A Matter Of Give And Take

A real-life fiction:

**

Dinner time.

‘Bhindi (okra), again?

No surprises there – the girl was asked to eat vegetables. A short sermon on importance of the greens for her health, as always, fell on un-listening ears. For, it is bhindi tonight, spinach yesterday…yuk, and not potatoes, yummy. These folks never seem to understand or ask – it wasn’t she didn’t like vegetables. It was just that cauliflower and cabbage smelled, bhindi sticky, beet-root scary scarlet, spinach sticking between her teeth, beans tasteless, peas squishy, carrot hard to bite…and heaven knows why potatoes didn’t count? By the way, aren’t there any green potatoes? Why, she liked cucumber too, in the raw.

Finally on the promise of a cup of her favorite ice-cream, the task was accomplished……like how – her eyes closed, face screwed into a grimace, the morsel put out on the tongue like vom## and then taken in, mostly swallowed…

All done and over with, they – the father and the girl – set off to the market, he had some chores to complete, she to claim her reward.  

At the shop, another scene was averted – fortunately the mango flavor was in stock. Gleefully consumed – some, dribbling from the corner of her mouth, onto the counter.

On their way back – the girl in good cheer – he paused at a street-side vendor’s and got two vada-paav’s with dry and wet chutney’s parceled.

The girl looked at her father quizzingly.

‘There’s a sight-impaired young man near the bus-shelter. Whenever I come this way, I usually get this or samosas for him.’

Her face did not clear completely.

The father knew enough to add: ‘On the days I don’t, may be the vendors give him or someone else like us buys him something to eat – I don’t think he starves.’

The girl became more at ease – if her father said the man did not starve, it must be so – and soon was distracted.

**

At the bus-shelter, there he was on the bench.

The hot vada-paav’s were given and accepted gratefully.

The girl looking on nervously keeping herself on father’s far side.

The deed done, the two quickened their steps homewards.

Nearer home, the girl broke her silence: ‘Appa, how do you know he likes vada-paav and samosa’s? Asked him?’

**

The following days saw new sources located for idli/vada and roti/sabji.

End

Source: Image from hungrydeal.com