“Ammalu, you think I married you as I’m a fool?”
“Never. You are wise and hence you knew that you needed a strong support to take you in the right path. I repeat, you are wise and hence you married me”
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Ammalu, don’t create a scene for nothing. I just tapped Ammini’s back, just for fun. Back is back, whether on the top, center or below”
“You won’t stop with the back and that is my problem.
Front is not front, whether top, center or below”
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“Did you make this pokkoda?” I asked the lady of the house, who had invited me for an evening tea.
“Yes, mama. I made it” she answered proudly.
“I doubt”, I replied, “it is too tasty”
That instant and damaging reply unwittingly came out of my mouth, as I saw, for a moment, Ammalu’s image on my host’s face and such poking to rise her anger was my usual practice. I wanted to correct my wrong, but thought, suppose she questioned whether I saw my wife’s image on every woman who invited me for tea, it would be still worse. So, I kept quiet biting my tongue.
She didn’t throw me out or say a word of abuse. Just looked at me piercingly.
But my next act brought me real trouble.
“Can I have some more; it was really good” I asked when the plate before me became empty.
“Sure, mama. Soon after my daughter in law returns from USA, I will ask her to make. Pl. wait for sometime, if you don’t mind” replied, the gracious host.
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“No, you are not coming with me for the party, SP”
“Why Madam MAlu?”
“You misbehaved with my friends last evening when we met in Kamu’s birthday party”
“Me misbehaved! Watch your words, you, woman of the past century”
“Didn’t you take your mouth close to Paru’s and ask her whether the diamond stones on her nose stud were real or fake?
Didn’t you feel the sari of Parukkutty and ask whether her silk sari was really Kanchi Pattu or fake?
Didn’t you ask VisAlAkshi whether her hair shade was real or fake, rising your hand to her head?”
“Ammalu, if an old man is not allowed that much liberty to verify origins and duplicates, my getting old is meaningless”
“It is not the question of an old man’s liberty. It is something more serious. All the women are now worried whether your next question would be whether they are original wives or fakes. You are capable of asking any question, they complain”
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“Why did you take my Pearse soap, Ammalu?”
“I didn’t take”
“Then who took it from the bath room? Did someone come from outside to take the soap cake ? ”
“How do I know? So many are coming to meet you”
“Ammalu, who will enter the bathroom when you wait at the door like a booth?”
“I never wait at the bathroom door or any other door inside the house. I only follow you from a distance when you go out”
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