Sabari Parinayam

8

"Patra?!" Pedarasi peddamma looked incredulously at Sabari "why would anyone eat a vessel? "

Sabari smacked her head with her hand. Centuries apart, that too in a dream, did not rid her mother of her characteristic sarcasm. "It is not a vessel Amma! It is a leafy dish. Patra, in Gujarati, is a leaf. They apply spicy gram flour paste on the leaves, roll them together and steam them. Then they temper it with mustard seeds and curry leaves. It is very very tasty. We had a Gujarati neighbour who used to make that for me."

"Do you know how to make the Patra Partha?" Amma looked at Partha, who was sitting across Sabari and enjoying his morning breakfast of Pongal, over which he was currently pouring a generous amount of hot ghee. Partha smiled at Pedarasi Peddamma's joke. 

"No I don't. I don't even think such a dish exists. You..." He looked at Sabari and stopped himself from continuing what he wanted to say.

"Its OK..Tell. Tell" Sabari teased Partha "I know what you were about to say. It does not bother me anymore."  She turned to Amma and said "He wanted to say that you should not believe whatever I say. Right Partha? That is what you wanted to say na?"

"Yes. But I should not be saying that anymore."

"Why?" Sabari and his aunt asked him at the same time.

Partha looked at both of them and cleared his throat. "Atha can you pack me some lunch?"
I am accompany you till Raipuram. I am meeting with Ramanuja there."

"Sure. I will pack it for you." Amma heaved herself up." Give me a minute. I will bring it and come. "

After seeing his aunt walk into the kitchen Partha looked at Sabari and wondered if telling her was a good idea or not. What if she though he was crazy? He smirked. That would be ironical. Given that he is the one who always called her crazy. In the few  months that he has now know her a strange cord was pulled within him everytime he was with her. Could it have been the kiss, that felt like an unfinished business? He definitely did not like leaving anything half way. Was that the reason he was feeling what he was?

"Are you ok?"

"People at the palace keep telling me that you do good work of whatever is given to you. They find it difficult to believe that you are crazy.  Well, atleast most of them think you are not crazy..."

"And you?" Sabari asked earnestly.

Partha stared into her eyes. One can own up to one's feelings. But, they don't have to confess it, Partha told himself. "I believe in going by the facts Sabari. Given the way you are performing I cannot call you crazy anymore."

"But I am not completely sane?" Sabari raised her brow.

Partha smiled "You are a hardworking person with a colorful imagination"

"Oh. Well. One day when I will disappear through the water you will know that it is not colorful imagination.Anyways did you get me the mangoes." Sabari said twisting her lips to one side and changing the subject. 

Partha laughed "Anybody who stays underwater for sometime will disappear women. But I hope you won't. And, I did get the mangoes."

Just when she was about the sneer at his beginning sarcastic comment, Partha's last part of the statement made her smile "Aww!! That Is so sweet of you! You know when you say things like  that it makes me want to kiss you." she said, puckering her lips in a gentle blowing kiss. 

No sooner did she finish saying what she just did,  they heard a thud near the door "What is happening here?!"  Completely ignoring the broken dish and splattered food on the floor, an alarmed Amma spoke in a loud whisper, her wide open mouth covered by her hand.