Oh my darling Clementine..

This is the story of Clementine whom I met very recently. A self sufficient lady who didn't require much assistance.. at least that's what she said on our first meet. But I had already made my mind that this the woman I will pursue.

It was the 14th day of May, 2011, my 29th birthday. I brooded on 13th night at 12 AM this its just one of those birthday's which have no meaning and it brings me no joy. I dint know what I wanted from life. I didn't know what I expected myself to be; or what I wanted to do in life. Well from a material perspective I'm a well settled Software engineer spending my life Toronto but there was always something missing.
Anyways celebrations went for the entire night and I gulped till I fainted to the bed not knowing what the next day has in store for me. 14th morning I woke early and decided to do something good. Something different perhaps. I visited the Fudger House early morning. Fudger house is the nearby Old age long term care center in Toronto where I met my Clementine. I was a bit nervous about how would people perceive me but things went fine slowly as I started moving around the campus. I was not given any stern looks by anyone but rather I was shocked to see their morose faces. Looked like its been a long while that they have NOT laughed.
I decided that I will choose a random person and talk to him or her. Thats when I met her . She had a big name and she was from Hungary. Married so many times that she doesn't remember her husbands. She has a photograph of a 4 year old young lad at her corner table whom she says is her son. She doesnt remember the last time when she met her. Perhaps 30 years ago or so. Or may be more more. She doesn't remember. I asked her about her favorite song and she said "Oh my darling Clementine". From that point of time, instead of her big complicated name, I started calling her Mrs Clementine. She says that she was born on 1924 and kept asking me to calculate her age. She says that her brain cant calculate it anymore.
She walks with the help of a wheel chair and moves by rolling her foot on the ground. Her parents were divorced, and she had a brother who lived and studied in Romania I believe. She came to Canada many years back and she initially settled in Montreal. She worked in a bank as a Cashier.

I became a bit more curious and asked her if she knew where her son lived. She said that in her distant thoughts she believes that he stays somewhere in Barrie, Ontario. She also believes that he must be having a family too by now. I sometimes wonder what definition of family is this. Born and brought up in a family which was divorced, lived away from brothers during their childhood, moved to different cities; changed countries and lost contacts with the ones with whom you share your own blood. Married so many times that you cant remember your last husbands name now. She mentioned that she had so much of work which is why she couldn't manage to bring up her kid which is why she sent him to her step father to take care of and they lost touch after that. It would be a very rare thought in mind to forget my mother in my entire span of life. Though she loves him very much she said. She sat by the window gazing at the blue sky saying she would love to meet him once but doesn't believe if they would be able to recognize each other or not. A mother being stranger to her own son. A sarcasm and irony on its own.

She also says that she believes in God. She is a Roman Catholic but believes that Jesus was just was son of ONE GOD. I appreciate her this state of belief which is rarely said and heard from people these days.

Anyways this about this 86 years old Clementine who wants to see her son once. I don't know someday if I will manage to do that, but at least if I could give her a little love and respect during the last days of her life , which is best what I could do my darling Clementine.