Achchu and Sivu were slowly settling in. They were getting to know a little bit more about each other every day. Achchu had learnt that his wife was not a morning person and she enjoyed food thoroughly. Sivu learnt that Achchu was a quiet observer who was an avid reader, liked to stay fit and enjoyed music. She always found him reading when she dozed off and caught him working out when she woke up.
Achchu's brother, who had gone to Bombay for a short assignment, ended up being offered a job there so his family went straight from CBE to Bombay. Achchu and Sivu helped packed their luggage and transported it to Bombay. His parents decided to stay at CBE due to health issues as well. Raman Anna's wife became pregnant after 5 years and due to her Ill health, he dropped her off at her home town near Kanataka. She was asked to take bed rest till the baby came. Raman could not afford the rent along with the new medical expenses so he decided to move to a Bachelor's room for the time being.
Achchu and Sivu had a fixed routine. He always woke up at 5am, brushed and went by to the cowshed near by to get milk. He then boiled the milk and prepared the filter for the coffee decoration to process. Meanwhile, he did some yoga, floor exercises and lifted weights (dumb bells). It was usually at that time, around 6am that Sivu would wake up to the aroma of the fresh brewed filter coffee. By the time she freshened up, he would be waiting for her in the living room with two hot tumblers of coffee and set up the water heater. Initially she felt guilty for sleeping in but now it had become their routine.
After drinking the coffee, she would go to the kitchen to prepare both breakfast as well as lunch, while he would go have a shower and finish his puja. Breakfast was usually idli or dosa with chutney of some sort. She prepared a proper lunch which he carried in a lunch carrier. She would place the carrier, a bottle of water and a small flask of coffee. Sivu was blessed with excellent cooking skills. It was simple but tasty. She always made rice after having a shower. He always made sure the water was warm enough for her. She would always walk up to the door to see him off with the lunch basket in one hand and sandal paste from the Swamy shelf, which she applied on his forehead everyday, before seeing him off. Once he left the house, she would go and watch his walk all the way till the end of the road, until he disappeared.
He had a 10 min walk to the tram station, a tram ride of about 20 mins and then a 5 mins walk to his office. He was always at the office by 9am and left at 5Pm sharp. Sivu would be waiting for him at the door with her beaming smile. They have coffee and snacks together. He would rest for a bit but he knew that she was stuck at home all day so they would go for a walk to the near by park where he would listen to her non stop chat about anything and everything under the sun. He not on,y enjoyed listening to her but he would so magically be lost is her expressive eyes. Sometimes she would ask him the most random questions that would throw him off.
One day, while they were sitting on the park bench and people watched she suddenly asked, "Unga kitta onnu kekkatuma?" He looked at her with a smile and said, "hmmm.... Kellu maa." She smiled and asked, "Neenga preuniversity padikardhukke Calcutta vandhaachu, aparam college mudichu office um serndhaachu illiya?" He nodded yes wondering what this was leading to. She continued,"Ungalukku yaaru melaiyum love varaliya? Indha ooru ponnellam evvalo azhaga irukaa." He gasped. He did not expect this from her but he smiled and said, "tch illai." She frowned and said, "yen? Oru ponna kooda va ungalukku pudikkaley? Ungalukku love ellam panna varadha enna?" He laughed and looked at her confused face and said, "Ami tomarke khoob bhalo bhaashi." She was confused with his sudden change of language, "Enna solareenga? Enakku thaan Bengali theriyadhe. Tamil la sollunga." He blushed through his laughter and said, "unakku oru naaliki idhukku artham puriyum." His mind voice, though, was saying, "Anniki neeyum idha enkitta solluve nu nambaren." He cleared his throat and said, "Seri vaa polaama?" and he stood up.
She followed him only to ask her next set of question, "ange oru gumbal edho vaangi saapadrale adhu enna?" He answered, "Puchka (pani puri), adhu oru kutti puri madiri irukkum. Adhula urulakizhangu aparam sweet karam chutney ellam pottu kudupaanga adha appidiye muzhusa sapadnum." She clapped excitedly and said, "Ayyo enakku saapadu am pola irukku. Vaangi tharela?" He said, "Illama adhu enna thanni use pannaraan nu therile. Udambukku vandhuda pordhu" but when he saw her puppy face and pout, his heart melted and took her to the puchka wala. She tried the first one and her eyes went wide. While eating she indicated with her finger that it was too good. After she had about 10 of those, he warned her. That's when she asked him, "ungalukku?" He said "enakku vendaam maa. Nee thrupthiya saaptiya." She replied, "pramadhama a irukku. Daily saapadlaam" and she grinned.
They headed towards home. Calcutta was famous those days for power outage so almost every night was candle light dinner and musical evening for them.
Brinda Subramanian
YOU ARE READING
The Arranged Marriage
RomanceThis story is set in the 70's. A newly married couple, Anandasivan and Sivakaami, move to Calcutta after an arranged marriage. How does love blossom between these strangers and how do they adapt to a new culture and city?
