Homecoming

He floated on a cloud of anticipation ever since he knew that his passage home for a long visit was assured. Oh, there was no time to be homesick actively in his temporary abode but there was always a part of him that made all of him feel like a misfit - as though life could be whole again only if he could re-connect with his roots - roots that were so deeply entrenched that even he hadn't been aware of their existence. Roots that were like the air - something you took for granted simply because you hadn't been without it ever.

He began to jot down what would be the things on his to-do list when he arrived home. Gorging on food? Lots of R and R? Get-togethers with family and friends? Shopping?

The list seemed endless. Also, it seemed location-invariant. He could do the exact same things at his new abode too. Also, something was conspicuous by its absence. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what. So he did what he did best - make-do while something better struck him.

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With his bags collected from the conveyor belt and securely placed on the trolley, he made his way to the airport's exit, feeling none of the joy he'd expected to feel on being finally back on the soil he called his own. He was vaguely disappointed and a lot discomfited. What made him whole really if it wasn't the contact with his roots again?

He walked towards the people who'd come to receive him. He was ready with a smile and a cheery greeting. However, he never managed to get the words out or the wave done.

He was ensconced in a hug from the grey-haired man who was visibly struggling not to cry. Then he was swept into the loving, generous, soft and welcoming arms of the grey-haired woman who emanated love from every pore. Even her tears were soothing and warm. He hugged them back with a fervor which children, regrettably, so seldom show towards their parents.

His woman - he realized the use of the possessive pronoun - was smiling through her tears. As she opened her arms wide, he simply buried his face into her hair and crushed her to himself. Her shaky laugh brought on the dawn of realization.

Homecoming is all about being encircled in love and warmth. Here were the people whose touch he needed at his brow after a day's hard work, here were the people whose unconditional love made them the only constant thing in his life, here were the people whose soft hands and conch-bangles made him think of unbounded love and willing sacrifices, here were the people whose strength made him strong, here were the people with whom he never had to make-do, here were these people...

He was home, he was home at last.
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PS: So will I be, so will I be. Chickens always go to roost but they never forget their abode.