“Nina, I need a new exercise book” Sally Spoke
“For what?”
“for writing”
“for writing what?”
“Nina, why are you so difficult? Why do you have to act so bossy? I wish Amma was here!”
I looked at my baby sister, then at me. I wasn’t sure if I am me, or have I transformed in to a monster that my mother is usually.
“I will buy an exercise book for you on my way back from school”
“I need the book tomorrow”.
“It is getting late Sally, I am not going to go out now.”
“You are mean Nina. I don’t like you anymore.” She ran out of the room.
I sat on my father’s easy chair and for the first time since he left, I hated him. I hated him more than words could say. My sisters are his daughters. They are his responsibility. He ran away from his own responsibilites. I hate him. I knew if he ever came back I would kill him personally. I was that angry with him.
“Nina dinner is served” Akkachi announced from the dining room.
“Liza, Sally Come and have your dinner” Akkachi called them
I quietly walked to the dining table. It had 6 chairs. My father used to sit at the head of the table and his chair was empty. My mother used to sit across my dad on the other end of the table and her chair was empty too. Maria and I sit facing each other and Maria’s chair was empty as well.
To me it felt, we are playing musical chair and I am next in line going to be out, after Appa, Amma and Maria. I looked at my sisteers faces. Did they see what I am seeing? What are they going to do?
“I don’t want to eat porridge. I want fried rice like Tante Ida used to make.” Liza spoke
“Liza, Tante Ida is in Penang, there is no way we can eat her food right now and Akkachi doesn’t know how to make fried rice.”
“Then why don’t you cook?” Liza asked me
“I don’t know how to make fried rice Liza”
“you don’t know to do anything, you are useless”.
“That is it Liza, enough of insults in a day. Shut up and eat and leave the table”
“What are you going to do, if I don’t shut up?, hit me?”
I wanted to hit her so hard that she wouldn’t speak for the rest of her life. But I controlled. I promised Amma, I will take care of them. I quickly ate my dinner.
“Akkachi, Can you come with me, we have to lock the main gate”
It was raining heavy and Akkachi and I used the umbrella to shelter our body from the rain and walked to the main gate.
Akashavani’s teenage son was sitting on the porch and studying.
When he saw us coming out to lock the gate he started reading louder hoping to get our attention. We pretended we didn’t hear. Just as I reached the gate he started singing
“paingiliye,paingiliye
kaliyadedan varumo nee”
(darling will you come and play with me)
“Who are you talking to? Akashavani came out screaming at her son. That is when she saw Akkachi and me
” shavangal they won’t let an honest young man to live, even in the rain they come out like vampires to taunt young men, Don’t you have anything else to do?. Girls like you should be locked up!” She screamed at us
“We came to lock our gate, it is not us, it is your son who needs to be locked up?” I told her off
“Yeah yeah, I have seen how you ogle at my son, you want to snare him for your oldest sister, so you can marry her off without paying any dowry”
“aiyyeda You think your son is the only living man on earth? Who wants to marry a neerkoli (water snake)?. My sister will get a good husband one day”
” High hopes you have. Who will marry a girl, whose own father abandoned his wife and daughters? You girls are good for nothing. No wonder your father left all of you. How can that poor soul live amongst this kind of daughters”
“My father didn’t leave us.”
“Nina, come let us go, it isn’t worth arguing with her” Akkachi pulled my hand and dragged me inside.
Y can’t ppl mind their own business. It must have been so hard to be 11 and be responsible for younger ones.
“To me it felt, we are playing musical chair and I am next in line going to be out, after Appa, Amma and Maria. I looked at my sisters faces. Did they see what I am seeing? What are they going to do?”
This paragraph is really nice !!
Calling him a ‘neerkoli’ at eleven years make you a real ‘cheena padakkam’
people like akashavani..are always there.. they wont mind their business. they are bothered about others.!.. just to pour some more chilli and salt on ti already buring wound…
oh sheesh!people like akashvani are like climbers…they are everywhere.I have to attend my sister’s wedding in kerala.I am half hearted about going there because of people like akashvani.
I think so far you are doing a good job managing your sisters and the home and telling Akashavani off.
Akashavani seems to be a bitter and discontend woman to be taking on young children.
What a situation, no adults in the house, far away from a place you were familiar with (Malaysia) with young siblings to look after too. But you seem to be holding out so well.
You were the odd one out in your family…every one else seems so self centered…but you managed things really well….specially Akashvani.
I gues ur patience was tested to the core..
I was ‘Chakka Kuru’.. 🙁
..Me
Is this a story or your life??
I like your blogs esp the ones in which Ammachi was there. Can you include more stories of her
You know, your life seems like a daily battle to me. I really have to admire your personality that shows great strength and courage and yet has big dreams. Hats off to you. Your blog is truly out of an inspiring novel.
Keep posting!
Whew! read your entire posts in a streach. Fretty good flashback. And by the way, I have completed the translation assignment you left for the fellow bloggers.
Thanu: For some malayalee woman, having a son is an investment.. (dowry).. they would protect tht investment with all their might
Jac:aha..njan vechittondu
Sujit: yes, they wait to rub salt on the wound.. so true
Maya: Aha wedding time.. must be fun!! and yes the nosey ones.. tht would be even more fun..
Starrynights: thanks
Silverine: I had no choice..
Neihal: I am still the odd one out and I really want to know why
Rose: nice name..and yes I knew I would make a good doctor then itself..by the simple fact that I didn’t kill them
Ganesh: There are times I wish this is someoneelse’s stroy.. Unfrotunately it is mine.
Techno: I wasn’t allowed to see my grandmother for a good 5 years!
Kevin: Thank you for visiting my blog.
Chandu: thanks for the translation.. The old malayalam songs were very popular whenever we had a gathering of Malayalees in Malaysia(onam and Christmas for sure). Most of us knew the songs, but not necessarily the meaning.
Oh, people like those are just harmless fun. They add colours to the life,dont they? No need to hate them. Those type of people can be found everywhere in every grade of the society.
oh Sarah !! :),
nice blog.
I was searching for the English word for Neerkoli and landed in ur blog.
Nice to read on, i wish i can read the missed pages too and hope it is not your autobiography.