Flap & Fond Hope
"Yes yes" "thank u for calling, I have the kids with me in the car I am going to Samyukta's for dinner, your daughter went to the hospital" Ranjan was very cheerful
"Umm" Appa grunted
"When she is home there is never a dull moment" Ranjan sounded hapy, tired and content "She is the life of the house"
"Mr Ranjan I wanted to ask you, does your son have any plans of returning to India?" Appa went for the gut
Ranjan paused and exhaled, Appa could hear Shravu and Nandu fighting over candy, Appa squirmed, he was unhappy Shravu was so soaked in with the Bhallas
Extricating his daughter from the "Bhalla clutch" was proving impossible already, he needed to work on his grandson too?
There was silence...
"Thanks Mr Iyer you even thought of discussing this with me. But unfortunately its a matter between them" Ranjan began
"How can u say that? The wedding happened because the families agreed, well... I agreed because of my family's pressure" Appa made his opinion explicit
"I know we all agreed together, but any decisions they take about their life or career or life together are out of bounds for us" Ranjan said sadly
"I could have said the same thing about their wedding choice? Why didnt I? I was influenced to go with popular opinion" Appa cornered Ranjan
"It was because they both wanted... sorry want a life together" Ranjan said
There was a ominous pause
"Does seem like it doesnt it? right? doesnt seem like they want to live together does it?" Ranjan questioned himself sadly
"she married him because he lived in Delhi, he changed his mind, three months after marriage" Appa was extremely unhappy
"His heart (was never in India?)" just began and carefully reworded it "He has a home in Paris and a company"
"then why should he trick my daughter?" Appa became melodramatic
"I dont think he intended to, I dont think she would say that either" Ranjan gently scolded Appa
"She is wandering on a weekend like a single woman, nobody is checking on her, my son in law Bala calls Vandita every hour" Appa lied proudly
"Hmmm" Ranjan nodded disgruntled
"She is married for 3 months and has nobody to care for her, what use is 10 day vacation?" Appa lamented
"I understand your deep worry Mr Iyer" Ranjan was sad
"I told her to marry a US based boy and go, she started to fight" Appa unwittingly opened up, his tone a lil mellow now "She only wanted to marry him"
"These days young people" Ranjan nodded
"Our children dont listen to us Mr Ranjan" Appa broke the fence and trotted towards the Bhalla farm
"I dont know what they have decided" Ranjan invited Mr Iyer's baby steps with a good serving of honesty
"It hurts me to see my daughter be like this" Appa choked up, and cleared his throat
"No no Mr Iyer u shud not get emotional, why should u get emotional?" "We are one family now, both kids are ours" Ranjan said proudly
"Her mother wants to see a grandchild" Appa declared
"You dont?" Ranjan teased
"I" Appa began and stopped (I dont even like your son why would I want a little one just like him, or many little ones?😆
They will all look like your son and my daughter would go further down the heady intoxicating "R&B spiral". One human being that looks like
your son is enough, we dont need more little people who are too tall, with a head full of curling hair, soulful eyes, a reading habit, and arrogance like your son. Hmpphhh!!!!) ☺️
"She has a busy career" Appa tried to sound convincing
"Haan... chaliye... woh baat theek hai... but we all had jobs too Mr Iyer, they wont be here if thought the same way" Ranjan argued cleverly
"Umm... hmphhh... her job is like her child" Appa tried being dramatic
"Arey na jee na... how can that be, her child will be like her or like him, gudiya will have a face like her,
big eyes, and long hair, aap logon ki tarah she will wear Kanjeevaram? yes yes, like those girls at Sankara Temple wedding hall,
dono tarf se lehenge ko uthakaar, payal chhan chhan karte hue bhaagti rahi aapko yaad hai?" Ranjan, leaned on the seat and shut his eyes
Appa grunted
"ya uski tarah, ek dam chup... lambe... chhade ki tarah, shaitaan ekdum... kabhi balcony se neeche chhalang, kabhi, saari seediyan,
railing se khisakte hue" Ranjan mentioned a couple of things his devil did growing up
"She tried to go down the balcony" Appa bristled "to get ice cream in summer"
Ranjan exploded into laughter
"Phir tey woh bhi kam shaitan nahi" Ranjan said in complete awe
The men were speechless as each individually crafted tiny feet and fat arm dreams, lots of curling locks and drool and stained clothes and wails and giggles
"He is living there and she is living here" Apa came back down to earth first
Ranjan sighed audibly
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