2 months ago
22
WHEN SILENCE SPEAKS
SHORT STORY BY S.LAKSHIMINARAYANAN
Natesan,58 parked his car and entered the location whistling his favourite tune. He was successful an ebullient temper having got his transportation orders from Delhi to Chennai, his location town,a preretirement concession His parent 75 and his brothers and sisters were each determination .He recalled the days erstwhile they would each beryllium unneurotic connected the level and their parent would marque atom balls and service them with greens drumstick sambar. They utilized to combat if the size of the atom balls varied. Continuing his whistling helium broke the quality to Vimala. Natesan continued-we tin support parent with america arsenic aft each she gave commencement to maine erstwhile she was sixteen and it is present clip to repay. We tin besides walk weekends with brothers and sisters arsenic each these years we person been gathering them erstwhile a twelvemonth lone oregon successful functions. Yes, Vimala replied successful a feeble voice. Natesan successful his exuberance did not announcement his woman and holding her helium started dancing. Congrats- Vimala said successful a blessed code though her eyes betrayed her preservation and anxiety.
Natesan landed successful Chennai with his woman and daughters and were warmly received by his brothers and sisters. Come location for luncheon adjacent week end, cooed Natesan without consulting Vimala and not cognisant of the clip it takes to settee down and person guests. Bring Amma besides with you. to his 3rd member .Of course, was the reply from his member and his woman with a disposable code of relief. For the brothers and sisters, Vimala was non existent astatine that time.
A week passed by rapidly with unpacking and arranging things. The daughters near for the hostel. For the archetypal clip successful years Natesan and Vimala were by themselves. That was each the much crushed for Natesan to look guardant to the sojourn of his siblings with his mother. On the different manus it was thing but trepidation for Vimala to get things organised good and besides grip her parent successful instrumentality with her vicious temper.
Ambulu mami, the parent successful instrumentality had fixed commencement to 10 children betwixt the property of sixteen and forty. She had managed deprivation with sacrifice and fortitude.She was a perfectionist and was admired for her culinary skills. On the contrary she had a vicious lingua and did not mince words adjacent with her daughters and not to talk of daughters successful instrumentality .Widowed astatine the property of sixty one, had made her much wide with her adverse comments and abusive language. Generally everyone was connected defender portion dealing with her .
It was blessed days present again erstwhile the siblings met for luncheon astatine Natesan’s location connected Sunday. Childhood memories were recalled with large shrieks and laughter. No 1 thought of Vimala who was sweating it retired successful the room but a ceremonial connection to assistance which was declined politely. It was the wide sentiment that having been successful the North Vimala was not adept successful dishing retired southbound Indian fare.
Adding insult to wounded Ambulu said ‘ your manni ,having been brought up successful the northbound cooks saltless spiceless nutrient and does not cognize our southbound Indian cooking.What to do-It is Natesans luck and you person each shared his luck with him today’ overmuch to the discomfiture of each 1 assembled. After luncheon each 1 departed instantly giving immoderate excuse oregon other. Unwashed cooking utensils stared astatine the faceof Vimala. Noticing it,Natesan changed and started washing the vessels.Vimala astir started sobbing having ne'er seen her hubby successful the kitchen.
There was nary fo[low up telephone from immoderate 1 for astir a period though they were individually invited. Natesan thought that it was clip to springiness them different try. Once again the communicative repeated itself with a difference. Natesan ordered the ladies to articulation and cleanable up the room earlier leaving. Being the eldest nary 1 dared to question him. Vimala besides joined the speech for a while. Later connected it was learnt that 2 ladies made a caustic remark that specified luncheon appointments are an insult if they included washing vessels and cleaning up the kitchen.
Vimala was admitted successful the infirmary for a terrible tummy infection.Barring sojourn to the infirmary with the mandatory oranges ,no 1 offered to enactment successful the hospital. One had to look aft aged parent successful law, different one’s girl was preparing for a competitory exam and different had a terrible cough and with steroids was debased connected immunity. Natesan did not pass his daughters and roughed it up by alternating betwixt infirmary and home,
It was then, realisation struck Natesan that they were not kids anymore and everyone has built his/her ain nest and narration was governed by aforesaid interest, compulsions and jealousies. He understood for the archetypal clip that lone hubby and woman narration is 1 of accommodation and sacrifice and volition basal the trial of clip done heavy and thin. After a agelong clip Natesan looked looked astatine Vimala endearingly and she smiled successful understanding. Afterall erstwhile 2 eyes conscionable with endearment wherever is the request for the spoken word?
