Buford

The very next morning, Sophie strolls down to the kitchen and hugs her mom, good morning.

“Here, mom, let me help you,” says Sophie.

“Wow! what got into you this morning?” Sophie’s mother is amazed. “Mom, you came to my room last night.” Sophie tries to start a conversation. Her mother interrupts her, “hey sweetheart, about that, if you do not want to move, that’s completely your choice.”

“No mom, actually I want to be wherever you are, it’s just last night mom I was half asleep and I did not quite understand you.” It is a bizarre quiet moment for a second. Her mother looks filled with emotions, and Sophie, on the other hand, feels very sorry about lying to her mother.

Sophie’s mother takes a deep breath, “it is nothing.” Sophie takes a pan from her mother and looks at her. She says, “Mom, I heard that it was something related to dad, please fill me in.”

Her mom gets confused by her reaction and makes her sit down at the breakfast table and asks, “Sophie dear, were you sleeping last night, or what is it? Why do you look so exhausted?” she asks.

“Mom, I am not exhausted. I just want to know what you meant last night,” she says.

“Well, Sophie, what I told you was a lovely thing attached to your father. I mean, what you heard last night if you did hear me, otherwise, there is no way you would have questioned me this morning. There was nothing that you could not have understood.” Her mother is confused, “what is it, dear? I know you tried your level best to act here, but I am your mother, and you cannot keep things from me.”

Sophie takes a deep sigh and says, “well, mom, I was not sleeping last night. I was the one rattling down in dad’s cabin.” Her mother is stunned after hearing her daughter. “Wait, what, that was you?” Sophie holds her mother’s hand and very curiously says, “I know mom, I am sorry. I wanted to know what is the reason that you want to go to the place where my dad kept going for work meetings, so I thought maybe I could find something by looking into his things. Mom, I am so sorry I did not mean to do that. I was worried that if I directly asked you would probably think that maybe I do not want to go. I thought you might not feel right.” While Sophie is still talking, her mother interrupts her. “What do you want, you want to leave and come with me?” mother asks. Sophie looks at her mother and smiles, “mom, yes, you got to trust me. I am happy to come with you wherever you want. Last night when I heard you going back to my room, I really got nervous. I did not hear you calling out for me as I thought you would not find me in bed, so I stepped back to my room. Then I just heard that the reason we are moving there was related to dad. It made me more curious. Mom, I am sorry.”

Her mother did not say anything for a moment, and then, “Buford is your home,” she says.

Sophie’s mind stops to think about anything after listening to that and, once again, she fills with multiple emotions. As she listens to her mother, her feelings are filled with joy, confusion, and curiosity. Her mother continues, “back then, your father used to visit this place every other day. Since I had no idea where he was going, I asked him directly. That was when I came to know about the place. The next day he surprised me by taking me to Buford.” Mother blushes and continues, “Your father proposed to me there, outside our home. After then you father and I used to visit that place for our special dates. We took you to Buford when you were a few months old, stayed there for quite a while. I liked it there so we decided to settle there, at least for a while. But, you must be around one year old or close, our relationship was on the edge of breaking. Your father never took time for us. He used to stay up late at night which made him irritable, annoyed, and grouchy. I never knew what he used to do, neither i cared. I just did not want to end whatever we had, so i decided to move back to New York. It was unbelievable, but good thing that your father at the time did not say no and got ready to leave Buford for good. After we moved back, your father kept visiting Buford. When you were 6 years of age, I wanted to take you to our home in Buford on holidays for sometime so that you know about the place where you come from. Your father for some reason denied and took a promise from me that I should never talk to you about Buford, that you should never know about the place. He was waiting for the right time to tell you and he wished that he would be that first person to inform you.” Mother eye’s are in tears, [pause] she continues, “look Sophie, how time takes a turn and changes everything. Your father decided that at our old age when you will be well settled and pretty much after his retirement, he would like to settle back there, I want to live his dream and our dream now and want to share it with you and want to provide you with a life you deserve, a life your father would have provided you, a life you want. Once you get your studies over with, whatever you want, and wherever you want to go, that is all up to you. You don’t have to worry about me sweetheart, even right now at this moment, if you see your life here please do not do this for me. Do whatever you want for you”.

Sophie is mesmerized after listening to her mother. She is thinking about her father and the place that is her real home. She did not want to waste a minute. She gets all excited and cheerful.

“Mom, when are we departing? I need to pack my stuff.”

Her mother feels joyous after watching her daughter so elated. She also feels proud to have such a loving and understanding daughter.

Both mother and daughter start packing.

Now, why does her father ask not to tell Sophie about their home in Buford?

“Waiting for the right time,” what does that mean? When was the right time?

Let’s dive a little bit deeper.