Alan and Anusha... our names were pronounced together by our parents because one walked beside the other. He brought up the idea of marriage first and I did not accept or deny. Well if he wanted it so badly, what could I say. I was seated on the steps when he waddled across the road from where his home stood. He sat beside me, he knew I was grieved about the lost cake. Then he planted an unexpected kiss on my right cheek and asked"Anusha will you be my wife?".
I remember telling him to wipe my cheek where he had kissed because he had stained the kiss with his running nose. Alan had a running nose six days a week I think. He hesitated but finally agreed to use his handkerchief which his grandfather had brought from Paris. So it was one evening, after he found me sad that a crow had flicked my evening cake that he proposed to me. Well he was not shy, he was committed and serious unlike me... I was still obsessed with the nasty crow and my lost cake. Of course I loved my cake more. Still when he repeated,"shall we marry, will you be my wife?", I did not think it a bad idea. And so Alan and me agreed to be man and wife, he looking at me and me looking the sky for the crow and the lost cake.
So next morning I heard my dad answer the door. I had forgotten my companion had wanted to go to the church with me. I was attacking a plate of eggs and I was too committed to my breakfast. I heard my dad say"hello" to him. And pat came Alan's serious reply, " I came to meet Anusha". My mother invited him to join us at the table and I was fast counting the remaining eggs. Alan was wearing his Sunday church suit and my mother asked him, " So you wanted to visit your friend on sunday". His reply sent my mother guffawing and my dad too almost laughed, " No. Anusha is my wife". I was busy eating my eggs faster lest they be given to the guest
I dealt a blow to his hand and was vaguely aware of my mother's hard pinch on my upper arm. We took our break up outside the door. Alan killed the wife in me as he told me" You are my wife so you must keep all the food for me" I stared at him in disbelief while he continued" I have heard my dad say. My mother will wait till my dad finishes his chicken". That was dead end..I lost control and told him" I don't want to be your wife. I want my chicken for myself" He stood silent for a few minutes, then said"ok, then we are divorced" I asked him "What is divorce?" He looked down at his shiny black shoes and said" It means you have the chicken all to yourself" .
I felt such relief in my heart and gave him a quick hug of gratitude.
He was a gentleman, stepped back and that is when I noticed besides a running nose he also had running eyes. He told me through teary eyes," So i will inform my mother you are not my wife anymore". I added, " So I can have all the chicken to myself". He walked away. the next day he didn't speak to me at the playschool but when I fell off the see saw, he came near and said "We can still be married and you can have all the chicken"
