I AM SAM
Part 134
After paattu class when she returned home it was later than 8 PM... Her parents were home and huge box of mangoes sat on the dining table along with a rich silk bag in red, a silver Balaji sat outside...
She blushed, realizing where it came from
Amma smile, as if offering an olive branch, II smiled enthusiastically tearing up...
"How was class kanna?"
"Very good Ma"
Amma noticed she was wearing a dawani, "U dressed up for class?"
"Ummm... Aama Ma" she nodded begging for approval
"The nurse left early today, will u check to see where the night time guy is held up? He was supposed to be here at 8, innum varale" Amma asked like normal convo
Appa sat watching TV "I only need buttermilk tonight" he told Amma
Amma nodded
"aval kitta sollidu, tell her" Appa pointed to II
"Ya she just came, let me get her something to eat" Amma begged
"Oh ya sure, feed her, she must be tired after singing" Appa said upset
II went to her room crying, "Enakku onnum vendaam Ma" she said sadly "I dont wnat anything
Amma GLARED at Appa, rightfully so, he was JUST so outta control the last two days
she was suddenly very very lonely... she stood by her window... called the female nurse, night time was female for safety reasons... "she said she was caught in a jam"
She went to the kitchen to tell Amma, she was planning to make upma, she offered to do it instead
Amma smiled, and took a basket of freshly washed peas in a pod... to the dining table, Amma did that frequently through winter,
shelled peas, and froze them for year round use, made gajar ka halwa multiple times...
Amma came to the kitchen under some pretext and asked softly "Did Mami see ur ring?"
"No... Ma" she said blushing shyly
Amma noticed that...
It TORE her heart that she was wishing II would take it off, her daughter was looking and acting differently for a reason, HE was it..
He seemed mature and responsible, she turned into a child in his company, she saw last night, how he made her
stop crying, she let him take the lead... Amma was startled by that
II was always "take charge" "lead" "pilot" "govern" type girl, but she noticed a vulnerable immature side to her.
She wanted to champion II's cause with her temperamental husband, temperamental, disciplinarian, no nonsense...
he loved both the kids but was mostly unable to express, an "anda kalathu purusha" trait "man from those times"
He was gruff and kind...
Amma wished to make II happy, the blush was real, he made her happy...
"Avanukku kovam unda?" "does he get angry?" Amma asked
"Ummm... ummm.. enn mela kammi" "not too much with me" she said huskily...
"Onna azha vekkarana?" "Does he make u cry?" Amma asked
"Illave ille ma" "Never" she shook her head furiously shaking her gold jhumkas
"Sirippaana?" "does he laugh?"
"Neraya" "A LOT" II counted the 219 half smiles rapidly, not to mention the smirk as he moved on her...
"Mudi cut panna maatano?" "Doesnt look like he gets many hair cuts"🤣
"Hmmm" she said gasping imagining that unruly thick hair between her fingers
Amma left the kitchen... thoughtful
She added a spoon of ghee secretly to the upma wok after she shut the stove off... it smelled DIVINE
Appa couldnt have too much nei (ghee) but she always added it... to upma, he would chuckle
"Kozhandai panninaala?" "Did the child/baby make it today?"
Amma would nod proudly "i asked her not to, she didnt listen"
"Parava ille, kozhandai panradu innum evlav naalo" (Dont know HOW many days we'll get to eat her culinary expertise)
Appa will gently choke up...
They wnated her to be married, yet not
She was spirited, lively, cheerful and funny... Appa would laugh out loud when he would hear her read Tamil cinema gossip to his Anna
KV did not have Tamil in its currculum, both girls learnt Tamil during summers JUST to read Tamil cinema gossip...
Both aced it ofcourse.
Appa still didnt look at her or talk with her...
She went to her room, in tears... Appa noticed her phone in her left hand and the sparkling rock, he turned to Amma and eye scolded her "Why hasnt it come OFF YET?"
Amma looked down at the shelled peas
"Ishtathukku pannungo rendu perum, enn mela respect ey illama poyachu" he shouted (DO AS YOU PLEASE U BOTH DONT GIVE A DAMN FOR ME)
Ii cried partially closing both doors.. walked over to the window..
loking down at her car.. reminded it needed air
"Which tire needs air? Main bhool gayi sorry" she texted him
"Rear passenger" he said after 7 or 10 minutes
She wanted to ask "What are u doing?' "Come get me from here" "they dont like me any more" she wiped her tears seeing his text😭
"(Are u at the)repair shop?" he asked, EVEN HIS TEXTS WERE ONLY ONE OR TWO WORDS
"Mmm...mm.. ghar. I returned at 8:20 ish... Ring Road is always choc a bloc"
"dont drive" he wrote meaning "if its not fixed"
She smiled
"Do u ever send more than two word texts? Mine are usually one para long, many times two or three"
"(I) receive 'em" he said "Like RIGHT NOW"
"I am thinking 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 for u" she smiled looking at the Data Lovers list
"Bold Iyer?" he asked
she was confused... and went to look at HIS LIST FOR THE FIRST TIME
"U are sick" "How dare u" "DONT EVER TALK TO ME AGAIN. DISGUSTING...
"II" was his olive branch she got that after moments
"here is a data point... I have a mole 6 inches above my knee"
"I know" he said as she quivered seeing the text, as if he touched it
~~~~~
Last nite when he left the Iyers he drove to Sam's She was nursing the baby upstairs the help informed,
Tanmay was playing against himself, a game of pool with hios fave drink
"Slumming?" asked Tanmay "Din mein do do baar? Lunch and dinner? Saale sahab?"
"Riight?" said R&B
Tanmay made his fave drink, and handed him one of his cue sticks.. R&B began playing his turn
"Whats going on dude?" Tanmay asked
R&B shook his head...
"stay for dinner?" he asked
"Sure" R&B shrugged
Tanmay rang the bell for the help, "Khaana bana leejiye please,"
"Lamb chalega?" "Fish?"
"Lamb's good" he said
"haan theek hai, uske saath woh salmon bhi.
Tanmay's friends shipped him wild Alaskan salmon every month...
The help disappeared, Sam walked in with the baby, handing her to R&B... he held her with both arms, smiling into her happy fed face
Sam placed a towel on his shoulder "usko seedha pakad" "She will need to be burped
He made a face
"Jab tera hoga I will do the same"
"I wont burp em at all" he said
Sam FROZE IN SHOCK
"KYA?"
"why? should they be burped?" he asked
"TANMAY DID U HEAR, HE WANTS KIDS" she slapped him
The baby shook
R&B shushed her
"As far as he has said to me he doesnt have erectile dysfunction Sam" Tan said seriously
"Tumhe bataaoon main?" she flung a vase at him
He ducked and caught it
R&B smiled
"yahan kyon aaya?" she asked him "Lunch to kha chuka na?" "Ab dinner bhi?" she mocked
"To eat" he said
"Kyon tumhaare ghar par to fancy shmancy chef hai na, jab main waha nahi aa sakti to tum kyon aaye? Better be good" she warned
"I am getting married" "Will THAT DO?" kinda look
"Jerk" Sam cursed upset
"KYON YAAR BAAR BAAR USKI LETA REHTA HAI?" Tanmay yelled
"Send him home Tan" Sam complained, almost in tears
"Dude keep doing this and I will have a life of celibacy" Tanmay was pissed
"I AM SAM" he said
Sam sat down in shock
"KAUN HAI?" SHOCKED BEYOND WORDS
"II... Ishita Iyer" he said softly pocketing a couple
Sam cried big and loud, Tanmay smiled... content
"WHY DID SHE RETURN YOUR STUFF?" Sam asked baffled
R&B as usual wouldnt say much... "Ermmm.. she did didnt she?"
"SHE ENDED IT AND U PROPOSED?' sam asked
""Ummm ya" he said smiling his half smile
"KUCH BHI NAHI KEH RAHA TAN, APP BOLO ISKO PLEASE... HES A SMUG bas***d" she yelled pained
Tanmay chuckled "Ab bata isko nahi to sar kha jaayegi, I have hopes to get laid tonite dont screw it"
"OH IF I DONT HEAR EVERY STINKIN WORD, U DONT EVEN GET AN UNZIP" Sam warned
"Niice" said R&B
Attempting to leave the room
"R&B, please love, bata na"
"I went to Cartier at Vasant Kunj this morning, got the ring, cancelled my flights,worked for a few hours, came here for lunch, took the bag and went"
R&B spoke his longest ever sentence
U HAD THE RING WHEN U CAME HERE TOONE MUJHE DIKHAYA BHI NAHI?" Sam asked angry
"Do I get a hug?'
She shrieked "Tan maine kaha AAPSE, AAP MAANEY HI NAHI"
Tanmay grinned
"AAPKO MALOOM THA NA?'
"Arey nahi boss" "Yeh kuch kehta hai kabhi?"
"Tell me tell me how did u propose?" Did u go down on ur knees?" Sam gushed, hugging her baby and him tighttt
"Ummm no" R&B said
"KUCH TO BOL RAJA" Sam begged
"I returned the books I sent to her and told her I wanted to marry her in two weeks"
Sam put a hand over her mouth
Tanmay rolled on the floor, literally rolled holding his belly
R&B brought Lasya's face up front and rolled his eyes, so she knows how goofy her parents were, she just cooed and smiled
"DO HAFTE MEIN, DO HAFTE MEIN?" Sam shrieked again
"OMG! DID SHE JUST DIE?" Sam asked gushing
"Close" he said softly reminiscing
SO SHE LIKES YOU TOO? SHE DOES SHE DOES, SHE DOES NAHI? SHE MUST NAHI TAN? SHE MUST, NAHI TO KYON MAANTI?" NAHI?"
Tanmay looked at her like she had lost it
"KAISE MAANI ITNI JALDI? KAISE?"
"TUJHE RAGADNA CHAHIYE THA, SHE NEEDED TO THROW U IN A FIRE PIT" Sam said vengefully
"Oh she did" he said
A help peeked
"MERA BHAI SHAADI KAR RAHA HAI"
The help laughed
R&B turned away from the help and asked "Really?"
"SHUT UP U JERK, JUST SHUT UP" Sam paced the room as if she was the husband and the wife was delivering a baby in the other room, grabbed Tanmay's phone from his hand and texted Mr Iyer inviting him for lunch,
and then frantically channeled every south indian resource she had to find Mr Sitaraman
Tanmay got off the carpet, walked over and hugged R&B "Good going dude!"
He tousled R&B's hair... R&B handed him Lasya
"Get some practice" he said
~~~~~
Ranjan arrived after R&B had left Sam had told him the news, he ate, laughed a lot after
a long time and returned, he didnt tell them he approached Mr Iyer and was declined
He returned home Saturday night past midnight, grabbed a drink, and paced the front lawns...
he was besides himself with joy, he wondered who said "I love you first"COULDNT HAVE BEEN MY SON... Must have been Ms Iyer, she is fiesty...
He wondered if thats why his son had left home at 5 this morning, he wondered where he must have gone, he had refused a guard escort as well
His son had brought her home on Savita's barsi... so that means they have known each other a while?
What a beautiful, cultured, educated accomplished young lady... such good values...
Why did they fight like that the other day?
She is a fighter. ISNE kuch kaha hoga, yeh hai chhupa ristam, aur shaitaan bhi, Savita ko kitna thakaata tha, apni behnon ko kitna rulaata tha when they were little, Sam 5 years older, was terrified of him
Manny gave him a good fight, but HE always won. I hope he doesnt not torment my bahu. I have to tell her to COME TO ME. YES YES... I WILL DO THAT ON MONDAY ITSELF👏😳
Ranjan smiled, he heard something, looked up, his son was in the balcony, one foot between the railing... sipping something wearing ear phones
Their eyes met... he smiled a long, toothy happy smile😃
He could see his son's expression relax and soften for a brief moment...😭
So many questions, no answers, Sam had invited him for lunch on Sunday, he would definitely go
"BETE KI SHAADI HAI, MAIN KAISE NAHI JAAOONGA?"😳
And on Sunday he would give it all up for R&B...😭😭
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