A Rare and Encouraging Ma - in Law

"Lovely! and Cool!" Kalai exclaimed as she gulped the fresh juice of one tender coconut after another as a newly married bride. She had been in cold places through out her early days where coconut trees didn't grow, so this was a new delicacy to her. Seeing so many coconut trees in her new house thrilled her no end.

"What did you do with all the coconuts until I arrived, Athai? (m.i.l)" she asked curiously.
"We'd consume most of them and sell the rest," she said casually.
"Oh my, see how much I've wasted," Kalai said, her sense of thrift returning suddenly.
"You don't know how much I worried for my boy until you came. He was adamantly refusing to marry. Now that you arrived I am so relieved," she said, a serious look on her face. "So don't ever compare yourself with money."

The next month Kalai's m.i.l had to go out of station to attend a wedding. After she related all that happened there, Kalai related her experiences. "Guess what I did yesterday! I made the curry and avial (a mixture of many vegetables). I was so engrossed in trying to get it well that I nearly forgot to cook plain rice. Only while starting to set the table I realised that rice was missing!"
"These things happen till it becomes a regular routine. I'm sure the curry and avail turned out well!"
"Overlook the slips and mistakes and focus on better things, "she urged.

That was how Kalai got  started on her new journey. Things changed and they (the couple) shifted to a house on the next street. Kalai had applied for a competitive exam and was awaiting the result. She went to visit her ma-in -law and told her that she had done her exam quite well and was expecting to be selected. She was on her way to seeing the result. If it was positive she would come here and inform her. If, however by
                                                                                                                                                        free digital photos.net

 chance things turned out the other way, she would directly go home quietly and in that case she (the m.i.l) must not open that topic. Kalai would tell her on her own whenever she felt like it. She  (m.i.l) agreed.

As Kalai stepped into the room the m.i.l burst out clapping and shouting with joy, "I knew my daughter -in- law would pass. I just knew it!" She drew her into her arms and was whirling her around when the husband arrived at the doorstep.

"How is it possible?" he asked, almost in unbelief. "So many others might have competed too!"
 "Are you sure there's no mistake?"

When I had a Treaty with a Snake

The same mesmerising combination : scarlet and green. The same shades, I got to see it at last after a long search of around 40 years.

It was in the beautiful surroundings of Assam. A land of rain and sun. Of good cheer and innocence
 (at least it was that then, 40 years ago). I spotted a scarlet flower in the garden at the front of our house.  This flower grew in plenty behind my house, I knew but when did it land here?

 I bent to pick it but something else moved beside it. A dark pepper with a tiny shutter opening and closing lightly like the wind. And then I understood.

                                                                                                                                                           free digital photos.net

 I was looking into the eye of a snake.!  But again something was different. I was too close to it to think of fear. Moreover it was a small creature like me and only wanted to
escape.  So I backed away slowly and gave it space.  It almost seemed to smile and nod too. As she moved and swayed her belly and hips I couldn't help admiring her grace and beauty - I, who generally find reptiles creepy (pardon me, reptile lovers).

The colour combination and design on her back were perfect.  I had not seen such a thing of beauty to match it until then -living or non living. I wondered why the textile industry had not thought up such a combination.

And I've wondered thus these forty years. Until yesterday. When after finishing my purchases  I entered a shop just out of curiosity and was shown a saree with just that combination. Scarlet and green with a touch of gold. Alas! my purse was empty.

 Though that shop was in another city and I have no chance of visiting it in the near future, a thing of beauty is a joy forever. That picture of beauty will remain in my mind for a long time                                                                                      to come.
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A Rare and Encouraging Ma - in - Law

"Lovely! and Cool!" Kalai exclaimed as she gulped the fresh juice of one tender coconut after another as a newly married bride. She had been in cold places through out her early days where coconut trees didn't grow, so this was a new delicacy to her. Seeing so many coconut trees in her new house thrilled her no end.

"What did you do with all the coconuts until I arrived, Athai? (m.i.l)" she asked curiously.
"We'd consume most of them and sell the rest," she said casually.
"Oh my, see how much I've wasted," Kalai said, her sense of thrift returning suddenly.
"You don't know how much I worried for my boy until you came. He was adamantly refusing to marry. Now that you arrived I am so relieved," she said, a serious look on her face. "So don't ever compare yourself with money."

The next month Kalai's m.i.l had to go out of station to attend a wedding. After she related all that happened there, Kalai related her experiences. "Guess what I did yesterday! I made the curry and avial (a mixture of many vegetables). I was so engrossed in trying to get it well that I nearly forgot to cook plain rice. Only while starting to set the table I realised that rice was missing!"
"These things happen till it becomes a regular routine. I'm sure the curry and avail turned out well!"
"Overlook the slips and mistakes and focus on better things, "she urged.

That was how Kalai got  started on her new journey. Things changed and they (the couple) shifted to a house on the next street. Kalai had applied for a competitive exam and was awaiting the result. She went to visit her ma-in -law and told her that she had done her exam quite well and was expecting to be selected. She was on her way to seeing the result. If it was positive she would come here and inform her. If, however by
                                                                                                                                                        free digital photos.net

 chance things turned out the other way, she would directly go home quietly and in that case she (the m.i.l) must not open that topic. Kalai would tell her on her own whenever she felt like it. She  (m.i.l) agreed.

As Kalai stepped into the room the m.i.l burst out clapping and shouting with joy, "I knew my daughter -in- law would pass. I just knew it!" She drew her into her arms and was whirling her around when the husband arrived at the doorstep.

"How is it possible?" he asked, almost in unbelief. "So many others might have competed too!"
 "Are you sure there's no mistake?"

A seat in the bus - signs of a heart here and there

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The bus to   Theni   entered the bus stand and turned round the crowded corner. Some people passed handkerchiefs or towels to the passengers inside to reserve the seats.

Radha spotted an empty seat, ran to it and sat down. Then she saw the water bottle at the corner of the seat.

“How dare you sit on the seat I booked!” A woman of about forty thundered.

               “There are two seats by my side.”    Radha moved her legs to provide the          woman a way.

               “An object on the seat means that three seats are booked.    Don’t you know     that?” she asked, a hand on her hip.

               “ I sat on a vacant seat and I entered the bus before you.    Your water bottle can only represent a single seat.”

              “Don’t talk too much. Just get up.”

               “No way. If you don’t sit here now I’ll ask someone else to sit here.”

                 The woman turned towards the aisle.

              “ Mother, come here and sit down quickly.   Nirmala, where are you? You ass.         Sit here now."

“But Sharmila,” the mother protests. “You should sit down. I’ll stand. It’s hardly two weeks since your operation.”

Radha was confused. “What operation?” She asked the mother.

“Uterus removal” the mother confided.

“Then let the younger girl stand.” Radha suggested.

But the younger girl sat down, unmindful of anything else.

“We’ll see to it. You needn’t advice us.” Sharmila retorted rudely.

“I’m sorry. I don’t need this seat.” Radha got up and walked away. 

Steaming Hot - Most Indian Moms Experience

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           Most moms of India might have experienced the hurry-burry of trying to get their child to eat something before they leave for School/College. Or at least of getting them carry their tiffin boxes with them.

             If we are even one minute late the child tends to run out with a ‘I’m late. I can’t wait’ attitude and we see moms running behind them with a “here, at least drink this milk”, glass in hand.

             I remember my own mom slipping a box of hot chappaties down a small gap in our fence in the Nilgiris. It was a hill station and I had to walk around our fence to reach a lower road to go to school.

             But perhaps my own crazy action a few days ago will stay in our minds a little longer. My College going daughter had come home for a few days after a gap of two and a half months. Now that got me mad with excitement and I hardly knew what I was doing.

             Cooking her special dishes, seeing if the clothes I bought her fitted her well (and whether she liked them enough to agree using them), listening to her College stories without commenting unless she asked for it, taking her to church on Sunday, taking her shopping locally, to friends’ houses, functions, etc.; guiding her, watching her practice for a play, giving ideas at the appropriate time…

              Suddenly it was almost time for her to leave and I remembered that I had sugar, butter and eggs –just right for a cake for her. Not advisable for us at our age and she would miss the fun of enjoying a home baked cake.

              Her dad was out of station and I had to leave her at the Railway junction on my own. With around an hour left for us to start, I just couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving without the cake. So I swung into action. Within 45 minutes the cake gave out its characteristic smell and I hurried to open it without even first testing to see if it was cooked. It wasn’t. Immediately I closed it and switched it on again. Time wasted.

              I served her dosais and her favourite egg curry. With the remaining ten minutes, even if I scraped the sides to get the cake out, it would be steaming hot. And would turn to crumbs easily.

                 The auto sounded at our doorstep. So we locked the house and hurried. While my daughter went to the waiting train, I went to buy my platform ticket. I saw her peep out from her seat but spotted a cement table-top like structure, perhaps built to hold a tank or water cooler or something but seemed specially convenient for me. So out of the bag came my baking vessel, cake and all with another container for it, knife and a small box to house her piece of cake.

               The cake was cut and a sizable piece transferred to her small tuck box (with a small opening to let the moisture out).

                 And I ultimately had time to chat with my daughter casually as the engine shunted and went to join the front side of the train.

P.S – The cake turned out more delicious than any I have baked so far.

Expectations

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She briefly took the phone wire from her mouth and greeted the receptionist. Then fixed it back again and continued speaking into it.

“Come on, Shyam, Do you expect me to believe such nonsense?”

She pulled out a chair from an unoccupied table and sat down. She was slim and tall, around 5’8”. Her bright red lips matched her red and black tops.

Even Salman who was threatening the waiter with a

 ‘if you had just told me I would have showed the lot of you to make an omelette the right way,’  turned around to see what others were looking at.

And naturally the waiter had to see why Salman had stopped so suddenly.

A small white rabbit peeped out of her right pocket. The girl stroked its head and throat gently and then thrust it inside, all the while continuing on the phone.

“Okay, Shyam, it may be an ordinary matter for you. But it doesn’t suit me one bit, understand?

“What?  

“YES, I agree that I’m traditional in my values, very traditional. In fact I’m surprised you didn’t notice it till now. So let me get it clear once and for all. Its goodbye forever and I don’t want to hear your voice or see your face anymore, got it?”

She pulled the earphones off and buried her face in her hands. The whole place was silent as if to share her loss. “A glass of apple juice first please,” she said to the waiting waiter, uncovering her face briefly.

“You serve this dish to that lady there,” Salman continued in a whisper “and see what happens. Your chef will be fired in ten minutes.”

“Excuse me, Sir, but that lady was so pleased with yesterday’s pudding  that she gave me a 500 rupee note tip.”

“Nonsense! You think I’ll believe that?” Salman said, thumping the table so forcefully that the young girl sitting at the opposite table let out an involuntary cry.

Her big eyes were fixed on the door. She huddled herself like a mouse on hearing a cat’s approaching meows.

“Relax, Rita, they’re not going to search for you here now,” the elderly lady by her side said. “My brother has cleverly diverted them to the north. In fifteen minutes we’ll be travelling south. You must spend the night at Ravi’s house. In the morning he’ll take you to the registrar’s office. Shankar will be waiting there. Just sign the register, pose for a photo and you’ll come out as a married woman, understand? Now show me how you’ll hold Shankar’s arm tomorrow: Ah! That blush will do. Now finish your coffee and let’s go.”

But Rita kept staring at another couple who were happily sharing a drink using two straws. Their eyes were half closed, half admiring as they looked up from their drink to smile at each other now and then.

 Shankar and she never enjoyed such a peaceful moment together. Would things suddenly change after tomorrow?

She stretched out her hands to hold the table but her head was spinning rapidly and she found herself moving closer to the floor…

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Matilda's Decision

Two young girls looked at her, said something and giggled...

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 Matilda smiled to herself as she glanced at her reflection in the glass of a barber shop on the way to the library. Her first day.

 The library was  stacked beyond its capacity. From behind the bookshelves two young girls looked at her sneeringly, said something and giggled. Prasanth sir was at the counter, busily going through the data in the computer.

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“Good Morning, sir,” she said cheerfully.
 “I was just making sure that you wouldn’t have any problems taking over.”

“I’m sure I won’t, sir. Not when taking over from you."

He gestured to the girls,“Lakshmi, Keerthi, why are you looking at madam like that? She is the new librarian I was telling you about. Come and introduce yourselves.”

“Sorry, you resemble a woman we know. So we were confused.” Lakshmi said and Keerthi nodded.

Readers kept coming in. So Matilda was busy all day. She noticed a few girls looking up from their books and admiring her looks and her ear-rings.

“I’ll ask my mother to get me a pair like those. See here, I've copied the design.”one girl told another.

Matilda had bought the earring for Rs 40. Were they going to order the model in gold?

The day passed by pleasantly and Matilda was thankful for the double benefit. Doing what she loved in the sweet presence of books; and getting paid for it. She’d get Rs 15,000 at the end of this month. She could pay back her chitti (mother’s younger sister) Rs 5000 every month for a year.

She’d give her mother Rs 7000-Rs 8000 to run the family. Then she need not go to work in other people’s houses any more. 

 If only they could shift to another locality…

After all the readers had left, Lakshmi and Keerthi helped her lock all the doors.

“Where do you come from?” Lakshmi asked her finally, as Keerthi looked on.

“From Sowbhagya colony,” Matilda said as a matter of fact and continued walking.
 After gesturing to Lakshmi,, Keerthi asked her, “Do you know anybody called Mary?”

“She’s my mother,” Matilda said proudly. “Do you know her?”

“She used to come near our houses previously. You resemble her closely.”

“Where do you live?” Matilda asked.

“Sogous Nagar,” they replied in unison.

“And is your father Mr. Muthulingam?” Matilda turned to look at them. They shied away with guilty looks.

Mary had worked in Muthulingam’s house. He had tried to harass her.

When she called for help, he put a false case of theft on her. But a smart lawyer brought the truth to light.

             “We are not responsible for our  parents’ mistakes,” Matilda said.
              “Let’s  be friends."