When I reached back home, Sally was sitting in the verandah. She had a ripe mango in one hand and a drinking straw in the other hand. It looked a bit odd and I stood near the gate and watched her. She was poking the mango with the drinking straw and saying “Maza Maza”.
“Give it to me, you are not doing it right” I watched Liza snatching the mango and the drinking straw from Sally’s hand. Soon she too started to poke the mango with the straw and shouting “Maza Maza”. I opened the gate and both my sisters heard the noise. I saw them hide the mango behind their school bag.
“What are you guys doing?” I asked both of them
“Nothing. We are just sitting here Nina” Liza replied
“Why are you holding a straw in your hand?”
“Chumma (just like that)” They shrugged their shoulders.
” Why were you poking the mango and saying “Maza Maza?” I asked
Liza was trying to control her sheepish grin, while Sally was laughing
“We are trying to make mango juice Nina”
“Mango juice? How?”
“Nina, in the TV, the uncle pokes the mango with the straw and say ‘Maza Maza’ and a bottle of Maza mango juice comes in his hand. We are trying to do the same thing”
I looked at my youngest sisters. There are certain moments in life, when you feel overwhelmigly protective of your siblings. It was one such moment, where I knew I would do anything to protect their innocence. I knew I am all they have.
“Do you want to drink mango juice?” I asked
“yes, yes yes” both nodded their head
“Come, let us go to Paico. I will buy you something to drink from Best bakery”
“Will you buy us meat puffs?” Sally asked
“Ok”.
I held both their hands and walked. In the morning Amma was holding Sally’s hand and now, It is my turn. I felt I am filling in the mothering void, my mother created in pursuit of her own happiness. I could not fail my sisters. I had to make sure, I am there for them.
“3 meat puffs and 2 Maza mango juice please” I spoke to the aunty at the counter. I watched her taking the juice from the fridge and shaking the bottle to mix the juice well. She used the bottle opener and opened the bottle
“Me first” Liza snatched the mango juice from the her hand
“Where is my juice? Why Liza gets everything first?” Sally was about to cry
“Aiyyah Sally, stop crying. Let her open the bottle first” I turned around and spoke to the aunty “Children!!, they have no patience!”
I watched my sisters drinking the juice. Both of them didn’t ask what about you Nina? Why didn’t you order a Maza juice for yourself? They didn’t ask, if I wanted to share a bit of their Maza. I thought of all the times Amma bought us things and didn’t buy anything for herself. I thought of all the times, I didn’t offer her a share of my drink.
I had enough money to order another drink. But I didn’t want to waste my money. With that money, I could buy something else for my sisters, besides I could always drink water. I won’t die, just because I didn’t have a bottle of mango juice.
“Nina, will you buy me a poompatta magazine?” Liza asked
I counted all the changes in my hand.
“Ok”.
We walked to Paico book shop.
“Nina look Kapish” Sally was jumping up and down, pointing to the kapish toy that was on the shelf.
“My friend Anjali has the same toy. If you squeeze the tummy, it would make sounds just like a monkey”
I picked up the toy from the shelf.
“Can I see? Liza was screaming
“I saw it first, I want to see it first” Sally was screaming. Everyone in the shop was looking at us and I didn’t know how to handle the situation.
“Guys, please don’t scream. You both can see it. Just wait for one person to see it first and then the other person can see it. Sally saw it first. Let her have a look at it first. Besides Liza, you are older and wiser and ofcourse smarter” I tried to pacify Liza
“I hate you Nina. You always like Sally more than me”
“No I don’t. both of you are my sisters and I love both of you equally”
“Now ask Sally to give me the toy. She held it for more than 5 minutes!”
“Sally, give the toy to Liza. Let her have a look”
“No. It is mine”
“Give it to me”, Liza was screaming and pulling it from Sally’s hand and both of them were screaming. All the uncles and aunties in the shop were enjoying free comedy show and I didn’t know how to settle the problem. I watched in horror,Liza pulling Sally’s hair and snatching the toy from her hand and I watched Sally kicking her and pulling the toy from Liza’s hand. The plastic cover was now torn and the stupid monkey was making sound each time one of them pulled it from the other’s hands, as though the monkey was having fun.
“What is going on here?” A burly looking man asked us. “Give me the toy” He ordered and my sisters handed the toy to him.
“it is mine” Liza spoke
“Mine” Sally spoke
“Koche, your sisters tore the plastic cover, No one will buy the toy without the cover. You damaged it, so you have to buy it.” I looked at the price tag. 10Rs. that was 10 freaking Rs for a stupid rubber monkey. I wanted to cry. But I chose to take care of my sisters and I had to do my job well. I followed the man to the counter and paid the 10Rs, from the money Ammachi gave me for ticekt.
As I left the shop I heard him telling the lady at the counter
“My God, such uncultured kids. Is this how parents raise their kids?”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I walked back to him
“What is your problem? Did I take the toy without paying? I paid you the cost of the monkey, didn’t I? For heaven’s sake, they are kids, don’t you dare call my sisters uncultured” I stormed out of the shop, holding the toy in my hand and my sisters by my side.
The road ahead didn’t look easy. I didn’t know, how I would raise my sisters. I wondered why I should waste my life, taking care of my sisters. Isn’t that my mother’s job? I knew the answers to all those questions. I knew my mother would destroy their life, just like she did Maria’s, Just like she is doing to mine. I will not let her do that.

In the mid 80’s there used to be a Maza Mango juice ad on TV.. The guy would hold a ripe juicy mango on his hand and tap it with a straw and say Maza Maza and voila! a juice bottle appears in his hand.. The same guy also acted in the ECE bulb ad, where he would ride his scooter and his wife sings from the balcony, bhool na jana, ECE bulb lana!

There are times that I wonder what makes me miss Kerala so much.. here are the reasons..