“Babu, I am staying at the Crown Suites near the temple” the old man announced on his shiny new phone.
“Again?” asked the youngest son.
“Anna‘s travelling, he will be back on Wednesday”.
She hears the one sided conversation “Thank heavens I do not have a brother. This is ridiculous” She watches her husband stand at the table, twisting his hands.
Her son asks “Was that thatha?”
The daughter replies “yea, Uncle’s not in town.”
Familiar painful silence.
45 miles away, the old man lays his head on the bed and takes a deep breath and smiles “ah, clean sheets.”
Good one.
priti
been a lurker for a long time, and i really enjoy your blog.
this one’s got me a little confused though, with all the relationships. what’s going on in the story, you have to tell me, or i’m gonna spend all my christmas weekend scratching my head over it.
– priya
Oh no, it’s not that mysterious. Just so you get your peace and enjoy your weekend, here’s what I had in my head.
Old man = Dad
Anna = eldest son
the conversation happens in his youngest son’s home – his daughter-in-law and his grand kids.
It’s an ironical situation. The eldest has dropped the dad off in a hotel when he isnt in town. While the youngest son’s family absorbs the news unsettlingly, the old man is just happy he is a peaceful environment.
Hope that helped and happy holidays 🙂
Aha! Now that you explain it…
For sometime I thought Thatha’s anna was out of town, so couldn’t figure out why Thatha should stay at a hotel.
Thanks for explaining 🙂 Happy holidays to you all too!