The Normal Family

Introduction

Narrator's POV

Shiva shut the fridge door frantically as his youngest brother Sriram walked swiftly down the stairs. Sriram was a teenage boy with messy curly hair, small bright eyes. He was wearing an unpleasant scowl. "What did you just throw in there" he asked in his usual rude manner. "Nothing" Shiva said, trying to hide the liquor stain on his light colored shirt, and wiped his unshaved chin. His eyes moved in an unorderly manner due to nervousness. Sriram tried to open the fridge door harshly, and ended up breaking the beer bottle.

Krishnan, a much more serious looking man, entered the room. He had a sturdy jawline and evenly spaced eyes. He was neatly dressed in a dark ironed shirt with polished buttons He placed his watch on the shelf, "What is all this commotion about" he shouted, he clenched his fist, two veins stood visible on his forehead, as he raised his eyebrows. He looked shocked at the shattered glass on the floor and his careless brothers standing around the mess. He looked at his brothers in despair. "Look how you have stained the floor." he gasped. He was obsessed with cleanliness, and could not bear to look at the messy floor. "First of all, you should not be drinking inside the house" he said looking at his older brother. "And you should learn to be more responsible, I can't believe you are still this careless, even your younger sister is more responsible than you." he scolded Sriram.

"You cannot tell me what to do, I am older than you." started Shiva. Trying his best to sound like the man of the house. He was cut off by Sriram's yelling. "I am fourteen you can't order me around like this; besides you are not my parent." This was the excuse he always gave when someone tried to put a stop to his insolent behavior.

"Do not talk to me in that tone if you want dinner." Krishnan commanded.

Sriram became quiet knowing it was not an empty threat.

"Now clean this mess" he continued.

During this commotion Rajagopal, a younger man with an athletic build entered the room and stepped right on the puddle of beer. "Oh, my shoe is now ruined" he said.

Krishnan, happy that someone was thinking like him said, "Please explain to your brothers how annoying it is to have stained clothes, especially when they are white like your shoes." "Oh, I don't mind. Brown shoes are just as nice." Rajagopal answered carelessly, as he walked towards the dining table and took his place clumsily, and started fidgeting with his hair. He sighed as he watched his brothers argue. He looked the most lively out of the whole lot.

Krishnan turned to Sriram who was having a tough time cleaning the floor and asked him to go get his sister.

"But I am cleaning" he complained.

"Calm down" Shiva said. "Let me handle this while you go call your sister." as he took the broom from Sriram's hand and nearly slipped, as he started cleaning. Krishnan bought the food to the dining table. It was a family custom that they had dinner together in the dining table.

Sriram's POV

For some reason Vijaya needs special invitation to come to dinner every day and it was just like my brothers to leave me to handle the dirty work. It seemed as if Vijaya was a princess and I was her chamber man.

I walked up the stairs towards her room (which was twice the size of mine)

"Come downstairs" I said in a loud voice, but still I don't think she heard me over her music.

"Why do you have to trouble me right now, why can't you people let me enjoy anything." She whined.

It was just like her to behave like a drama queen. "I called you for dinner" I said now fed up. She got up from the bed slowly and pushed her wavy hair away from her shoulder and followed me downstairs angrily.

I took my place in the dinner table and so did everyone else, our family had become so dull ever since we lost our parents. Dinnertime was the time when the family was to bond, or that is what my mom used to say. Well now we rarely ask each other how our day was. It is not that we do not care about each other. I do care deeply about my siblings, well not sure if they care about me. The past two years have been tough for all of us, but we made through it kind of well.