I or O
"Khaana nahi khaogey?" she asked with a sombre expression.
If she missed his lounging in the backyard deck chair she wasnt willing to admit it quite yet, he realized
"Is it ready?" he asked stopping the curl twirl on his head.
He had showered and changed into his Alex Wang sweats and a old soft BR tee. He was NEVER cold
"Umm.. vegetarian hai. Dad bhi aa gaye" she said quietly
"Ofcourse" he muttered
The book he was reading was atleast 500 pages she thought
He didnt really need human interaction
"Agar neeche nahi khaogey to I can ask Mahavir to bring it up" telling him bluntly she aint doin it
He didnt respond.
Just followed her down
Watching her long braid swing as she elegantly made her way down
Nivi sat in the adults table tonight, shrieking when she saw him
Granparents visit meant no rules I guess
She had both her hands in the rice she was eating, the spoon lay untouched on the side
She scooped up a spoonful... spoonhalf... spoon third and then raised it causing everything to fall except for a grain of dal rice and extended it to him
He bend down and ate it
"Do you like that?" he asked
"NAMEEE Daddy" she told him
Appa looked at him curiously
"Ithana kulurardu ippo poi kulichirkan" (he has showered on such a cold wintry night)
"Neeche gallan karo betaji, oopar ki kar rahe ho?" he admonished
"Reading" R&B said stealing the chair by his wife, where Amma "might" have sat
II pulled hers away self consciously
Appa and Ranjan talked about work, government and work life balance
The topic invariably directed at their kids
"Isko soney se dushmani hai Iyer saab" Ranjan lamented
R&B ate the dal chawal and 3 sabzis and roti quietly
Amma and II were chatting from across the table
"Mahavir can I have another flat tire please?" R&B requested
The guy nodded and went off to get one as Appa squirmed
"He needs to take care of himself, he went to PT today now he is drinking liqor" Appa was saddened
AYYO APPA
QUIT IT!!
"Iyer saab you cannot separate a Punjabi man from his liqor" Ranjan was very protective
R&B grinned at his Dad
"Amma Ajeeth oda anda new song sooper ma" (the new song is nice) II gushed
"Do watch Tamil movies now?" Amma cooed to her fave SIL
"Umm.. not really" he smiled warmly
"She only watches Tamil she says" Amma laughed
"I notice she has many" he said casually
Not claiming credit for setting up the complicated file storage system that could be accessed from any device.
Teaching her painstakingly how to work the various remotes in the 2nd floor living room
She would lay on him and watch as he read...
"she says you arranged to buy 1000s" Amma said in awe
Appa paused his own convo to listen
He grunted unhappily, a twinge of jealously snaking through his body
"She cant seem to stop loving Surya?" he chuckled eating a spoonful of raita
II blushed self consciously
Amma noticed plenty of crackle in the air, made her happy
"If you want to learn Tamil, Sankara Math has Sunday classes" Appa offered sternly
R&B nodded
"Mr Bhalla not sure if you have seen about this man" Appa reached for his phone despite Amma's tchhhcing
"I know Iyer saab.. I think I know" Ranjan gushed
"I tell you his lifestyle, his work, his sayings, his lectures, my goodness" Appa was gushing
Some new "guru" of sorts by the name Rohan Iyer the internet's newest craze
A man in his late 30s unmarried and living like a ascetic
"His recommendations for everything can be followed by everyone I say" Appa said proudly
"Appa please I cannot give up movies" II bristled
"Odane sandaiki varaade da, listen to his lectures" (dont start fighting) Appa promised
R&B was aloof... unscathed
"Isnt that routine for Iyers though? Overachieving in academics and following rituals?" R&B asked coolly
"Yes yes" Appa was proud
II was pissed
HE THINKS WE ARE DWEEBS
HOW DARE HE
WHAT IS WRONG IN BEING PIUOS AND GOOD AT WHATEVER YOU DO?
Ranjan and Appa proceeded to share unsolicited info about what a amazing man he was
"She wants to sleep by her paati" II told R&B as he wandered the backyard after taking a call
"She?" he asked
"Nivi" II mumbled
He wasnt happy but nodded
"Tumhara man karey to main bhi so sakti hoon neeche" she provoked
He stood in front looking at her piercingly
II held a empty bowl and ladle in her hand
The men were in the lounge still chatting about their golden god boy
Amma was patting Nivi down on her lap
When she finally lifted her head, she met his gaze
"I am going up to read" was all he would say
She went up an hour later
Found him reading in the exact same spot, twirling his locks
"You think Iyers are dorks" she accused
"Some of em... yeah" he said coolly
"I am sorry we dont fit your cool stereo type" she said mirthfully
"Whats the big deal about "cool" anyway?" she accused
"What do YOU think it is?" he challenged
"Doing great in everything" she said primly
"Spiritual?" he cackled
"You dont have to worry about it" II lashed back
"What do u think your god man's definition of it is?" he poked
"BTW He is a MAN, hes almost 40... not a "boy" as your Dad likes to refer to him"
Some was as PISSED
II looked on startled
"Leading a clean life" II said haughtily
"that probably means one of two things, he either has hidden orgies at night or is impotent" R&B said bluntly
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
