It wasn't a pleasant experience watching Deepak drag his feet from the kitchen. Lakshmi was quick to get over her outrage once she watched her son climbing up the stairs with a look of disappointment written large on his face.
"How come Priti's breasts have grown so big after marriage?"
Lakshmi shuddered as she recalled her son's innocent query just a few moments ago. Her initial reaction to her son's question was of utmost contempt and disdain. She obviously couldn't digest such an awkward question from her son who in fact was referring to his own elder sister.
"How dare you talk to me like this? Get out of here at once," She had screamed in disgust unable to gauge the undertone of curiosity in her son's query. Her mind at once started imagining her son wondering at the size of her daughter who got married six months ago. Her eyes instantly scanned to check if she had inadvertently revealed her sagging breasts during her son's brief stay in the kitchen. She discovered to her utter shock that her sari had gone astray long ago thereby presenting most of her breasts to Deepak's view. She remembered her son's eyes straying on her chest which she had ignored unsuspicious of whatever intend he had. Her hands hurriedly slid the sari enough to cover her blouse and her ageing breasts underneath.
Deepak, at 18 years was too young to think about sex; at least that is what Lakshmi always believed. He had managed to be away from the vices of a typical teenager and was more serious about academics than anything else. His recent fascination for transcendental meditation and yoga meant that he wasn't the guy who would tread into dangerous territories. It should have been an extraordinary provocation that might have prompted him to ask such an embarrassing question. More importantly, he had the audacity to peek at his mom's breasts which was a matter of grave concern for his mother.
Priti entered into the kitchen and her eyebrows raised seeing Lakshmi looking somewhat perplexed.
"What happened mom?" She queried. Lakshmi felt terribly delicate to disclose what her son had asked her. She knew that by disclosing her son's curiosity, the relationship between the siblings might be put to some strain. However, she feared that by not disclosing her son's new found curiosity, she might be encouraging him to continue his erotic quest about his sister.
"He was trying to be silly," Lakshmi replied after a momentary silence. "I had to scream at him."
"I am not getting that," Priti shook her head. "Tell me what exactly happened."
Lakshmi sighed realizing that she had to tell her daughter about something a mother would never like to do.
"He was asking me; about the size of your breasts," Lakshmi managed to complete the sentence with enormous hesitation.
"What?"
The kitchen was filled with a deadly silence for a few moments which eventually broke after Priti began giggling uncontrollably. Lakshmi began wondering as to why her daughter was laughing so loud instead of fuming in anger after hearing to her brother's antecedent.
"What did you say?" Priti gasped as she spoke amidst laughter.
"What else? I just asked him to get out of here," Lakshmi retorted.
"Poor guy!" Priti resumed laughing.
"Now, what is so funny about all this?" Lakshmi intervened with anger.
Priti understood that her mother wasn't amused about the whole thing and stopped laughing at once. She couldn't feel pity for her brother who couldn't resist his temptations. She easily realized that her brother was one among the desperate lot who never had any source to solve the mysteries surrounding sex.
"Don't be so rude to him," Priti tried to reason with her mother. "He is just eighteen and seems like having a few questions to be answered. I was married at eighteen years and I have no questions about anything now."
"That sounds so stupid," Lakshmi fumed again. "Whatever be it, it was absolutely improper to have asked such a question to me. I am his mother."
"There lays the problem," Priti was quick to cut his mother short. "He feels that he doesn't have anyone to whom he can address the question. If I were in your shoes, I would be more than willing to help him out. After all, there is nothing wrong in giving some counseling about sex."
"Disgusting," Lakshmi's hands reached her ears as though she wasn't interested in listening to what her daughter had said. "I never thought that my children might be so desperate to know about sex."
"Relax Mom," Priti said with a smile. "Be prepared to face the facts. I am sure he might be having some fantasies about me. I need to look out if he is staring at me from now on."
"For that reason, I don't think he has spared me either," Lakshmi said mockingly. "He did look at my breasts as well."
"That is interesting," Priti winked at her mother. "I am convinced we can help him together."
"How?" Lakshmi queried in a surprisingly mellowed tone.
"Come with me," Priti said and began walking towards the stairs. Lakshmi stood unmoved for a while before hesitantly following her daughter up the stairs and inside her son's room.
Deepak looked absolutely puzzled seeing Lakshmi and Priti walking into his room. He cursed himself for keeping the door open enabling his sister and mother getting there.
"Yes Mr. Deepak," Priti walked briskly and settled on the edge of the couch. "I heard you have some queries."
"Dirty queries," Lakshmi quipped from the door side.
"Come on Mom," Priti turned back and gently admonished her mother. "Let him speak."
"I am sorry Priti," Deepak spoke apologetically. "I never knew that I shouldn't be asking such questions to mom."
"Don't feel sorry," Priti inched a few inches further and her right hand rested on her brother's shoulders. "You didn't ask anything wrong."
"I don't understand what is going on here," Lakshmi almost screamed. "Why are you trying to pacify? I am going to tell your Dad about all this when he returns."
"You are just impossible, mom," Priti snarled again. "He never did anything wrong anyway. I want you to keep shut and never tell anything to Dad."
"Ok. I better leave now," Lakshmi sounded as though she had ran out of her patience and began walking out of the room.
"Stop now," Priti shouted. "I want you to close the door and come right here."
Deepak was sitting and watching his sister and mother like a scapegoat as they spoke. His spine froze in fear listening to his mother as he knew that his Dad wasn't the kindest human being on the earth. Lakshmi sheepishly locked the door and came around the couch to settle on the other side without saying anything.
"I want to help my brother," Priti spoke authoritatively. "Just let me do that."
"Ok, tell him the answer," Lakshmi said mockingly. "He wants to know how your breasts have grown bigger."
"Why not?" Priti said with a broad smile. "I don't mind even showing him the size."
"Let's stop it here," Deepak spoke visibly embarrassed. "I don't want to hurt mom anymore."
"Deepak!" Priti silenced her brother at once. "You are not hurting anyone. But be frank with me. What is it bothering you? You just want to know why my breasts are big or you want to see them?"
"I don't think he would mind seeing them," Lakshmi wasn't stopping being sarcastic. "He wasn't even afraid staring at my breasts."
Deepak's head went down again. Priti's eyes stared at her mother with glowing anger.
"There is a hint of pride in your statement," Priti said forcing a smile. "I somehow feel you are excited a bit about your son staring at your breasts."