In 1980, my uncle Anand and his wife Shakuntala, accompanied by their two children, left our island to settle in London. There, uncle Anand worked as a doctor in a hospital. Unfortunately uncle Anand died in a road accident. So, my aunt who was a dentist had to work hard to provide for the needs of her children. Last year she came to visit Mauritius after her long stay in England. Her children did not accompany her.
During her visit she stayed with my family. Some days after her arrival, father decided that we would spend a Sunday at the seaside with her. On the eve of the picnic, we were all very busy at home. Mother got up before sunrise. She spent much time in the kitchen preparing food and snacks we would take with us. Father went to the mechanic to have the car checked to make sure that it was in good running condition for the journey.
My brother and I were very excited. We looked for our swimming suits and thought about the wonderful time we would have in the calm blue lagoon at Blue Bay. The next day my parents put everything in the boot of the car and we set out early in the morning. Father was driving very carefully with mother by his side. Aunt Shakuntala was admiring the vast sugarcane fields, “Wow! How beautiful is Mauritius! The countryside looks like a green carpet.”
We reached Blue Bay in less than one hour. Father parked the car in the shade of some filao trees. Without losing time, my brother and I put on our swimming suits and rushed into the calm sea where there were already many swimmers. We were very soon joined by aunt Shakuntala who enjoyed herself swimming against the gentle rolling waves. After staying for more than one hour in the lagoon, we felt tired and hungry. All three of us joined mother and father for lunch. Aunt Shakuntala then went for a long walk on the warm sandy beach while my brother and I were building sand castles.
Looking at my aunt Shakuntala, I said to myself “She must be thinking of uncle Anand and of the good time they spent together in Mauritius.”