Chapter -6:
...Indrakshi's Birthday...
I sit there on the church bench for about half an hour before my phone rings, it’s William. I pick it up and I hear him say, “You’re going to be late for your own birthday celebration, Akshi,” I check the time, it’s eight already?! “Alright I’m coming,” I tell him before hanging up and walking out of the church. I get home in about ten minutes. I’m still late though. I knock at the door and it’s Arienne, Theo’s sister, who opens the door. “Happy birthday Indrakshi!” She screams in her cheerful voice. She did attempt to say my actual name, even if she didn’t manage to say it right. I smile and she gives me a hug. I walk in, take off my scarf and coat and kick off my shoes. I walk in with Arienne. My jaw drops when I see the living room. They moved all the furniture aside and laid out a paaya (a mat on which we eat) on the floor. They changed the curtains and stuff to make it look as much as it could like a traditional Malayali nalukettu (house). I bring my hands to my mouth as I soak in the sight of the place. It looks beautiful, it looks like Amama’s house. It looks like home.
I see that my brother and Theo ended
up inviting quite a few people; Sarah, Mr. Dumas, Twyla, Arienne, and even William’s
idiotic friends! The only person I invited was Sawyer, who was standing in the
corner, smiling at me. I smile back and look at the kitchen to see my father helping
my mother with the food. William comes over, “what do you think? You like it?”
he asks. I make a sarcastic face and say, “I hate it.” He laughs and continues,
“Glad you did, well, does it feel like the family feasts we had back in
Thiruvananthapuram? That was what I was trying to accomplish, but it was rather
a hard task, judging by how the house is differently constructed and there is
no lobby…” I laugh and interrupt him, I do that quite often, to be honest,
“shut up William, it’s perfect but don’t expect me to go out of my way for all
of this on your birthday,” William becomes quiet, not knowing how to answer,
and my parents laugh from the kitchen. “As I said, you’re an expert at roasting
your brother, Indrakshi,” my mother says, I shrug, “can’t help it, I’ve been doing
it all my life.” We all have a good laugh and then sit down on the paaya for
dinner, Mother made everything I loved eating in Kerala, Karimeen Pollichathu, idli, rassam, sambar and other
south-Indian delicacies. I cannot lie, I had the feast of my life. I loved everything;
my mother is just that good at cooking. Well, all the spices she used to cook
didn’t bother me, William or Dad, we were used to it, but it did bother
everyone else, we Indians use a lot of spices in our food as compared to
Europeans, especially us South Indians. I think Theo and Arienne must be able
to handle the spice to an extent, being Spanish, their food is a little spicy
too.
After dinner, my brother set a stool in the centre, in
front of me. My father brings the cake and sets it there. We had so much fun,
it was like I was back home again. It was just like my birthday celebrations
back in Thiruvananthapuram. Well, almost. I’m still going to miss stargazing.
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