I ask, you write—13 (2)

This is in response to Ammani's I ask, you write -13

When you walked in through their door, you found them both on their hands and knees searching the floor for something. I guess you know what had happened.

On hearing the door bell ring, 7 year old Arun with suppressed laughter gets up. “Divya, hope it is not amma. If it is you are gone. You better find it and wear it before she comes. It cannot be amma. It is not 6.00 pm yet. But if she is early, you are caught.” So saying, he goes to open the door. It was their dad, Krishnan. Arun yells to his granny inside, “Paati, appa is here” and goes back to assist Divya in her search.

Seeing them both on their hands and knees searching the floor, Krishnan knows what they are looking for. “Akka lost her screw appa. Paati does not know yet”, bursts out Arun. He cannot contain himself any longer. This was his chance to be the no mischief kid. “So you did forget to check the screw on the gold ear-ring and lost it around or is it that you dropped it when wearing it?” asks Krishnan in a stiff voice. “Oh appa! Please. I had oil bath today. Had removed it and was trying to wear it myself a few minutes back, when I was standing and wearing it and the back screw just slipped my hand. I am sorry appa, will be careful next time, I promise. Please appa, search it for me. Please before amma could come and create a racket about it” pleaded the 10 year old Divya.

Krishnan was in a way happy to see Divya serious about her mistake. Arun was the real brother now, not fighting and searching for her. He knows the consequence of loosing an heirloom like that. What kind of wrath will Divya be in at his mom’s hands. He had witnessed something of that sort not very long ago. Divya did have an uncanny nature of always dropping things and never serious about it. She is a real kid with all the carelessness of a kid but has always liked wearing jewels much to the dismay of her dad. But being a girl child of a South-Indian Brahmin family, her interest in wearing jewelry was a welcome. The screw in question of this particular ear-ring was auspicious to wear according to her granny and amma. It has been a family heirloom. If only they knew that Divya has dropped it somewhere and is searching for it would mean so much of bad luck to both of them and the poor kid would be in big trouble. Reflecting thus, and seeing them both search, he saw that there was 20 minutes more for Prema to come from office.

“Amma, I am in the children’s room with Divya and Arun. Give me the coffee here.” So saying, he went on his hands and knees and started searching with them for the ear-ring screw.

I ask, you write—15 (1)

My first attempt to Ammani's I ask, you write series. This is in response to I ask, you write 15.

“She was born in 1940. The second of five children born to Vedaranyam Sesadri and Rajalakshmi ammal. She passed away after a brief illness in November 2006. How will Jagada be remembered?”

Meena and Shankar woke to the constant ringing of the phone. Shankar picked up the ringing phone from the dresser and left the bedroom. With the return of silence, Meena pulls up the quilt and looks at the clock to see its just 5.50 am. “Who would be calling at such an odd hour?” So thinking, still groggy from sleep she tries to go back to sleep. Strangely, deep down in her heart, it was something she had expected. Shankar comes back in a few minutes and lies down.

“Meenu, are you awake?” Still hazy, she goes “hmm…?” Somehow, Meena seems to know that Shankar has something not so nice to tell her. “Your mom, passed away a few hours back in India.” “What?” says Meena springing up in the bed, “We spoke to her last night and she did sound fine?” As if to get a confirmation from Shankar, she goes “didn’t she?” Shankar, getting up, equally upset with the news, “it was your brother from Singapore. She has had a cardiac arrest. Your dad had reached him. He called from the airport checking for flights to Madras. I will go make some tea for us. We can think what to do and check out available flights in sometime.” So saying he goes to make the tea.

Meena, still in a state of shock, goes back in time to what lead to her mom’s demise. It was the accident in May on her way back from the temple that made her bedridden in hospital for almost 6 months and eventually took her away from this world in the name of cardiac arrest.

Jagada was never a mom for Meena. Jagada was more of an elder sister, always an equal making Meena, excel in what she was doing. All along, Meena and Jagada have always fought with each other. Like how two sisters would fight with each other. Meena had a tough time as a kid with Jagada as her mother. There was never a dull moment in the family with Meena’s dad and granny always to her rescue. Jagada was another kid in the family with Meena and her brother.

Oh, how much Meena has started understanding her mother after marriage in the last 3 years. She hasn’t been able communicate it all in the few stolen moments of phone calls across continents. The last she had seen her mom was at the airport waving her hand happily seeing Meena going in, to join Shankar in Seattle after her marriage.

Thinking all this, unaware, Meena started crying. She got up thinking that she should call her brother and tell him to go ahead with the ceremony and not wait for her. She would join eventually by the 4th or 5th day. She did not want to see mom. It was more comforting remembering the mom who was waving her hand at Meena.