Mr and Mrs. Patel lived alone. Their children had settled abroad. The old couple didn’t like it much in ‘America’.
They preferred the smell of their Mumbai house, the warm dhokla that they would get anytime of the day on the corner of the street , the regular discussions about the serials that Mrs. Patel had with her friends and the bellowing and cheering that Mr. Patel and his friends at Jolly Retired Fellows Club would do while watching any cricket series.
Most importantly they had missed ‘their time’- the home made pani puri competitions, breaking into duets while doing house chores, the debates they had over the daily horoscope and secretly playing dandiya when in mood.
One day Mrs. Patel was in her kitchen and needed some help. She called out a few times for Mr. Patel but he didn’t hear her. He was busy doing Origami. Feeling mad Mrs. Patel came near Mr. Patel and yelled out loud, “Can’t you hear me, you deaf old man? I have been screaming for help!”
Mr. Patel turned to her patiently and said, “What?”
Mrs. Patel scowled and walked away.
Some other night the two were watching their favourite comedy show. Mrs. Patel was rolling with laughter but Mr. Patel had a straight face.
Mrs. Patel asked him, “Aren’t you finding the jokes funny?”
Mr. Patel said, “No. I don’t think I can hear them at all.”
Mrs. Patel looked really worried now. She clapped a few times and asked if he could hear. He told her, “Clap a little loudly, will you?”
Mrs. Patel looked horrified and showed him how pink her hands had got after clapping, “I clapped pretty hard for you.... Does that mean you are going deaf?”
Mr. Patel didn’t know what to say.
The two Patels saw an ear doctor. The doctor explained that he would run some tests. Mrs. Patel told the doctor earnestly, “I miss chirping around him. I miss the duets which we had. I miss laughing with him. Please fit him an ear machine if you have to.” The doctor promised he would do his best.
By me
Mr. Patel returned home with a brand new ear machine. He hated it. He complained how the machine made his ear heavy. And how some strange whistle keeps on blowing into his ear. He would crib to wear it. Mrs. Patel would beg him to wear for her. She started taking extra efforts to make him understand what she was saying. She would patiently repeat the jokes if her husband was feeling bored to wear the machine.
A few days passed. Mr. Patel noticed although his wife didn’t express, she had grown sadder.
One day he told her that they must ride the new Metro that’s come up in the city. The old couple got dressed and very excitedly boarded the metro. The two sat at the window and admired how the clouds sailed and how they were running along the airport from a distance and how the train snaked along the tracks.
When the train halted at a station Mr. Patel asked, “What station are we on?”
Mrs. Patel answered, “Chakala.”
Mr. Patel asked, “What?”
The old lady repeated, “Its Cha-ka-la.”
Mr. Patel looked blank.
His wife got exasperated, “Can’t you see, its Chakala?”
Mr. Patel smiled, “I can see too.”
Mrs. Patel kept looking outside the window and suddenly noticed something, “Where did your machine go?”, she got impatient.
“What machine?” Mr. Patel kept looking out.
“That ear....”, and Mrs. Patel’s jaw dropped open.
Mr. Patel was smiling slyly.
She started to turn red, “You said you can see too. That means you could hear all along. With and without the machine!”
Mr. Patel laughed, “What?”
Mrs. Patel didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, “This was a payback just because I called you a deaf old man, isn’t it?”
Mr. Patel grinned.
P.S: I met an old couple on the Metro and the husband was wearing an ear machine. The Chakala thing did happen. The old woman patiently repeated for her husband and the old man switched on his ear machine just to hear his wife :)
It was too cute!
I have made up the before and after story, ofcourse!
Love,
Amruta :)
