Some Other Time

The mixer rattled as the tomatoes, onions, and red chillies coarsely blended together. The sound of the mixer announced that it might be as old as Selvi’s son. Selvi’s son was busy playing tennis, his novel morning fitness activity. Meanwhile Selvi transferred the mixture to a stainless steel bowl thinking why her son hadn’t called her since last weekend. Thankfully she need not boil water in the dancing vessel anymore which she had inherited from her mother-in-law. Her son had bought a kettle last time he came home and forgot to pack it back to his new house he had rented in the city. He had no idea when he would return home to take it back, so he ordered a new one there.

Selvi set the table for breakfast. Two plates, two tumblers of hot water, bowl of chutney and one extra plate (smaller than the others) to fill dosas. Most of the days Selvi ended up eating her breakfast in this small dosa plate. She then took out the cup of milk from the refrigerator and placed it outside along with two tumblers. She was preparing to serve her father-in-law’s post breakfast coffee. It was then the bell rang.

Selvi’s husband opened the door buttoning his shirt.

“Welcome home, machan. What a surprise!”, he smiled as he ushered the almost old man inside the house.

“Welcome Anna!” Selvi’s teeth gleamed as she saw her brother entering the house. She rushed to get the fruit bags from him and their eyes met each other for a moment.

“How are you?”, her brother asked as he handed the bags to her.

“Good Anna”, she answered with a smile as always and took the bags to the kitchen. She quickly glimpsed the bags before she placed them on the kitchen desk. Apples, Oranges and a sweet box. She decided to open the sweet box later. She now had to make two cups of tea for her brother and her husband (they prefer tea) and one cup of coffee (for her father-in-law).

She quickly grabbed the tea and coffee pots to make the beverages. The kitchen was the last in the house. It was difficult to hear the conversations from the living room. So quickly she smashed pieces of ginger and cardamom to add into the tea. This was a special routine of making tea whenever her blood-relations visited her.

“I think it’s been three years since I last visited your house.” Selvi’s brother said as he took the cup of tea from a white tray with half withered hibiscus. This time his glance remained at Selvi’s husband and father-in-law.

“I have been thinking a while of visiting your town to meet one friend. But with this leg and back pain, I am unable to move anywhere. Days are not like it used to be.” Selvi’s father in law sighed as he sipped the hot coffee.

“Your friend, the retired head master, he passed away two months ago. Didn’t anyone inform you about his demise?” Selvi’s brother asked in shock.

“What? He is dead.” Selvi’s father in law looked in disbelief. He was the last of his friends who was alive. Now he couldn’t think of anyone else to share this news.

“What a good man he was! What happened?” Selvi’s husband broke the silence.

“Heart-attack they say. He died while sleeping.” Selvi’s brother sipped the last of the tea and placed the tumbler below the chair.

“Good death.” Her husband said and everyone fell silent for a moment.

Selvi standing at the corner of the room, watching all of this decided to clear the tumbler later.  Little did she knew she joined them at the climax of their ten-minutes conversation.

Selvi’s brother looked at her for a moment. She has changed. The grey has increased and the lines have multiplied on her face. He then stood up with his small travel bag.

“Ok, it’s time to leave for the train” he bid his farewell head shake to Selvi’s husband and father-in-law.

Train? Why has he come? Why is he leaving this early? Could he not stay for lunch? Selvi thought as he looked at her brother and shook her head as he said, “Take care Selvi. I will visit you all leisurely some other time.”

When is that some other time? There was never a some other time. The last time they had lunch together was in her mother’s place when her parents were alive. These thoughts floated in Selvi’s mind as she took the tumblers and walked to the kitchen. She emptied the hot water from the tumblers placed on the table as it might have gotten warm. She then filled the kettle with water and switched it on.