Read Online Amballore House by Jose Thekkumthala - Free Book Online
Authors: Jose Thekkumthala
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and His Family.” They claimed that Thoma, Ann, and their children were actors in this Mannuthy drama, a cast of two adults and ten children. Their performance took place nightly, in spite of the fact that they could sell no tickets.
The neighbors claimed that when the curtain was drawn at night, a drama unraveled and it lasted the whole night, until the final curtain drop in the morning. The drama played out behind the closed curtain was the parents’ lovemaking. The children had no role except to pass comments on this act and to uncomfortably watch the scenes, pretending not to see it at all.
God’s answer to the perennial question from the children, especially the elder children was this drama. The conversation of the elder children went like this: “Since father and mother are sleeping separately, how do they make new babies?”
The nightly drama explained how Ann was able to deliver babies like clockwork, like in an assembly line in a factory.
“No stork ever delivered any baby to our house,” Ann said proudly.
The clay oven and pots in kitchen and a cross hanging on the darkened kitchen wall bore witness to their passionate lovemaking behind the backs of the sleeping boys and girls. Some nights they scared away the lizards and rats in the kitchen. The neighbor’s dog that usually materialized in the kitchen through a hole in the door barked loudly in protest and exited, giving them the privacy they needed. Subashini, in the hanging cage in the kitchen, closed her eyes, pretending to see nothing, to hear nothing, and determined to say nothing of the night spectacle.
The raw sounds and moans of love-making alerted the rooster sleeping on one leg in the backyard. He woke up and involuntarily cried out “cock-a-doodle-doo” as loud as he could. This usually woke up Bhavani, their good neighbor. She immediately woke up and started preparing to go to temple for the Morning Prayer thinking that morning had broken. She attired herself in sari, applied a bindi on forehead, and carried a bunch of fragrant jasmines to dedicate to the temple goddess.
When she opened the front door, the creaking sound alerted sleeping Kumarettan, her barber husband, who immediately got up and restrained Bhavani from visiting the temple at midnight. “Come back to bed, hon. Goddess can wait until morning,” he told his wife and dragged her to bed. The fragrance of freshly picked jasmine flowers that adorned Bhavani’s hair had made him drunk with passion. Bhavani would give birth to her second daughter nine months later.
***
The rain was battering outside the rental home in Mannuthy. The day looked dark because of the collected clouds yet to rain down. Thoma was out, and the children were in the school. The chickens and ducks in the backyard had taken asylum on the verandah to escape the rain. Ann was alone at home. She was sitting in the kitchen, looking outside, watching the rain. She then took out thesickle and started cutting tapioca to make curry for supper. She was crouching while she kept herself busy cutting tapioca.
That is when Chettiar walked in to collect the monthly rent. It was the first of the month, and rent was due. He made himself comfortable, sat on the bench in the kitchen, and stated the reason for his visit. Ann did not have any money. Thoma had not given her rental money when he left home earlier on in the day. Whenever he was able, he used to hand over the rent to her, delegating her to give it to Chettiar. But today was not such a day.
Ann told Chettiar, “I am sorry. I don’t have the money.”
Chettiar said, “’Sorry’ does not cut it. I need rent. Need to pay bills, you know.”
He was drunk and ready for a fight, even with a helpless woman who Ann was.
Ann said, “When my husband comes, I will ask him.”
Chettiar suddenly stood up, cursing her and Thoma. He closed the kitchen door. In the darkness that enveloped, Ann could barely make out the figure of the unwelcome intruder. The fire in
The neighbors claimed that when the curtain was drawn at night, a drama unraveled and it lasted the whole night, until the final curtain drop in the morning. The drama played out behind the closed curtain was the parents’ lovemaking. The children had no role except to pass comments on this act and to uncomfortably watch the scenes, pretending not to see it at all.
God’s answer to the perennial question from the children, especially the elder children was this drama. The conversation of the elder children went like this: “Since father and mother are sleeping separately, how do they make new babies?”
The nightly drama explained how Ann was able to deliver babies like clockwork, like in an assembly line in a factory.
“No stork ever delivered any baby to our house,” Ann said proudly.
The clay oven and pots in kitchen and a cross hanging on the darkened kitchen wall bore witness to their passionate lovemaking behind the backs of the sleeping boys and girls. Some nights they scared away the lizards and rats in the kitchen. The neighbor’s dog that usually materialized in the kitchen through a hole in the door barked loudly in protest and exited, giving them the privacy they needed. Subashini, in the hanging cage in the kitchen, closed her eyes, pretending to see nothing, to hear nothing, and determined to say nothing of the night spectacle.
The raw sounds and moans of love-making alerted the rooster sleeping on one leg in the backyard. He woke up and involuntarily cried out “cock-a-doodle-doo” as loud as he could. This usually woke up Bhavani, their good neighbor. She immediately woke up and started preparing to go to temple for the Morning Prayer thinking that morning had broken. She attired herself in sari, applied a bindi on forehead, and carried a bunch of fragrant jasmines to dedicate to the temple goddess.
When she opened the front door, the creaking sound alerted sleeping Kumarettan, her barber husband, who immediately got up and restrained Bhavani from visiting the temple at midnight. “Come back to bed, hon. Goddess can wait until morning,” he told his wife and dragged her to bed. The fragrance of freshly picked jasmine flowers that adorned Bhavani’s hair had made him drunk with passion. Bhavani would give birth to her second daughter nine months later.
***
The rain was battering outside the rental home in Mannuthy. The day looked dark because of the collected clouds yet to rain down. Thoma was out, and the children were in the school. The chickens and ducks in the backyard had taken asylum on the verandah to escape the rain. Ann was alone at home. She was sitting in the kitchen, looking outside, watching the rain. She then took out thesickle and started cutting tapioca to make curry for supper. She was crouching while she kept herself busy cutting tapioca.
That is when Chettiar walked in to collect the monthly rent. It was the first of the month, and rent was due. He made himself comfortable, sat on the bench in the kitchen, and stated the reason for his visit. Ann did not have any money. Thoma had not given her rental money when he left home earlier on in the day. Whenever he was able, he used to hand over the rent to her, delegating her to give it to Chettiar. But today was not such a day.
Ann told Chettiar, “I am sorry. I don’t have the money.”
Chettiar said, “’Sorry’ does not cut it. I need rent. Need to pay bills, you know.”
He was drunk and ready for a fight, even with a helpless woman who Ann was.
Ann said, “When my husband comes, I will ask him.”
Chettiar suddenly stood up, cursing her and Thoma. He closed the kitchen door. In the darkness that enveloped, Ann could barely make out the figure of the unwelcome intruder. The fire in
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