Pieces of the Puzzle

Some years ago, We were just finishing dinner, my brother, dad and I. My mom had gone visiting some relatives out of town. We were thriving on meager subsistence using all the help we could get from our kind neighbors. Sometimes I had to cook. My dad and Beta were just short of having convulsions while having my concoction of sambar rice. To my credit, it was my first cooking experience. Next thing I know, my dad’s buddy lands up to have a late night session of chess. I was hoping he had his dinner as 'this' is not something I would offer guests. I have never offered anything yet. That’s my mom’s department. But like a true Indian girl of ideal upbringing, I still went ahead and offered the sambar rice. He almost jumped out of his epidermis. I am sure he caught the pained expression on my brother’s face. He politely refused saying he had stuffed himself at home.

Goody! Phew! So the three of us ate whatever we could muster and cleaned up the table. But I am taught guests are like God. Athithi devo bhava. Gods usually don’t leave your house empty stomach. That was not a Sanskrit sloka, but I figured its a norm. Courtesy: Watching my mom in action.

So I inflicted our God with offerings of tea. He refused again. But I insisted. ‘No uncle, how can you not have tea! You refused to eat and now you refuse to drink. What is this? Papa say something to him.’

‘Arey Das, just have it yaar.’

Das uncle agreed, just to get rid of my torment. He agreed??! Jeez, I thought he was stuffed. I was hoping he would keep saying no.

I panic. Run to the kitchen and boil water. Yes, that’s the first step. Next look around for milk. Open the fridge. Check some vessels, no that’s curds. Ok, where is milk?? Rummage through the entire kitchen, even look inside the cat's bowl. Realization strikes. NO MILK!!!

Slowly come back to the living room, behind the curtains, I mouth to my dad.. N O M I L K! He is not exactly the smoothest person in town. He yells, ‘Aaaaa? What was that Alpha? Come here and tell me.' 

Oh well, he asked for it. I interrepted uncle's concentration when he just was about to take my dad's pawn ‘Uncle we ran out of milk, I am so sorry. I didn’t realize. My mom kept….blah blah. My brother drank....blah blah ’

He was glazing thinking about the damn pawn. But he didn’t want me to feel bad. He cut me short, ‘It's Ok Sweety, just give me black tea. I don’t mind. 2 spoons sugar.’

Run back to the kitchen. Hastily look for tea leaves. Empty tea container stares back at me. This had to be the worse situation I could get myself into. Is this the kind of house my mom runs? I’ll be darned! Why didn't my dad find out if there was tea before inviting friends over! Am I the only sane person in this family?

I frantically ran back and forth from the kitchen to the living room 2 more times. My dad seemed like he had swallowed a box of earthworms. They decided to abandon their game due to unforseen disturbances! By the end of it all, our God was sipping on plain boiled water.