Icecream Aandolan
Are you involved in your father's enterprise?" Appa asked
"Not much..." he looked at her piercingly
WELL YOU MADE LIFE HELL FOR ME AND MY TEAM U GOT THROWN OUT
I HAVE TO DO A JOB. I AM GOING TO GET IT DONE HOW EVER I CAN
I HAVENT CHECKED MY EMAIL YET, ITS BEEN A WEEK I AM ITCHING TO
I BET THE WORLD HAS FALLEN APART (ARROGANT SMUG IYER's rant😉)
I CANT WAIT TO SINK MY TEETH INTO WORK
WE ARE MOVING ON IRRESPECTIVE OF WHAT YOU THINK OF KMPG AND ITS TRANSPRO SW, RAKSHASAN!!
"Did u study Comp Sc? Appa asked
He nodded
"U don't do anything with it do you?" Appa asked
"Umm... I do... depends on what I am looking at... I have been asked to take stock of Info Systems needs at Excelsior periodically when ever I visit, and this visit is no exception"
"Does Mr Bhalla have a CTO or CIO?"
"he calls himself a CTO I think, but there is only so much technology you need to sell cars" R&B said subtly mocking tone
"He has a turnover of Rs. 2000 crores?
R&B chuckled "there is all sorts of numbers floating around, the
Sales of automobiles is Rs.700 crores a year,
Parts & accessories they sell at showrooms and workshops is around 50 crores and
Labor at repair workshops is 25 crores...
so altogether its more like 800 crores... Profit is usually 60-80 crores a year post tax
Appa's jaw dropped, unfathomable for a man that makes 8 lakhs in a Govt of India job
Even one crore was 92 lakhs away!!!!! Ranjan made 80 times as much.
"He mentioned wanting to go public" Appa said
"He might I don't know" careless shrug
"Ishita said u like to read"
"Yes Sir" he said not elaborating
"Ivan pesave maatengran, nee pesinde iruppe" (He doesn't even talk u keep talking)
Apap turned to his kanna to comment
His kanna squirmed...
Amma: can I give you more roti?
He shook his head politely "No thank you, your friends fed us a lot"
Amma: Enna kudutha (AMMAS!! CURIOUS!!! AS ALWAYS)
II: Badam halwa, rava pongal and vadai
Appa: So you got a good breakfast there? Is it? That's why u didn't want to come here
II smiled "ille pa... my car had a check Engine light it seems"
"Yes yes, I saw that" Appa reminded himself
"IVar... ada Toyota workshop anupitaar" (He sent it for repair)
Appa looked at R&B differently for a second or two... DO U REALLY CARE FOR MY DAUGHTER AS MUCH AS I DO?
Quickly concealing the feelings of surprise
"Is ur office far from home in Paris?" Appa continued his quiz
"My office is in Courbevoie, and home in 8th Arrondissement, its around 7 kms takes 20 minutes by car. I don't have a car in Paris so it takes an hour in Metro"
"do u miss Paris" Appa asked as blunt as the dude
He looked at his wife and said "I do"
OH? GOOD TO KNOW... NO WONDER U KEEP GOING BACK
I GUESS NOTHING CAN HOLD YOU BACK?
He held her eyes for the longest time, making Amma uncomfortable
Amma served him more raita... he released her from imprisonment
"Ishita has never lived in Paris, so she will miss Delhi if she goes there" Appa concluded.
"chanakya puri itself is new, and then Paris is more unfamiliar. We have lived in this house 16? 17 years Madhavi?
Amam nodded
R&B didn't respond
He thought "Well I am not leaving her with you... if that's what u are hinting at"
But didn't say it
"She is used to everything in RK Puram... her paattu teacher is close by... her tailor
Appa made a case for why D II is the best for kozhandai AFTER her marriage.
Comical?
Amma: She doesn't have many friends here locally, all her friends as u met are from her college LSR, or KV Andrews Ganj
R&B smiled
II: Naina likes Mihir ma
Appa looked curiously
Amma:Ivaroda friend best friend Mihir, avarum Naina vum friends ayitaalam (Mihir and Naina are friends)
Appa: I thought all your friends were married
II: No pa, some aren't
Appa dreaded more involvement with the dude and his buds
Appa: So let us know when u will come... to stay... Amma and u can attend Temple NY celebrations.. and Tamil Sangam celebrations
II nodded "Neenga Amma rendu perum u shud take time off (both of u guys)
Amma: Enna velaydreya? (are u kidding me?) Will you take time off?
II:Ummm... I will work fewer.. may be.. beg Bally to let me WFH 4 hrs? 3 hrs? (giggling)
Amma played along with her baby "Avar enna pannuvar? ur new husband?"
"Umm... he can be here too... (LIKE U WILL GET ANYTHING DONE) or I can stop by and see him a couple times" giggling
"Like hell u will" R&B cursed mentally he defiantly conjured up ways to somehow keep her occupied and away from D II.
He finally had by him, he wasn't going to send her back here.
Amma laughed "U are a kid!! but U are married now..."
Appa: what is wrong she can be here for a week"
Appa was in the living room wanting to chat with her... refusing to leave... THE DAUGHTER HE WASNT TALKING TO ONE WHOLE MONTH
II got up to clear... Amma waved to go sit with her on the sofa, she offered kheer to R&B "If she is having some Ill just share?" he requested
II blushed like said "Lets make babies in the living room"
Amma nodded... he had three spoons and reached out and gave it to her
"why did u make badaam kheer Ishita only like semiya kheer" Appa said
II ate her kheer slowly not just in front of Appa... trying to clear the things off the dining table.
He wandered over to where she was cleaning up, for lack of better things to do
"I have pod swing in the balcony, next time you should bring a book and read" she offered
He smiled... nodding...
Amma and Appa left hera lone to clean up and "hang"
She realized he must look for opportunities not to visit much
"Will u have ice cream?" "Its not home made" she blurted accidentally.
ranjan had told her R&B loves that... they had a Italian ice cream machine/ sorbet maker.
He leaned on the kitchen wall... "Ummm" "Dad said u loved home made"
"I will have some II"
"Do u like taking the metro to work?" she asked
He nodded
"7 kms is not too far" she smiled empty leftovers into small steel containers
He leaned one foot up staring at the idli grinder... bending down to rotate the vessel
LIKE SHRAVU!!
II wanted to jump up and give him a squishy hug... and Amma would scold him "No da do not rotate it when its turned off dont"
He would still do it, he would set cars on the edge and watched them go for a spin
She scooped a bowl out... Vadilal's butter Scotch her favorite, she smiled opening up the tub
They would wait for Friday evenings in summer so Appa would let them go down and get some
At Rs.100-200 a tub it was only a summer luxury...
"Did u eat a lot of ice cream during summer?"
"some" he said
"We would wait for Appa to returns, sometimes Appa's chartered bus would be late due to some traffic jam on the ring road, and the ice cream guy would leave
I would stand in the balcony until 10 or 11 crying... Amma would just ignore me, one time she was so fed up of me
she didnt save any aloo matar for me and I had to eat curd rice standing in the balcony"
"U dont like curd rice?" he asked
"Not as much as aloo matar" she giggled
One time she even pretended to lock up and go in for the night, I used Madurai paattis 9 yards saree and made it as far down as the first floor window shade
We lived in Sector 6, on the 2nd floor the two room qtrs...
Appa thought I ran away... Amma saw me pasted to the wall... annikki raatri... I am sorry umm that night" II made a face
"All for ice cream?" he asked
She nodded leaning on the counter, holding the subzi container...
when she talked animatedly she sounded like a 15 year old... her bruised lips and
neck reminded him she was married to him, not to mention the yellow cord tucked into
her dress and the gorgeous henna and those bangles she insisted on wearing to bed, he tried to remember how long Sam wore hers
12 years ago, he was in CMU so he didnt care...
He made a note to himself to ask Sam
"amma is very strict Appa though he seemes... (paused) unwilling to admit) strict now
(she started walking to the frig outside the kitchen) is a softie... Appa has never scolded me for poor grades"
He ate quietly
"is this your fave ice cream?" he asked
"HOW did u know?" she asked thrilled to bits
Her Appa had bought it because she was visiting how hard was it to figure out?
She was embarrassed... "When I would come on vacation from IIM Amma would still have the same expectations like
I never left, Appa wouldnt, he would make my bed, and pack my clothes get me samosas I would be a celebrity" she giggled
After being quiet for a long time she said "U dont have to pamper me or anything I am just sayin"
"Dang it" he said softly mocking her... as if saying "I thought thats why you were telling me
She leaned on the counter again... facing him he leaned on the wall by the grinder in that tiny kitchen... talll...
"What did u do in summer?" "There is nothing to do in Chanakya puri no?" she was smug
I mean how can anything be as"cool" as RK Puram
""Yep not much" he said
"Did u have lots of ice creams and rain showers too? giggling
He basically went over seas 6 out of 8 weeks, so he never stayed home... Ma and them... or with Uncle's kids
"How much time did u get off at Modern School?" "Is that where u went?"
"Barakhamaba"
"I loved the short skirts... I hated our uniform, there was a fugly salwar under our skirt,
MS girls wouldnt even look at us, their skirts would be basically 6 inches long" giggling "Shaved legs and manicured hands"
He lifted a spoonful of ice cream and offered..."I want the whole cup or nothing she said
"Spoon's all u get" he said
"Phir tum hi khao" she turned to serve herself some gooey ice cream it sat on the counter for 10 minutes and was almost a shake
He served into his bowl and gave her a spoon
"when did u start shaving ur legs"
"Guess" she said breathless
"5th grade" he said mischievusly
She smacked him
"U started shaving then... I am not hairy like u da" husky
"I know" he said
She blushed for some strange reason... licking his spoon off
"11th? no use u know wear that hideous salwar for school and jeans and such at home... only when I went to IIM " she whispered giggling
He was sweating in the kitchen
She walked out of the kitchen went to her room... he followed she shut the window and turned the AC on, the time was 2:28
And shut the other half of the door
"Can I guess when u wore a bra first?"
"NOOO! U may not" hot and bothered
"I am going to guess anyway" he said
"No it was not 4th grade" she gave him a humorless smile
PIGGG!!
"I was going to guess 6th grade" he said softly
She sat on the divan... her favorite spot slooking out the window
He sat by her slowly...
"Wrong again... it was the summer of 6th grade" she said indignantly
"We should guess something about you now" she said
He shurgged
"Never mind" she smiled leaning on a oblong cushion
"did u cry earlier today?" he asked looking deeply into her eyes
She was immediately flustered... she jumped up and said "I have to go change... no... why would I cry... bilkul nahi" she said
He leaned back on the cushion
"Sleep on the bed" she invited
"with who?" he asked
When she returned he was asleep... she slithered by him and and snuggled... he immediately hugged her fully aware she was in bed now...
she climbed on his arm and put her head in a spot where his arm met his shoulder... he had taken his shirt off and
his pants, he was sleeping in his vest and underwear
covered up
"I am going to start collecting cargos and BR tees here" she giggled (so he could change on days like today)
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