Antithesis
"So is your father excited about getting a franchise?" Mandira asked
Trisha looked confused, unsure how to answer that
How can anyone answer how a father can be excited that his daughter traded her own future and happiness to save the declining family restaurant?
They were seated around the dinner table
The cook was performing at her best tonight.
"I dont know if he is" she said quietly
"Thats one of the most successful food & beverage franchises Cuisine Craft owns and licenses" she claimed
Trisha nodded
"Are they starting work soon?" Ashvin asked, a tad bit emboldened by his mother's segue into the topic
"He was sick when I went" she said quietly
"what happened to him?" Mandira asked
"He has high BP, so sometimes for a week or 10 days it doesnt come down even with meds" she said quietly
the fish was great she realized
Mother and son talked about Delhi weather and someone called Leela
"She wont tell me anything so I dont know" Ashvin claimed about something
"How is your family?" Mandira asked being the social elite she was, not lising any of her etiquette
Trisha nodded
"Its monsoons so it rains a lot in Ullal" Trisha spoke on an unrelated topic after reassuring herself that Mandira probably didnt have a clue about her two estranged brothers and single father.
"Is there a University in Ullal?"
"Umm.. no I go to Mangalore everyday"
"How did you find time to be involved in the restaurant"
Questions her son never asked, but a woman's curiosity is never ending
"i am not. My father has help. I sometimes help"
Mandira noticed she was relaxed, poised and composed
Trisha didnt try to do one thing to impress her
Did not serve, did not offer second helping, did not pour juice out
She teased the cat periodically as it tried to get her attention
The cook was neither kind nor hateful towards her Mandira noticed
Trisha didnt even mind that
"What language do you speak at home?" Mandira asked
"Konkani" she said
"Do you speak Hindi?"
Trisha shook her head,vehemently disagreeing
"Must be hard in Bangalore?"
"I only go to Ullal by bus" she said
doing or saying nothing to impress Mrs narang
Unaffected by the probing or the unusual interest
"Do you miss Ullal?"
"I do... a lot" Trisha paused midway holding the sabzi scooped inside a roti scrap "yes.. I love Ullal" she nodded, quickly lowering her gaze, and then ruffling the cat's fur bending down
She had just shown the first sign of emotion according to Ashvin
About someplace and some thing that had caused him great pain for the last 10 years.
Mandira realized Trisha was not pretending to like Bangalore or the apartment, she had nothing here.
"Mom!!" Ashvin was getting antsy
"i know ... I know...she will obviously miss her parents" "But its brave of a girl to get into such an arrangement" Mandira declared
Trisha didnt say thank you to that one
"Its a big deal" Mandira mumbled
"Done already?" Ashvin said aloud
Madira looked up from her plate
Trisha was getting up carying her plate to the sink
"I have to read two articles tonight" she said politely rinsing her plate off and loading it into the dishwasher.
"Are you getting ready to submit your thesis?"
"Oh no... it might take a while... one two many years" Trisha smiled sheepishly
"Wow.. you dont sound confident"
"its not an easy subject" Trisha muttered drying her hands
"I bet" Mandira agreed
"It was nice meeting you" she paused by mandira
"I will say the same" mandira leaped out of her chair and stood up for a polite air hug
"Is that all mosquito bites?" she asked looking at her forehead
Trisha smiled awkwardly, nodding
"I sleep in the balcony sometimes" she said
Mandira was looking at her now, as Trisha squirmed
"And burn scars" Trisha informed
"Oh?"
"I am not a cook" Trisha smiled gloriously
Even more unsettling for Mandira
a girl that didnt cook, didnt dress up, didnt try to impress, did not throw herself at her good looking wealthy son
Nerdy, confident, cat lover with soft hands and a gorgeous figure and mosquito bite marks and burn scars.
The girls she knew would fret al day and wouldnt stop talking about it until the scars disappeared
Some would go for extreme measures, go to the doc, mask with makeup...
NOTHING about Trisha indicated she wanted to milk this arrangement or land up in bed with Ashwin
Infact the very opposite...
As Mandira sat down in a daze, Trisha had left already nodding a polite goodbye to her son.
Edited by Nisha0604 - 6 years ago