Karthika Ammama's Last Quiz

Etched in Charu's mind were images of her grandmother's best friend, Karthika Nambiar and her old villa. Scratching her head, Charu tried hard to recall the villa. It looked similar to the villa in the photograph. She had always called her, Ammama, which had sometimes irritated her own real grandmother. 'I am your grandmother, do not forget that,' she would often yell in protest. As if she ever could. Grandma had reared her, been her confidante, and a supportive pillar of strength. However, her best friend, Karthika Ammama, had been just something else. Unbidden, memories had just come back like the cascading waters of the Cheeyappara Falls that she had visited on a school field trip. Karthika Ammama loved solving jigsaw puzzles, playing games, dancing in the first monsoon rains, cooking up a storm in the large kitchen…so many memories had come back. Now she had died. Gone forever! Memories knifed through the heart, leaving her without a goodbye. Gone!

Devouring Ammama's mouth-watering Errisery served with Appam, Charu had once innocently remarked, 'Ammama, what makes you most happy?' Never at a loss for words, Karthika Ammama had promptly replied, 'Why, cooking for you of course and building a puzzle for you girls which you could never ever solve. That would keep you both out of trouble. Eating and solving the world's hardest puzzle.' By the words, 'you girls', she had referred to her own granddaughter, Aadya, who had been Charu's best friend. Had, yes, that was the operative word. For just before they were to graduate from high school, Aadya stole Charu's then boyfriend Dino. Oh, Dino. His lithe athletic frame swathed in a lime green shirt with camel brown trousers had always sent her heart racing. His karaoke in a baritone voice had made her go mad with passion. She had loved him with all her heart till the moment she had caught them locked in an embrace kissing and hugging each other. The cheats! Betrayed by Aadya and Dino, Charu had lashed out at them both in anger. Keeping a stony silence they had just linked their hands together and walked away. No explanation, no denial, no nothing. As if she was a piece of garbage to be tossed into the bin of a forgotten past.

Recalling the spat with Aadya many days later in Karthika Ammama's home, Charu's brow wrinkled up in anger. Still seething within her, the anger had prevented Charu from reaching out to Aadya even when she had had an accident in Australia. At the time, an immature Charu had thought, 'Good. She deserves this. I hope I never set my eyes again on that boyfriend stealer. Best friend indeed!'

Her attention turned again to the photograph in her hand. The unmistakable neat rows of the garden surrounding the villa seemed so familiar. 'Is this, or is it not Karthika Ammama's villa?' she wondered. The hotel marked 'ABxxx' seemed familiar too. Running down to the small room where her grandmother kept a writing desk, she rummaged through the drawers. Her hurried movements belied her impassive face. A thousand emotions were surfacing in her heart. Pulling out the Yellow Pages phone directory, Charu thumbed through the entries under the character 'A'. Yes, there it was – Hotel Abyss – the witness to the many long evenings spent dancing and talking to Dino. They had met almost daily in the hotel, choosing to sit at the table in the far corner where the shadows of the dimly lit lights hardly reached….

Pushing aside the thoughts, those silent tormentors of a beautiful time gone by, Charu snapped shut the phone book. The code – what was this code? Was this Karthika Ammama's last quiz, the hardest of them all had she had often professed. Was this the quiz she hoped her two granddaughters – Aadya and she, Charu would together solve burying their hatchet so to speak.

Before she had left for the US, Karthika Ammama had visited her. Pressing a tiny seashell broach into her hands, she had said, 'I know you are very annoyed with Aadya. I don't blame you my dear. Betrayal is very hard, especially for someone as pure-hearted as you. Aadya has left this place choosing to elope with this fellow, Dino. I was also very angry with her. But, my dear, we must forgive to be able to heal our wounds. Maybe not now, but years later, I do hope you and Aadya will reconcile your differences, patch up, and become the best friends you always were. Best of luck for your new course in US my child. I will be waiting here with your favourite Errisery and Appam when you return.' Then she had kissed Charu's head and placed her wrinkled hands on her hands mouthing a silent 'God Bless You' with her barely moving lips. But, she had also cheated me, Charu now thought. She had not waited. Just two months ago, one day Karthika Amamma had quietly left the world in her typical fashion. No tears, no recriminations, no tirade against the world as she battled the last stage of a cancer no one knew of. Silently she left everyone. Like Aadya, she too had cheated me, Charu thought wiping away the stray tear that left her eye and rolled down her cheek.

Turning her attention once again to the photograph in her slightly trembling hand, Charu schooled herself lest she let emotions get the better of her. Father would have laughed at her if he saw her now. 'Look at yourself. Still a child, in so many ways you are. Sentimental fool! Get a grip over yourself. Past is dead. I knew you'd rush back here in no time. Silly girl! You should never have left,' he would have mocked her.

The path shown from the Hotel Abyss to Home was definitely the one to Ammama's villa. It had to be. But, why would she put this in a book. What if she had not bought this book? How could the puzzle be solved? Then she would have missed these cryptic clues, right? It was necessary to get in touch with Sheryl Varghese. She would know this code, wouldn't she? The only problem was, now with Ammama gone and her own grandmother too ill to even communicate, who would tell her where Sheryl had gone for all the letters she had written while in the US to Sheryl's address had returned marked 'Undelivered'. So where was Sheryl? Was she even alive?

 Author's Note - If you liked this story, read my published Book - The Folks Who Hope (a collection of poems) that feature the Fortitude, Hopes and Dreams of the Common Man. Available on Amazon and Flipkart