The four gated city - 3

 There is a phrase called sanyasi samsara ( the family of sage) in Kannada. No, it does not refer to modern day sadhus  (!)  having some kind of family on the side. No, it refers to bachelors taking care of other’s families, often those of his siblings.  This person is having all the difficult responsibilities of a married man without any benefits. 

Martha West is not exactly a Sanyasi. But she has left behind her family - saath samandar par - across the Mediterranean. But family does not leave her. 

She is continuously caring for Mark’s family - Mark her employer. She is taking care of his schizophrenic wife Lynda and her friend Dorothy. Those two live in the basement of the house in their own world rarely coming up and interacting with Martha and Mark. She is caring for Lynda’s son Francis who is studying in boarding school and is rarely home. Even in holidays, he prefers to stay with Butt’s family in their country house. When home he is very polite, more so towards his own mother. 

But Lynda is not at all close to her own son, but she is very affectionate towards Marks brother’s son Paul.  Paul, poor Paul, his childhood has been real bad. When he was hardly 6 years old, his father left country. No one knows where he is. Not able to face this shock, his mother killed her self. And Paul is forced to stay with his uncle whom he barely knows. Now in his preteens, he still does not feel this to be his home. But his boarding school has asked him to leave because of his rebellious ways. Now he must come back home and attend a day school. 

Now Lynda admits herself into psychiatric hospital. Dorothy slits her wrist. 

So Martha’s problems never end. She is always in fire fighting mode and balancing a very difficult family while fighting with own demons. She almost has a breakdown when her mother came from Africa.