Our Second Dad: Florine, Fullu Bai
Studious, delicate, sentimental, hardworking...a doll-like beauty she was: Florine D’Silva, the third of the nine children of our parents, Stella and Lt. Mr. Marian D’Silva. She was addressed, ‘fullu’ – so was she- ‘full’= complete in beauty, virtues, talents and abilities.
Then as a 10 year old boy, I vividly remember, Fullu Bai bringing the HSLC Mark Sheet, weeping bitterly and wholly devastated. We all thought that she had failed in the board exams. But in a choked and stammering voice she declared that she had secured 2nd division, as against the expectations. That was her spirit of competition and achievement.... which took her to St.Agnes College and Fr.Muller’s Nursing College, Mangalore. Of the nine of us, the ‘jungle-bred’, she was the first one who could be termed as- ‘civilized’, ‘educated’, ‘Englis-espeaking’.
Our dad, after his regular visits to her college in Mangalore, would come and narrate dramatically- how he got confused in locating Fullu Bai from among 3000 odd similar looking girls in the uniform, that his daughter is going to be a nurse, that she would go to ‘foreign’ and settle all the debt he had taken... Well, he was a proud father after all!
But the fate had something else in store for him. Fullu Bai was almost finishing her nursing studies. Once when she had come home, he complained of some obstruction, probably a fish-bone stuck in the throat. The village medicines could not relieve the pain. She took him to Fr. Muller’s Hospital for a check-up and the biopsy dropped the bomb-shell- he was suffering from throat cancer! There was stunned silence! We all knew that cancer was a terminal sickness... But Fullu Bai knew more than any of us... and she also knew the course of action.Florine moved to Mumbai with a double mission: a job for herself and treatment of dad’s cancer. She took up nursing job at Holy Spirit Hospital at Andheri and wrote home to send dad by bus to Mumbai. She had done all the arrangements for his treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital at Lower Parel, Mumbai... (a long story)
Eventually my sister moved on to Muscat (Sultanate of Oman) in search of better prospect.... It was a double delight to her: she got the job and also our brother-in-law, Philip Lobo, an engineer by profession. A love at first sight? Of course! Who could resist the angelic beauty of my sister? Engineer as he was, the planning seemed his second nature: On May 2, 1988 they formally said to each other- “I love you until my last breath”. I exclaimed- Made for each other! God has blessed them with double fruits: twin girls: Natasha, pursuing career in engineering and Nikita, studying Dental surgery.
It was Fullu Bai who, after the demise of our dad in 1987, supported mummy with guidance and finance. The house was renovated and electrified, electric water pump was introduced and the farm was laid with pipe-lines and sprinklers were fitted. And alround development was seen at our 'Hithlu House'. Our hardworking Philip ‘baoji’ (brother-in-law) was generous and understanding. Our sister has travelled distant places and found her destiny establishing a happy family. My wish and prayer for you: Always be happy!
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