There was not a drop of rain in Anjar village. Still, villagers were unconcerned and enjoyed the last few remaining days of summer.
Aachman was not so lucky. Kari, Aachman's father, was a workaholic, who cannot sit idle for even a few days. If he were born in the modern era, he would probably work unpaid overtime at his job all the time.
Aachman and Aabha carried coconuts from the farm and piled them up in their house.
Kari looked at it and asked, "Is that all available on the farm?”
"Yes, we picked up all the ripened coconuts," Aabha replied. Since he was bigger than Aachman, he offered to climb up and pluck coconuts off the trees. Aachman's job was to collect all the coconuts dropped to the ground.
Both brothers were tired and sprawled on the veranda because they worked under the scorching sun and made many trips between the farm and the house.
"Ok, it is time for me to work," Kari said eagerly. Aachman was not pleased with his father's attitude towards work. It was an almost borderline masochist. Unfortunately, Aachman's elder brother did not feel the same. Aabha felt his father was cool.
When Kari saw his eldest son looking at him with stars in his eyes, he stretched and twist his lithe upper body to show off in front of his sons. It created the intended effect partially while his youngest son looked at him with disgust, which wounded him almost.
"Hey, bring a bill hook machete. I will show you how to split the coconut shell properly?" Kari said boisterously to his sons. Unfortunately, both were tapped out and twitched, but could not summon the energy to fetch the bill hook machete.
Bhumi, who was sitting calmly until now and enjoying the antics of her husband and sons, fetched the bill-hook machete. "Kari, leave the boys alone. They are too tired to move".
Bhumi gave an affectionate look to the boys as she handed over the bill hook.
"Bhumi! Why did you bring a bill hook machete?" Kari said in a startled tone. "Place it on the floor. I will take it afterwards.”
Aachman felt curious, and his father was acting suspiciously. "Father, why did you not take it from mother's hand."
"Don't tell me you are practising untouchability* with mom," Aachman accused his father.
Bhumi gave a wounded look to her husband.
"Ah, what do you know? you are still a child."
"Tell us, father," Aabha chimed.
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"If you receive a weapon or tool used for a destructive purpose from your close family members, it will bring us bad luck."
Bhumi asked anxiously, "Who told you this? "
"Priest recently visited the village chief's house. He enlightened us about proper behaviours between family members."
Kari threw his hand over her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, "We avoided bad luck". Bhumi became shy and moved because of the concern showered by her husband.
"Hmm," Bhumi said in a low voice.
Aachman looked at his parents going into their own world. Aabha, the elder brother, was staring at the ground with a red face.
"Not this again!," Aachman exclaimed.
"Father, did you not ask us to bring a bill hook machete? What about our bad luck?" Aachman said accusingly.
Kari woke up from his reverie, and his brain was still not working at an optimum rate. "Well, if it is you, boys, nothing will happen."
"Mom!" Aachman shouted.
"Mom, the father is not concerned about our well-being."
Bhumi looked disappointed at her husband's shallowness and moved away from him.
"Bhumi, it is not that. It won't work on young guys," Kari improvised the lie on the fly.
"Mom, the father is lying," Aabha said in a pained voice.
Aachman looked at his elder brother with surprise. How much stress piled up for him to turn up on his ideal father? Aachman pitied his elder brother.
Earlier romantic comedy vibe was fully dispelled and dark clouds surrounded the house.
"Bhumi, my beautiful wife." But said beautiful wife gave a cold shoulder to her husband and went back to cooking.
Aachman and Aabha looked at each other. They conversed without words and understood each other well. They patted each other back to say as if saying, ‘job well done'.
Kari went back to peeling coconut shells, but, unlike before, he was not showing off but taking his anger on poor coconuts with savage slashes.
Aabha felt sorry for his father. He looked at his younger brother to remedy this situation. Aachman relented after seeing his elder brother's innocent look. He whispered the plan to his elder brother.
Aabha's expression became brightened, and he fantasized about mending his father's and mother's relationship. Aabha requested his mother to give him a few cooked rice grains and approached the dad and explained the plan. Kari's face was jubilant to fulfil the plan. He mashed the rice particles into a thick glue-like substance.
Kari ran for his wife to offer the glue as a symbol of peace, but his wife, Bhumi, stared at him coldly. She ignored her husband and went to fetch a bill hook machete.
Kari's instinct honed to perfection sensed the danger, like any other experienced housebroken husband, and he retreated, but it was already too late. Chase was already on.
Aabha was confused why the plan did not work. What happened a few moments earlier was when Aabha was hatching a plan with his father. A five-year-old boy approached his mom.
"Mom, please do not accept father's glue made from rice as a symbol of peace."
"Why?" Bhumi questioned her younger son.
"Because it has more insidious meaning. Glue actually meant to stick your mouth together."
"No way, Kari would not do that," Bhumi rejected vehemently.
On this day, Aabha learnt the joy of watching Tom and Jerry. Their father twisted, jumped and evaded the bill hook, all while he pleaded and cajoled his disgruntled wife.
Aachman was disappointed that there was no popcorn in ancient India.