Shadow Lives - Part 3

The doorbell chimed. Janaki felt her heart leap with joy as she quickly turned off the stove. She hurried over and threw open the front door. Milan and Lara tumbled in, still in their pyjamas, dispelling the gloom that permeated the house.

            “They insisted on coming straight here to have their Deepavali morning oil bath,” Sarala said, waddling into the house. “Hi Amma. Happy Deepavali.” She gave her mother an awkward hug.

            “It’s so nice to have you all here!” Janaki exclaimed. She hugged Sarala back and Raj who came in after her, bags in each hand. Sandy scampered up to her, tangling between her legs, barking excitedly. Suddenly she hurtled straight to Muthu who was coming down the stairs and begin licking him madly.

            “Crazy dog! Stop it!” Muthu swatted away at Sandy.

            The kids giggled hysterically as they raced to join Sandy. Janaki noticed how Muthu’s face lit up in only the way that grandchildren could make it.

            “Guess what Taata has bought for you? Ice cream and chocolates!” Janaki heard Muthu say. 

            “Not first thing in the morning!” Janaki rolled her eyes at her daughter.

            “We know he can’t wait to have them actually,” Sarala laughed, wagging her finger in mock reprove at her father. She hugged him. “Happy Deepavali Appa. Wow, have you always been this thin? Or have I gotten so fat that I feel everyone else are stick figures?”

            Muthu laughed, a little too heartily, Janaki thought. But she was relieved to see he was not brooding like how he often was lately. Let everyone be happy today, she prayed.

            As she herded everyone into the living room, she exchanged a pained look with Sarala when they both glanced at the family photos displayed prominently everywhere. The glaring absence of Deva in every one of them was hard to ignore. But as Janaki knew she would, Sarala arranged her face into a cheerful mask. Over the years, Janaki had come to depend on her daughter’s bright spirit to carry them over the undercurrents of tension and sadness. Sometimes though, she wondered how Sarala was really feeling.

            “Hello gang! Happy Deepavali!”

            Janaki’s heart swelled with happiness to see Kuhan standing at the open doorway. The kids raced towards him and he scooped them up, one in each muscled arm. Everyone was now here! Deepavali could official begin.

            Not everyone, a tiny empty space in heart whispered, stabbing at her contentment.

            None of that gloom today, she told herself sternly. She made a deliberate effort to be merry and bustled to the kitchen to start on her tosai. Sarala followed her, leaving the men with the children and Sandy who was making a nuisance of herself with Muthu.

             *          *           *           *           *

“Oil bath! Oil bath!” Milan and Lara were shrieking.

“Ok, ok, go tell your Appa to get you ready for it.” Muthu looked around for Raj who seemed to have conveniently disappeared with Kuhan.

“Nononono.. we want Taata!”

Muthu made a show of groaning reluctantly but he was only too happy to indulge them. He let the kids drag him to his feet, pushing away Sandy who was clambering on him and whining. “Alright, alright kiddos. Let’s go!”

Sandy twisted around his legs, almost tripping him. Muthu threw up his hands with exasperation. “Raj can you please get this damn dog out of my way? What’s gotten into her? She’s sticking to me like a magnet!”

Raj stuck his head into the living room. “She’s just excited. Come here Sandy girl.”

Sandy gave Muthu a mournful look as if to say why don’t I get to have fun too?

“Oh, let her bathe with us please?” Milan begged.

Muthu shot Raj an alarmed look. He could handle the kids but definitely not the dog!

Luckily, Raj came to his rescue. “Certainly not Milan. Go on now, go with your Taata both of you.”

Muthu was relieved when the children didn’t protest and sprinted upstairs to the master bathroom. He followed at a slower pace, Sandy whining disappointedly and sniffing hopefully around his ankles, much to his irritation.

After he had slathered the children in oil and showered them in a symbolic cleansing for new beginnings, he sent them off to watch cartoons on TV. Sandy was still whining but at least she was sitting in a corner and not climbing all over him. He’d tell Raj to please put that dog outside for the rest of the day. She was getting too annoying.

“Sandy’s still here with you?” Raj was at the doorway.

“Unfortunately,” Muthu grumbled. “Can you take her outside?”

Raj was silent for so long, Muthu was about to repeat himself when he finally said quietly, “Appa, what kind is it?”

“What kind is what?”

“The cancer.” 

Part 4