The Access Cab driver

is a Sikh. He is Middle Cat's friend and we like him very much.
We needed one of the Access Cabs yesterday to get the Senior Cat to the funeral of my godfather's wife. Middle Cat spoke to S... a week ago and there he was at the requested time.
None of us knew how heavy the traffic would be. It was all because of a something.... car race being held in the park lands adjacent to the CBD.
It gave us time to chat. His wife gave birth to their first child six months ago. The baby had the six month immunisation jab today and was feeling a bit fractious. His wife was tired and overwhelmed.  We talked about how important breast feeding is and much more. S.... is still full of questions about the Downunder way of doing things. It's good. Middle Cat is helping his wife learn more English. We talked about that too.
We got on to the topic of what we ate for breakfast. He has chapatis and dhal, yoghurt  and so on. I had to explain what muesli was. He was fascinated by that and even more fascinated by porridge - especially the old Scots way of eating it. No sugar? No honey? 
The funeral fascinated him too, especially the idea that nobody is allowed to do a home cremation. In his former village in the Punjab people still collect the wood and do this for themselves. I had to explain that would be illegal here. He was shocked.
I thought about this as I watched my godfather walk up and touch his wife's coffin. He was using a walker and his son had to steady him. He looked much older and much frailer than he did when we last saw him a couple of weeks ago. And, from the expression on the Senior Cat's face, I knew he was also remembering another funeral twenty years ago.  After the service was over they sat together for a short while, sat in silence holding each hands in an extended hand shake.
I wonder how they would cope with building a funeral pyre in the back garden and watching the flames. Is it better that way or much worse? I will never know. 
S... tells me that a long life followed by inevitable death is truly celebrated in his former village.  It seems to me that is a good thing.