One Chapati Dinner

The cook had quit; She wanted to take care of her daughter whose child was due anytime.

For a few days - before we found another cook - Anu would cook. One of the nights, she insisted the kids & their dad sit down on the kitchen floor, and eat fresh chapatis right there as she made them. For those going 'aaaww, sho shweet..', our house chapatis tend to crack teeth if left out for too long.  Yea.. a different kind of 'aaww'.

So, here we were eating the fresh chapatis & curry;  even Nischal was eating eagerly - a very unexpected, but welcome change - when he talks about what happened in class.
"Teacher was asking us all about families"
We adults make encouraging noises, and the older brother continues to eat while in his own zone.

"I told her about Annaa (older brother), pappa, amma ."  Nischal continues.
"You didn't tell her about Ajji (grandmother) ? " asks his brother.
"No, Ajji is not with us here. That's a joint fa-ma-lee" says Nischal.
Now our appropriate noises become more authentic - glad to hear something he'd learnt, and also glad to hear that he'd learnt something.

"But Ajji also is our family, isn't she ? " continued his brother, " she ... "
Nischal interrupted him " No, Anna. We are a new-clear fa-ma-lee!"
Now, both of us adults are smiling and realizing that we aren't totally throwing away our money when we pay his school fees.

The older brother also nodded in grudging appreciation "Nuclear. I didn't know that word until last year (when he pored over wikipedia to sate his fascination for nuclear bombs)".

Nischal goes back to munching on those chapatis - they probably have gotten slightly colder.