eFiction India eFiction India Vol.02 Issue.09 | Page 69

STORIES

68

FURRY FUSS
    NIRUPAMA SUDARSH                                   

Nirupama Sudarsh is a second-year
student at the Symbiosis School of
Economics in Pune. She grew up in
the Trichur district in Kerala. Her
writing has been previously published in the Indus Woman Writing
and Spark. Apart from reading and
writing, she enjoys singing.

M

RS NAIR SMILED coquettishly at her ostentatious
reflection in the mirror, her
chin pressed forward by her thumb and buttressed by the index finger, in sloppy imitation of heroines from the Hindi movies
of the 60s and 70s. Her face was decked
up in a combination of cosmetic floridityeyes done heavily, lips painted a fiery red
against wax like skin that diffused an orange
glow. Adjusting her necklace and the pallu
of her deep green silk saree, she straightened up and smiled radiantly at herself once
again before answering the shrill cries of her
12-year-old daughter Lulu.
“Amma… will you hurry up? We are already
behind schedule by 20 minutes. If we don’t
make a move now, we may have to give up
all hopes of at least savouring some delightful paalada, let alone reaching on time for
the muhurtham!”
Raghavan, the dull driver from Kasargod
snickered at the adolescent’s food fetish that
often turned out to be unintended hilarity. Mr Nair sitting to the left of the rural,
dark, short, strongly communist driver,
whom the polished Mrs Nair addressed
as ‘Chauffeur’ and sometimes as ‘Raghav’
in mock sophistication, glared at him.
Raghavan hastily looked away in an unsuccessful attempt at covering up for his breach
of ‘propriety’ that was often advocated by
the lady of the house.
“Amma iss heerrre achaaa...” mumbled
Lallu, the younger of the two siblings,

slobbering over a toffee in his mouth, when
he saw his mother finally come out of the
house locking the door. Fruity saliva trickled down his cheek and then on to his chin.
“Eeww...!” yowled his sister just like she had
seen the English lady on television squeal
upon discovering a creepy centipede crawling up her skirt.
“Acchhaaa... Lulu is making fun of mmeee!!”
whimpered 6 year old Lallu.
“For heaven’s sake will y