School closed for Christmas holidays on thursday. I was excited mainly because Maria will be home today. I haven’t seen her for so long. I wondered what she would bring for us from Kharagpur.
On the way home I mentally planned the lists of things to do. I will have to ask Maria to help me cut the tree from the Baker School grounds. I will decorate the Christmas tree tomorrow, today evening we will go to Seematty junction and buy fire crackers, I will help Akkachi to ice the cake. May be this time I will try doing royal icing. Tante Ida taught me how to do it. Adding icing sugar to egg white and lemon juice. I was so excited.
The moment I opened the gate, I heard Maria’s voice. I ran inside
“Oh Chechy, I am so glad you are home, I missed you.”
I wanted to hug her. But she was sitting down. She looked at me and went back to talking to Amma. She didn’t ask me how I was, she didn’t even bother to smile at me. It took me a few seconds to realize that, we are sisters but we are also strangers. Maria was speaking to Amma in english. I tried to listen, but I didn’t understand anything. That is when I noticed there is no milk for me at the table.
“Where is Akkachi Amma? Where is my drink?”
I watched Amma looking at Chechy and Chechy telling her something in english.
“Nina, Akkachi went home for a few days”
“What? Why? Why did she go without telling me?”
“There was a letter from her mother this afternoon. There is some emergency at her house and she had to leave in the afternoon bus, that is why she went home without telling you”
“What emergency?” I asked my mother
“Nina, it is nothing. Why don’t you go and play outside, Akkachi will be back in a few days” Maria was speaking
Something wasn’t right. I didn’t trust the combination of Maria and my mother.
“When is Akkachi coming back?” I asked again
“Didn’t I tell you, in a few days Nina?.” Amma was yelling at me
“Why are you yelling at me Amma, All I asked you is, exactly when Akkachi is coming back?”
“How dare you shout at your own mother Nina? I was away for just 4 months and you have already became so arrogant?” It was Maria’s turn to shout at me
“What is your problem Maria? I only asked Amma when Akkachi would return. I am speaking to Amma, not to you. Why don’t you mind your own business?” I was mad at my sister.
“How dare you speak to me like that. I just came home and this is how you show your respect?” I watched Maria getting up from the chair, in the split of a second, She slapped me. ” As long as I am home, I won’t tolerate such uncouth behaviour Nina, You are becoming too arrogant. No wonder God made you deaf and dumb and blind”.
I looked at my mother hoping that she would see how unfair all this is and support me
“Amma, look Amma, Maria hit me for no reason”
“No reason? You deserve it Nina, you are becoming too much lately”. I couldn’t believe my own ears. I didn’t do anything wrong and Amma is allowing Maria to hurt me.
“Who asked you to come back? Why couldn’t you just stay at your engineering college?”
“Who are you to tell me what I should do?” I watched Maria approaching me.
I ran out of the room. I didn’t know what to do. I walked to the banana thicket to hide. I haven’t gone inside the banana thicket since the day Maria left for engineering college. There were too much of dried leaves on the floor. I tried to use my feet and move the leaves, so I could sit on the floor. That is when I noticed the red ants on the floor.
“Damn it, I can’t even sit in my favourite spot anymore. Stupid ants, I started stepping on the ants to crush and kill them. Ants were running all over, some climbed on my legs and started to bite me. I used my hands to wipe them off my legs and they climbed on my hands. I tried to shake my hands and legs hoping to dislodge the ants that are on my body. There were too many ants and I ran out of the thicket. My hands were stinking. I wanted to wash my hands and legs. I didn’t want to go inside the house. I walked towards the outdoor shed. I can use the tap there and wash. I quickly washed my hands and legs. I suddenly remembered Akkachi’s clothes inside the shed. I pushed the door open and went inside the shed. There was no sign of Akkachi’s clothes. Her bag of clothes were missing. If Akkachi went for just a few days, she won’t take all her clothes and suitcase.
I ran back inside, Amma was talking to Liza and Sally and just as I was about to enter the kitchen I heard her telling them
“Akkachi won’t come back. She is getting married tomorrow. Don’t tell Nina, She will be upset.”
I felt everything standing still. Nothing moved. My Akkachi is getting married tomorrow and I didn’t even know.
I do not know who Akkachi married. I haven’t seen or heard anything about her in the last 23 years. There are too many promises yet to honour. buying her a jimikki, a blue and red kancheepuram saree, showing her my kids, her nieces and nephew.
Sarah,thats a sad way to part with your akkachi….hope you meet her sometime,somewhere..and hope she’ll be doing good then
There are so many ppl that come to our lives and go away, but the memories never fade away.
Hope u get to meet akkachi one day, and tell her u became a dr and she wud be the happiest person.
aww..that is sad..
I feel like crying. Akkachi was your friend, she was someone you could talk to , she listened. I wish you could meet her .I am sure she has thought about you and your family many times. sad . people do come into and out of our lives and leave memories behind. some good and some bad.
Oh! But why did she abruptly leave like that?
Akkachi gone?…just like that…it is so sad Sarah…I think wherever she is, she still remembers you just as you do. hope you two meet someday….do let us know what had happnd.
ohhh dear – and after that you had no one – oh dear – akakchi was such a beautiful soul
i hope one day u find her
Thats really sad Sarah….! At least you should have had the right to meet her for the last time ….
Cheers
So sad 🙁
So sad that akkachi went away without informing you..maybe next time you go to india you can try tracing her…
and hoping that she is doing good..
I am saddened by this also that i chanced to read:
http://www.knownturf.blogspot.com/…
Forgot to add my name..the anon is
Vinodh
:(((
Is this fiction ?? otherwise why was that abrupt departure ?
sarah, did you know where she lived?
Oh that is so sad. She seemed like a very sensible mature person. Do try to track her down some how.
BVN: I gave up hope of ever finding her.. I don’t even know her real name.. From Day one she was Akkachi..but I am sure she would do well, because she had aa good heart.
Thanu: If she knew I became a dr… she would say” I knew Sarah would become a dr..I always told her tht”
Shaknari: !
Starry: I always wonder if Akkachi would think of me the way I do.. I wanted the world to know her..how much I love her and how much she meant to me.. So writing this has helped me
Inji: She must have waited for my sister to come home.. Mother and her would have decided tht it was best not to let me know..I had christmas exams then…
Neihal: I am 35, Akkachi must be atleast in her early 50’s… each year tht goes by, there is less chance of finding her!
Visithra: I hope too
Dawn: I know..but life works in weird ways
Vinodh: Child labour is a major issue in India.. I remember asking Ammalu who worked in our field, why doesn’t she want to study and her replying, then who would earn the money for food?.. it is easy to say tht we should ban child labour.. wht will those kids do for earning money, so there would be food at the table..
Rose:!
Ajith: There were many clues that Akkachi was leaving.. I was just plain stupid not to have seen it
Hillgrandmom: I never knew the place names in Kerala.. and never really thought of remembering Akkachi’s home place.. I didn’t expect her to leave. There was this sense of security tht Akkachi would alwaays be with us
Anon: Oh she was.. sensible..so unlike me..
oh man!!!!!!I wish Akkachi and you will meet again.
Reminds me of our servant named “shantha” ..she was there until i was around 6- 7… a nice chechi.. she used to help my mom in her routine works like washing, cooking, cleaning etc etc.. and i had this bad habit of blaming “shantha” whenevr i miss something like pencil, eraser etc etc…. and when i say “shantha” took it my mom and “shantha” used to laugh at me… as u told about akkachi…i too dont know where she is now…. ….
Well, your blog was recommended by Maya, and i knew it would be just as emotionally fulifilling as hers.
Most of the times, in our lives, we are alwyas late. In your life, you felt you did not get a chance to buy your Akkachi gifts which you dreamt of buying.
In life, nothing waits for us. It goes on. We too must go on.
But when we have the time, to buy gifts, we must. It is rarely that people express their feeling for others, thinking it is understood. It might be understood but expressing love and affection mean a lot to humans. Do unto others what we would like to receive.
Yours is an incident, which has happened to almost all of us, but no one ever tried to recognise or understand what happened.