Page 219 - James Caan - The Real Deal

20 · Investing in People

eighteen, they had all come back to England and, with her children
gone, my mum saw no reason to stay in Karachi. My dad, being
as stubborn as they come, refused to leave. It was still his dream
to live in Pakistan, even if his family was on another continent.
I bought my mum a house in Chingford, and it was great to have
her nearby again, although it was weird having her around
without my dad. She was happier in England without him because
it meant she could have her kids with her. It was a difficult
adjustment for all of us, and it was particularly hard on my dad.
I still spoke to him every week on the phone, and at first he put a
brave face on it. For years I had ended every phone conversation
with him with the same question: ‘When are you coming home?’,
but even with Mum in England his answer was still the same:
‘I am home, stop asking me that!’
Nevertheless, I got the feeling that with Mum gone he wasn’t
happy on his own. One day, I sensed he’d come back, too. As it
turned out, it would be sooner than I thought.

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