CHAPTER 4

Shashidhar got out of the car, stretched his limbs and looked round. Not that the surroundings mattered, he knew that the house was a rented one; but this place seemed quite different from the houses he saw on the way. Twin houses, and that too three pairs of them, or was it four, he wondered people still built them at all. What sort of privacy would people get here? Just then a slight movement attracted his attention and he looked up to see a blushing red face dip down below the curtain of the window facing the road. Was that Radhika, the girl he had come to ‘see’? 

Behind those very curtains, Krishna Veni Sivaraman was already worrying about  Shivani knowing the bridegroom, a fresh worry now entered her mind, would that girl now go and shake his hands like she did with that new neighbour, that man? Krishnaveni turned round to warn Shivani about the possibility, but she was nowhere to be seen.  So the old lady hurried out, not to be out-shone as a hostess in the prospective son-in-law’s eyes. It would never do for the visitors to have a misconception about who was the lead lady in the house. 

The unfamiliar car and the group of visitors had not escaped the noticed of their ever-watchful neighbour, Gracy Aunty. It had taken her a while to shuffle to the window on her rheumatic feet but once there she perched on her high chair with her eyes at level with the top of the curtain and looked on. She had brought her knitting with her and placed that on the window sill. Yes, that definitely looked like a bride-hunt. Krishna Veni was a sly thing, she had never mentioned to her about this boy coming to see Radhika, she assumed it was Radhika who was the bride; after all she was the elder of the girls. Or would it be like Krishna Veni’s own marriage and the elder be made to wait while matching horoscopes married off the younger one? And made a bitter woman of the elder for life? No, Sivaraman was a sensible man, and that Cheenu was also alright, not that he would speak against his mom in any way, ‘mother’s boy’, she sneered in her mind.

But immediately her mind clouded and eyes filled. The memory of her son was something that made Gracy Kuriakose tearful any moment. His monthly five sentence letter had arrived that week and it didn’t say anything more than usual. Had it ever said anything new all these years, she counted in her mind, thirteen years?

‘Ammachi,

I hope you are keeping well. We are all keeping well, by God’s Grace. The kids and Mollykutty send her love. Have you seen the doctor this month? The money has been credited into your account.

Your loving son,

Chacko 

Sure enough, the fifteen thousand Rupees would have reached her bank account by the time she got the letter. He had always made that sure. But never had he come back all these years. She had not even seen his youngest, a daughter, who was supposed to be ‘the spitting image’ of himself. Did she have that wart on her ears too, she wanted to ask, but where was he? She wished he would at least call once in a while, but no, he was too busy for even that. The monthly letter written like an imposition was the only communication she had had in all these years. 

She had once considered giving him a ‘telegram’ that she was in her death-bed and wanted to see him, but the fear of god bade her withdraw from the plan, suppose God decided to make that wish come true? No, she didn’t want to die yet. Life wasn’t that bad, except that she had no close family at hand. Her husband’s people were all in town, but she didn’t encourage their visits, brats, shall they wanted was to borrow money. Especially Kuriachan’s, that’s her husband, sisters. The younger one was a particular nuisance, Lilly.

Had so many children, was it seven or six? Too many for her own good anyway. And perpetually in debt and trying to borrow from her. It didn’t help that Mollykutty, her daughter-in-law was this woman’s husband’s relative. It made that dratted Lilly think she had an extra claim on Kuriachan’s stuff, like she wanted that old fridge which not working. But why? She felt enraged at Lilly’s reply,

‘What are you going to do with it anyway? You are not using it. So you might as well let someone make use of it’.

Gracy had seen red at that claim, and she had not given a damn at the moment to the fact that Lilly was family, she just said quite crudely, like the rustic she had once been,

“There are other things I don’t want every day, which I dispose of every morning. Why don’t you come along daily to collect that too?”

Lilly had bawled loudly at that rather nasty suggestion and had gone out immediately weeping noisily and wiping her nose with her sari pallu. Fortunately, only Krishna Veni had seen her walking down the street to the gate, like a whirlwind and sniffing loudly. Not that anyone else would be around that time in any of the houses, but if Kuttappan had seen this it would be enough for a few days’ discussion. Or for that matter Saroja, the common maid they all shared.

Krishna Veni had empathized with her on face; god knows what she told her daughters back home. That brought Gracy Kuriakose back to the present. She peered through the curtain top and found that the car was still there. Did that mean that the match was going to happen? Aha... a wedding at last in the colony. But this was a Hindu wedding; so nothing hot and spicy like a chicken biryani or fish mappas. Still, there would be a fine meal, which she had been longing to eat since some time. A traditional meal, spread out on a banana leaf and three pickles, five six curries, sambar and payasam! Gracy hoped they would have the wedding here, or at least a reception here. Cheenu’s wedding was far away and they didn’t even have a decent meal at home that evening, just the laddu, mixture, plantain plate. At least this being a girl’s wedding they could not do with a home reception. Anything to get away from this oats and kanji routine, even for a day. 

The bustle outside the window alerted her again and she peered out, the visitors were leaving. There was a tall fair guy with the group of people who looked like he was the star of the event; that must be the groom. He was shaking hands with Cheenu, folding his palms in a Namaste to Krishna Veni and Sivaraman. And hey, why was he grinning away at that Shivani? And why was she grinning back at him?  Drat that girl, she behaved without any decorum. But now Gracy’s curiosity had been aroused; she HAD to find out why Shivani was so friendly with the bride-groom-to be.

Gracy Kuriakose waited till the car moved away and shuffled painfully across the room to her door. She knew Krishna Veni would be there in a minute to shell out the news.

…to be continued

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