" The Ramaswamys' " - a short story

There was the usual early Tuesday morning buzz at the Ramaswamy residence.

Savitha Ramasway, the lady of the household, had woken up first, collected the newspaper from the lawn and was preparing tea. She then woke up her darling daughter, Nidhi. Once Nidhi settled down to finish some leftover homework, Savitha woke up her husband of 13 years, Eeshwar.

As they finished discussing household issues over a cup of tea, Nidhi was all set to take a bath. It was time for Savitha to put her magic hands to work and prepare something delicious to fill up her daughter’s lunch-box. Eeshwar retired to the bedroom to glance over some office documents. He had an important presentation today – potentially one that could earn him a hard-earned promotion.

Eeshwar had always been the typical “good” person that the world of today so glaringly lacks. The most hard-working man at his workplace, he was all for perseverance and dedication to work. But he was not what you could call “street smart”. Every time he was outwitted by some colleague who was simply better at buttering the boss. Finally there was a change of leadership at the office and so Eeshwar wanted to make an early impression with his presentation today. A promotion would finally bring in the perks to help his family move up the “middleclass” ladder.

Savitha was the ideal wife. Always the first to wake up, she orchestrated the household work to such a degree of excellence that never once was the Ramaswamy residence a mess. She had served her in-laws well till both of Eeshwar’s parents passed away silently a week apart from each other. Now she had completely dedicated herself to aiding Nidhi do her best in studies and making sure her family works in the most efficient manner possible.

Nidhi was the last piece that perfectly completed the Ramaswamy jigsaw puzzle. A topper at school, she was the ideal child at home too. Never once to raise her voice demanding toys, she would be happy with the Cadbury Chocolate her dad lovingly bought her every Sunday.

This Tuesday morning held a special meaning to the Ramaswamys.

Nidhi had received her Half-Yearly results the day before in school. As always she had made a clean sweep in the “Highest Marks in Class” column of her report card. This had earned her a million kisses from her mom the other day but she couldn’t show her marks to Eeshwar since he only came back from work when Nidhi had fallen asleep. So before going for her bath she rushed to her dad and happily handed him her report card. A million more hugs and kisses from her dad made her feel at the top of the world. Eeshwar quickly offered to buy a gift of her choice. Nidhi lost no time in demanding a pencil-box with the Superman sticker on it – a possession only the elite few boasted of in her class. Plus to make her demand appear more like a need, she added that her present pencil-box had broken from the sides. Eeshwar was more than happy to oblige and promised to get her one on his way back from work.

The other special thing about this Tuesday was that it was the 13^th anniversary of Eeshwar and Savitha. Although essentially lower middle class, this couple did celebrate the day – with little gifts and a nice homemade meal if not with diamonds and lavish cocktails in seven-star hotels. Once Nidhi hugged them good bye and boarded her school bus, Savitha and Eeshwar lost no time in their own little romantic play. Eeshwar asked her what she wanted as gift for their anniversary and she teased him about getting her a palace built – the usual mindless stuff couples talk to pep things up and appear cute to each other. At the end of it all, he agreed to get her a saree of his choice. She promised to cook for him his favourite Biryani and Carrot Halwa as a return gift. The deal was done. They hugged and within seconds reminisced all key moments of their 13 years of marriage.

Eeshwar was already getting late. In fact he was way behind schedule. After a quick bath and an even quicker meal, he kick started his Bajaj Chetak. His trusted companion of 11 years now, lately this vehicle had started giving him all sorts of problems. The most fundamental being its inability to start at the first kick. After countless kicks and tilting it on one side, it would usually roar in its timeless elegance. But sadly, not today. With the presentation waiting, Eeshwar frantically gave it some more kicks. With God’s grace, a few expletives and twenty minutes of torture, the Bajaj responded. Finally Eeshwar waived his beloved wife good-bye and made his way to his office.

“What a wonderful family I have”, he thought to himself as he sped through the town’s roads. He had the sweetest wife he could ever have asked for and a daughter who was definitely on her way towards a bright future. He quickly took a mental note of his daughter’s gift request just in case he forgets by the end of the day. Once he managed to secure a promotion soon he would also move up the pay scale and finally they could be a little more financially stable. Contentment and happiness written large on his face, he raised the accelerator to cover the last kilometer to his office in the fastest time possible. Probably nobody led a more satisfied life than him.

As adept as he was at navigating through the terrible condition of the roads, today he missed the open pothole at the last turning to his office. Given the lightning speed of his travel, the Bajaj Chetak immediately took to the air and Eeshwar was rudely thrown off. He had even forgotten his helmet in today’s hurry and excitement. As he descended onto land from the throw, his head went straight and hit the iron fence by the roadside. Blood oozed out in litres. Eeshwar Ramaswamy breathed his last even before the crowds had gathered.

Meanwhile, back in St.Joseph’s Convent School, Nidhi was already boasting of the new pencil box with the Superman sticker on it. She was just hoping her dad did not forget to get it that evening.

At the Ramaswamy residence, Savitha was already busy grating the carrots to make Halwa exactly how her husband loved it. She was just hoping Eeshwar did not pick a saree with a colour she hated. She had never been a huge fan of his selection in sarees anyway.

Fuehrer