“Ammachi, can we eat dinner now? I am hungry” I spoke sweetly hoping to dissipate her anger. I shouldn’t have gone out to buy the groceries in the darkness. No one would have died, just because we they didn’t get to drink coffee.
“hmm” She mumbled. I watched her taking the hurricane lamp and walking towards the kitchen. Only then I remembered, all the houses on the side of the road had electricity, even the grocery shop had electricity. How come our house don’t have any electricity? May be the fuse would have blown.
“Ammachi, give me the hurricane lamp. I want to check the fuse box”
“What for?”
“Houses near the main road has electricity supply, may be our fuse is blown”
“No need”
“Why not? I know how to fix the fuse, after all..” I quickly bit my tongue. I was just about to say after all I am Methran Thambi’s grand daughter.
“After all what Nina?”
“Nothing, I was just saying after all I am the one who was repairing the fuse at home”
“Oh!”
“Give me the lantern” I ordered
“Never mind Nina, it is ok. We have the lantern anyway, besides I don’t want you to play with electricity. What if you get electrocuted? I can’t take you to the hospital. If I start walking today with this legs, I will reach the hospital next week! Come let us go and eat”
Something wasn’t right. Who in their sane mind wants to use lantern, when you can use the light?
As soon as Ammachi kept the lantern on the dining table, I picked it up and ran to the veranda. Fuse box is by the side of the veranda.
“Nina, listen to me, leave it, tomorrow we will ask someone to check it” Ammachi pleaded.
I climbed on the parapet wall and lifted the lantern to see what happend. Even before I pulled out the fuse, I knew what is wrong. I turned around and looked at Ammachi. She had a small grin in the corner of her mouth and she was trying to wipe her face with her fingers, as though she can wipe her smile away.
“When did you turn off the power?” I asked her
“Who? me? turn off the power!. No such thing. I would never do such a thing. Someone must have played a prank on us”
“When did you turn it off?” I asked her again.
Ammachi looked at me and I stared back at her. I wasn’t going to make it easier for her. She cheated me!
“Athey, This is Dhanu masam(december-january) and when everyone uses a blanket, you will switch on the fan in full speed and sleep and my electricity meter will also run nonstop. Who will pay the electricity bill? Your father ah?”
“How long have you been doing this?” I asked her in total disbelief.
“Can’t remember!”
“You silly old woman, you made me donate my precious blood to all the mosquitos in Kerala”
“That is a good thing isn’t it? Feeding the hungry! you will be blessed!” Ammachi was laughing.
“Blessed by the mosquitos?” I tried to picture all the mosquitoes blessing me and saying
‘oi, Nina thomas, thank you for giving us your blood, may you be blessed with more mosquito bites!’
I turned the power back on and got down from the parapet wall.
“I will get you for this one day!” I told Ammachi
She was still laughing
“Come let us eat the porotta before the curry goes stale” Ammachi spoke
Ammachi opened the parcel and placed it in a plate. The porotta was excellent, soft and flaky, but the curry, it tasted terrible.
“See, you spoiled the curry, if the power was on, we could have kept the curry in the fridge! You wasted a nice kakkan’s kuruma(muslim way of cooking curry)” I blamed Ammachi
“Never mind.” Ammachi spoke
I stuck my tongue at her. All because of her, I couldn’t get to eat the kuruma.
“Tell me something Nina, do you stick your tongue at your teachers?”
I placed my fingers behind my ears, wriggled them and stuck my tongue at her.
“Oh Nina, You look so beautiful. When you get a wedding proposal and when they ask you for a photo, make sure you send this pose!”
I didn’t bother to respond. I didn’t want a wedding proposal.
Ammachi looked at me. A look that asked a thousand questions.
“Nina, Did you find someone?”
“For what?”
“You know what I am asking you”
“You mean a boyfriend? Nope, I haven’t found a boyfriend yet, that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t”
“So you are looking for a boyfriend?”
“Is that a crime?” I asked her
“Did I say it is? Why are you feeling guilty?” She asked
“Ammachi, tell me, what if I find a nice guy and everything is perfect, except he is not a suriani kristiani. Would you be upset?”
“Upset? Oh Nina, why would I be? I should be happy,atleast I will get free meals three times a day”
“What free meals?”
“You know, at the Poojappura central jail, they give free meals. I will rather chop you and the kashmalan you want to marry in to tiny pieces, than see you spoil my family name.” She pointed to the sickle under the kitchen sink
I looked at my grandmother and the sickle.
“Why do I have to marry a Suriani kristiani? What is wrong with a CSI or a catholic Christian “
“Oh so the person is a Christian!”
“Which person?”
“I will whack you, if you try to act like a fool. So tell me about this guy”
“There is nothing to tell about. He is my senior, he has the most mesmerising eyes I have ever seen. He is tall and has a nice voice”
“What is his family name?”
“That I don’t know”
“What do you mean you don’t know”
“I only saw him once in the canteen and I don’t know anything else about him”
“Too late now” Ammachi shook her head
“Too late for what?”
“To take you to the mental hospital and admit you there today!. You need urgent medical treatment.”
“dhey, don’t you dare call me mad. After all I am your grand daughter. If I am mad, so are you!”
Ammachi was laughing and I started to laugh as well, more so after I remembered that few hours ago, I myself thought that Ammachi needs urgent treatment!
“Seriously Ammachi, would you be upset, if I married a non suriani kristiani?”
“ofcourse I will be upset Nina, I would like to see our traditions and culture going to the next generation.”
“hmm” I mumbled.
We ate in silence. After dinner, I cleaned the plates, closed the kitchen door and spoke
“Ammachi, auto will be waiting for us at 9.30pm. Let us get ready”
“ok”

Around 9 pm, we closed the door and started to walk towards the main road. The moon was shining bright. I looked up,there were so many stars in the sky. I remembered my father and how he taught me to find Orion.
“Ammachi, see those three stars, that is the belt of Orion” I pointed to the sky above
“What is Orion, Nina?”
“Orion was a great hunter”
“What is he doing in the sky?”
“That is a long story Ammachi. Orion was the son of Neptune, he could wade in the water without drowning. He and Artemis, who is the goddess of hunt and moon were spending far too much time hunting and Artemis forgot to illuminate the night sky. Appollo, who is Artemis’s brother didn’t like his sister spending time with Orion, Do you know what he did?”
“What did he do?” Ammachi asked like a little child
“He used a giant scorpion and chased Orion to the sea. When Orion was wading through the water, Appollo pointed the object that was actually Orion’s head and Challenged his sister to strike the object with her arrow. Artemis, who didn’t know it was actually Orion’s head that was in the water, shot her arrow and killed Orion. Only when the waves brought the head of Orion to the shore, did she realize her mistake. She was so upset, she placed Orion in the night sky”
“How did you learn all these stories Nina?”
“Appa told me”
“Hmm” Ammachi mumbled
I remembered all the times I walked on these bund roads holding my father’s hand. How many times he carried me on his shoulder and showed me the rabbit on the moon, and sang
“Ambili ammava, thamara kumbilil enthu undu”
I knew, if there is an award for the worst husband or father in the world, my father would win the award. But the thing is, he is still my father and I still miss him.