Posted:
Obliterated yet obvious
Periappa was going to be picked up before lunch on Sunday
II and R&B were invited to arrive after 6 PM on Sunday, after the Rahu Kaal (4:30-6 PM), for the ceremonial entry for the first post wedding Deepavali
She spoke with Sam to get updates about Shanti Niketan's
Manya did not call, II stared at her Contact detail and finally didnt...
100s and thousands (well almost) of boxes arrived at home on Saturday, in a truck
Dryfruits, mithai in cold storage, and silverware and a few boxes of gold jewelry even
Imad showed up at the door, as II strolled to the front patio on a rainy Sat morning, he husband was asleep
(Whats new? thinks the author)
She had shaken, squeezed and prodded with no success, he had tossed and turned and tossed and turned and each time she had woken up and held his face and kissed his forehead
Given him many quiet finger kangis... and watched him fall asleep around 3 AM
"Ezhundukko daaa" please" (wake up) she cooed at 10 AM...
He had made her sing a Tamil song and a Hindi song, listened to both and went back to sleep
Mahavir knew what it was and where it needed to be stacked the freezer was plugged in an annexe by the kitchen
She watched them stack and took a tin of rasgullas from the stack
Walked to the kitchen and served herself some, it was authentic Chittaranjan Mistan Bhandar, Shyam Bazaar
When Appa was in Industry Ministry for a project he went to TISCO and stopped over at Calcutta
It tasted EXACTLY the same
Triggered by the sweet, she turned on the stove and made chakli/murukku and milk cake in the next couple hours
She fed Periappa in between, the rains continued to lash, she hit the lights in all the rooms...she hated a dark gloomy house
Ranjan returned from wherever he was, picked up a spoonful of the white ball and shoved it in his mouth
"Kehna mat kisi ko" he winked
"Waise maine 4 khaaya main kisko kahoongi Dad? Dad waise ginkar mangwaye?" she asked softly
Her husband walked in as Ranjan's face expressed the deepest disapoointment at her Q
He watched curiously
"Appa would go there, I mean he went once, Amma still has that dabba for storing something in the kitchen, like an old antique thing" she explained
"Betaji aap kaho na, poori dukaan yaha par lag jaaye Dilli mein" he said grimly
She stared at her toes and nodded
"I " (took without asking?)
"Kehna vi nahi puttar" he warned
she smiled
He slowly let go of his anger and smiled
"Kya banaya?"
"Milk cake and chakli" she said shyly twisting her apron into a rope
She wore another pair of blue jeans and a baby pink cashmere sweater and an apron that said "Kiss up to the cook"
She gently covered the kiss with her braid, so Ranjan couldnt read
He read and pretended not to have
Ranjan took what she made in a plate... "Imad ne aana tha" he said
"Oopar hain"
"shaam ko dono chaley jaana dene" he said firmly
R&B's espresso squealed "ARE U SERIOUS?"
He poured himself some
"Dekho... ghar par Diwali aur chirag ab jala hai" Ranjan teased
"Sam ke ghar?" she asked
"sam Chache ke yahan, do chaar MP MLA haingey... aur woh Industry, Export Promotion agencies, IT
He was still looking at his phone, her husband wandered over to where she was, she pulled her milk cake away from his reach,
he grabbed one and went out to bring the newspapers from the lounge
"Eat your breakfast at 2 PM" she mocked
"IT aur Industry Ministry main chala jawanga" Ranjan removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes and yawned
"Khichri aur chaar tareeqe ki chutney hai, khana lagoon, aap kha aaye?" she asked softly
"De de beta" he smiled and yawned
"Soye nahi?" she asked him
"Nahi gudiya" he admitted somberly
A tense silence swirled in that kitchen for a few minutes
She knew both sides of the story now... the precarious tumultuous unease the two men suffered
through the night, the reticent husband and the judicious repentant? Dad
Reminiscing happier Savvy-ly? managed Diwalis
II was here now... but Savvy still held them both... one hand each?
She was as invisible, as the connect between the men on most days
II felt a lump in her throat
She served him lunch, and made eggs for her husband...
I KNOW I KNOW
APPA WILL KILL ME
BUT APPA DOESNT KNOW
SOMETHINGS HE SHOULDNT
HES HAD A BAD NIGHT
I CANT ASK HIM TO EAT TOAST OR POHA
"Dad aap kal ghar chalenge?" she asked serving Ranjan some cranberry chutney
"Na jee na, Diwali pehli aap dono ki, jao aish karo bache" he grinned
"Maine Appa ko keh diya aap bhi chalenge" she lied
He looked shocked at first
"achha?" Achhaaa?" he asked letting the joy sink in
"Abhi Appa ko bura lagega" she lied again
"Mr Iyer is a noble man" Ranjan said his tongue darting out to moisten his lips, as he held his trembling lips together
Unable to say a word, deeply moved by his DIL's generosity
He was truly believing he would go to work and distribute gifts, and go to bed...
"Phir tey saara kaam late ho jaana hai betaji" he recalced enthusiastically
He ate and went up
"Amad nu khilaya khana betaji?" he asked pausing by the door way
She nodded
Her husband turned to her
"Looks like someone got creamed" he bend down and licked a crumb of milkcake fron her collar bone
She stiffened "I thought he must have counted"
"u need to quit thinking" he nipped her ear punishingly, and kissed her as Mahavir entered to stack Periappa's empty dishes
Minion didnt look and R&B didnt care
"Likewise" she muttered solemnly(SAY IT TO YOURSELF😭)
Periappa was going to be picked up before lunch on Sunday
II and R&B were invited to arrive after 6 PM on Sunday, after the Rahu Kaal (4:30-6 PM), for the ceremonial entry for the first post wedding Deepavali
She spoke with Sam to get updates about Shanti Niketan's
Manya did not call, II stared at her Contact detail and finally didnt...
100s and thousands (well almost) of boxes arrived at home on Saturday, in a truck
Dryfruits, mithai in cold storage, and silverware and a few boxes of gold jewelry even
Imad showed up at the door, as II strolled to the front patio on a rainy Sat morning, he husband was asleep
(Whats new? thinks the author)
She had shaken, squeezed and prodded with no success, he had tossed and turned and tossed and turned and each time she had woken up and held his face and kissed his forehead
Given him many quiet finger kangis... and watched him fall asleep around 3 AM
"Ezhundukko daaa" please" (wake up) she cooed at 10 AM...
He had made her sing a Tamil song and a Hindi song, listened to both and went back to sleep
Mahavir knew what it was and where it needed to be stacked the freezer was plugged in an annexe by the kitchen
She watched them stack and took a tin of rasgullas from the stack
Walked to the kitchen and served herself some, it was authentic Chittaranjan Mistan Bhandar, Shyam Bazaar
When Appa was in Industry Ministry for a project he went to TISCO and stopped over at Calcutta
It tasted EXACTLY the same
Triggered by the sweet, she turned on the stove and made chakli/murukku and milk cake in the next couple hours
She fed Periappa in between, the rains continued to lash, she hit the lights in all the rooms...she hated a dark gloomy house
Ranjan returned from wherever he was, picked up a spoonful of the white ball and shoved it in his mouth
"Kehna mat kisi ko" he winked
"Waise maine 4 khaaya main kisko kahoongi Dad? Dad waise ginkar mangwaye?" she asked softly
Her husband walked in as Ranjan's face expressed the deepest disapoointment at her Q
He watched curiously
"Appa would go there, I mean he went once, Amma still has that dabba for storing something in the kitchen, like an old antique thing" she explained
"Betaji aap kaho na, poori dukaan yaha par lag jaaye Dilli mein" he said grimly
She stared at her toes and nodded
"I " (took without asking?)
"Kehna vi nahi puttar" he warned
she smiled
He slowly let go of his anger and smiled
"Kya banaya?"
"Milk cake and chakli" she said shyly twisting her apron into a rope
She wore another pair of blue jeans and a baby pink cashmere sweater and an apron that said "Kiss up to the cook"
She gently covered the kiss with her braid, so Ranjan couldnt read
He read and pretended not to have
Ranjan took what she made in a plate... "Imad ne aana tha" he said
"Oopar hain"
"shaam ko dono chaley jaana dene" he said firmly
R&B's espresso squealed "ARE U SERIOUS?"
He poured himself some
"Dekho... ghar par Diwali aur chirag ab jala hai" Ranjan teased
"Sam ke ghar?" she asked
"sam Chache ke yahan, do chaar MP MLA haingey... aur woh Industry, Export Promotion agencies, IT
He was still looking at his phone, her husband wandered over to where she was, she pulled her milk cake away from his reach,
he grabbed one and went out to bring the newspapers from the lounge
"Eat your breakfast at 2 PM" she mocked
"IT aur Industry Ministry main chala jawanga" Ranjan removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes and yawned
"Khichri aur chaar tareeqe ki chutney hai, khana lagoon, aap kha aaye?" she asked softly
"De de beta" he smiled and yawned
"Soye nahi?" she asked him
"Nahi gudiya" he admitted somberly
A tense silence swirled in that kitchen for a few minutes
She knew both sides of the story now... the precarious tumultuous unease the two men suffered
through the night, the reticent husband and the judicious repentant? Dad
Reminiscing happier Savvy-ly? managed Diwalis
II was here now... but Savvy still held them both... one hand each?
She was as invisible, as the connect between the men on most days
II felt a lump in her throat
She served him lunch, and made eggs for her husband...
I KNOW I KNOW
APPA WILL KILL ME
BUT APPA DOESNT KNOW
SOMETHINGS HE SHOULDNT
HES HAD A BAD NIGHT
I CANT ASK HIM TO EAT TOAST OR POHA
"Dad aap kal ghar chalenge?" she asked serving Ranjan some cranberry chutney
"Na jee na, Diwali pehli aap dono ki, jao aish karo bache" he grinned
"Maine Appa ko keh diya aap bhi chalenge" she lied
He looked shocked at first
"achha?" Achhaaa?" he asked letting the joy sink in
"Abhi Appa ko bura lagega" she lied again
"Mr Iyer is a noble man" Ranjan said his tongue darting out to moisten his lips, as he held his trembling lips together
Unable to say a word, deeply moved by his DIL's generosity
He was truly believing he would go to work and distribute gifts, and go to bed...
"Phir tey saara kaam late ho jaana hai betaji" he recalced enthusiastically
He ate and went up
"Amad nu khilaya khana betaji?" he asked pausing by the door way
She nodded
Her husband turned to her
"Looks like someone got creamed" he bend down and licked a crumb of milkcake fron her collar bone
She stiffened "I thought he must have counted"
"u need to quit thinking" he nipped her ear punishingly, and kissed her as Mahavir entered to stack Periappa's empty dishes
Minion didnt look and R&B didnt care
"Likewise" she muttered solemnly(SAY IT TO YOURSELF😭)
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