20-04-2026, 10:55 AM
Scene 2 of 4
Ten minutes later they are all at the kitchen island. Vanitha has put the kettle on. Latha has set out four small plates. Ashok comes down in a shirt and a blue tie, which is a thing he does not often do in this house.
"Oho," Latha says. She looks up from the plates. "Anna. The tie."
"The tie."
“Where are you going in the tie, Anna.”
“Office.” Ashok says. He sits on the stool. He reaches for the coffee Vanitha is pouring. “In person. Today. The whole day.”
“You do not go to office.”
“Today I go to office.”
“Why.”
“All of my direct staff is coming together for a leadership workshop.”
“Oho.”
Vanitha slides a plate toward him. Toast. Two boiled eggs. A small bowl of fruit. She does not look at Selvam. Selvam is on the stool on the far side. He has not spoken since he sat down. He is cutting a piece of banana into four small pieces on his plate and eating them one at a time.
“Is it far, Anna,” Latha says.
“Forty minutes.”
“And you come back when.”
“Evening. Six, seven.”
Latha picks up her own plate and sets it down again. She is already bouncing a little on the stool. She has the look she gets when she is about to ask for something and she knows she is going to get it.
“Anna.”
“No.”
“I did not say anything.”
“You did not have to. No.”
“Anna.”
“What.”
“Take me.”
“Latha.”
“Anna, please. I have been here like 6 months. I have seen this house and the grocery store and the park with the dog. I have not seen your office. I want to see your office.”
“It is an office, Latha. But I must agree, we have a pretty nice campus.”
“See, I want to see the campus.” she did the air quote thing when she said the word campus.
“It is boring.”
“I will not be bored. I am easy to please, Anna. You know this. A small coffee. A view of the campus. I am set.”
Ashok looks at Vanitha. Vanitha shrugs. She is smiling a small smile at her coffee.
“Baby..” she said. “Take her. Otherwise she will sulk all day and I will have to hear about it.”
“I do not sulk, Akka.”
“You sulk.”
“A small sulk. Not a big sulk.”
Ashok laughs. He sets down his coffee.
“Okay,” he says. “Okay. Go and change. Something neat. Not a kurta. You cannot walk into my office in a kurta, they will think I have brought my cousin from the village.”
“I am your cousin from the village, Anna.”
“Latha. Go.”
She is off the stool before he finishes the word. She is down the hall, feet light on the wood. A door opens. A door closes. Drawers opening.
Ashok shakes his head. He drinks his coffee.
“That girl.”
“That girl,” Vanitha says.
“She has not sat still since she got here.”
“She is a curious one.”
Selvam eats his banana. He does not look up.
They finish the coffee. Ashok goes upstairs for his laptop bag. Vanitha washes her hands at the sink. She does not turn around. Selvam sits at the island with his back to her.
Latha comes out of the hall in a pale blue top and dark pants, her hair in a neat bun. She has put on small earrings. She has put on lipstick. She stops at the edge of the kitchen and she turns a slow half-circle for Vanitha to see.
“Akka.”
“Go, kannamma. You look nice.”
“Do I look professional.”
“You look professional.”
“Not like cousin from the village.”
“Not even a little.”
Latha grins. She picks up her small bag.
Ashok comes down with the laptop bag on his shoulder and the car keys in his hand. He stops by Vanitha at the sink. He kisses the top of her head, then the side of her neck, quick, the way he does.
“Bye baby.”
“Bye da. Drive carefully.”
“I always drive carefully.”
“You do not always drive carefully.”
“I drive carefully ninety percent of the time.”
“Drive carefully one hundred percent today. Latha is in the car.”
“Okay.”
He kisses her neck again. He turns. He squeezes Selvam’s shoulder as he passes. “Appa, I’ll see you tonight. There is that match on later if you want to watch.”
“Okay, da.”
“Bye, Uncle,” Latha says. She waves at him from the door. “I will bring you a coffee from the fancy machine.”
“Okay, ma.”
The door to the garage opens. It closes. The engine starts. The garage door rumbles up. The engine backs out. The garage door rumbles down. The engine fades down the street.
Vanitha turns the water off.
She stands at the sink with her hands wet. She listens.
A bird outside. The hum of the fridge. Nothing else.
She dries her hands on the towel. She folds the towel and puts it back on the hook. She turns and she leans her hip against the counter and she looks at Selvam’s back at the island.
He is still at the stool. He has not moved.
“Mama.”
“Tell me, Ma.”
“They are gone.”
“I heard.”
Ten minutes later they are all at the kitchen island. Vanitha has put the kettle on. Latha has set out four small plates. Ashok comes down in a shirt and a blue tie, which is a thing he does not often do in this house.
"Oho," Latha says. She looks up from the plates. "Anna. The tie."
"The tie."
“Where are you going in the tie, Anna.”
“Office.” Ashok says. He sits on the stool. He reaches for the coffee Vanitha is pouring. “In person. Today. The whole day.”
“You do not go to office.”
“Today I go to office.”
“Why.”
“All of my direct staff is coming together for a leadership workshop.”
“Oho.”
Vanitha slides a plate toward him. Toast. Two boiled eggs. A small bowl of fruit. She does not look at Selvam. Selvam is on the stool on the far side. He has not spoken since he sat down. He is cutting a piece of banana into four small pieces on his plate and eating them one at a time.
“Is it far, Anna,” Latha says.
“Forty minutes.”
“And you come back when.”
“Evening. Six, seven.”
Latha picks up her own plate and sets it down again. She is already bouncing a little on the stool. She has the look she gets when she is about to ask for something and she knows she is going to get it.
“Anna.”
“No.”
“I did not say anything.”
“You did not have to. No.”
“Anna.”
“What.”
“Take me.”
“Latha.”
“Anna, please. I have been here like 6 months. I have seen this house and the grocery store and the park with the dog. I have not seen your office. I want to see your office.”
“It is an office, Latha. But I must agree, we have a pretty nice campus.”
“See, I want to see the campus.” she did the air quote thing when she said the word campus.
“It is boring.”
“I will not be bored. I am easy to please, Anna. You know this. A small coffee. A view of the campus. I am set.”
Ashok looks at Vanitha. Vanitha shrugs. She is smiling a small smile at her coffee.
“Baby..” she said. “Take her. Otherwise she will sulk all day and I will have to hear about it.”
“I do not sulk, Akka.”
“You sulk.”
“A small sulk. Not a big sulk.”
Ashok laughs. He sets down his coffee.
“Okay,” he says. “Okay. Go and change. Something neat. Not a kurta. You cannot walk into my office in a kurta, they will think I have brought my cousin from the village.”
“I am your cousin from the village, Anna.”
“Latha. Go.”
She is off the stool before he finishes the word. She is down the hall, feet light on the wood. A door opens. A door closes. Drawers opening.
Ashok shakes his head. He drinks his coffee.
“That girl.”
“That girl,” Vanitha says.
“She has not sat still since she got here.”
“She is a curious one.”
Selvam eats his banana. He does not look up.
They finish the coffee. Ashok goes upstairs for his laptop bag. Vanitha washes her hands at the sink. She does not turn around. Selvam sits at the island with his back to her.
Latha comes out of the hall in a pale blue top and dark pants, her hair in a neat bun. She has put on small earrings. She has put on lipstick. She stops at the edge of the kitchen and she turns a slow half-circle for Vanitha to see.
“Akka.”
“Go, kannamma. You look nice.”
“Do I look professional.”
“You look professional.”
“Not like cousin from the village.”
“Not even a little.”
Latha grins. She picks up her small bag.
Ashok comes down with the laptop bag on his shoulder and the car keys in his hand. He stops by Vanitha at the sink. He kisses the top of her head, then the side of her neck, quick, the way he does.
“Bye baby.”
“Bye da. Drive carefully.”
“I always drive carefully.”
“You do not always drive carefully.”
“I drive carefully ninety percent of the time.”
“Drive carefully one hundred percent today. Latha is in the car.”
“Okay.”
He kisses her neck again. He turns. He squeezes Selvam’s shoulder as he passes. “Appa, I’ll see you tonight. There is that match on later if you want to watch.”
“Okay, da.”
“Bye, Uncle,” Latha says. She waves at him from the door. “I will bring you a coffee from the fancy machine.”
“Okay, ma.”
The door to the garage opens. It closes. The engine starts. The garage door rumbles up. The engine backs out. The garage door rumbles down. The engine fades down the street.
Vanitha turns the water off.
She stands at the sink with her hands wet. She listens.
A bird outside. The hum of the fridge. Nothing else.
She dries her hands on the towel. She folds the towel and puts it back on the hook. She turns and she leans her hip against the counter and she looks at Selvam’s back at the island.
He is still at the stool. He has not moved.
“Mama.”
“Tell me, Ma.”
“They are gone.”
“I heard.”
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