I am from South India hence you will see certain words that are local.
So,Basically
Amma-- Mom
Mamma -- Paternal Grandmother
Anna -- Brother
Akka--- Sister
Chandamama-- a monthly magazine for kids.
Ammamma-- Maternal Grandmother
Tatagaru-- Paternal Grandfather
Peddamma ' Maternal Aunt.
PART 'IX
That summer nothing seemed to right. Uday anna & Chitra graduated from college. Anna got admission in to Berkley University, USA. Amma was very happy. Daddy was reading his morning paper and the phone rang. Daddy picked it up and he was listening to the other side and suddenly he turned pale. He kept on saying "Humm.. Humm ..." He kept the phone down and called Anna. Anna walked in and said "yes daddy?" "That was Chitra." he said quietly. "Call her and talk to her. And she is in trouble. If this is not resolved we all will be." he said firmly. Anna got ready quickly. Amma and Daddy were discussing intently in low voice. Amma seemed disturbed. From the expressions on their face I guessed they knew about Anna and Chitra. Anna got on his bicycle and went to Chitra's house. He didn't return till late afternoon. Daddy went to office already and I never saw him that serious. I was very tensed too. Amma for the first time burnt lunch and remade again. Anna came home and Amma said eat lunch then we will talk. Anna nodded and we finished lunch. That was the quietest meal ever. That evening once daddy came home the round table started. Mamma took me and Gunjan to temple.
Next thing I knew, Anna dropped from Berkley University. Amma was heartbroken. Anna decided to start business. Daddy didn't say anything. He supported Anna. I guess he had to. I never knew the whole story, but as much as I knew Chitra's parents got to know about the love story and didn't approve of Anna. They quietly started looking for other alliances for her. Chitra got upset and asked Anna to marry her soon. I guess Uday anna didn't have much choice after that and he had to establish himself faster. Daddy helped him with a startup company.
One day Daddy came home and he looked drained. "I am getting transferred to a remote place." he said. Amma was stunned and became a statue. "First Uday and now this. Two girls and their education are at a crucial stage. And Uday still needs us for a while. Chitra's parents called this afternoon and told that they will be visiting us this weekend." She said in a single breath. "Lakshmi , we will discuss this later." he said . I guess he didn't want us to see them tensed.
Summer was horrible. I saw Anna hardly and their marriage talks started. Finally both families came to an understanding and said they will give Uday Anna 2 years to get settled. For Anna the countdown had begun. I didn't see Chitra at all after that. I guess I missed her. Daddy spoke to his boss and agreed to forego his promotion for our stability. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Later I came to know he borrowed money from a lot of places to help Anna start business. Our house seemed like a graveyard. Hardly anyone smiled. One day I saw Mamma talking to Daddy and Amma. She seemed to be giving them her life's experience. After that day, both of them seemed to be little bit relaxed.
9th grade started. Daddy took it upon himself to teach is math and English. He taught us Hall & knight Trigonometry. He had such a fun way of teaching. Gunjan hated it. She was more of a private person. Daddy was having fun teaching us and slowly things started becoming normal. After trig, Daddy started Coney's calculus. This one was way over my head. I got so confused. "I will be a biology student so I don't need to know all of these." I assured myself. "Poor Gunjan." I thought. Daddy literally had a field day with her. She was so patient and yet I saw a determined Gunjan for the first time. If she didn't want to do it, she would tactfully convey without hurting daddy's feeling. They had relationship that was very different from mine. Daddy relied on Gunjan for support. She had a way to give him confidence and help him through his tough time. She was his pillar of his world. She was wise beyond her age and was very mature.
Gunjan passed 10th grade in flying colors. She made Daddy very proud. That summer what we had been dreading happened. Daddy's transfer got final. He was to go to Bhopal. I started crying. Daddy sat down with us and talked to us in detail. The weight of the financial situation forced us to move back to our native place. I hated moving there permanently. It was a good place only to visit not to stay . But we had to. And I joined 10th class in new school. Did I say I hated it? Oh yes I did. Gunjan joined Intermediate(11th grade). We had very little money to spend. That means no pocket money. Our house was far from the school and college. We had to walk 3 miles each day in order to attend them. I remembered getting really tired at the end of the day. I hardly saw daddy. He would come home once in 2 months. I missed him like anything. I often saw Amma cry and Gunjan consoled her. In the absence of Anna and Daddy, Gunjan became our support. I decided I am not going to be unhappy.
I would put up dance dramas for Amma. Amma, Gunjan and me would sit with the radio and sing old movie songs. Amma and I worked on the garden together. I would do my idiotic stuff and made Amma laugh. Amma slowly began to adjust. And One day Daddy called and said he resigned and he is coming home permanently. Amma was happy and also scared. "How will we support kid's education?" she thought. Daddy said "Don't worry; I have a plan, rest assured." So, daddy came home forever. I can't tell you how happy was I. Daddy started looking for jobs in the private sector. He had a lot of experience. Amma became busy is keeping vrats, different kinds, all kinds actually. Our financial situation got tougher. Even in that time, once daddy came back, he hired a rickshaw for me to take me to school and drop me back. Did I tell you I LOOOVEEE MY DADDY? Akka refused to go in rickshaw. She said she preferred to walk. That winter finally Anna's marriage was fixed. The deadline was up. We all got busy in Anna's wedding. Amma tried to find silver lining. After all, her only son was getting married. She only wished it had happened in different circumstances. So, both sisters got new set of clothes. And we were ready. And the happy times were back.
Thinking back, during that time I think I realized something that I cherished to this day. The bond we shared and the understanding we had was truly astonishing and very special. We didn't use many words. We understood what was unsaid and how to cooperate. We loved each other immensely and became each other's support unconditionally. The message our parents gave was indispensible and immortal. Love and respect each other, no questions asked. And always be there for each other no matter how tough life gets because it is us who matter not mere incidents. Live through the tough times, take a message and cherish it. You never know when you will need it. Funny how I hated something in the beginning became an important part of my life because it gave me my core values.
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I know this is more of a unhappy situation read, like I always say happiness makes only sense in sadness.I learnt to cherish the small things life offered. I also became independent and self-sufficient during that time.
Next Part Uday & Chitra's wedding....Nupur and Mayank meet again...😳
AJ
Edited by aj_observer - 16 years ago
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