“Did you meet Thamby?” Chachan asked Amma.
“No, Not yet, we will ask them to come for lunch now that you are also here.”
“They have a son, her age.” He nodded in my direction.
When George and his family came to lunch the next day, we hit it off immediately, running around and playing in the sun. The mango trees had tender mangoes; sour not yet sweet and amma plucked a few, diced them and mixed in chilly powder and salt. Everyone loved them. As the day wore on, the adults sat around talking and we were left to our devices.
“Do you know, my Appan has been to Calcutta?”
“So what?”
“Well, it is very far off and a very big city, much much bigger than Madras.”
“No place is bigger than Madras” George said with certainty.
“Really? Are there statues here like the ones appan brought from Calcutta.”
“What statues?””Statues of women. They are so pretty that no one is allowed to look at them and so appan has stored them on the highest shelf of the cupboard.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Well, it really is true.”
“Well show them to me then.”
“No, No one is allowed to take them down. When we build a new house we will display them. That is what Appan said.”
“Well I don’t believe you have any statues. Otherwise you would have shown me.”
“George, Sneha, come inside, it is hot outside, don’t play in the sun.” Amma called.
“Amma, when is appan coming back from office? Can you show George the statues, please?”
“No, Appan will be angry if we take them down.”
“But Amma..”Amma shook her head, “Please don’t start whining Sneha.”
I looked at Chachan; he also shook his head to show he was helpless.
Then Appan and George’s father were back and soon the statues were forgotten.
“It is good that you guys are here, at least Suja will stop complaining about having no friends here. Now once the children go to school you can meet and do what you like.” Thamby uncle said.
Soon George left with his parents.
A few days’ later Suja aunty and George came back. Suja aunty and amma went to the kitchen and Vena was sleeping.
“Show me the statues.”
“Okay but you shouldn’t touch them or break them.”
“We went to the bedroom. I got a stool climbed on it and gently pulled a statue, unwrapped it and showed it to George.
“Can I see another one?”
I took out another one. After we finished admiring them. I put them back and then I dropped one of the statues. It sounded like an explosion going off. I got down from the stool looked at the statue on the floor, it had broken into two and I quickly got up the stool wrapped them up and put it back just as it was before.
“Don’t tell anyone.” I told George and we ran off to play, the statue and the crime soon forgotten.
“This is a good age, old enough to know the basics but not old enough to be brats, still able to coddle and have fun with” George’s father and Appan were watching us play.
“But they are still pretty unpredictable” Appan said, “A few days back we were lying on the bed and playing with her, when suddenly for reason she aimed and kicked be hard in the face. My!! I saw stars for sometime.”
“Yeah, unpredictable but soon they will grow up, start lying and learn other bad habits and then these things will seem small and insignificant.”
“No, Not yet, we will ask them to come for lunch now that you are also here.”
“They have a son, her age.” He nodded in my direction.
When George and his family came to lunch the next day, we hit it off immediately, running around and playing in the sun. The mango trees had tender mangoes; sour not yet sweet and amma plucked a few, diced them and mixed in chilly powder and salt. Everyone loved them. As the day wore on, the adults sat around talking and we were left to our devices.
“Do you know, my Appan has been to Calcutta?”
“So what?”
“Well, it is very far off and a very big city, much much bigger than Madras.”
“No place is bigger than Madras” George said with certainty.
“Really? Are there statues here like the ones appan brought from Calcutta.”
“What statues?””Statues of women. They are so pretty that no one is allowed to look at them and so appan has stored them on the highest shelf of the cupboard.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Well, it really is true.”
“Well show them to me then.”
“No, No one is allowed to take them down. When we build a new house we will display them. That is what Appan said.”
“Well I don’t believe you have any statues. Otherwise you would have shown me.”
“George, Sneha, come inside, it is hot outside, don’t play in the sun.” Amma called.
“Amma, when is appan coming back from office? Can you show George the statues, please?”
“No, Appan will be angry if we take them down.”
“But Amma..”Amma shook her head, “Please don’t start whining Sneha.”
I looked at Chachan; he also shook his head to show he was helpless.
Then Appan and George’s father were back and soon the statues were forgotten.
“It is good that you guys are here, at least Suja will stop complaining about having no friends here. Now once the children go to school you can meet and do what you like.” Thamby uncle said.
Soon George left with his parents.
A few days’ later Suja aunty and George came back. Suja aunty and amma went to the kitchen and Vena was sleeping.
“Show me the statues.”
“Okay but you shouldn’t touch them or break them.”
“We went to the bedroom. I got a stool climbed on it and gently pulled a statue, unwrapped it and showed it to George.
“Can I see another one?”
I took out another one. After we finished admiring them. I put them back and then I dropped one of the statues. It sounded like an explosion going off. I got down from the stool looked at the statue on the floor, it had broken into two and I quickly got up the stool wrapped them up and put it back just as it was before.
“Don’t tell anyone.” I told George and we ran off to play, the statue and the crime soon forgotten.
“This is a good age, old enough to know the basics but not old enough to be brats, still able to coddle and have fun with” George’s father and Appan were watching us play.
“But they are still pretty unpredictable” Appan said, “A few days back we were lying on the bed and playing with her, when suddenly for reason she aimed and kicked be hard in the face. My!! I saw stars for sometime.”
“Yeah, unpredictable but soon they will grow up, start lying and learn other bad habits and then these things will seem small and insignificant.”
No comments:
Post a Comment