‘Ammalu, is the old lady in a fat body, still alive or has reached her abode above the clouds?’
‘Your friend Ammini?’
‘Your mom ?’
‘Why, Ammini is not old or fat or a lady?’
‘Don’t talk inauspicious things in an auspicious day’
‘Why, Ammini is an inauspicious woman?’
‘Ammalu, don’t talk about Ammini, I will go amok’
‘Why, Ammini is as fat as an elephant or an elephant itself?’
‘Ammalu, I touch your feet. Please leave me at peace’
‘Ok. Is my mom a fat lady?’
‘Who said so? She is a slim beauty . Ammini is fat’
‘Thank you. One more word against my mother, I will bring her here and make her stay permanently here’
‘Uncle, I’m sorry, I need holiday for two days. I won’t enter the kitchen’
‘Uncle?. I’m your uncle?’
‘You talk like a rusty old man, not like a husband’
‘You won’t enter the kitchen? Then who will do the cooking?’
‘You!’
‘Ammalu, you’re testing my patience. I will throw you out of the house’
‘Please do that. I will go to my mom and take rest’
‘It is ok, it is ok. You take rest here. Take leave or anything else you want. But, prepare some food, as I can’t starve’
‘So, SP Sir, leave is granted’
‘Yes, of course. You have forcefully claimed it from me’
‘Thank you Sir, happy Dassera!’
Ammalu, I don’t like any woman, including my woman, entering my bedroom, without my permission. Please get out’
‘I shall . Give back the cloth you’re wearing . That is my Onam special Kerala sari. I’m sure that by mistake you would have picked it up from my wardrobe and not intentionally’
‘Nonsense ! Why should I search your cupboard!’
‘Looking for sundal palaharam’
‘You don’t keep it in the kitchen?’
‘Fearing your wee hour invasion, I keep anywhere other than kitchen ‘
‘Ammalu, now I feel that I made a mistake by saying ‘yes’ immediately when your father asked me whether I liked you, during our very first meet’.
‘Immediately? You were awestruck by my beauty and sat for full five minutes, mouth wide-opened! Your father had to sprinkle a palmful of water to bring you back to normalcy. Without his asking whether you would like to marry me, you started nodding your head in agreement so forcefully that your mother had to apply balm for a week to remove the sprain’
‘I’m sorry, Ammalu. I’m not a dependent on you. I have my pension, I have my children, I have my house, I have my friends. I’am a fully independent man’
‘I never said that you’re my dependent. I’m your dependent . Don’t I wait at your bedroom door, turning my back, till you open the cupboard using a secret number key, pull up the check book and hand over to me to sign and sanction your monthly pocket money?’