Family Short Story – Yami and Her Summer Surprise
Yami and Her Summer Surprise - Family Short Story
Yami was walking down the road kicking small pebbles on the track. Yami was a small town girl living in the temple town of chidambaram,Tamilnadu. She was brought up by her maternal uncle and aunt. She was always told that her parents had died in a road crash.
On reaching home after her school she found some one on her door step.
Yami was inquisitive who this stranger might be as they are not visited by new people or outsiders. Her aunt told her to go inside and study. Yami peeped from the window.
The stranger was sitting in a khakhi trouser with a well ironed white shirt and waiting on there old couch. He was probably waiting for her uncle. He was looking at the two evil figure heads which uncle had kept to ward off evil.He looked in his late 30s. Her aunt Jyoti served him coffee.
Yami had always thought how can some evil heads made with mud ward off evil, when pepole evil hearts and intentions can never be disclosed.
Her uncle Sukumar a post office clerk arrived on his bicycle. He greeted the man and they had a very extended conversation. The stranger was invited for dinner. Aunt Jyoti served them a hot meal of Idlis and sambar and Vegetable Curry.
The stranger left after dinner and all the family members continued with there other chores and went to bed. Morning Yami continued with her daily schedule.
But this day was something different.On returning from school Yami found her uncle early from work. She found it very strange.
Sukumar sat on his couch and called out his wife too. Sukumar then disclosed to Yami. His conversation went this way -“Dear yami, you were very young when I and jyoti got you into this household.But I never told you the truth about your background.You were born to my sister Sengeni. She married your father who was a rich man from Cuddalore dist. They went to do there Phd s in USA, where you were born.”
”I never wanted you to go back,So I never disclosed that you have a US passport. I lost your mother in road accident on a free way. So please dont take me wrong.”
”The stranger was your paternal grand mother’s lawyer. She is in USA and they want you back in USA.”
After these words Sukumar just left for a walk.
Few months later,Yami was on a bus to Chennai. It was the start of summer vacation for Yami and it was decided it was the most ideal time for her to travel. She was escorted by Sukumar.
It was a warm day and they had to start early. They had taken the ECR bus. It was for the first time Yami was leaving Chidambaram. She was very excited to see the sea. She only read about it in school. She was told by her uncle that ECR means ‘Eastern coast roadway’. So the bus will go along the sea coast to Chennai. In her excitement to see the coast she totally forgot her nervousness of leaving to US on a plane the next day.
Yami enjoyed her journey and was tired by the time they reached Chennai. That night she was on flight to US.
They were welcomed at the airport by a old lady in khakis and grey shirt. Sukumar told her that was her granny.
They greeted each other. Yami was still in shock.She soon found out that her granny was a Head nurse at the local hospital. Granny drove the car.
They reached big road with many cars. Yami was told that this was the beltway,the road leads to the capital. They entered another lane and the reached a complex of high rising buildings. The area was surrounded by cherry blossoms and so many flowers. She was told that this was flowering time.
They entered the complex and took a lift to 18 th floor. Yami s heart thumped.They entered her apartment and It was so well furnished, that Yami thought even small blow can break the fine bone china her granny had decorated the apartment with.
Yami thought that evil heads on her uncle home should be on her wall too. Because it was simply amazing.
Yami rested that night and dreamt what would next day be like. Next morning she was given some dollars to shop. Her granny had called upon her friends daughter to help her out.
The door bell rang and a chinese looking girl entered. She was introduced as Tuyet. Yami thought her to be chinese from her features. But her granny told her she was from Vietnam. It was another country in South east asia. Yami thought next class she should focus on improving her geography.
Tuyet could drive and had a small car. She said it was a VW Beetle. Yami thought why an insect name. Soon she found out that her new friends name meant ‘snow white’. She thought the name suited her complexion.
Tuyet took her to tjM. They bought some stuff for her to wear for the summer. Yami was very inquistive about Tuyet. Soon she found out that she was the daughter of a war veteran. Yami wondered what that was. They returned soon and to her surprise, she met a old Indian couple on the way to the lift.
Her granny was waiting for her. Tuyet left.Yami was precautioned by her granny not to speak to any stranger even if they belonged to the same country, because people here are different. Uncle Sukumar was leaving the next day,that made yami sad.
After Uncle’s farewell, Granny took yami to The National Mall. She was told that all the museums at the capital were for free and each day they visited one or the other museum. At night Yami would write a scrapbook about her visits.
Days passed and summer ended , so as her stay. Yami was going back to chidambaram. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends about her visit. And was ready to visit her granny for the next exciting summer.
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