THE NEIGHBOURS

 

Itha Chandraiah

 

The bus came to a screeching halt at the colony.  Veerender, alighting from the bus smiles the smile of a man who managed to get a job without the influence of anyone.  He took all the articles from the bus and moved to help his wife Sundari, for he was like putty in her hands.

 

“Did you see how I had forced my father to part with a colour T.V. this Sankrathri festival?”  Sundari said rolling her eyes.

 

Deepa and Krishna Kumar, the fruit of their ten year old married life, raced towards their house delightedly.  Putting down their luggage, they unlocked the door and opened it.

 

In the colony, the well-built houses, with lawns, were located apart from one another.  When he had come here two years ago, Veerender made up his mind not to vacate this house till he was transferred to another place.  He went to his office, while his wife to her Mahila Society and the children to their school. His wife hated to make friends with the neighbours for fear of being annoyed by their borrowings of this or that.  She had no concern other than to accumulate wealth with four hands.

 

Entering the house, they looked at each other’s face in surprise.  They ran in and out of the rooms several times. Almirahs, suitcases, gas stove and all other things were found missing. The house was empty…..looked swept up!  Veerender took out his pocket diary to check the number of the house.  No doubt, it was their house.  He was nonplussed.  He began sweating.  He felt the earth reeling before his eyes.

 

“This is our house…..” said Veerender, his face mournful.  “Alas! who took away all our things!” Sundari cried beating her chest.  Her mind ceased working for a while.

 

“Mummy! Where are my books?” the nine year-old Deepa said angrily.

“Where is my bicycle, dad?”  The seven year old, Krishnakumar began crying.

 

Coming out of the shock after fifteen minutes, Veerender plodded down to enquire a far-off neighbour about the incident at his house.

 

“Where did you shift your family?” the neighbour asked, smiling. For Veerender, it was nothing but rubbing salt into the wounds.  The neighbour offered him a chair.

 

“We didn’t vacate the house at all”, he said sinking into the chair.

 

The neighbour’s wife stood there with her finger on her nose. “Was he not your brother who came the day before yesterday and vacated the house?” said the neighbour’s wife, disbelievingly.

 

“I don’t have any brother,” Veerender burst out crying.  The neighbours stood as if shocked.  When Veerender walked back to his house, the neighbour said, “It doesn’t matter, even if one is a great engineer.  If one keeps his distance from the neighbours, this is the result.  Alas! We didn’t see the house being burgled in the broad day light.  We thought the thief was their brother.” The neighbour’s wife pressed her cheeks remorsefully.

 

Tr. from the original (Telugu)Irugu Porugu – Iruvadi Maillu By Dr.D.Satyanarayana, Lecturer in English

 

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