APPA'S EASY CHAIR

 Appa’s Easy Chair

"Let's sit quiet a bit, Toady!" said the Rat, throwing himself into an easy chair, while the Mole took another by the side of him and made some civil remark about Toad's delightful residence.

1908: Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows 

In the seventies, I remember my father lying in an easy chair in the nights, a bit tired. He used to tell me about some main events, trials in his life. I was a young medical student then, not always receptive however, like most adolescent sons!

Though mostly amusing, the discussions had been educative, instructive, advisory in nature. He was a traditional strict dad.

His main words were, “Always, put in the best effort.Be wise as a serpent, but harmless as a dove”

He himself was a self made man and had worked hard during life; he took on 4 jobs after his retirement, to put me through a medical college education and my sister through mathematical higher education.

More than 2 decades had passed since his demise. 

I was looking through the attic the other day. I found a carefully packed easy chair. It was my father’s. I had not seen an easy chair, leave alone his, for many years. 

Thanks to covid, one gets a new overview of life! 

I took it upon myself to look for a cloth for the easy chair. The cloth I found was too long.With considerable difficulty,I located a tailor to alter it to fit the chair. Sadly due to my own stupidity, I had z small part of the chair cracked up, while setting it up 😷.

The furniture shop opposite to my house, glued it and gave it back. With the remark, would I be interested in selling it to them, because it was made of wood that you hardly ever get nowadays. 

I had never paid any attention to the type of wood; then I remembered my father once saying that he had the easy chair done out of rose wood as it would last a long time!

Late last evening, I finally took the easy chair out into the garden for a trial and sat out for half hour. 

It was cool, after the rains during the day. The jasmine smell was strong in the air. My new vigour in gardening had helped to blossom all sorts of flowers. I sat in a partially lit area considering the recent rains and the puddles, along with two of my German Shepherd dogs. 

It was wonderful to sit in my father’s easy chair, 25 years after he had left. And I don’t know how long he had the chair. It was in the family as long as I could remember.

It was very relaxing 😍, well, at least till the mosquitoes arrived on the scene. I beat a hasty retreat into the house!

5 minutes later, there was a knock at the door. The watchman showed me what he found at the spot where I was sitting… a large scorpion! 😳

Apparently it was moving across the floor , when the GSDs partially bit it with violent tossing of their heads. He managed to pry the scorpion away from the dogs, but a bit too late!

My father’s words rang through my mind, “Be wise ( cautious)” . I am sure he meant it in a different context. But even in this situation, I had chosen the lit area for sitting out, as the sun had gone down. I was  acutely aware of the dogs, as they always pick out reptiles around earlier than humans, rain or no rain. 

Some might have attributed this to karma!

If I had been sitting out for a bit longer, I might have picked up the scorpion in ways more than one 😩. I could not  help but thank  the mosquitos silently, for persuading me to go indoors!

So it is good to be cautious even when totally relaxed in a traditional easy chair, covid or no covid!😊