Chapter 1
I had just finished my Plus 2 finals when my father informed me that I should go to Kerala to keep my Granny company.
"Your uncle and aunty are going to Mumbai to attend his boss's son's wedding. They are taking their Anu and Sutha (my young cousins) with them also as a holiday sight seeing. They will be away for two weeks . Granny will be alone. She cannot travel that far, you know. You can keep her company and the servants are there to look after the household."
I was overjoyed to here this news as I was facing a hot and boring summer in Chennai.
"When do I leave, papa?" I asked eagerly.
"I have asked Muthu (his clerk) to book a ticket for tomorrow"
"A bit of country air will do you good" said my Mother. "I wish I can go too but you know your father, without me he is totally lost"
"It's okay Amma, I think I will manage with Granny. I will be taking a few novels with me to keep me occupied. I look forward to the rains there." I said.
I boarded the Mangalore Mail the next night and reached my village the following day by about 10.00 am. Granny invited me in and informed me that my uncle, aunt and cousins had left for Mumbai just that morning. She called for the maid Naani, who has been working for a few years now at our household. She joined work as a young girl, and had become a permanent worker more or less. When Naani walked into the hall, I had a shock. She was wearing a blouse made of thin material and was wearing a home tailored white bra commonly used in Kerala, and was wearing a white mundu (dhoti). The blouse was only making a half-hearted attempt to restrain her huge breasts. Her plump midriff was exposed, showing her deep navel and all six inches below it. Her pretty face lit up and she gave me broad grin when she saw me.
"Oh! Mohan etta (Elder Brother,a term of respect), when did you come? It has been two years since we saw you! How are your parents?" she inquired customarily.
"Oh, they are fine Naani, I was busy with my studies, that's why I did not come for the past two years. I heard you were married, how is your husband?" I asked her.
"He is in Chennai, working in a factory. You have grown up now with a beard and moustache. He looks handsome, doesn't he Granny?" she jokingly nodded at my Granny.
"Naani, take Mohan's bags to the east room upstairs and prepare his bath." My Granny told her.
As she carried my bags past me, I couldn't help but appreciate her swaying firm bulging buttocks. She was about two years four years older than me. The last time I saw her she was wearing a loose blouse and skirt. Her features then were not remarkable. Maybe after two years she appears sexy to me, or maybe I have grown to appreciate women better.
I changed into my lungi and went to the bathroom to take my bath. Naani was there filling the big brass container with water. She handed me my towel and showed me where the soap box was. As she was going out, my hand accidentally brushed her buttocks. It sent a tinge through my entire body. The taught flesh, a result of hard work these village lasses do, is seldom felt in city girls. (You can feel them in crowded buses).
I took my bath and had my breakfast. Naani was not to be seen around. Since I did not have proper sleep in the train, I went to my room to lie down for a while. The next thing I knew was my Granny calling me down for lunch.
After lunch, Granny went for afternoon nap as usual. Since it was a hot day, I decided to go to the pond, where there is a pump-house under the mango tree on the high bank of the pond. Since it faces the paddy fields, there will be a cool breeze if you open the windows. I took a pillow and a novel to read. As I opened the window, I could see the village ladies planting paddy seedlings in my uncle's fields. They were ankle-deep in mud; their dhotis tucked high exposing more than half their thighs. They were chatting and joking as they stooped and planted rows and rows of paddy seedlings. I lay down on the bench, opened my book and started reading. The cool breeze, the quiet countryside, the distant chatter of the women working soon lulled me to sleep.
I did not know how long I slept. When I woke up, it was almost sun set. I could hear people talking loudly nearby. The inside of the pump-house was getting dark. I realized that the ladies had finished their work for the day, and were washing up in the pond prior to going home. I peeked through the holes in the decorative cement blocks, which were used in the walls of the pump house to provide ventilation. I could not believe my eyes! The village women were actually taking their bath there. Since the pond was about ten feet below ground level, it offered relative privacy and outsiders never came here since it was on our private property.