My father was sitting on the ratan easy chair outside the house reading the news paper. My mother walked to him and said.
“You better earn more money for the dowry, our wonderful daughter is deaf”. My father looked at me and went back to read the paper. Amma went inside the house. Nobody asked me anything and I felt strange standing in front of the house and wondered if I am welocome to go inside or out.
I quietly walked to my spot inside the banana-tree thicket. My heart felt heavy thinking of the enormous financial burden I brought to my family. May be I would join a convent, then they wouldn’t have to marry me and pay dowry. I imagined wearing the nuns habit and walking eerily in the convent. The convent near the Kottayam railway station has a silent room, where nuns spend months without uttering a word. What will I do when my sisters come to visit me in the convent? How will I not talk to my own sisters?
I heard the sound of dried leaves getting crushed and someone walking. I looked up. It was Akkachi.
“Oh. So this is your hiding spot eh Nina?”
She came and sat next to me.
“Did you hear the bad news Akkachi?”
“hmm”
“Akkachi, why am I being punished like this? I have to wear a spectacles and now I am deaf as well. Maria, Liza and Sally don’t have to go through any such troubles”
“you know Nina, you are not really deaf. You can still hear me speaking to you”
I nodded.
“Nina, some people are born without legs, some are born without hands, some are born without a head”
I looked at her surprised.
“ oh Akkachi how can anyone be born without any head?”
Akkachi hit her forehead with her hand and said “Oh god, where did I leave my brain today?”
“True Nina, how can anyone being born without a head!”
We both started laughing.
She held me and we must have sat there for a while.
She got up and gave me her hand and pulled me up.
“Nina I must go and cook dinner before everyone gets angry, what do you want to eat tonight?”
“Akkachi,Will you make Biriyani for me?”
“Aha!!” Only biriyani? You want some onion salad with that?
I nodded my head, “with yogurt and tomato”.
“I will give you now” said Akkachi.
Akkachi closed her eyes, waved her hand in the air muttering
“om freem kuttichathan, bring me Chicken Biriyani and a big bowl of onion salad with yogurt and tomato”
I stared at her hand hoping to see the Biriyani vessel appearing in her hand.
She opened her hands and showed me. No biriyani, only an empty sweaty palm.
She shook her head disappointed and said“Oh Nina, my magic is not working today, may be we will try again on sunday!”
“Go akkachi,” I knew she was pulling my leg and I started chasing her.

When I went to my room I saw Maria using my sketch pens. Uncle Jacob gave me those pens when he came. He also gave a set for Maria, but she doesn’t want to use her, so hers will last longer.
“Give me back my sketch pens”
“neh neh neh”. She held the sketch pens higher
I pulled the paper she was colouring and it tore. Maria was mad at me and she yelled
“Nina thomas, deaf and dumb and blind”
I could feel my heart breaking. I am not deaf and dumb and blind. I ran to Amma crying and told her
“Amma, Maria calls me deaf and dumb and blind”
“Nina, why do you cry for everything, just ignore your sister”