Coming out of the airport at 2:30AM, we were greeted by wind, rain, and our driver, Mujeeb. That was quite fitting, because to me, Mujeeb represents just that…a port in the storm. No matter how scared I get when we go out, I know that he is there waiting to pick us up again. Each time we walk out of a shop or restaurant, he is at the door, jumping up to go get the car. It reassures me to know that he is there to take us home, as he was on our first evening in Hyderabad, and as he is for Scott every night when he leaves work.
So, Mujeeb was there waving and smiling in amongst the crush of people waiting just outside the airport doors. He greeted Scott, me, the kids, and ushered us off to a safe, dry place while he got the car that was parked quite a ways away. The coolness of the evening was refreshing and I was glad to note that Hyderabad does indeed get much cooler than Florida does at times.
A harrowing drive home in the rain with many whines of “are we there yet” from the back seat. Finally we arrive at the house. Sudakker (the houseboy) and Beauty (our dog) are there to meet us. Addie was so thrilled to see Beauty again, I don’t think she even noticed the house at first.
Luggage carried in, belongings unpacked. Addie, Ender and I got some time to look around the house. The kids were delighted with their new rooms. Scott had them fixed up quite nicely with beds, rugs and posters on the walls, along with a hidden stash of toys for Ender and art supplies and books for Addie. The kids took right to them. While the kids got acquainted with everything, I wandered around checking it all out. The house was bigger than I imagined it to be, and could use at least one more living room set to fill the very large area on the 2nd floor by the kids rooms that should be used as the play area. Right now its just a big empty space. The kitchen is spacious and pretty, the upper balconies are so beautiful in the evenings. All alone I ventured to the very top of the house, up the spiral staircase to the roof. A very neat view of the colony and of some of the nearby office buildings is to be had from up there, and the sounds of the city somehow seemed muted and much farther away than they really are.