Who are you?

The third chapter of Speechless Speech.

While walking through the stairs of the flat, Mathangi made herself to speak against her family for her speechless Jerom. How cute of her! Any sister like Jerom would wish for such a ‘best friend’, a lovable sister. Till the date, she hadn’t questioned her family or even opened her mouth to talk against her father, grandmother, brother or step-mother. But she didn’t like tears falling from her Jerom’s eyes.

 

Mind filled with thoughts, Mathangi tried to knock at the door which was already opened. Right before her, was her thirteen year old brother, Sukhil whose nose had been accidentally knocked off by the thoughtful sister. He was purple with rage and his round black eyes were radiating his anger. Mathangi looked at him, a peaceful look saying sorry for her silliness and she went in.

 

When she entered the parlor, the ones around her were her father, Xavier and step-mother, Rossania. They both stood ready t fight with her. The sudden question she had to answer was, “Who are you?”Anyone who reads this won’t understand what Xavier meant. But Mathangi could build up the whole sentence from these three words.  He meant who she was to care about Jerom. With an undutiful smile, she turned to her ‘mother’ who was always with her from her mother’s death or maybe far before that day. Rossania had been Sukhil’s class teacher and had once taught Jerom and Mathu. She had been an excellent teacher and led the role of a spokesperson of Jeromia in her school-days. There was a good relationship between Jerom and Rossania. That was when Devaki, Sreedevi’s mother and Jerom’s grandmother advised Xavier to marry Rossania who would prove a good mother to Jeromia and Mathangi. Owing to continues compelling, Xavier had to tie knot with Rossania, only for his children who were just in their teenage.

 

Sreedevi, the most amazing mother, wife and child passed away when Jeromia and Mathangi were still babies. It had been a suicide, the worst history which the Xavier family would like to forget.

 

Mathangi pretended as if she had nothing to talk to her papa. “Amma, I…” she began to give her piece of mind, “I don’t know how you paved the way for a wild guess that I came to talk for Jerom. ‘Am her sister and now… her only helping hand. You know her from her birth. Our Jerom is, unfortunately a dumb and partially deaf girl and we’re the only people who are there to stand beside her.” Without letting her complete, Xavier began from where she stopped, “Yes, we are the only ones who can save her. Are you stubborn? How do you think of a dumb girl being a journalist? Will she earn a job? She has a good future. Let her look into it and choose another career.” Mathangi didn’t know how to win over her father.