Tangled!!

7.am - A young couple are having a quiet discussion.

Hemanth: Laya, how are you feeling now? (touches her forehead and nods in relief)

Laya: I’m feeling much better. I can inform one-hour permission and reach office.

Hemanth: Fever is not there now, but I think you must take another day off. Take complete rest and go office tomorrow.

Laya: Noo.. (her voice sounded quite alarmed at his idea to take another day-off). Please no. I will go today, that’s better for me. (she looked eagerly at her husband)

Hemanth: No. I think you should rest today. Why? Your quarter closing audits also got over just now.

Laya: Yeah, nothing urgent as such at work. Still I should go.. (she sounded pretty desperate)

Hemanth: You take leave today. My aunt is also here today, she will take care of you. Eat her rasam rice and sleep.

Laya: Oh no..… she being here is the… (Laya murmured).

Hemanth: (rumbling through entire wardrobe, searching for that one pair of socks that’s just right there) Sorry, what did you say, I didn’t listen.

Laya: Oh! Nothing. (rolling her eyes)

Hemanth: Then okay, I will get ready to office. Please find my socks alone.

9 a.m – Hemanth leaves to office. Aunt & Laya are at home.

Hemanth: Bye Laya. Take rest. Sleep well.

Aunt: I’m here today na, I will take care. Don’t worry kanna.

Hemanth: So glad, you are here aunty (smiles). (Laya gives a blank stare)

Aunt shuts the door and Laya gives a slight smile.

Aunt: So Laya, want to eat something now? Shall I make you some AgandaJorasi Kashayam? (like home-made tonics invented by great maami’s of many household)

Laya: No aunty. I’m feeling alright today. I will make some tea.

Aunt: Tea ah? (glaring at Laya) See, let me tell you Laya, tea on normal days is fine to drink. But, you had fever along with stomach ache. Tea is not good for your health now. That too, these days they are adding some chemicals to tea powder it seems. I read it in WhatsApp yesterday. I will make you kashayam. Do you know, I learnt this kashayam from my great aunt Kamala. (slight pause). Why are you starring like that? Don’t you remember Kamala paati (grandmother)? She even came to my brothers second daughters’ son’s first birthday. She came there with her son Chandru la? Even I introduced him to you at your wedding reception. You forgot him Laya? (looked hopelessly)

Laya looked at her really confused. She gently shaked her head in all directions.

Aunt: What do I say? These generation kids don’t even know the closest relatives in the family. Alright, leave that.  Let me make the kashayam for you. (Moves towards the kitchen)

Laya: Ok aunty. (felt internally relieved as aunt moves and looks down at her mobile phone.)

Aunt: (returns to hall within seconds) When I was a kid, my mother used to make all of us, me & my siblings drink this kashayam once in every two weeks. Those days we never used to get any health issues. In fact, when my neighbor kid Govind fell ill when he was 4^th standard and I shared the recipe of this. Even today Jamuna (neighbor) used to tell me how useful that kashayam was. Today Govind became a big boy and is working in a private company Time runs so fast. (Laya thinks except mine) You don’t worry, (looking at Laya’s worried face) I will teach you also to make this.

*… and there she goes on and on…*laya thinks in mind voice as Aunt starts explaining elaborately the recipe for almost an hour.

…. And finally after it boils really well, you need to add Honey to it before drinking. It will be really bitter if you forget to add honey. (pauses and starts to laugh all of a sudden) Haha… Hahaaaa.

Laya looks confused, as Aunt laughs with sudden reverie.

Aunt: Do you know why I laughed? (Continues, even without waiting for Laya’s answer). Once, when I was a kid, I think I was in SSLC. SSLC is 10^th standard these days. I got fever and my mother made me this kashayam and guess what happened?

Laya: (Aiyo! Why am I concerned what happened when she was in 10^th grade. Can’t she let me see my mobile for 2 mins) Ha! (brings a innocent smile and tries to sound eager) I can’t imagine aunty.

Aunt: (laughs again) I know, I know.. its going to sound really funny. My mother… (gives a deep pause, to invoke some suspense) my mother, forgot to add honey.. hahaa..

Laya… Whew!!! Whats so funny in this? Oh man!! Why am I stuck with this lady? Hemanthhhhhh (arghhh).

Aunt: It was so funny then. I drank it without telling a word to her. I used to be such a soft and silent girl. Never used to talk much. But, amma somehow found that she forgot to add honey and made me some more. Haha… ofcourse with honey this time. Oh..! Oh..! talking to you, forgot about the kashayam I kept on the stove.. I will come back and we will talk more. I will tell you about how, I made blunder with my Rava dosai first time. I didn’t tell you about that na?

Oh no! didn’t she tell me that story yesterday and even last week. How many times will she repeat these!

I think her kashayam without honey will be better than listening to her non-stop chatter.

Laya tried singing la..la.la etc while Aunt spoke. She tried to watch TV. However, the super-amazing Aunt would come up with yet another story with anything seen on TV too. Nothing worked. Aunt voice seeped through Laya and she felt at one point even the furniture around her will start choking with her.

She looked at the clock longingly, it was just 11 am in the morning and she still had 8 hard hours left before Hemanth would be back home. She gave a long sigh and wondered if there was any tiny leeway for her to escape from the blades & mokkais (boring chats) of the aunt and to her complete dismay, it was Aunt all around and her repeated dramatic stories.

Laya was tangled inside the Aunt’s web – Mokkais & Blades (the boring to death talks).

PS: Topic of this post being the picture above, the post has been written on a lighter note spotting the various blade-like figures & web-like lines and with a sole intention to remind any long-forgotten comical encounters or to invoke thoughts of deep-buried incidents with people who talk non-stop and give you no-leeway. 😊

- Divya Venkatesan