Sabari Parinayam

4

"Ganji?!" Sabari starred at the thick white rice broth placed in front of her. What happened to the delicious pappu and pickle that she was served yesterday night?

"Ganji. Yes." The older women answered in a gentle voice "How are you feeling my dear? You had quite a fever in the night. I did not think you would wake up in the morning as you did."

Even Sabari did not expect to wake up back to her dream. She did not want to believe it and tried very hard to sleep and wake up to Kalyani. But, every time, she woke up to the same sparsly furnished room that she had fallen asleep in. The older women had greeted her in the morning and enquired after her health. The sight of her mother stalled Sabari's frantic attempts to wake up from this dream which was making no sense to her at all.

How? How can Sabari deny her mother? Tears filled her eyes and she began to cry. She was stressed, Sabari comforted herself. She was stressed emotionally and physically. She was not a very emotional person and yet she had cried so often in the past months.
The older woman has comforted her while wiping Sabari with a wet cloth and helping her dress in a dhothi and Angavasthram. Not comfortable with this style of dressing Sabari had wrapped her upper body with a cloth, like a shawl. The ganji, she was not expecting. Dropping her hands into her lap she sniffed "I am fine Amma."

"Good to hear that. You can call me Peddamma. Everybody calls me 'Pedarasi Peddamma' " the woman smiled.

"Can I call you Amma?" Sabari looked into the woman's eyes. Her mother had black eyes but when the sun shone in the them brown flecks could be seen. As a kid Sabari was often awed by that until a time when her mother stood Sabari in front of a mirror, by the window, and showed the teenager that she shared the same feature as her mother. The woman in front of her was her mother, Sabari decided. She did not mind sleeping as long as possible if it meant she could spend more time with Amma.

"Of course you can!" Amma said with a smile. "Now hurry up and finish that. It is quite late. The Raja Sabah will close if you don't hurry. Partha has been waiting since after breakfast."

Sabari's eyes widened "He is still here?! Why is he still here?! Why can't it just be you?! Why does he have to be here?!" She pouted like a miffed child.

"You have a wierd way of talking child." Amma smiled "What is your name?"

"Sabari"

"Sabari. Nice name. A learned woman." Amma said. "Now. Don't get angry at how Partha speaks. He has been a brahmachari all his life. He is very skilled with the sword but does not have a grain of sense on how to speak with a woman."

"Why is he insisting on sending me to jail?"

"Well that is for the king to decide, not him. Now have the ganji. You will get some strength." Amma waited till Sabari lifted the bowl to her lips "The king is a very nice man. Just like his father. Kind, gentle and very understanding. Don't let his young looks decieve you. He is a very wise man. He does not like his people to be unhappy. He will definitely help you. Tell him everything and he will surely find a solution. Okay?"

Sabari merely nodded. She was not a fan of the starchy liquid but at this point she just wanted to wash away the bitterness of the neem from her mouth.

"Okay. I will pack some lunch for you."

"Pack some for me too" Partha said walking into the kitchen.

Sabari frowned. Amma smiled "Is the royal kitchen closed today?" She asked moving towards the earthen stove.

"No. I can smell the Munagakaya you cooked." As he walked over to Amma, she turned around and held the earthen pot, with the curry, up towards him. Partha sniffed deep and gentle "Hmm. You  need to add a little more ruchi Atha" he told his aunt.