American Dream - Love, life and seeking happiness - Chapter 3

(Read Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 here)

Jane finished her cooking and stepped into shower. Last two hours were much better than the rest of the day. She was calmer, more composed and prepared for worst.

As she showered and clothed, she realized she was hungry. The turmoil in her mind had not let her eat the entire day, and the aroma of freshly baked bread reminded her of her childhood in England.

Her mother, a homemaker and the best cook Jane knew, insisted all three of her daughters to learn to cook. Her dishes were the best and special and she was talk of the small town. When Jane’s father passed away when she was eight, her mother decided to open her own bakery to provide for her daughters. Jane youngest of three, spent her evenings in her mother’s kitchen with her notebooks.

It was these years that Jane thought to be best in her life. On the evenings she didn’t have her school work to do her mother encouraged her to read or at times allowed her to help her cook. The smell of breads in the oven always reminded her of those years.

It was only after her mother suddenly died only fifteen days after Jane had moved out for her college; they got to know that she had an ailing disease for several years. The house and the property were mortgaged for loans for treatment and her daughter’s education. Standing at her funeral Jane regretted moving out and silently blamed herself for her mother’s demise. A guilt, which she carried with her till date.

Three years later, Jane moved to South of California to stay close to her two sisters who were settled there for as long as she remembered.

America reminded Jane of her Italian father who often dreamed of moving there and often reminded kids of their relatives there. It was fate that he never got a chance to step onto American land. However, he had made sure that his older two daughters shifted there as soon as they finished their mid school. He had same plans for Jane too but Jane was still in her mid-school when he passed away.

When she first moved, she hated everything about hustling bustling of the city and missed her mother and her small English town. However, six years later, Jane had now shifted to several cities, changed jobs and considered herself American. A green card holder, she thought of herself to be a character out of Sex and the city.

The shrill voice of her doorbell, got her back to the reality. She mentally resolved to not get nostalgic often and answered the door.

There was Shagird. Accompanied by me. Looking at me along with Shagird, Jane’s expression changed from pleasure to confusion to a quick calmness.

She stepped aside and welcomed us inside. We were frequent at her place. We quickly made ourselves comfortable. Jane was one of the warmest hosts, her English upbringing often reflected in her manners. However, she didn’t seem as usual. I realized I wasn’t welcomed there today.

To be continued...