“Leena, Leena, Where are you?” Appan was back from office.
“Why, what happened? Why the excitement?”
“Guess what? The railway is sending me to a one-month training in Calcutta. After that I may also get a promotion.”
Great, When will have to leave? I can’t stay here alone. Maybe I should go to Kerala.”
“No, I sent a letter to amma and appan to come and stay with you till I come back.”
“What Ammamma and Appappan are coming?” I ask excited.
“Okay what about the meat?” Amma is worried that without appan her in laws are going o eat her alive.
“Don’t worry. We will explain the situation to them.”
“What do you want from Calcutta?” He asks me.
“What is Calcutta?”
“It is place far off in the north. A place where Gosayis live.”
“What are Gosayis? What do they look like?”
“They are people different from us.”
“Calcutta is a very big city and ….”
“When are Appappan and ammamma coming?”
“Maybe day after tomorrow.”
Appappan and ammamma reach madras that week. We take them to the marina beach. That week we spend sight seeing.
“It is December and it will be very cold in Calcutta. Be sure to pack warm clothes.” Appan’s colleague advised him.
“Well, this is India, how cold can it get.”
“Still why take a risk, pack them.”
“Nonsense, I am not carrying any unwanted extra weight.”
“Okay up to you.” He had come to help with the packing.
Packing over we see off Appan at the railway station.
Having Ammamma to play with is treat, she knows a lot of stories and is always ready to play games. We play our favourite game for which the song goes:
Athalla Pithalla Thavalachi
Chukkume irickyanne Chulappe
Mariam vannu villakke oodhi
Goondu Mani Sarappe
Another favourite game is taking a big bowl of Porri (Puffed Rice) and putting it in the center of a freshly cleaned and sanitized drawing room, then switching on the ceiling fan. The Porri gets scattered around the room and Ammamma, baby Vena on her knees and I scrabble to collect and eat the Porri. Amma hates the game but it keeps us entertained. Ammamma is great fun to have around. Being the mother of an only son she loved girls and was the only one totally happy with her son’s two daughters.
Appan’s colleague pay us a visit, “There is bad news. Anton is in the hospital down with typhoid and pneumonia. He became ill in the train itself and railway authorities admitted him into a hospital. He is getting better but he won’t be able to attend the training as he is too weak.”
“But what happened? He was fine when he left.”
Amma and ammamma started sobbing.
“No please don’t cry, he is recovering. It must have been the cold, it is freezing in Calcutta and he had refused to take warm clothes.”
“When will he be back?”
“Maybe after another two weeks, it is better than he travel only he is totally recovered.”
He leaves unhappy at the prospect of being the bearer of bad news. Everyone is silent, frightened and sad and no one wants to play with us.
“Why, what happened? Why the excitement?”
“Guess what? The railway is sending me to a one-month training in Calcutta. After that I may also get a promotion.”
Great, When will have to leave? I can’t stay here alone. Maybe I should go to Kerala.”
“No, I sent a letter to amma and appan to come and stay with you till I come back.”
“What Ammamma and Appappan are coming?” I ask excited.
“Okay what about the meat?” Amma is worried that without appan her in laws are going o eat her alive.
“Don’t worry. We will explain the situation to them.”
“What do you want from Calcutta?” He asks me.
“What is Calcutta?”
“It is place far off in the north. A place where Gosayis live.”
“What are Gosayis? What do they look like?”
“They are people different from us.”
“Calcutta is a very big city and ….”
“When are Appappan and ammamma coming?”
“Maybe day after tomorrow.”
Appappan and ammamma reach madras that week. We take them to the marina beach. That week we spend sight seeing.
“It is December and it will be very cold in Calcutta. Be sure to pack warm clothes.” Appan’s colleague advised him.
“Well, this is India, how cold can it get.”
“Still why take a risk, pack them.”
“Nonsense, I am not carrying any unwanted extra weight.”
“Okay up to you.” He had come to help with the packing.
Packing over we see off Appan at the railway station.
Having Ammamma to play with is treat, she knows a lot of stories and is always ready to play games. We play our favourite game for which the song goes:
Athalla Pithalla Thavalachi
Chukkume irickyanne Chulappe
Mariam vannu villakke oodhi
Goondu Mani Sarappe
Another favourite game is taking a big bowl of Porri (Puffed Rice) and putting it in the center of a freshly cleaned and sanitized drawing room, then switching on the ceiling fan. The Porri gets scattered around the room and Ammamma, baby Vena on her knees and I scrabble to collect and eat the Porri. Amma hates the game but it keeps us entertained. Ammamma is great fun to have around. Being the mother of an only son she loved girls and was the only one totally happy with her son’s two daughters.
Appan’s colleague pay us a visit, “There is bad news. Anton is in the hospital down with typhoid and pneumonia. He became ill in the train itself and railway authorities admitted him into a hospital. He is getting better but he won’t be able to attend the training as he is too weak.”
“But what happened? He was fine when he left.”
Amma and ammamma started sobbing.
“No please don’t cry, he is recovering. It must have been the cold, it is freezing in Calcutta and he had refused to take warm clothes.”
“When will he be back?”
“Maybe after another two weeks, it is better than he travel only he is totally recovered.”
He leaves unhappy at the prospect of being the bearer of bad news. Everyone is silent, frightened and sad and no one wants to play with us.
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