Surangi, The Child Bride

Part 51

"Where is he, I don't see him!" Surangi's eager eyes scanned the home, she could see his bags but there was no sign of him.

"He's having a bath! And Kaku wants you in the kitchen." Waman told her. Handing Madhu over to Waman Surangi went to the kitchen promptly.

"'Surangi, you wanted to make the shevai (fresh rice noodles) for your husband, did you not? Come here, I have already steamed the dough!" Yashoda helped Surangi extrude the noodles using a brass press. It was a delicate task, needing lots of practice. Surangi struggled initially but managed to produce fair results.

"Let me make the coconut jaggery milk too!" The enthusiastic girl deftly grated two ripe coconuts into snowy white shreds. It was again a painstaking task to extract the coconut milk by squeezing it with bare hands several times over, combining it with shredded jaggery and flavouring it with pounded cardamom. 

Surangi served the snack in plantain leaves, placing two large swirls of the rice noodles for each person and ladling out the sweetened coconut milk in bowls. Just then Madhav, Waman and Dinkar marched in and took their seats. 

"Arey wah, Surangi, you have grown much taller since I last saw you!" Madhav was quick to notice his child bride blush. She avoided looking at him directly though she cast furtive glances at him every now and then.

"Shall I serve you so more?" Surangi asked him. 

"Vahini, we are here too, don't forget us!" Dinkar reminded her and she briskly offered him a second helping. 

"Aai, these noodles are excellent! Tai avoids making them, they are too much trouble according to her!" Madhav slurped a little coconut milk from his bowl.

"Madhava, your wife helped make them!" No sooner had Yashoda spoken there was a knock on the backdoor and Rohini walked in carrying a large brass platter covered with a lid.

"Yashoda Kaku, mother has sent these puran polis. They are fresh off the griddle, shall I serve these too before they go cold?" Rohini barely waited for Yashoda to consent. 

"Madhav loves mother's puran polis. And Dinkar, hope you like them too! Kaku where is the toop?" Rohini asked Yashoda for the ghee (clarified butter) to drizzle over the stuffed dessert.

"Let me serve it!" Rohini nearly snatched the bowl of ghee from Surangi's hands.

Surangi could barely conceal her disappointment watching Rohini fuss over the boys. 

"These are really scrumptious, I would not mind another!" Madhav asked for more and Dinkar joined him.

"Hullo, I made this batch myself!" Rohini glowed with pride as she beamed at the boys.

"Delighted to know of your many hidden talents, your ladyship!" Dinkar mouthed the words as any ham actor would and Madhav and Waman snickered, unnoticed by the others. This summer was going to be rather entertaining, Madhav told himself. From the corner of his eye he could sense his wife bristle.

Such a liar, when did she have the time to make them, Surangi muttered to herself. To her dismay, the boys had forgotten her rice noodles and were now stuffing their faces with Rohini's puran polis.

"Madhav, Dinkar, we must teach me how to swim this summer. How about we start this afternoon, unless you boys have other plans?" Surangi froze at Rohini's words. How dare she do this, she thought to herself.

"Aai, is it fine if we go to the river for a swim after lunch?" Madhav asked Yashoda.

"Madhava, are not tired after such a long journey? You can begin giving her lessons tomorrow! Why don't you rest today?" Sharayu suggested. Only she had managed to read Surangi's body language. She knew there was no love lost between Madhav's wife and the bumptious Rohini.