I hear a faint “Kausalya Supraja Rama” ……….. and my eyes peep out of the bed sheet and search for the clock franctically. Is it past 7:30AM??? Awww shitt!!! Am I late today too?? Get out of bed and get started lazy bones says my guardian angel ……. Hmmm maybe 10 more minutes of sleep at this golden hour would give the feel of heaven – so what the heck if you just miss the first train???? Says the devil. Well – I let the two quarrel while I take refuge under the bed sheet. As I just tuck myself in, my nose smells coffee and my ears hear a sweet voice – dei kanna, inniki oru naal avadhu inda vaarathula time la po daa, appa kittendhu vaangi katiikada. It was amma – as usual trying to be nice to me. I nod sheepishly and gulp down the coffee in no time. I look up to see if she is around – the minute she is out of sight I snuggle back. Simran – my dream girl, walks up to me, gets close to me, slowly rubs my lips with the tip of her beautiful nose, starts to kiss me but in a second backs up a little without breaking eye contact and suddlenly screams “DAIIII Kaludha” in an angry manly voice and I get up like I’ve been electrocuted. It was’nt simran - it was appa in action – doing his role everyday. Amma gasps at me getting ready; to her it is like watching a video in fast forward. Tiffin is ready and served on the table. Its only dosai today announces amma with thenga and pudhina chutneys. I look at ‘em and say I don’t like the green chutney and I refuse to eat it. Amma asks yen daa – taste pidikallaya ??? I say illa maa – enakku color pidikkala – enna chutney idu – pacchaiyaa???? She gets a little pissed off and says idoda arumay unakku ippo teriyadhu daa. When I think about it today, I feel she was dead right. It has been ages since my taste buds felt idly or dosa and even if they did – the multi colored chutneys are history. I wish I could rewind my life by few years and go back to the time when I was in college, when there was really nothing to worry about and there was all the time in the world for friends and chit chat. There was nothing called responsibility and you could do all that you wanted without having to fear the consequences. I wish things were that simple as it was that day - I can only dream.
to be continued ..................
