Sandra

‘Such a cute baby!’

‘She’s got gray eyes….lovely’

‘So fair!’

Every one showered compliments on the new born baby. And yes, she deserved it all. Fairer than all her cousins and sister. A light brown mop on her head unlike the usual jet black. And to top it all, she had beautiful blue grey eyes. A lovely little thing indeed. But as she was being praised and cuddled, standing aloof was Sandra. Her 5 year old big sister.

Sandra was excited about having a baby brother or sister. She was too glad to know it was a baby sister. But when she actually saw the little baby and how others seemed to be paying all their attention to her, Sandra felt alone. She was the youngest little girl of the family till then. She wasn’t exceptionally pretty like her little sister, but she was cute in her own way. Fair, like her mom, nice straight hair, loved to doodle about with paint. She never talked too much. But she was happy in her own quiet way.

*****

Megha grew up from the little bundle in wraps to the cute little toddler. She was curious about anything and everything around her-especially Sandra’s things. If Sandra was reading a book, Megha wanted it. If Sandra was painting, Megha wanted the colours. And since Megha had the wonderful habit of pulling all those things apart, Sandra stopped getting nice new things- ‘Megha would pull it apart’ was the reason always.

*****

Cousin Mariam was goofy. Or so everyone in the family said. The late teen always hung around with guys, threw huge tantrums to get her own way even in front of people-relatives and strangers alike, wore clothes which most of the family never approved of…And she was into music. No, she didn’t play the drums, but the violin. Recently she bought a new violin coz her older one was child sized. Which Sandra was dreaming to use.

‘Your new violin is nice, Mariam.’

‘Thanks Sandra. I love it. You like music too, right? ‘

Sandra nodded.

‘Don’t they teach you instruments at school?’

“No, Mariam. After your batch passed out of school they stopped it.’

‘Oh. That’s bad.’

‘What instrument do you like?’

‘The violin.’

‘You idiot! Take my old violin and learn something! My music class is near your place. Go there.’

‘I’d like to, but mom won’t let me.’

‘Why?’

‘Megha’ll tear anything I own apart.’

‘Oh. I know. I’ve been through the same thing till Ben grew up. What am I saying? That idiot still makes my life a wreck.’

‘Will you talk to my dad and mom?’

Of course, the family goofball talked to Sandra’s parents, but they didn’t take her seriously. After all, they were ‘grown-ups’. They knew how to deal with things. And Sandra was their daughter, wasn’t she?

*****

Megha joined school. Same as Sandra’s. But Megha was not going to be the goody goody like Sandra. Sandra knew she was not allowed to take part in the school performances as they charged you for the costume. She never signed up, though she always wanted to. She never fought with her classmates coz her parents wouldn’t approve of it. She never threw a tantrum to get her favorite food packed in her lunch box.

And Megha was just the opposite. She signed up for every event in class. She was made to stand outside the class everyday either for talking continuously or for beating up other kids in the class. She always made mom pack her favorite food in her tiffin.

And when Megha got away by being the naughty little squirt whom everyone adored, Sandra felt hurt. Was it her fault that she tried to obey her parents? Wasn’t she being good? Then why are they still happy with Megha?

Sandra watched the family soaps with her grand mom. The harsh dialoges and actions struck her. People hitting each other, people leaving their homes, the words, all that

*****

‘Need that’ demanded Megha

‘That’s mine. You’ll destroy It.’said Sandra. She started going red and her voice started cracking already. For she knew where this would lead to. Megha would cry, mom would come and her favorite hairclip would be tattered. And no one cared, did they. They’ll just say it is a little clip. But it was her favorite.

‘Need clip NOW!’ shouted Megha. And then started to wail loudly. Until their mom came.

‘Sandra? Why is Megha crying?’

‘She wants my clip.’

‘So just give it to her! Grand ma is sleeping, can’t you see? She’ll wake her up.’

‘But she’ll break it…’

“Look, I bought you that clip, didn’t i? Just give it to her. She’ll leave it after a while.’

‘I’m going away.’

‘What?’

‘I’m leaving this house where I’m not loved.’

‘Wow. Which serial dialogue is that?’ there was a hint of laughter in mom’s voice.

In the serial, when this was told, everyone was shocked and asked the character not to leave. They loved her. No one loves me here.

It only hurt and enraged Sandra when her mom told her granny, dad and aunts about her talking ‘serial dialogues’. They all laughed.

*****

“Hello? Is this Megha’s mom?’

‘Yes. Who is this?’

“This is Megha’s class teacher. Looks like Megha missed the school van. Can you come over and pick her up?’

“I’ll be there soon. Thank you Miss Elizabeth.’

When Megha and Mom reached back home, Sandra wasn’t there yet. And the calls to the school, her teacher and the school bus driver didn’t help.

“Where’s my baby? I need my girl now. Find her, Joseph……..’ Mom was inconsolable. Everyone was worried. All were out looking for her.

Sandra never knew that her mom loved her as much as she loved Megha. And her mom never knew how much it hurt her when Megha seemed to be getting more attention. Mom knew Sandra wanted to learn the Violin, that she wanted to participate in the school functions…she thought she wouldn’t be able to manage all that as Megha would take up a lot of time…but now she wished she had.

It didn’t matter now anyway. Sandra was lying unconscious on the back seat of an unknown car, off to an unknown destination.

Reshma Emmatty,Cupboard at the end of the hall, Marian Ville

‘ee ucha nerathu vannu ingane bell adikkunnathu sheriyano? Ningalkku ithu veruthey kuthiyal mathi . Hmph!’ (Translation: Do you think it's okay to come in and ring the door bell at noon ,like this? All you think is of your need. Hmph!)

A short grumpy looking lady in a white and blue print saree came out of the door leading into the hostel corridor. Me, Dad, Mom, Kuttan and Dad’s friend Unnis was taken aback.

We were in Bangalore, hostel hunting for my summer internship there. The hostel Unnis uncle had searched was called Brigittine hostel, where the lights go out at 10, and which had 4 seater rooms. And u had 2 be in by 7 coz supper is at 7:30. And if u are late u have to tell the nuns here why. And where. And with whom. And all the other answers too.

No way I was gonna stay there. So I went to Brigittine’s and found more reasons for not staying there.

‘Appa, there’s no plug point there.’

‘So?’

‘So? How do I do work if I have to use my laptop? How do I charge my mobile?’

Unnis uncle: ‘it’s just for six weeks, child, don’t worry.’

Yeah. And I’m gonna be living here. I had lots of things to do here and that needed a longer curfew. For starters, I’d told Jo that we’d go to pubs and stuff so 7 pm and work wouldn’t work.

So after showing me the room, Sr Francesca asked my parents if I would be moving in right then.

‘Yes Sister. Rajetta, pay the fees.’ That was mom.

My face was ….i dunno, the nun herself knew something was wrong and asked me

‘I think you don’t like it here. Try Marian Ville. It’s nearby. In museum road’

And so we came to Marian Ville and rang the bell. And out came the lady in the permanent grumpy mood.

She walked pompously to the office room and we followed her. We were expecting the nun to come and occupy the seat in the office when she sat there. Okay. So she is the nun. Why is she in a printed saree?

‘Sister, we need a room….’said dad.

‘Yes. We have rooms here. So?’

‘She is here for doing her summer internship…at MG road. This is the closest hostel….’

‘Do you have single rooms?’ I interrupted the tense conversation.

‘No.’ came the angry reply.

Back to dad. You take care of this one!

‘When do you want to move in?’

“Tomorrow?’ in a soft pleading voice, my dad asked.

‘3800 for the room. It’s a double room, but no one else is there. So she’ll be alone.’

Yay!

‘Does it have a plug point?’ I had to know that.

‘Yes’

‘Can I see the room please?’

‘Yeah, when u come tomorrow’

Um…I need to see the place I’d stay for the next six weeks, lady!

‘But sister, could we see the room now?’ asked mom meekly

‘You people treat your kids like some treasure of sorts. It’s just of one and a half months right? You can see the room tomorrow when you move in.’

With a chorus of ‘please sister’ she got up from the chair. And we wondered if it was for showing us out or showing the room.

‘Aren’t you coming?’ she snarled at me as she walked into the hostel corridor. My mom and I stepped forward.

‘Only the girl can come. No mother and all.’

Okay. Was she going to shout at me alone inside?

We walked into a narrow corridor which was completely dark. Not a bit of sunlight from anywhere.

She opened the door to a big closet, sorry, small room. Two beds, tables, cupboards all crammed into a small place that there’s no place to move around. And no windows. I sincerely hoped that the tube light worked or my eyesight would diminish considerably in these six weeks.

She had said it would be bath attached but I couldn’t find any in this box.

‘It’s not bath attached, ‘she said with an evil grin. It's over there. ‘4 cubicles in the end of the corridor.

Oh, and another for right next to them.

‘So eight loos, right?’

‘Do you require more than one?’

No comments.

Well, that was the end of the tour.

And I was in a dilemma.

Hostel #1, seemingly nice sister. #2, the lady think s i’m the little girl who threw a stone ay her 10 years back on whom she’d love to take her revenge.

Hostel one, rules and more rules. Hostel 2, no big rules

Well, after weighing them over and over again, I chose Marian Ville. That’s right, the one with the wicked witch of the west.

But I have the big closet for myself. I pray every day that no one else would come in to join. There are TWO plug points for me to use. I can come in by 8:30.

Life is not so bad. The nun only bothers you if you chanced to meet her. Which happened the next morning when I came out to put my washed clothes on the lines. There were two big washing stones for us girls outside, which I didn’t dream of using. I’d managed it in my lazy way with wheel and water.

‘Where you washing?’ came an angry shout (Where did you wash was what she intended to say). Yep. It was sister…gosh! I don’t even know her name. And I don’t think I want to.

‘That sister…in the loo, with my bucket n stuff….’

She gave an angry glare, but I gave a sweet smile and rushed putting all the clothes and left.

I might have got into trouble with her for another thing a few days later- there was a ritual to be followed in the hostel- you had to sign your attendance every night after dinner. I used to gladly go to eat dinner (and come back sadly hoping there’s more of those bourbon biscuits in my room) but had never signed for some 3-4 days.

But thankfully, I that night it was an old sister who was taking attendance that night. She was nothing like the grumpy one. She smiled sweetly and marked me present even for a couple of days before I joined there.

Anyways, life there is pretty cool. My own big closet, messy, like my room. My hard disk with my kind of movies- and that hard disk helped me make friends coz I discovered that there are more ppl like me who love Disney and fairy tale like movies. Unlike my hostel stays before, I’m having a lot of fun- glad to have fellow mallus Deepa and Lakshmi as the occupants of the closet next to mine.

Well….I’m having a nice cozy time in my new cribJ