14. Dinner in Gajendra’s house

CHAPTER 14

Dinner in Gajendra’s house

At night, 7 pm, Mayuri entered Prutvi’s house. Prutvi had just had his bath. He was wearing only a towel. Seeing Mayuri, he immediately pulled the towel to cover himself.

Mayuri was shy. “Why? You are taking bath in the evening?”

Arvind said, “We are from the ashram. We take bath twice a day.”

Mayuri tried to leave.

 Arvind stopped her. “Oh dream girl. Just wait for a while. Bedsheet cover is there. Soon he will get dressed up.”

Prutvi appeared wearing a lungi. “Miss Mayuri, please sit down. Coffee, tea, horlicks, cool drank. Whatever you want.”

Mayuri was shy. “No thanks. You rubbed my mother’s back today in the afternoon. So tonight you must come to my house for dinner. My mother is waiting for you.”

She left.

Arvind looked at the bottle. “Prutvi, this week we have no food problem. Wonder to whose house this bottle will go tomorrow.”

Prutvi and Arvind entered Gajendra’s house. Saundarya came out of the kitchen and welcomed them. “Please come in.”

They sat on the sofa.

Prutvi asked, “How is your back pain?”

Sundarya adjusted her back. “Due to your touch, the pain has completely disappeared. I feel good now.”

Mayuri looked at him. “Thanks. Otherwise all the housework would have fallen on me.”

Saundarya said, “Come to the dinning table.”

Both the boys sat at the dining table. Gajendra prayed to god, put vibhuti on his forehead and joined them at the table.

Saundarya brought 25 big dosas on a plate. “I made dosa since you like it very much.”

Prutvi and Arvind were scared to see the heap of dosas.

Prutvi said, “Now? Dosa? And that too so many?”

Saundarya laughed. “This is not for you, my boy. This is for him.”

Gajendra laughed. Mayuri brought two plates with dosas and kept them in front of Prutvi and Arvind. The boys were relieved.

Mayuri said, “My father is like that. So we prepare big dosas for him.”

Prutvi counted the dosas on his plate. “4 dosas. Too much for me.”

Saundarya laughed. “You are young boys. You must eat well.”

Gajendar looked at them. “Don’t worry. You eat as much as you want. I will eat the remaining.”

Every one laughed.

Outside the dinning room window, Lavanya and Sridevi were looking at the laughing Mayuri. They were feeling jealous. They watched for some time and then went to their houses.

Entering her house, Lavanya thought, “Pretending to have back pain they have succeeded in getting Prutvi into their house. I must also make some plans to catch him.”

Brahma was sitting at the dinning table and having dinner. Lavanya approached her mother. “Mommy, wake me up tomorrow at 4am. Put alarm.”

Brahma was surprised. Tripura was serving him food.

Lavanya said, “Tomorrow I have test.”

Brahma was surprised. “Test? So soon? Not even 3 days have passed since the college opened.”

Brahma thought, “Something is going on. It is that terrorist’s job.”

Lavanya said, “See mommy. Papa is misunderstanding everything.

Tripura looked at her husband. “You doubt everything. Everything is suspense for you. Your life itself is a doubt.”

Lavanya was happy to hear this. “Good. You tell him that.”

Brahma washed his hands and went out to the compound. Then he returned.

He thought, “I wonder what all that terrorist is going to did. Already, he has fixed all his meals showing that bottle of oil.  She said test and plans to wake up at 4am. I am getting tension. I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

He went to the god’s statue. “Oh god! What all techniques have you taught that terrorist?”

Lavanya looked at him and became serious. She looked at her mother’s face.

“See mommy, such a nice boy and he is cursing him.”

Brahma hammered his head with his hands and sat down. “The boy has hijacked everyone including my daughter.”

Tripura consoled her daughter. “Your father is always talked like that. You don’t mind him. I will wake you up at 4am tomorrow. Don’t worry.”

She adjusted the alarm.

Brahma thought, “Something will happen at 4am in this house and in the compound for sure. I must not sleep tonight.”