Mayavaram Mami - Part I

Shankara- raman re read the post card. It was written in black cursive.

I am coming by Bangalore Mail, S1- berth number 36. I leave Mayavaram on 11th and will be there on 12th morning. Please arrange for someone to come to the station. I will stand outside the coach.

- Meenakshi

Shanks,(as he called himself now) filed the post card.It was not often that you got one these days.

"Myths, (Thats how he called his wife Mythili) I am leaving for work, will be back tom at 3:00 am. Got a call tonight. You sleep. Have the keys. Will call you from off.. Cia babe". -He switched off the answering machine recorder.

Myths was his co worker at IT solutions. When he was the PM, she had been SA. Now both had grown with the IT boom. Their affair was a quick one .Dated each other for 3 months before tying the knot.

The couple were what every Indian IT worker envied- double income, highly successful and highly independent. Myths parents lived in Argentina and Shanks mom was with his sister in the US.

It was a Monday morning when the test results were out.The company doc , called Shanks.
'Hey shanky , congrats.This time too you have delivered results bang on target. Positive yar . You have jus got promoted.'

The couple went to Sunnys for dinner. Plans were laid out and schedule charts made. Both the parents expressed their absence for the delivery.

Shanks enrolled for a class - "So you are expecting ?"

He was the only human with a flat stomach. That didn't matter. He enjoyed the course .They were a breather to his drab project meetings. Morning sickness, Cramps, movements, inlaws, outlaws- he learned them all.

As deadlines and delivery dates approached, work weighed on Shanks and Myths. Myths would start her leave in 1 month . They decided they needed help.

Tulsamma and Gowri , were not all equipped to handle the complications. They wanted someone at home, someone who would be a part their family- Someone reliable coz Myths wanted to get back to work by June.

Thats when, Meenakshi Mami from Mayavaram applied. She was 62 , thats what the resume said. Too old thought Shanks, Myths view was older the better. Mami had been born and brought up in Mayavaram, a town off Tanjore.

'She can speak english'- Myths observed.
They dialled the number listed on the white sheet of paper.

6:00 am ,12th morning. Shanks drove to Bangalore city Jn. The train had just pulled in. Shanks was known for his punctuality. He scanned through the crowd for S1 poster on the bogie.

There she stood. Wrapped in a 9 yard Sandlewood color saree , Iyer style - tightly wrapped around her head. She hugged her possesions - A small yellow bag, one suitcase and a basket of fruits. A grey shawl tried in vain to protect her from the bangalore chill.

Shanks went up to her and showed her the post card. Mami smiled.The sweat shirt clad Project manager and the mami from Mayavaram walked -cutting across the morning smog.