Some food

Some prayer

Daddy: Come on, come on, 8.30, dinner! Always late! Didi and Bhaiyya are already eating! What are YOU doing?

I am making my dolly go to sleep. On my didi ka bed. She is not sleeping only. She gets up and her eyes open. So I have to… arre, I’m alone! Didi went! Bhaiyya also went!

I got scared

I ran and ran

I was so scared

I came in the front room

In my house, there is one long table. Daddy sits one side, left side. Didi sits that side. Bhaiyya sits in that side. I sit here. Four four chairs are in my house. So, means, Daddy, Bhaiyya, Didi and me, we all sit in one one chair. There is one stool also. Amma carries that stool from the kitchen and sits next to my Didi. In the back of my Amma one wall is there. In the back of my Didi also same wall is there

Everyone is sitting in the table

Everyone forgot me

Daddy: No one forgot you, I have been calling you. Now, don’t cry. Sit! Arre, what are you running around the table for?

I ran to my didi and gave her one hit on her leg

Why you left me alone??

Didi: I called you! You kept making your dolly’s eyes open and saying, Oho, Dolly go to sleep!

I ran to Bhaiyya, he is putting one hand outside but I am going to hit him

Bhaiyya: Arre!

I hit Bhaiyya ka back

Bhaiyya: Owww! Stop hitting, ya! Idiot! Pig! Mad!

You only idiot pig mad

You only

Why you left me alone??

You know I get scared na?

Dirty

Bad

Bad girl, bad boy

Daddy is laughing. I want to hit Daddy now.

Daddy: NO! NO! Don’t you dare! Come on! You’re hungry!

Amma is sitting near to my Didi, I want to hit Amma also

Amma: Hayy! I called you for milk, you didn’t come! Bhaiyya drank it up! No hitting!

Daddy: Sit!

I am not hungry, I don’t want food

Amma: Okay, you just watch us. Okay? You sit. I’ll just keep one plate in front of you, you just see…

I am going to go away from this house

Now it’s all dark dark

I’ll go away tomorrow

That time sun will come

Amma is putting all roundy roundy things and rice and dal and nai (ghee). Paithangai (long beans) also is there. I like paithangai. Vadam (fries) also. But Amma didn’t make vadam

Amma: You didn’t eat lunch properly, didn’t have anything in the evening. So, I made special food.

What is that roundy roundy things?

Amma: That is paruppu urundai (steamed blobs of dal)

I took one roundy roundy

It is nice

It is very nice

Today’s food is very nice

Everything is nice

Daddy: Ishavaro Rakshado (God save us)! After this morning’s debacle!

Amma: I became so upset, she was crying, that Auntie kept on talking in that bad way. I just wanted to run away from there!

Daddy: Very good! Finally, this child has eaten. This time when I go to Guruvayoor… Stop kicking your legs, kondhe! Eat without moving your legs!

Amma: Such a relief! God is great! I should light 108 lamps! I shall do pradakshinam (circumambulate a sacred space)!

Relief leads to much elaborate ritual

Bhaiyya: I also liked this roundy roundy thing… not that anyone asked. Didi, you? You liked?

Didi: Yaa, but we eat quietly na, so no one bothers with us

Daddy: Come on! You think you didn’t give us trouble?

Didi: NO! We have always just eaten. Not like her! We’ve NEVER been like her!

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My book of short stories , The Violent Potter, is about how children feel within a family ‘system’ and how love works, sometimes outside the system. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.in/dp/9390266688/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_apa_fabc_KECBKJ6HSKZ6QR5F331W