Krishna Chronicles – 4

Chaa Times with Tee- cha

Ayee says she hates drinking Chaa alone. Every morning, when she has her morning tea, Ong Ka and I sit by her side. We take turns at getting mouthfuls of biscuits dipped in her tea. Sometimes Ayee calls them Mariebiscuit and at other times ParleG… I love both. When I open my mouth Ayee will dip a biscuit into her Chaa, fold it into two and place it inside my mouth. Mmmmm! I just have to close my mouth and it goes right inside me, making me feel very warm and happy. Sometimes Ong-Ka and I fight for turns and before you know, Ayee will yell at us that we have finished her Cha between the two of us!

Ayee wants her second Chaa after her bath and prayers. She says she wants company… I don’t count as company, I suppose. So she calls Teacher Aunty. Everyday, after bath and prayers, we go across the corridor and invite aunty to come to our house. If Ayee is busy, I will remind her. I used to call her ‘Ayee’ too but now I am a big boy. I call her TEE-CHA… Dajee says, I should say ‘Teecha Aunty’ but it is so big and I can’t say that… Anyway, she doesn’t mind…

Teecha will lock her house and come with her mobile. She often takes my photos on her mobile and shows me. One day she took my ‘shame – shame –photo’ and told me she’ll give a copy to me only when I marry…. Ayee laughed loud hearing that. I wonder why!

After inviting Teecha, we will go home and Ayee will start making Chaa. I will be playing with my Kaa… Teecha will sit on the heavy black stool and they both will talk, talk and talk… Sometimes they will be laughing loud. Then I will run to the kitchen to see what happened… I never understand what they talk about all the time…

Ayee pours Chaa into Teecha’s blue mug and her white mug. Then Ayee will sit on the floor. It is now time for me to take out the biscuit tin and sit with them. I like opening all the packets and spreading biscuits all around me… like all my kaa… but Ayee will yell ‘Krishna!’ and from the tone of her voice I know, I better stop or a whack will follow… Ayee’s whacks are becoming very regular and very hard these days…

Like, earlier, I used to sit and open biscuit packets and she used to watch me and even boast about what I did, when Dajee came home in the evening. But now a days, the moment I touch a packet of biscuit, she starts off, ‘Krishna… if you mess or throw biscuits, I’ll give you nicely!’ I know that tone and what would happen if I didn’t behave.
That word ‘nicely’ can be so misleading…

Some days back Ayee and Teecha sat with their Chaa and Ayee brought nice ‘Uoof Haaa’ things to eat. Ayee calls it ‘micher’… I love the taste of that thing. When I eat it water comes from my eyes…and my tongue tingles… and I end up drinking a lot of ‘Boo’ but I love it. So, I saw this box with ‘micher’ and before Ayee could close it I grabbed a handful. Ayee said, ‘Krishoo, put it back…’ I did exactly that - put it behind me, over my shoulder… and it fell all over the floor. Ayee said, I’ll give you nicely if you do that again! I know the word ‘nice’… Ayee always smiles at me and says ‘Nice’… So I grabbed two handfuls this time and threw it… Ayee whacked me on my bottom saying, “I told you I’ll give you nicely, if you do it again…” Now I know the difference between ‘Nice’ and ‘Nicely’ …Nicely means beatings!

Anyway, Teecha and Ayee will sit and talk and talk with their Chaa and I will sit with them and sometimes, I’ll just doze off on the sofa, if they are in the drawing room… When I wake up, Ayee will be in the kitchen making mummum…

Teecha will be in her house… I will start playing with my Kaa and wait for Adi to come… or Bu- Yyaa…
Yes… I have started calling him Bu-Yyaa now. Teecha says I say one new word everyday and that is good…

But when will I be able talk grown up language?