Family Short Story – Kochu’s New Dress
Photo credit: taliesin from morguefile.com
It was a sunny morning and the Sun God was playing hide and seek behind the tall rubber trees of Kochu’s cousin Sasi’s house. Sitting on a lean and thin branch of the coffee plant, a crow made that peculiar sound which Koch’s mother believes bring guests. She asked Kochu’s sister to add one more glass of rice for the expected guest in the water already boiling in the earthern kalam .
Since that was a Sunday, Kochu was not to attend A-Division of Class-III of the nearby Primary School. He was trying to fix a loud speaker made of a thrown away tin container atop a coffee plant when he saw Valliachan approaching the house . He calls Amma’s father Valliachan who stays in the adjacent district. Kochu loves Valliachan who takes the trouble of crossing three rivers to visit them atleast once in three months.
While wondering how the crow and Amma are always right in predicting the arrival of the guest, Kochu was trying to make it sure that the pack of Vadas wrapped in Deshabandhu newspaper is in Valliachan’s hands this time also as always. He was not mistaken, outside the Deshabandhu newspaper wrap, oily graph of vadas were visible like the map of Australian sub-continent. This time Valliachan came to announce the marriage of Amma’s younger brother.
“He found the girl himself. We are not happy but why to come in his way. Even if we do, it will be of no use since he is climbing that rock hill almost daily to reach her house. Earliest the marriage, better”.
Kochu was happy to hear the news of the marriage. He was very sure that Amma will take him also for the marriage and he can cross those three rivers. During floods the small bridges will submerge and the Ford bus along with its passengers will be taken to the other end of the river in a Chengadam made of two-three desi boats. That was a nice experience for Kochu.
As expected, father decided that Amma and Kochu will go for the marriage along with Kochu’s sister. As usual father kept away. When the distinguished guests including Kochu reached the bus stand, the bridegroom whom Kochu calls Kochhammavan was there to receive them. From the bus stand, he took them to the nearby textile shop where the smell of the new clothes thrilled Kochu. Kochhammavan asked Amma to select a sari for her.
Though Amma wished to have one and thought it is her birth right to have one said, “You are not taking any dowry, I am told. Then why to spend for all these things. I am sure you borrowed money from somebody for the marriage expenses”. Her anger for his love- marriage was clear in her voice.
Kochhammavan simply smiled, but there was a hidden joy about his love marriage in his smile. Compromising her wish for a better and costly sari in view of her brother’s dowry-less marriage, Amma atlast selected a golden cover sari for her. Kochhammavan then asked Kochu’s sister Ammu to select a frock for her. Amma did the selection for her and Kochu was anxiously waiting for his turn. Fascinated by the shirt worn by a boy who also had come to the shop that day with his parents for shopping, Kochu had a decided to have a same colour dress. But once the sari and frock are folded and packed, Kochhammavan paid the bill and and moved out of the shop signalling them to follow.
Kochu wanted atleast a small towel like that the red one which the boy who came with his parents was holding. He wanted to cry but could not cry. He felt as if somebody has kept that Ford Bus in which they came on his chest. Thereafter he has not seen anything. He has not seen the marriage, he has not seen the beautiful girl Kochhammavan selected climbing the rock hill again and again, he has not heard the Naadaswaram, he has not seen the relatives who touched his hair lovingly, he has not seen that new golden colour sari his mother was wearing, He has not seen that new frock his elder sister Ammu was proudly wearing, he did not want to eat that feast which everybody was enjoying even though it was a dowry-less marriage.
He wanted to escape, escape from all these, escape by crossing those three rivers either by Chengadam or by swimming or even by flowing in the river like those leaves which comes with the river from the hills. He wanted to go home and cry, cry loudly through that tin container loud-speaker which he fixed atop the coffee plant.
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