Daddy bought one new light for the front room. One big flower. Wow, so nice it looks. I want to put on the light and put off but Daddy said no.
The moon is big and round, it is standing outside the verandah
Daddy: You come here, eat your dinner. Stop playing with the switch. See how your Didi and Bhaiyya are sitting. Come on!
The flower is looking very nice
I don’t want this food
I want thayir saadam
Daddy: You eat what your Mummy cooks, do you understand? Thayir saadam is after you eat dal rice
But Amma made vomity dinner, all vomit is coming, vawwwmmit vawwwmit
Amma, see na, vaawwmm…
Bhaiyya: Shut up, ya. What you think you vomit rainbow or what? I want to ask something. Daddy, where are we going for vacations?
Daddy: My village, my friend died, I have to meet his family. Guruvayoorappan Koil. Your Amma wants to see her mother. I want to visit Gopalda too…
Bhaiyya: my friends are taking a trip to USA
Daddy: Hmm, that’s nice…
Ira is going to South Aferica
Daddy is laughing, Bhaiyya and Didi and Amma also
What happened?
Bhaiyya: Ira is going to South Africa, Sumedh was talking about it. They leave the day after our last exam
How Sumedh knows?
Bhaiyya: Sumedh is Ira’s big brother, na, idiot. Obviously, he will know
Daddy: I was talking to Mr. Hirani, he’s taking the family to Mahabaleshwar. The Shahs are going to their village, just like us. People go to all types of places. All people don’t have money to waste on foreign holidays. You can look sad. I also want to spend a lot of money on many things but I know, I have a family to take care of. I have MY responsibilities
Bhaiyya: It’s sick, we are the poorest everywhere. In the building, in school, at the club, everywhere! My classmates are so rich, they keep holidaying in USA, UK…
Daddy: You want equal equal like your sister, is it? You wouldn’t have this kind of life if I had stayed back in the village. Shut up and be happy with what I give you.
Didi: When she says equal equal she doesn’t mean it like this, this them and us kind of thing
Bhaiyya: Oh? Really? I think she means exactly that
Daddy: Wait! Kondhe, when you say equal equal, what do you mean?
Means na, means na, if I have something everyone should have, then no one will feel bad
Means we are all one big happy family
Hawww, Daddy is crying, means, water came from his eyes
I saw
Daddy is speaking softly: This child is a thinker, she’s above other children. She’s like me. Just like me, different from others
Amma toucheded my hand like that, softly
Touched
Amma: She’s like me. Sensitive, observant. She sees everything. No one can fool this child.
Didi is looking at me and smiling
Didi always smiles nicely
My Didi is very nice
Didi! When you’re going to get specs?
Daddy: Oh, you’re excited that Didi is going to get specs
Yes, I also want specs, like Didi
Daddy shaked his head.
Daddy: Shut up and eat. Enough of all this talk.
You know? Didi got pimpuls
I also want pimpuls
Just like Didi
Thayir saadam is rice with curd (yogurt)
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