Two unwanted guests on a Sunday morning.

      

Weekends are a breather for Sashi. Her any normal day is no less packed than that of a business person with an exemption for weekends, during which Sashi's merriment sees no bounds. The moment she enters home on a Friday afternoon from school, as tiny as her bland stare, signals her mom that Sashi's time of the week has come.

She makes sure she wakes up early enough to ask her dad that she wants to accompany him to Raitu bazaar, to which her father makes a visit on every Sunday to buy vegetables for the entire week. She tries really hard to make a move without awakening her sister, (Greedy enough to keep the whole pleasure to herself) but her bid gets foiled each and every time owing to her sister's brilliance, especially in comprehending Sashi's moves.

As both the sisters step out for the bazaar, mom finds her utmost solace of that particular week and utilizes that time for her most precious activity of the week: Dusting and cleaning every corner of the house.

On one weekend, father leaves the city along with Sashi's sister, to attend a distant relative's wedding. Lazy Sashi decides to stay back and relax on her most favorite day of the week. So there is no wee hour activity for Sashi this Sunday. She sleeps with an elated spirit that she is going to have her tightest sleep of the year on this Saturday night. Mom is also excited that she can take heavenly rest, on this Sunday as anyways it is not possible to take out her precious activity when Sashi is home. All the more terrific thing for mom is to escape the Sashi's constant glare when mom asks her to move a little while intending to clean the place where Sashi rests her body in a comfortable position.

Sunday morning is taking shape with birds,especially crows, making harsh croaks and light rays making their way to the room where the duo is still engaged in deep sleep.

Now comes a knock on their door. Mom lets it go, thinking it is milkmaid who is at the door. Usually the milkmaid doesn't knock the door as she gets a bowl, in which she is supposed to deliver the milk packets, placed outside the door. It is that time of the month when the mom has to pay and settle the dues for milkmaid. So mom thinks this to be the reason behind that knock. But suddenly she recollects the fine words of milkmaid the previous day: Milkmaid says a dramatic sorry that she cannot make it to their home on this Sunday as she has to catch up an unforeseen activity. And mom also recollects, that she gave her house address to two relatives of her in-laws, the previous day.

Second knock has already come. She jumps out of the bed in one giant leap to make sure she is at the door before the third knock comes. These villagers are no less dangerous. They can carve out a nice tale about the bahu, in as small as this waiting at the door. Bahu prevails. She opens the door to two elderly men, whom she hardly knows, but whom she has to serve like she has known them for a while.

She wears a beaming smile as she opens the door. The same is reciprocated by people on the other end of the door. The two hoary guests stay in a near by locality. They take out their early morning walk and decide to drop by this new relative's house as a gesture of formality. At least they think a  helping hand is expected of them in making this new family adapt to its new surroundings, by their relatives in the hometown.

Mom offers her best-selling tea with rusk, manages to engage in the conversation without arriving at a loss for a topic too early. One of the elderly guests, named Subba Rao, boasts his granddaughter, who lives in his house, to the sky. Now time has come to make some thoughts on mom's children. Mom is supposed  to wake her children at the very first moment when the guests mention 'children'. But mom, mindful of the embarrassment Sashi would cause if she is awakened early today, surpasses guests' mentions with flavorless statements such as ''kids are alright!" , ''they are slowly adjusting......" etc.

Subba Rao ji insists that he wants to see Sashi. He makes an open order to mom to awaken Sashi.

There is no way out. Mom begins her maneuver.

Waking up Sashi takes long enough to make guests understand what is going on. In the middle of the play, mom comes out several times with numerous, spurious updates such as ''she will be out in 5 minutes" , ''she is a bit tired the previous day..so..'' , ''Sashi makes sure she brushes her teeth before anything else in the morning" etc.

Relenting to mom's persistent efforts, Sashi finally gets down from her bed. And she waits with waxing anger to see who this Subba Rao ji is! 

She slowly treads the way to the hall where these people are blaring. No brushing her teeth, no combing her messed up hair. She deliberately dodged her mom's etiquette to show her displeasure. She comes and sits beside her mom, while still rubbing her eyes to make the picture clearer. Mom starts the boring ceremony again. 

'' Sashi! Do you remember this chacha ji ? We've met him there........ at that time........... "

Mom does it every time, but Sashi never passes the test. She loses herself in some random thoughts.

This time Sashi doesn't even care to look at those guests when her mom asks her routine questions one by one. Sashi has got this beautiful long hair with which she plays whenever she cannot live up to the surroundings. This time she even behaves as if she comes to a new museum by looking at different random corners of her house. 

Mom's tiring speech has reached an end. Subba Rao ji listens patiently and passes a COMMENT!!!!!!

'' Even my grand-daughter, who lives in America, behaves like this. I don't understand at any point of time whether these children even bother to listen to what people around them say. They do not even give a single expression on their face. I am worried about their future. "

WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT????????????????????

Sashi cannot contain her spilling anger. After all, it is she who makes a great sacrifice by getting up early on the day she has the right to sleep till afternoon. Sashi usually never thrusts her emotions on any of her guests. She holds her anger and later makes sure she bursts it out at least at a wall.

But now, she is more angry than ever. She feels her sacrifice, let alone getting noticed, it is even getting wasted and humiliated. She releases the cork holding tight her anger.

"Mom! How can a person who is barely known to us, come to our house in as odd a time as at 6 'o' clock in the morning, disturbing our sleep like a demon, and pass a statement as rude as this, at an innocent child like me who is struggling like hell to make her eyes bigger enough to grasp the unwanted drama going on in her house for which her mom is striving hard to put a period as soon as she can...............................DEEP INHALE FOLLOWED BY QUICK EXHALE............................. "

A minute of mourning is observed.

Sashi looks at her mom as if she tried her best to release her mom from the unwanted entanglement. Mom has no words........damage is heavy enough to ready herself for hearing creative tales about her hospitality standards............

On the other hand, Subba Rao ji is speechless too. In fact motionless too. He is not able to even take his sight off Sashi's face.

And all of a sudden, the other guest named Murthy starts uttering something. A few minutes later, Sashi and her mom come to know that he is delivering a spontaneous poem on Sashi. Poem contains unheard words from her regional language. So Sashi is not even understanding whether that person is praising or abusing.

After the recitation, Murthy ji takes time to explain what each of the words means. Sashi comes to know that something related to her big eyes and long hair has been mentioned as a compliment. Mom understands that Murthy ji has done this to pacify Sashi and take a leave. But what an odd way of pacifying, at least in the situation they are in, she thinks. The poet throws a proud smile at Sashi, expecting her to reciprocate the same. But nothing as such happens. He meets the same constant, sharp glare. Subba Rao ji is still stuck at Sashi's face. Only when Murthy ji whispers in his ear that they have to make a move, he tilts his face.

Guests leave with Murthy ji taking the honour of passing the good bye statements.

Mom now gives a tight, eyebrow-frowning stare at Sashi as she shuts the door...................😧

The rest is left to your imagination.