Hope & Jelly
She went home Saturday night after dinner reluctantly, Lasya seemed to have taken a special liking to her
II whispered all sorts of nonsense in her ear about R&B
She assumed II was cooing and giggled each time
"Rakshasi. You are incorrigible" "One day when u are asleep I am just going come by and eat you up"
"Drool queen" "Drama queen" "Empress of attitude" Lasya loved every bit of it
When she saw II's face approach her ear, she squealed and shrieked anticipating II's warm breath in her ear
Her cheek were slobbery and pink
II crushed the fatso's cheeks and made shapes out of it
She accidentally kicked II's belly in excitement
II swore in pain, as a spasm radiated to her head
Sam whacked her
"Lekar jaaoon?" she begged
"Only on one condition" Sam said
"U will keep her" she continued
II crushed the devil "Yes yes yes" she whispered
Ranjan came by to get his gudiyas
Sam kept all the new sarees promising to get "Designer blouses" sewn for them
Tan asked about R&B
II spoke politely and diplomatically not hinting about the huge way he had hurt her last night over being needy
Speaking of needy
Before Manya left, before Ma's anniversary i.e., she sat in Sam's kitchen causing trouble with Lasya
Messing up the chopped veggie heap, letting Lasya taste and throw carrot pieces, making a face when she was making a face
Crushed raw peas and gave to Lasya watched her face contort and took videos
Did that for a series of Gerber food like home made purees and real chopped veggies
R&B sat in of the tall breakfast stools and chuckled cheering the two silly girls on
"MANYA!!!! BAND KARO" Sam smacked her sister
See her reaction to mango puree, Lasya smacked her lips, and her body shook when the sourness of mangoes hit her
Her eyes twitching her shoulders lifting
She rubbed her orange hands all over her face, groaning, unable to take in the taste
Manya licked the spoon
"OMG!!! so yummy"
Lasya looked on curiously
"Grape khaayen?"
Lasya cooed and chattered
"You seem like a nice woman, my Mom feeds me garbage I tell you!!
All I ever get in this house is 80 year old's food
Manya dipped a piece of grillen chicken BBQ and dippe din grape puree and put it on Lasya's lips
LASYA WAS IN PARADISE
She licked up the masala the puree and pulled strings off the chicken and chewed
"So THIS is what adult food tastes like. I see these men here cooking all day, when its time for MY food all I hear is the blender and the frig"
"Aise mat dekho Tan tumhe khilaate hain" Sam warned Lasya smacking her cheek and crushing her cheeks
"Umm yaa.. that man hasnt given me a chunk of meat in a while, I like this woman"
"Manya please yaar, usko koi sharam nahi hai, see her, she is only wearing a diaper, there is food of EVERY color and type on her body, and she is still eating"Sam cried
R&B brought his camera out and took pictures
Lasya's hair was sticking all around her head like it had been gelled in clumps
A drop of orange marmlade waited at one such clump, before diving to its end
"Her hair is a mess Manny, kya kar rahi ho tum?" Sam fretted
Sam walked over to R&B and smacked
"U jerk, get up and go rescue my fatso"
He chuckled and just turned a page
"He loves me when I am messy, he loves me when I am dressed up, he loves me when I am hot,
he loves me when Iam naked" "MY MAN!!" Lasya cooed and smiled at R&B displaying those tiny grain like teeth
Come check this out" Tan invited R&B
He walked over to the table and folded his arms across his chest and watched the fatty
Manya was layering jelly, with cheerios, making a tower
She placed one, dabbed strawberry jam, placed another, dabbed orange marmlade, and so on
When she could no longer waited she destroyed the tower and stuffed her face
And looked up at R&B
"I am not usually so uncivilized, but the combination of jelly and cheerios? This woman is evil... go on out darling, when U return I promise to be just the way u like me"
He bend down and kissed her cheek, walking away tasting grape jelly
"I am calling her, kitna soti hai" Sam ranted
"shes pregnant" Manya spontaneously defended II
"OMG!! Yeh aaj duniya mein kya ho gaya?" Sam froze
"Whattt?" "Shut up" Manya was uncomfortable
"Tumne USKI side li?"
"Side nahi lee, lene waale do log maujood hain, teen sorry including you" Manya hissed
"She is everything Ma would have wanted in his wife"
"If you think so" Manya said expressionlessly
Sticking cheerios all over Lasya's belly and chest each time she went to grab one off her chest Manya stuffed her face with one
"She looks and acts like Ma too" Sam said softly, cleaning up the dining table
Manya was hugely offended
"Aur kuch?" she mocked
"I mean when she walks up the stairs, tall and lanky, I am reminded of how Ma used to hold the rail when she was pregnant with R&B
"And ya, she is Ma's distant cousin... which makes it creepy and disturbing Dimpal would marry her" Manya cackled cynically
She turns and says "Hi" when u startle her, tab bhee" Sam sighed
"Please yaar she is not like Ma"
"Tumhe pasand nahi hai to koi uske baare mein koi achhi baat na karey?"
"Its like everything has changed" Manya argued
"Manya think about it" Sam urged gently "shes goingt o have his baby, she is very sweet, he tells me kuch usko khareedne nahi deti"
"He got her a Merc" Manya said "BTW I am Manny, Manya makes me sound like I am TEN" she grumbled
"Merc? Its 40 lakhs, its pocket change for him" Sam reassured
"She knows that?"
"Usko agar R&B se churana hota she could have... umm... u know" Sam struggled to convey the trust she had in II... feebly
"she is not like Ma" Manya had a faraway look
"Nobody can be like Ma" Sam sat down by her, watching her daughter's belly covered with cheerios it felt like nails on a chalkboard to Sam
Ughhh!!!!
"We have to find Ma, or something close to Ma, u know... kaise karke bhi if we
can catch glimpses of her some place, the same saree, or hair or the same cup of awesome chai, or when we eat paranthas like that
Kisi ki awaz mein unki awaz sunayi de hamey... she can be kept alive"
"Hope... its such a powerful and tangible thing" Sam choked on her words😭
Lasya chose to smack her belly and sent many of the cheerios flying
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