Bani wiped a tear of laughter from her eye. "Let's just hope he makes it back in one piece before tomorrow's launch."
Somewhere from behind the closed door, a regretful voice could be heard, "No more cake… I swear… for at least a day!"
The team burst into laughter, the perfect ending to a chaotic but memorable day.
As the sun set, the house buzzed with the chaos of dinner time. The aroma of hot sambar and fresh ragi balls filled the air as the ladies of the house prepared plates for the little ones. Among them was the ever-dramatic, ever-mischievous Viny, Vani's younger son, a child whose food preferences could put royal chefs to shame.
The moment the ragi ball, dipped in sambar, touched his tongue, Viny's face contorted into an expression of pure betrayal. He swallowed it with visible pain, as if he had been force-fed a bitter gourd dipped in lemon juice. His tiny hands flailed in protest.
"Ayyooooo!" he wailed, shaking his head like a wet puppy.
Everyone at the table paused mid-bite, watching the tragic scene unfold. Vani tried to calm him down. "Viny, it's just sambar! You've had this before."
Viny glared at her like she had personally sabotaged his dinner. "Amma… Vani… HEYYYY!!" he shouted in three different tones, upgrading from polite to formal to full-on protest mode in a matter of seconds.
"Look at him," Chaitra snickered. "First, he calls you 'Amma,' then by your name, and now he's shouting like you owe him money. What kind of child are you raising?"
Vani sighed. "The kind that makes me question my life choices every day."
As everyone debated ways to make Viny eat, Vani's mother the ultimate kitchen mastermind, silently placed a new plate in front of him. The entire family leaned forward, waiting to uncover the secret ingredient.
Viny, still frowning, took a cautious bite. His expression softened. Then, another bite. The anger melted away.
"What magic is this?" whispered one of the cousins.
"What did you give him aunty?" chaitra asked , her curiosity piqued.
Vani'S mother barely holding back laughter, said, "Nothing but plain boiled water."
A collective gasp echoed through the room.
"PLAIN WATER?"
The entire family, who had been suggesting everything from jaggery to a spoonful of sugar, looked at each other in disbelief.
Chaitra burst out laughing. "Vani, your son is totally different from you! While you were the one hogging extra chutney as a kid, your son is out here dining like a monk with just plain water!"
Viny, having finished his 'five-star meal' of ragi ball and boiled water, patted his belly like a content king. Then, as if his food struggles had never happened, he jumped off his chair and ran off to cause more mischief.
Vani dropped her head onto the table. "I give up."
And thus, another day in the madhouse concluded with laughter, food experiments, and a new family joke about the legendary boiled water delicacy.
The night settled over the house with a quiet stillness, interrupted only by the occasional murmur of the wind. In one of the rooms, Bani's and Vani's mother lay resting. Exhaustion had taken over them, but there was another reason for their silence—Bani's marriage.