4 and 20 Questions
Bala took the morning off, by emailing his boss, since he worked in a bank, he had lots of time saved up, they lived in a joint
family he didnt have to take much time off when Sgravu was sick or a repairman came by, or anything, with in laws 5 kms away he was in a really good position...
Similarly for Vandu... she took the day off, though she taught the most periods on Wed...
Amma wondered what she should do... Appa was in no mood to go to bed, like he had decided that it was now or never, Amma's phone beeped with an message, another jyotish had informed her it was a great match
"Yaar paiyyan?" he gossiped "Who is the groom?"😡
Amma had cut out that portion from R&B's horoscope to avoid unnecessary speculation.
"I am not getting a good feeling" Appa said somberly🤢
"Please dont say like that Appa" "She is the baby of the house, its the first time she has thought about herself, she spends over Rs. 10,000 or Rs. 20,000 a month easily on Shravu, 😭
she would spend the same or more on the second one, she is so generous and kind hearted, she didnt borrow a dime of your money for both Masters... 😳
she is willing to buy Amma a car, she pays for the 24 *7 nursing care, since you guys can only do Rs. 25,000 a month in medications for Periappa or nursing care... not both" Vandu began to cry😭
"Paavam adu kozhandai, she is such a baby, spirited and lively and funny... we have begun to hate her because she wants to GET MARRIED to a man of her choice?" Vandu cried
Bala took his glasses off and wiped his eyes😭
Amma just let her tears flow...
"Knowing her she would probably not take a dime from the man, she is so self respecting... rosham jaasti... she must feel what his family must think of her" Akka predicted II's move just as she knew her the best
"She sees herself as a Director in 7 years, ... ashadu seriyana, she is too naive... she pretends to be mature and unemotional, but she is a sensitive vulnerable thing, I AM BETTING YOU HE SEES THAT☺️" Vandu said vehemently
"JUST LIKE YOU DO APPA, Just like Amma and I and Bala does I suspect he does too...👏 he is going to let her take it easy and slowly allow herself to warm up to him... she is very guarded... she wont trust him easily he will have to earn it😳"
Appa looked on sadly "What if he hurts her?' choking😭
Appa removed his glasses and wiped his tears with his veshti's edge... a tall man with a commanding presence was today reduced to shedding tears praying for his daughter's safety
"WE ARE ALL HERE FOR HER, she is not stupid, she is innocent, but not stupid... he is QUIET but not a criminal Pa" Vandu said👏
"We have so many relatives, so many friends... HOW WILL I FACE THEM?" appa was ashamed
"She hasnt run away or turned up 8 months pregnant out of wedlock... she is ASKING YOU... no BEGGING YOU Pa" Vandu sobbed😭
She works 70, 80 hours a week unmindful... she could have quit her job gone on anti depressants after Subbu and acted like a drama queen, but NO, she picked herself up and started work the next day"
"She could have been lazy and lacked ambition, and done whatever she wanted, APPO ENNA PANIRPEL? What would u have done THEN?"
"She practices 2, 4, 6 hours non stop, sings wherever Amma signs her up to sing" Vandu cleared her throat😭
Amma brought water, and went on to steam milk for all
"I am afraid for her" Appa said softly
"Dont be Pa, he is a good man" 👏"Stubborn yes, opinionated? yes... headstrong, inflexible, uncompromising" Yes to all... 👏
BUT WHAT DID HE DO? He CAME to our house ASKED HER FIRST ONLY WHEN SHE SAID YES, he told you about it, ASKED you in fact. He could have easily 👏
lured her on some company sponsored vacation and done whatever many such boys do, but no...
he played BY THE RULES... yes he has had multiple relationships, THATS HIS UPBRINGING, while we condemn it joyously, we should also give credit for the extremely polite way he acts when he comes home"
Appa did not like the gush
"I dont know Ma... u and Amma have decided I have no say in this family any more... Krishna"
"Subbu was A SOAKED BATHED ISO 9000 IYER WHAT DID HE DO? Dumped her because his Amma instilled the fear of retarded kids, R&B KNOWS... he could have avoided her, why does he still want to marry her?" Vandu asked
Appa was quiet, Amma gave them their tumblers...
They all drank quietly... "I want to meet him" said Appa firmly👏🥳👍🏼
Bala looked worried "I will also come"
"No, No, I am not mentally instable" angry...
"Naa varen" Amma said she will go
"NO! I want to talk to him" Appa said angrily "I dont like him, I WONT...
I will not agree even, but I want to meet him. APDI ENNA DAAN IRUKKU NU PAAPOMEY. Lets see what the guy is even made of?" Appa sniggered
"Naa anda kalathu CA, I am a CA too, I am not an uneducated moron" Appa blistered😈
Amma nodded...
Akka leaned back tired, after the tirade
Bala, Va polama?
"ayyo no, cannot let a pregnant girl go at night, Delhi is very unsafe" Appa thundered
"Appa we will be fine"
"VANDITA NO!" he shouted
"Seri" she cowered...
Amma smiled happy, sometimes she appreciated her hubby's bullying tactics... like NOW...👏😳
U guys go to our room, Appa and I will sleep in cots in the study
Bala went off to lay the folding cots for his in laws, Vandu went off to get beds and blankets from the box under their bed
The light was on, II and Shravu slept cuddled up
Vandu kissed her forehead she got up "Vareya? I will sleep with Amma Appa"
"No kanna u sleep da, chakarai, my sugar" she kissed her forehead again "Varana tookathula?" she quipped winking (Is Rakshasan appearing?)
"NOOO!" II lied "Please I need my sleep"
"He shouldnt... I was just cheking" Akka lied..
"U dont have to, I am not 15" II said vehemently
"Cuddle up with my son now, R&B wont let u sleep in three weeks, get all the sleep u can get now, apram dont complain to Amma"☺️ she giggled, laying by her
II smiled "I will come here"😳
"He will probably keep the bedroom door padlocked"☺️ Akka laughed huskily
II's heart skipped 10s of beats... as color rushed to her face... "Ummm.. umm.. en.. m" she mumbled
"Bala would chase me around the bed..." she giggled😆
"Ayyo no vendaam" II begged😭
" Once u start the "journey" (she laughed hysterically), we can compare scores" Vandita giggled loud
"Idu enna cricket match aa? Cheee" II said disgusted "What scorekeeping?"🤣
"OK I will throw a number out u can tell me more or less than that number in a 24 hour time period"
"Trala lalalalala" II shut her ears... "Ayyyoo nooo" "Please ka" "Nooo" "Tralalalala" fingers in her ears
Akka showed FOUR fingers... "times in a day and a half" she giggled
II shut her eyes with a "Ayyyo" Get lost"🤣
Akka kissed her forehead and layered another blanket over her two fave people and shut the zero watt light
~~~~~~
Appa texted R&B FIRST THING AFTER COFFEE... in fact he had one sip left..
"I am Ishita's father I would like to meet you" NO HELLO NO HOW ARE YOU NO HI! RAMAN BHALLA NO NOTHING
WITHIN SECONDS "Good morning Sir! Absolutely!! Would be delighted to"
"Can you meet me for lunch?" he asked did not return the greeting
"Would you like to have lunch at my home?"
"ONLY vegetarian" Appa sternly
"Yes ofcourse" R&B said politely
"I eat at 1:00 or later when I am at home
"Yes" said R&B
"Is that possible? Appa asked
"Yes, fully.. are there any dietary restrictions I should know of?"
Appa was startled by that polite question "YES YES. Less oil"
"Thank you" said R&B
"What cuisine do you prefer?'
"South Indian" said Appa pun intended
If he smiled his half smile Appa wouldnt know
"I can come pick you up" R&B offered
"That is not necessary I will come on my own" Appa texted
"Look foward to meeting with you" R&B said
Appa didnt repeat it
"Paaru at 5 AM he agreed to meet for lunch, must not be busy or anything" he ranted to his wife
He didnt tell II anything, she got ready and left, as Akka said Bala will take care of his school thing... II was surprised to seen them all sleeping over
She went off to work at 7:30
Around 12:40 Appa left home, punctually, Amma stood in the balcony nervously with Vandu "Ayyo Krishna" they both prayed
"Amma he wont sabotage Ishita's reputation, dont worry" Akka squeezed Amma's arm
"Appa has too much ego, he is a very honest truthful man... he speaks his mind" Amma said sadly
Appa reached five minutes after 1 PM, Akka gave him the address, the gates were open and the guards smiled, as he drove up near the sidewalk... as usual parked across the majestic twin roads, of the Diplomatic area
Embassy and Consulate vehicles sped by with no concern for a man in his 60s... sometimes escort/pilot cars had lights on and sirens...
One guard sprinted across the street to come rescue him from the median
Appa nodded a thanks
He entered the house... R&B waited in dark trousers and a spotless white shirt, folded 1/4th hair combed and shaved
"Please come in Sir" he welcomed
Appa looked exhausted crossing over from that side to his... he walked towards a plush padded lounge chair not too far from the Monet
And sat down... R&B did too
The help brought water and some juices... he picked the golden and asked "Its not alcohol no?"
"No its not" R&B said unfazed
"Apple I think" he said
He took the same and sipped
"Your house is warm" Appa declared... taking his blazer off
R&B signalled a help to "lower the heat"
"Ishita mentioned all apartments in States have heating" he supplied
"Yes" R&B said indulgently
The help brought two kinds of appetizers... pakoras and sabudaana vadas...
"I dont eat onions on Thursday" he said starting off with a bouncer😈
"Oh! it doesnt have any of that or garlic" he said😃
Appa enjoyed his appetizers and went for seconds😆
"Ishita is like a son to me" he said bluntly
"I understand" R&B said politely looking deeply at Mr Iyer
"She has never gone against my wishes"
"Ofcourse"
"Suddenly I dont know her any more" Appa complained
R&B listened
"Topper in everything... school, college, music, CPA, MBA, MS" Appa listed vehemently
He listened
The help signalled.. he didnt acknowledge, Appa noticed
"Do u have to go?' he asked sternly
"No, not at all" he said politely
She is in a very good position in KMPG" Appa announced
"She makes over Rs. 2.5 lakhs per month"
Appa obviously having NO CLUE how wealthy the dude was
"She is very ambitious, she wants to become a Director soon" he threw it at the dude...
"She is very capable also, her boss Baldev Gupta is a good mentor, he coaches her correctly" Appa said
He nodded, since he loved NOT TALKING
"She has her own savings account, she takes care of many things at home, ofcourse we want it all to stop when an alliance works out" Appa offered politely
"She even got scholarships, she is the best singer... in fact Delhi Tamil Sangam featured her as
"True Talent" search in 2012, and 2014. She even got chance to sing in Tamil cinema. I told her nothing of that sort"
"She practices every day 2 hours" Appa lied glibly
"should we eat?' R&B asked
"Yes yes" Appa said
Getting up
R&B led the way to a grand dining area the table had 24 chairs, oval and cherry.. gleaming...
Sitaraman was omnipresent... he smiled and nodded "knowingly"
Appa was FURIOUS "Na ivaroda work panren Finance Ministry consultation" Appa said sternly
Sitaraman nodded ...
R&B requested his regular help to serve and asked mr sitaraman to excuse himself👏
PERCEPTIVE DUDE...👏 though he didnt understand Tamil he didnt care for the cook to be around😳
The meal was served in thalis... R&B did not eat with a spoon, didnt not pretend to love Iyer food, did not finish whatever was served... just nibbled and picked
Appa noticed...
But ate
"Where did u go to college?"
"CMU"😳
"What did u study?'
Robotics & Business😳 (not saying Masters👏)
"Why are u not employed? What is there in business? Its not a steady income earner" Appa said dismissively😡
"We fund new ideas, and watch it go to commercial production" he said😳
"Is the company yours?"😡
"No I am one of 6? 7 actually" R&B corrected himself
"Do u have a share?' Appa asked
"Yes.."😃
Employment is good" he went back to his dogmatic idea😡
They ate quietly
"Tomorrow if you lose all the money will you depend on my daughter?" blunt😃
"I will not" he said softly a lil amused... he had enough wealth to buy his partners 7 times over😃
"Do u do stock market, shares and all?"
"Yes... mostly overseas" he said
"That is more danegrous I say" Appa was irritated😡
"India is a growing economy, dont u have faith in your motherland?"😲
"I do" said R&B😃
"Then why are u investing there?"😆
"I will think about India" he promised softly
"Do u get a steady income?"😃
"Yes" R&B said😳
"Is it as much as she makes?😃" Appa demanded "How much?'
"Around 2-5 million USD a year" he said👏
Appa looked startled
Appa asked for rasam, the help brought it in a cup...
Appa enjoyed his meal...
"Sometimes she does not know what she wants.. or does not know whatever she wants is good or bad, right or wrong" he said", choking😭
R&B stared wordlessly at that emotional outburst
"she is still a child at heart, she is only 27, do you know?"
R&B nodded☺️
"Sometimes she is like a child" Appa said protectively
"I understand" he said
"She is afriad of the dark, she does not watch violence on TV, she still holds my hand u know that?" Appa said proudly😳
R&B SMILED... YES THAT GOT THE DUDE SMILING...😃
"She is very innocent girl" Appa said in broken English😃
"I am not sure if you know one Subramanian was supposed to marry her"
R&B interrupted the man and said "I do know Sir"🤢😡
"My older brother... is 10 years older, he was born with menatl ailments, we still give him treatment u know... but he is not OK" Appa worried about his Anna😭
"This man refused the alliance" he said..😡
R&B looked on..🤢
Appa was unable to speak😭
"I want to see her happy,every day... sing, work and be happy" bravely
"Physical mental emotional and financial protection only husband should give" he ordered😆😡
R&B said "I understand"😃
The help brought kheer imarti and sooji halwa, appa was delighted tho he cant have too much sweets
HE ATE ALL THREE WITH NO WIFE AROUND🤣
R&B continued to putter around with his sambar rice
"I am very protective of her, I will take every action if she is hurt" Appa threatened😈
R&B nodded politely... "Family of Warriors"😳☺️
"She is very innocent u know... she doesnt know if u are good or bad u behave well with her she will think the world of u, u mistreat her she will be deeply hurt"😭😳
Appa was JUST unable to LET GO AND HAND HER OVER TO THE HANDSOME HANDSOME MAN SITTING ACROSS FROM HIM😳😉
HE KNEW the man held her hand now... he KNEW it, it bothered him like hell😭 His princess had found a prince... and the prince knew HE WAS IT😈😳
"She must practice singing everyday"
"She will not quit her job"
"She needs complete bed rest after delivery"☺️ " She wants two or three children as u know Vandita has two" Appa prayed to the Gods above PROUD😳
R&B almost spit his sambar rice out on the last one🤣
"Did he not know his daughter didnt want ANY kids?"😆
"A expectant wife and a post partum woman should be taken care of" Appa shook his index finger, as if teaching R&B
He smiled gently☺️ "Of course"
"She will not eat meat, she will be like a Iyer VONLY"😃
"Do u have a pooja room?' he demanded..
"Yes" said R&B..
Stopping his meal, he didnt care for it much anyway...
Escorting the older man to a HUMUNGOUS marble floored room that looked like a temple with 7 foot tall Ram Sita idols
In fact it smelled like a North Indian temple to Appa
"Good good" he said
THE VERY FIRST AND ONLY COMPLIMENT
Edited by Nisha0604 - 9 years ago