“Hi, uncle, I am Gauri Luka” a fatty, short
heighted semi dark skinned woman greeted me and I am confused. I stared at her
inquiringly. Her large round breasts struggle hard to break out of her
tight American tunic and her red
lipstick coated lips and the tight jean leggy convinced me that she is
certainly an ultra modern new Gen child. But her face is in a dimly manner familiar to
me; yet I could not locate the source and finally I surrendered and helplessly
said ‘ I am sorry, I can’t remember you,
please help me”.
She put her hands on her head in a surprised manner and said “ I am Veronica’s only daughter, don’t
you know me uncle?’ I m your niece!”
At that moment I was ashamed of myself and my
poor memory. Of course an old man suffers
from fading memory power. It is not his fault, but natural. Many years
ago I had seen Gauri, the only daughter of my sister Veronica when they were at
our Tharavaad and my mother was alive and full of vigour in those days. When
time changed, we became strangers and don’t know each other. I ruminated.
“Uncle,
you are badly in need of money, aren’t you? I was waken from thoughts and I
started. ‘How do you know that I am in need of money?”
“ Mother told me. Don’t worry, uncle. We hit
upon a plan to help you. You will get ten lakhs rupees. All the children of our
grandfather will get that much amount”. Again I blinked and looked at my niece
inquiringly. She continued “ our Tharavaad
has been offered for sale at two crores of
rupees by a rich guy at Kattappana and Daddy made the settlement”.
At that
moment her mobile phone rang and she excused me “ uncle one second, she then
walked to the shade of a tree and I heard distinctly her talk ….” Bloody fool,
what did you think of me? Am I your slave, idiot. Yes, it is true that we lived together in the
apartment for two years…. No. you can’t wash your hands. Living together is
equal to marriage before Indian law. Don’t teach me the law,…. I know everything. …No, I don’t want to
abort the child. I keep it as an evidence to trap you. I go to court and make
you pay me alimony” Shut up your bloody mouth….”
My niece
put out the phone and came to me. “Sorry my uncle”.
“That’s OK. I don’t mind”. ………to be continued kjt/12-07-2019
Tharavaad ( part II
) My Story
This
news about the sale of Tharavaad was a bolt from the blue for me. I stood on the road side spell bound. Violent waves of sorrow
rose in my mind. Gauri continued “ All you have to do is to come to the Registrar and sign the document, and you
will be rich, my dear uncle. Mummy and Daddy are waiting at Kattappana for me.
See you uncle again. I am in a hurry”,
She walked and she looked like an elephant calf
with full-fledged round buttocks shaking violently in the jean leggy struggling hard to burst out.
Indian feminity is peeping out through
the narrow broken holes of the American tailoring design. The red
innerwear was clearly visible through
the designed holes with a few threads revealing the sexy bottoms. What a
fashion!
I was very sad. That night I leaped over the
compound wall of the churchyard and
stealthly walked to the spot where my mother’s body was buried long ago. It was my
usual habit whenever I was overwhelmed with grief that I sought my mother’s
help. All souls are sleeping here awaiting the Judgement Day. I moved between
the broken tombs and reached my place. I knelt down on the snowy grass and told her that they are
going to sell Tharavaad, a mere 5 cent
land with an old tile roofed, three rooms with kitchen home. Its market price
is gone upto two crores. I told my mother her market price is over two crores.
I thought of the sufferings mother and myself
had had when we bought this property years ago. Borrowed money from many people
on ‘ blade interest’, to make a shelter for eleven children and parents. Tired
of humiliations and evictions from rented houses, forced us to make this land property. At that time we could not
afford the price eight thousand rupees and I paid the owner only six thousand
rupees and promised him that the balance amount would be paid in three years
with compound interest. Mother and myself knelt down before the owner in tears
and on compassionate ground the rich man gave us the documents of ownership. When
years passed by, all my sisters were married, gave birth to children and they
all romped about and played in the court yard, under the shade of the mango
tree and mangostine tree and Njaval. There was a tree standing in the extreme corner of the courtyard and the white
fragrant elanji flowers, like stars
from the sky fell on our heads while
mother and myself sitting under the tree in
the night after supper.
When I
came out of the cemetery, I was relieved of my tension and peace refreshed me
when I walked home. ……..to be
continued…..
Tharavaad (Part
III) My
Story
A few days after, I woke up hearing the
persistent bell of my moble phone. Veronica was on the other side and In the
midst of sobbing, she told me her Luka has been admitted in hospital in a
serious condition.
At once
I rushed to Kattapana St. Johns hospital. It was pathetic that my in law’s two
legs were hanging on a bar and his limbs were heavily bandaged. On the side of the pillow was seen the Bible with the chapter
of St.Luke opening for everyone to read. Luka’s eyes met mine and I saw the body
pain reflected on his face. I grasped his palm as a token of assurance and
confidence.
When I came out, Veronica followed me and told
me that the other day ‘her dear Luka climbed the jack fruit tree to pluck two
ripe fruits. While cutting the second one, the branch on which he fixed his
foot broke down and Luka fell head long. Luckily he grasped another branch on
the way down and his life had a narrow escape, but two legs are seriously
broken.
“Chettai, we never thought that jackfruit tree
would never harm us” When Veronica says these words, tears welled up and rolled
through her semi dark cheeks. I consoled her and came back home.
On the bus, I thought of Veronica and Luka. He
was studying in the high school nearby our home and he kept his lunch box in our
home and mother permitted him to have
his lunch sitting on the bench on the verandah. Most days his curry was made of
jackfruits. Sometimes he brought home jackfruits and Veronica was very fond of
jackfruits and she made jacknut curry for Luka and in turn Luka brought home
many sweet jack fruits and Veronica ate nothing but Luka’s jackfruits, which slowly paved the way for their love for
each other which culminated in the marriage.
In the
honeymoon days itself Veronica learned that her husband is not a saint as pretended earlier but a ‘sugar
chewing kuttappan’ and his eyes always rested on the beautiful flowers of
opposite sex. This infuriated Veronica who is rather short and semi black
skinned and soon she hit upon a a clever strategy.
She put
into practice this plan with the help of her father in law who is the Sacristan
of the parish church. Luka had no other way out. Since that Sunday, both Luka
and Veronica went to church reciting
rosary on the way together. Veronica
always leads the prayer “ Our father who art in heaven……” and Luka answered
“Hail Mary full of grace….” . Sometimes in the rainy season the couple went to
church holding an umbrella saying the rosary.
Poor
Luka had no chance to peep into the face
of other girls on the way and Veronica followed him everywhere as his shadow
and slowly Luka became as meek as a lamb and safe in the hands of the shepherdess Veronica.
The vicar of the church praised lavishly in his Sunday sermons about the ideal
couple and asked others to follow suit.
After a few months, Luka was discharged from
the hospital and both of them secretly consulted the famous astrologer Raman panicker
and Panicker had known the imminent arrival of Luka and his wife because
they always consulted Panicker on important
matters, although it is against the teachings of the Bible. Panicker told them ‘the ancestors of the land
property’ is bitterly against the sale of the Tharavaad. This is why the
accident occurred as a warning and because of his piety and prayers Luka had a
narrow escape. This news greatly disappointed Luka and Veronica.
But I know well Paniker was forced to say lie
because I paid him the amount he demanded in advance. A few days later I
reached the spot in the churchyard in the dead of night, and thanked my mother.
Kjt/12-07-2019
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