Falling in love forever

Chapter 17

Cheran's POV

As soon as we reached home, I got a call from Amma. "Amma, I am just entering our home."

"Good. You immediately book tickets for your next visit. You have to attend a function in your Athai's place two weeks later."

"Amma, how can I book tickets just like that? I am sure Appa wouldn't like it if I keep booking tickets in Tatkal or in bus."

"Your Appa was the one who suggested that you attend the function with Isai. He said that, our house feels empty without Isai."

"Amma, I have been living away from home for seventeen years. He never said that the house felt empty without me."

Amma laughed, "She is a girl child Cheraa."

Now what do I say to this? I sighed and said, "Amma, I will try. I need to ask Ennisai whether she can take leave again."

"You have to come Cheraa. It's an important function from your Athai's side. I am sure Isai will make time."

One disadvantage in being an youngest family member is everyone wants to have a say in my life. I somehow convinced her that I will try and disconnected the call.

When I settled down for breakfast, I was disheartened to find Upma in my plate. Who eats upma for breakfast? "Kannu, what is this?"

"Rava Upma (Semolina based dish)."

"I can see that. I am asking you why did you prepare this for breakfast."

"Because it's easy to make in the morning. And I have to rush for my office."

My Amma was also a working woman. But she never made Upma because Appa never liked it. Still, I didn't want to say this to her and irritate her. So I asked, "Where is the side dish?"

She went inside the kitchen and brought the sugar container. "Kannu, what is this? Am I a small child to eat upma with sugar? You could have made mint chutney."

"The reason I made upma was to save time. Making mint chutney is time consuming in the morning."

"Kannu, I hate upma. Please don't ever make this again."

She huffed, went inside our room and came with a sheet of paper with a tabular column. She said, "Please give me a menu to cook on a daily basis. I have to make tiffen twice in a day. That makes it fourteen tiffen per week. Other than Idli and Dosa which we can eat twice in a week, nothing else should be repeated. I am not saying that I will follow this menu to the 'T'. Still, I will try."

She hurriedly swallowed some upma and left for her office. But I was thinking about it for a long time. While preparing the menu, I also had to think about her limited culinary skills. She is an average cook and I have learnt that for her cooking is more of a chore than an art or science. Her intention while cooking is to leave the kitchen as early as possible. So for my own safety, I tried to create a very simple menu. As long as it tasted good I didn't mind repetition. So I included Idli and Dosa for breakfast and dinner, four times in a week. And somehow managed to fill the remaining six columns with other items.

During lunch she looked at the menu and laughed. "Okay Maama, I will try. You should also try to cook at times."

"Yeah. I feel like eating Kuzhi Paniyaaram (A dish made with Idli batter. It is cooked in a pan which has small moulds in it). I will make them for dinner sometime in this week."

"Super. Please go ahead Maama."

"Did I tell you Amma is asking us to attend a function from my Athai's side. It is in the next weekend."