Sweet Smiles, Silent Wars, Chapter 10

Grandfather’s sister lives on the outskirts of the city, and he’s made a plan to take all of us to her place this Saturday evening. He’s quite excited—not just about the visit, but about showing off his new car to his sister, and in full style.

Earlier this week, he asked Chacha ji to install a music system and buy new seat covers.
Granny asked, “Why seat covers?”
Grandfather replied, “To protect the original ones underneath—we need outer protection.”

Then she asked, “And why the music system?”
Grandfather said, “For long drives! It’ll be nice to hear some music. And anyway, it wasn’t expensive—I got a cheap one.”
(Of course, he didn’t. He got the best one available. But Granny wouldn’t know—she can’t read or write.)

Granny may be illiterate, but she’s no fool. She narrowed her eyes and muttered to herself, “My time will come too.”

Saturday Morning

Time felt like it was crawling in slow motion.
I lost all interest in television and playing.
How was I supposed to pass the time?

By lunch, my anxiety had reached its peak.
Mom said, “Have your lunch.”
“I’m not hungry,” I replied.
She said, “You’ll feel hungry later at your relative’s place.”
(She was probably right.)
“I won’t,” I insisted.

I turned to Grandfather. “When are we leaving?”

“Very soon,” he said.

Fifteen minutes passed. I asked again.

Grandfather, looking just as eager as we were, checked the clock and said, “It’s only 1 PM. Let the heat settle a bit. Maybe around 6 PM.”

(How is that very soon?)

I made my saddest face.

Grandfather, now rethinking things, added, “It takes an hour to reach, and with traffic maybe longer. I think we should leave by 5… or maybe 4:30.”
(Aha! Now he’s thinking like me.)

Everyone in the house was buzzing with excitement—everyone except Granny.
She wore her classic “not impressed” look. It was loud and clear: she wasn’t interested in the car, the visit, or the plan.
Worse, her expression hinted that Grandfather was in for a tough day.

I said to him, “I think the clock’s broken. It’s moving in slow motion today. Maybe the battery needs changing?”

Grandfather chuckled. He was glancing at the clock every few minutes himself.
He was dying to show off his new car to his sister, but doing his best to hide the excitement from Granny.
(She has a unique talent for popping balloons of joy.)

Every fifteen minutes, I went to him again.
“Should we get ready now? It’s been so long!”

Finally, he couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Let’s start getting ready,” he declared.

Granny, arms crossed, looked up. “It’s only 3 PM.”

Grandfather said, “Let them get ready—it takes time. The children are happy!”

But Granny wasn’t done. “We’re 13 people. We can’t fit in one car. We have to decide who’s going.”

Grandfather, trying to be clever, said, “Yes, yes… the kids are excited. We can’t leave them. Among the adults, maybe we skip Lata today—she takes two hours to get ready anyway.”

Granny shot back, “If Lata doesn’t go, I won’t either.”

Grandfather sighed. He knew then—we had no choice.

Then Granny turned to Papa. “Ram, you’ll have to look after the shop today. You drop out.”

Papa happily agreed. One problem solved.

Granny added, “And if Ram’s not going, then Janki can’t either.”

Mom’s face fell. She looked heartbroken.

Granny said to Chachi ji, “I know your husband is driving us, but if you come, Janki will feel bad. Better you stay home with her. Next time, we’ll take you both together. The rest of us can somehow squeeze into the car.”

Chachi ji and Mom looked heartbroken.
(Granny’s mission accomplished.)

Grandfather quickly stepped in.
“Whoever misses out today, I’ll take them to the children’s park tomorrow evening,”.

Chachi ji replied, “Thank you, but I’ve already promised to visit my sister tomorrow. I’m taking Saku with me.”

Granny frowned, “You can’t go.”

“Why not?” Chachi ji asked.

“Who’ll do your part of the housework tomorrow?”

“I’ll finish everything before I leave.”

Granny said it firmly, “Still, you can’t go.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m saying so.”

Chachi ji folded her arms, “Don’t tell me what to do. I will go.”

Granny’s voice got louder, “Don’t talk to me like that!”

At this point, the house atmosphere was boiling gently.

(Granny holds a PhD in Unreasonability, Mood-Killing, Cleverness, and Labeling. Truly multi-talented.)

Grandfather, handled the situation and softly said to granny,“My sister is eagerly waiting to see you. She’s got a special gift for you.”

Granny’s face changed instantly—suspicion mixed with curiosity.

“What gift?” she asked.

Grandfather smiled mysteriously, “You’ll see when we get there.”

Granny said, “Gift for me? But why?”

Grandfather replied, “For buying the new car, of course! You deserve it. Without your support, it wouldn’t have been possible.”
(Yes, evil is essential in every great story.)

Granny softened a little. “I don’t want any gift from anyone. I’ll just go and get ready.”

I asked Grandfather, “If we’re going today, does that mean I won’t get to go to the children’s park tomorrow?”

Grandfather said, “You? You’re a tiny little thing—we can squeeze you in anywhere. You’ll always accompany me.”
(Credit goes to Granny and Mom for raising a properly malnourished child.)

I was thrilled and wore my best frock.
(Recently, Aunt Lata had two suits stitched. Granny fought with the tailor for leftover fabric. That’s how my frock came into existence.)

At last, 5 p.m. arrived and we were ready. Chachi ji took the wheel, Grandfather sat in front, and Granny squeezed into the back with six children. Sonu took up most of the backseat—he’s built like a sofa. We were all in, waiting for Aunt Lata. And we kept waiting… and waiting…

It had been half an hour. The car, without AC, had turned into a sauna. Our excitement was evaporating along with our patience.

I thought surely Aunt Lata would feel guilty for making us wait. But no. She finally emerged—walking toward the car as if time itself was on pause.

Grandfather snapped, “It’s been an hour! We’re melting in this car and you don’t care about anyone’s time!”

Aunt Lata replied coolly, “I never asked you to wait in the car. You could’ve waited inside.”

Grandfather tried to reason, “We told you to be ready by 4:30. Now it’s 5:30.”

Aunt responded sweetly, “What could I do? I left all my chores and rushed!”

(How grateful we are!) 

Everyone in the family knows what her ‘chores’ are—
Washing hands: 15 minutes.
Toilet: half an hour.
Washing hands again: 15 minutes.
Combing hair: half an hour.
One more round of hand-washing: 15 minutes.
Changing clothes: 1 hour.

As soon as the car hit the road, I found my lost energy again. Surprisingly, it was a pretty comfortable ride. (one over the other)

The music was on, the mood was light, and we were just beginning to enjoy the drive when Granny cleared her throat.

She leaned forward and said to Chacha ji, “Slow down the music… slower… more… more…”
Chacha ji, without a word, switched it off.

(And just like that, the silence was hijacked).

Granny declared, “Your wife doesn’t behave properly with me. This attitude of hers—it won’t work.”
(Granny was worried that she left her two daughter-law behind alone at home, they must be criticising her. And she now want to do some damage control) 

Uncle, while driving, said gently, “She just wanted to visit her sister. What’s the issue?”

Granny snapped, “Ah! So now you’re on her side. This is exactly what happens when boys get married—they stop respecting their parents and become slaves to their wives. Your wife doesn’t like me, and you don’t even care.”

Chacha ji tried to reason, “It’s not like that. She just wanted to visit her sister. That’s all.”

Granny raised her voice a notch. “I never stopped her! All I wanted was for her to discuss it with me. She didn’t even bother to ask! And now you’re defending her? I never expected this from you. Have you forgotten how I raised you? The struggles we went through when we moved to this city? We had nothing—but I worked day and night, sacrificed everything. This property, this comfort you’re enjoying—it’s all because of me.”

At this, Grandfather turned to look at Granny.

Granny corrected herself softly, “Our sacrifice.”

Chacha ji said, “Please don’t make it a big deal now.”

Granny snapped, “You’ve forgotten how to talk to your mother. This is clearly your wife’s influence.”

Uncle replied, “She hasn’t said a word against you. In fact, she always supports you and the family.”

Granny scoffed, “Of course, you only see what she does for you. I’m the one saving every single penny for your future—does that not count?”
(Nobody’s getting anything, that’s for sure.)

Uncle said, “Yes, Mom, you’ve done a lot. And we serve you with all our heart and respect.”

Granny shot back, “If she really respected me, she would’ve asked me before planning her visit. And you—you should have told her to take my permission first. She’s an outsider, but you’re my son. You’ve disrespected me by taking her side.”

Uncle was beginning to lose patience.

Uncle said, “She’s not going to a party or a club, she’s just visiting her sister!”

Granny replied, “Well, even if she wanted to go to a club, go ahead—go together!”

She turned to Grandfather and said, “Just look at him—arguing with me like this. You won’t say a word? I have no value in this house. Everyone wants to walk over me.”

Grandfather said to Uncle, “Please be quiet and focus on driving.”
(We don’t want to die on our first family trip.)

Uncle fell silent.

Granny, sensing victory. Her words had to be the last.

Granny declared, “With this kind of attitude, I will not let you or your family stay with us.”

Uncle’s face turned red.

Granny leaned toward Grandfather and whispered coldly, “We have to think about separating them. They won’t get a single thing from us. Let them live on their own.”

Grandfather, for once, spoke firmly, “Stop it now. Let him drive in peace.”

Granny turned away, visibly upset.

And so, the ride continued—with silence thick in the air.
The cold war had officially begun.

Awkward silence in the car, it was better when they were fighting. Grandfather looked anxious – visiting his sister in his new car and everyone in a bad mood. 

To distract myself, I invented a game that needed only me: how long I could hold my breath while counting the light poles as we passed them.

At first, I barely managed two. But soon, I reached five, then seven, then ten. It became my secret joy.

When we arrived, grandfather’s sister was waiting outside. Grandfather and his sister were trilled to meet each other. Granny did not like it. She was standing cold. (Excitement killer)

Grandfather’ sister welcomed him with a warm hug, and congratulated him on the new car. Grandfather’s sister handed a gift to Granny.

Granny accepted it without a smile.

Taya ji, the son of grandfather’s sister, didn’t look pleased either. His eyes quickly scanning the vehicle. We had one now. He didn’t.

Taya ji stood behind, arms crossed, face unreadable. He didn’t utter a word of praise for the car. Chacha ji noticed it immediately. “Hmph,” he muttered under his breath. The message was clear. Someone didn’t like the spotlight shifting.

Trying to lighten the mood, Grandfather turned to Granny and said,
“Open the gift—let’s see what your loving sister-in-law has brought you.”

Granny remained quiet.
Grandfather said, “Let me open it for you.”
She handed him the gift silently, as if it didn’t matter. But we children were thrilled—curious to see what was inside.

It turned out to be a delicate decoration for the car. Grandfather smiled, full of gratitude, and thanked his sister warmly. Then he asked my uncle to fix it on the dashboard.

Grandfather’s sister, full of hospitality, took us inside and told her daughter-in-law to prepare special snacks for everyone and sent her son to bring sweets from the market.

Grandfather loves his sister. The common conversation between them is politics, economics, world news, spiritually…….No…..  Grandfather often complains about granny and her Hitler rule at home. His sister hears him out with interest and attention. She also complains about her son and daughter-in-law.

What he often shares with her are complaints about Granny and her “Hitler rule” at home. His sister listens with interest, even delight. She joins in too, venting about her own son and daughter-in-law.

Granny secretly can’t stand her.
On the other side, Grandfather’s sister’s son—our Taya Ji—also secretly dislikes Granny. Yet, every time they meet, they exchange the sweetest greetings and polite smiles.
How do adults do that? How do they act so opposite?
It must be an art.

Taya Ji, though he was a money saver yet he spends well on his family and maintains a good lifestyle.

Taiji, his wife, is warm-hearted and an excellent cook. She made delicious snacks—hot pakoras fresh from the kitchen.
We devoured them like starving jackals.

Taya Ji didn’t seem too happy with our wild enthusiasm.
(And honestly, who would be?)

He walked into the kitchen and shot a look at his wife—a silent message: Don’t make more.
But she ignored it. We were all raving about her snacks, and her face glowed with quiet pride.
Taya Ji looked displeased. He didn’t say anything, but he’d surely bring it up later.

I wished Mom could cook like her.
(Though Mom has her reasons: “I have to cook for thirteen people,” she says. “And your Granny likes everything bland.”)

I’ve asked Granny before, “We earn more money than Taya Ji, yet he has the best of everything—a good lifestyle, great quality stuff. Why do we live like this?”

Granny always has the same answer: “He has a small family to take care of. I manage a household of thirteen.”
(But what about our two businesses and six earning members?)
Either Granny is a genius at convincing people… or we’re all just easy to fool.
I think it’s the second one.

On the way back home, sitting in the car, Chacha Ji muttered, “Taya Ji looked so jealous today. Did you see his face the entire time?”

Granny jumped in, “Exactly! I told you, he can’t stand our success.”

Grandfather nodded in agreement.

And just like that, everyone found something to bond over—
criticizing Taya Ji.
We became one big happy family again.
(For now.)