My mother hated them…
I have always wondered why Amma hated them so much..yet allowed them to stay in our house..
What I remember the most about the couple was the sound of pooja bell ringing first thing in the morning along with the usual sounds from the kitchen of food being prepared. He left for work at 6.45 AM and from then till he came back at 4.30, there was absolutely no sound. I don’t know what the wife did all day, she had no radio, TV or books. She didn’t do any embroidery or things like that. She didn’t have friends and didn’t have any visitors.
My mother felt, if the woman had worked hard in her life and got herself a precious education, then she wouldn’t have to sit at home alone all day.. “Wasted life”, amma used to mutter..
But the evenings were always different. Her husband came back holding a parcel always.. ( mullappoo/jasmine flowers)
even if you didn’t see the husband returning from work, But you would know when he is back from work. You could hear the laughter..
Their laughter drove my mom nuts. “what is there to laugh so much? Have they gone mad” she would mutter.
No one laughed in our house, so I used to wait for the man to return..to hear the sound of laughter..it was so soothing to the soul..to know that it is ok to laugh.. that you can still find a reason to smile and laugh even if you studied only till 8th standard and sit at home all alone all day.
The second thing I remember about them was the second bedroom in their part of the house. They used it as a store room. On one side of the room there were two old sarees hung to hide something behind. The lady showed us what is behind..two shelves full of pots and pans..all brand new..there were also two suitcases there both identical, both held few pattu saree ( silk sarees).. The pots, pans and the sarees were bought and kept for the daughters..for the day they get married..as part of their dowry..
By the time they started renting our place, she had already bought enough pots and pans one pot at a time for her daughters, She was now collecting sarees for them..by saving a bit of money every month and when there is a sale, buy a new saree..
My mother smiled and told her “what a brilliant idea” when she showed us the collection of pots and pants and when we were back in out part of the house, she commented ” pillarellam chathu poyal ( if the daughters died)what are you going to do with all the pots and pans? besides the sarees would all be old fashioned by the time the daughters get married”
I don’t know what happened to the couple. He managed to get a transfer back to Tamil Nadu and they left. But I am sure, when the daughters got married, their mother must have stood there very proudly because she would have been able to give her daughters a head start in life with a well equipped kitchen and wardrobe.. even though she herself only studied until 8th std and her husband was just an ordinary manager in an ordinary factory..