At the Nursing Home

Te Ao Hou, December 1959, Page 9

At the Nursing Home I had lots of time now to just think, and I often was oblivious to things around as I looked back over the years. How the time had passed by, and I had not even noticed it; the family was fast growing up, and following their own interests. I let my mind run back over the years—when the older ones were but youngsters, one day we were sitting on a seat on the lawn of our town, when my son drew my attention to a fine tall Hindu striding up the street complete with cream silk turban. “Mum, look at that silly Maori with that dirty rag round his head!” “Why,” I said, “that is not a Maori, but Mr. —–, a Hindu, and that is not a dirty rag, but a turban, which is their head wear denoting his rank,” and I went on to say, “that is what they wear in his country—India.”

“India, where's that?” “That is a country thousands of miles across the sea from us, and when you get to Std. IV or Std. V, you will learn all about India.” Silence—then to my consternation he said: “Thousands of miles from here? Goodness, he must have left early this morning.” I laughed till the tears ran down my face and, asked what I was laughing for, I assured him, “Oh, nothing!” But I still laugh to-day and he is a man now. And there was the time when I had taken the same lad to fit a pair of new boots, and several pairs had been tried and it only remained for me to make a choice. “How much is this pair?” asked son. “Those are £1 5s,” said the young man attendant; a few seconds silence, then: “Whew! Twenty-five shillings—twelve and six each.” “Well you aren't thinking of buying one are you?” said the attendant, at which young son shrivelled to half his size. I loved to go back over these little experiences, and this child especially, had given me many happy moments, with his serious nature, and his quick intellect. His very first outside job of painting a neighbouring farmer's yards with creosote, had earned him twelve shillings, and I remembered how I had asked him to let me look after ten shillings, while he spent two shillings, but he had refused and had gone off down the street. Hours later. I went into a baker's shop to find him with