Usual Evening

I took the key out of my pocket and inserted it in the key hole, rotated it anticlockwise twice before finally turning it slightly on the same side. The door opened making a clicking sound. I pushed the door ajar and got in. It was dark inside, sun had set sometime back and there was just enough light coming thru the large glass door opening to the swimming pool to facilitate viewing of the outline of things kept in the room. Everything in the room was black. My hands reached the switch board on the wall close to the door and 2 bulbs came alive. The living room was flooded with light and the things resumed their original color. Everything was as I had left it in the morning, 12 hours back. Some magazines and CD’s were lying on the sofa, a sleeveless sports wear, guide to Greece and a Greece map on top of it, pen that did not work and some used calling cards were lying on one of the single sofa. The locked Laptop was lying on one of the smaller tables sized to perfection, a Nikon camera connected to it thru the USB port.

I took my jacket off and tossed it on the closest sofa, took my shoes and socks off and placed them in the shoe rack. I picked up my jacket and started walking towards my bed room, on the way switching more lights in the alley to force some light in the bedroom. As I entered the room, I switched on more lights for easy viewing in that dimly lit room. I opened one panel of the cupboard and took a hanger out for my jacket.

I came out of the room after changing replacing all the clothes neatly to where they belonged.

I grabbed the remote from the sofa and turned the TV on, selected channel 7 and threw the remote on the sofa again. CNN is the only channel on my TV that features things in a language I understand. I went towards the kitchen still looking at the TV screen thinking what to make for dinner. The kitchen sink was filled with utensils made dirty while cooking and eating the evening before. Some utensils that were used even earlier were still lying coz they were not needed the day before. One larger glass contained light brown water, darker at the base. I had consumed coffee in that yesterday, the glass reminded me of my most recent room mate who was a coffee aficionado and invariably drank coffee in the same glass. Sink contained a cooker, a bowl, 2 plates, 2 glasses, some spoons, a bigger serving spoon, frying pan and a small knife placed shabbily in the sink. The utensils were accompanied with remains of food that kept sticking to them. I always made sure that they were not big to block the drain. It reminded me of the dinner I had the day before.

I decided to make CHILA, something resembling a normal roti but made from a viscous paste as in dosa. I cleaned only the required utensils, the coming day maid would clean the entire house anyway.

The house owner provides us with a maid service of 4 hours every week. The maid comes once every week on Thursday and cleans the entire house, places clean towels and hand towels for every bed, changes the bed sheet and bed cover and also cleans any utensils that are lying in the sink or are used.

After cleaning the frying pan, bowl, serving spoon and one plate I washed my hands and wiped it using a hand towel. It was time for some music, I unlocked my laptop and created a playlist to last for a couple of hours and came back to the kitchen.Then I took some wheat flour in the bowl enough to make four rotis, added 2 table spoon of curd, a small spoonful of jeera, red chilli powder and salt to taste. An Onion was cut into small pieces and was spread in the same bowl. I then took a glassful of warm water and added to the mixture, using a bigger spoon I mixed it to make a viscous paste like the dosa batter. I mixed the paste for sometime to make it uniform. I then mounted the frying pan on the gas stove and waited for it to become hot before spilling some ghee on it. The ghee melted soon and I spread it over the entire pan surface. I mixed the batter again before pouring it on the Pan. Subsequently I held the pan by the handle off the gas stove and dexterously moved my hand to spread the batter evenly on it. The Pan was replaced on the stove. The batter started to change its color from white to yellow cascading from the edge to the centre. It began to solidify starting from the edge gradually taking the same effect towards the centre. I made a way for the serving spoon to get under the Chila and then started loosening it from the pan surface. This needs some skill which I had developed over the past couple of months cooking dinner. The Chila came out intact and I flipped the surface so that it cooked evenly on both the sides. I flipped it a couple of times before placing it on the cleaned plate. I made 3 more Chilas, modus operandi still the same.I then settled on the Dining table and savored the self made food with pickle, Lays chips and curd. Neat.

After competing my dinner I placed all the used utensils in the sink and came and sat on the sofa.I flipped thru the channels for some time and finally gave up, I took out the pen drive from my bag and inserted it in one of the USB ports. I had to review some documents from offshore and rectify them. I got back to work and continued working till I was sleepy. The music volume was reduced to prevent losing that sleepy feeling. I copied all the updated documents back to the pen drive and left for my bed room. I realized I had not spoken a single word in the past 4 hours. I had no one to speak to once I was home, the same truth crossed my sleepy mind again, just that it did not turn me poignant anymore . Deewaron ke hi kaan hote hain (even walls have ears) but why bother about tht. I got up shutting down the laptop screen, came to the bedroom, threw my shirt on the adjoining bed, lied down and pulled that cover.