(I was missing the fictional Mr Iyer :P)
Happiness...
"Naa pannatuma nee panreya?" (do u want to call her?) Appa sulked
"You were the one that was complaining no? So YOU call." Amma said coldly
Janaki Athai stirred the gajar halwas patiently
Shubhang tried to grab everything Appa put away in the concrete wall shelving in the living
"Paar dee ivana... avale tevalam pola iruke" (look at him, he is making Nivi look like a good girl" Appa waved a finger and picked up the slender boy
He looked at Appa curiously
"Olliya irukaane" (he is so skinny) he said to the boy
The boy grunted and reached for Appa's glasses in his shirt pocket
Akka was asleep
Shravu was at Nandu's after months
"Enna pesanumam?" (what does he want to chat about?") Athai whispered to Amma
"Ur brother no?" Amma rolled her eyes
"Po di" Athai scolded Amma
"Vandooo ezhindru maaa" (Vandu get up) Amma hollered
"Let her sleep" Appa ordered after setting Shubhang down and handing him a NEWSPAPER
He was awkward and clueless about entertaining babies now
His angst over the fact that his arch enemy decided to crash on the ski slopes and summon his daughter was stoking his fire
"When will he learn responsibility I say?" Appa hollered
"Yaaru? kozhandaya?" (who? the baby?) Amma asked sarcastically
Appa glared
"Joke aa?" Appa was pissed
"He is a grown man... his wife lives here, he lives there, he needs some activity" Amma defended her favorite
"Bala will never do such a thing" Appa said smugly
"Between his parents needs and his brother's selfishness he is left with no money for hobbies" Amma grit her teeth
"So? what I said is right afterall? He is responsible?" Appa was gleeful
Athai came to the living room and grabbed Amma's fist
"Vaa dee nee ulle" (come in)
Amma was upset
"She hasnt taken any time off after Deepavali" Amma waved to II's bedroom and talked about Akka sadly. "Eppo paar ottam" (running around)
"What about our Ishita? Vandu has Bala" Appa was happy
"Her husband has appointed a house full of servants... and three drivers..." Amma shot back
"Vaa dee nee ulle... Vandu ezhunda manasu kashta padum" (If Vandu hears she is worse off she will be hurt)
"She is NOT Akka" Amma was defensive now
"All the servants in the world is what use I say?" Appa asked
"She is happy, she willingly went to tend to him"
"Ofcourse she will... enna vashiyam paninano... badava" (wonder what spell he cast on my baby)
"Ask her... call her and ask her" Amma quit shelling peas and followed her SIL to the kitchen
Appa briskly got up from the sofa, flipped the veshti edge to give himself
an energy boost, forgot his weak knees and lunged for the land line receiver on the dining table
"MTNL la call panna porela?" (how can u use MTNL?) Amma mocked
Appa glared set the phone back and walked over to the shelving and grabbed his cell phone and dialed his son in law!!
"How are you?" he asked politely, toning down his angst
Amma answered the door bell and
He hit speaker to chase after shubhang who ran after the now open front door, Amma had received the iron clothes
He dragged the baby back
"How is Mrs Iyer?" R&B asked WITH A SMILE
"Yes yes... she is fine" Appa told him
"Epoo varaan kelungo" (when is he returning?)Amma beamed with pride
"My sister is also here" Appa told him with envy
"Oh? Umm... hello to her as well?" R&B said carefully
"My sister and I are very close" Appa told him
"I am sure" R&B said
"You dont listen to Samyukta... but I listen to Janaki" he declared
"Ayyo Ramachandra" Athai smacked her forehead with the halwa smeared ladle
"I hear a baby" he said
"Yes yes... Vandita is here no? Why didnt Ishita call today?" Appa asked
"Oh?" he responded
"She calls everyday" Appa said
"oH? uMM... She is asleep right now" he told Appa
"NOW?" its almost 6 in the evening" Appa said
"Onga ponnu toongaraale" (ur laadli is asleep too) Amma pointed to the bedroom
Appa turned away so he cud harass his SIL in peace, walked to the balcony and Amma quickly grabbed Shubh
"Is her health OK?" Appa asked
"I think so" R&B said looking at his barely clad wife's sleeping form
"Has your back improved? You should give up skiing I say" he ordered
"Umm... Uh... um" R&B struggled
"You want to live in Paris, but she has to undergo lot of stress" Appa's fatherly juices oozed
"I mainly work out of Paris"
"Yes es... we have been hearing that for 3 years" Appa said
R&B chuckled at Appa's frustration
"Umm..(clearing his throat) "I dont know what to say Mr Iyer... I am sorry"
"How is the pain" Appa asked sincerely
"I have some pain" he said
HE HAD GOTTEN A MASSAGE OUT OF IT EARLIER IN THE AFTERNOON
HE WAS ABLE TO GET "sTUFF"
She fought him less fearing she would hurt him
Life was GOOD!!!
He bend down and kissed her flushed cheek
"Toonga viden da" II YELLED
Appa HEARD THAT
He grunted... and mumbled and looked embarrassed
Appa trained his eyes on random cricket playing kids 8 floors down
"You should take care I say" Appa said
"Will do Mr Iyer" he said firmly
"Why she is sleeping?" Appa said aloud
And then stopped and shook his head and hung up
Turned towards the living dining area and declared
"Avan inda janmathla tirnda poradu ille" (he wont sudhrofy in this lifetime)
Amma gathered the pea casings in her basket and nodded smugly
"sandosham"