. As time goes by, the papers do not get signed and the promised customers do not show any signs of showing up. His uncle, now quite old himself, asks Mr. A again.

This time, however, Mr. A has a plan. He tells his uncle that he will help build up the house that is now nearly in tatters, instead of selling the plot. If the plot and the house on it are not sold, there is no money. Fixing the house will only cost the aging mother and her children more money, which they do not have. ‘Everyone is familiar with the issues a joined property brings along – the best option would be to sell it off, in everyone’s best interest’, his uncle tried explaining to him. Mr. A, however, will stand to lose if more shares are made. He puts his foot down, ‘I will not sign those papers. Forget it. I will not sign them, even if you kill me.’ So a dejected uncle leaves and turns to his married sister for help. Maybe she can talk some sense into Mr. A.

To be continued…

(Mr. A's identity shall be revealed, right here, on this very blog, if his plan of action does not change. Stay tuned for future updates.)