SUGAR MOUNTAINS AND FLYING EGGS – (Memoir series – Story 13)

A Whirlwind Morning at Aunt’s Place

Oh, let me tell you about the crazy breakfast time at my Aunt’s place! It’s like a whirlwind, and I’m right in the middle of it all. And trying to make sense of everything that’s happening around me.

I’m staying at Daddy’s eldest brother’s house, and it’s so much fun! It’s just a hop, skip, and jump away from Granny’s place. But this house, it’s way more exciting than Granny’s. There’s always something happening here!

I am in awe of my older cousins. They’re always up to something or the other. And the only confusion is where do I look? Because all three of them get into their moods at the same time.

And there’s my Aunt, the sweetest person in the whole world, trying to keep her three crazy boys happy. But let me tell you, it’s like a mission impossible!

You see, something happened to my Aunt after she had her fifth child. She lost her hearing in both ears. But that didn’t stop her from living her life fully. And she’s become an expert at lip-reading! She speaks in whispers and only when it’s super important.

So, here I am, sitting at this huge wooden table in the kitchen, with the most amazing aroma of hot appam in the air.

She’s attending to three of her wood-fired stoves and making sure nothing gets overcooked, and adjusting the firewood so they burn according to the heat required for the cooking. Even when sweat beads pop on her forehead, she is managing multiple tasks with skill and love. All throughout this, she is maintaining a pleasant face.

My Aunt serves me appam fresh from one of the iron pans along with vegetable stew that’s simmering in a large clay pot, and it’s like I’m in breakfast heaven! But the fun is just getting started!

One of my older cousins wanders in and plunks himself down at the table. My Aunt rushes to put a plate of appam in front of him, but what does he say? He doesn’t want appam! He wants boiled eggs for breakfast. And my Aunt already has some eggs hardboiled and ready. She puts two eggs on his plate, along with a steaming cup of black coffee. But no, that’s not enough for him! He demands more eggs. And my Aunt tries to convince him to have a couple of appams too. But he just doesn’t seem to care.

And then, another cousin walks in. He wants egg omelettes to go with his appam. My Aunt quickly places a glass of coffee with milk in front of him and starts to make those omelettes. All the while, she’s still making those delicious appams.

Soon, yet another cousin joins the breakfast battle. He wants appam and boiled eggs. My Aunt places a steaming cup of black coffee in front of him while whipping up more appams. It’s like she’s a breakfast superhero, trying to fulfill all their demands.

But in the midst of all this madness, the first cousin suddenly decides that his coffee needs more sugar. He grabs the sugar bottle and dumps heaps of it into his cup. I can’t believe my eyes! It’s like a sugar mountain in his coffee!

My head is bobbing from cousin to cousin, trying to keep up with all the action. Meanwhile, my Aunt smiles at me and serves me yet another appam. I’m so full, but they’re just so tasty!

But then, things take a turn for the worse. The third cousin, who had asked for five boiled eggs, is irritated. He’s given only three, and he’s not happy about it. So he starts throwing those eggs out the window, one by one!

And there I am, sitting wide-eyed with a tummy full of appams, trying to understand what’s happening. I’ve never seen anything like this before!

I can’t imagine my Mummy ever letting such a thing happen. She’s always calm and gentle, but strict and tough.

The next morning, Mummy finally comes over to Aunt’s house. She spends some time talking to my Aunt about something important. I can’t hear their conversation from where I am because they’re mostly lip-reading. But I can tell it’s serious.

During breakfast, Mummy helps my Aunt serve the food. And you know what? None of my cousins are demanding more eggs or complaining about anything. They’re all behaving well.

Mummy is watching them closely, especially when they start adding loads of sugar to their coffee. She walks over to one of my cousins and asks him why he needs so much sugar. He doesn’t have an answer!

While breakfast is being served, Mummy talks to all my cousins about overeating and the importance of behaving properly with their mother. She explains things in a gentle but firm way, making sure they understand.

I can see that Mummy is trying to teach my cousins to be more disciplined and considerate. She’s a superhero too, guiding them on the right path.

After breakfast, Mummy gathers all my cousins including my two elder female cousins, and announces that she has something important to share with everyone.

Her medical test results have arrived, and she has to have a serious operation that must be done at a hospital far away from us, in a place called Vellore.