Pappan was a person who lived by doing various businesses. It will do nicely for six months and by then the papanat will be tired. It will end by saying no better. So the darkness came when one finally escaped from the thatched roof. After two people succumbed to their deaths after eating Alfam and Shawarma, the food safety officers of the Food Safety Department woke up and closed many hotels. With that, Pappan, who was making a living by selling tea and snacks in front of the office only in the evening, was afraid to open the shop. In the evening, the regulars came looking for papa’s Uhunuwada, rice cake and tea. But when they came to know that Pappan’s mobile tea shop was not open that day, they returned disappointed one by one. The shop which used to sell 50 glasses of tea and more than 100 bites has been closed for two days. As the shopkeepers did not open en masse, the regulars and other new people came, but Pappan did not have the courage to make anything.
I was afraid that I would have to do the work done during Corona again by taking what was in hand. That day, Papa was driving a borrowed autorickshaw. In the evening, the boss should be paid exactly. The remaining rupees can be taken as your own. If any human comes out, get into the auto. In the end, when he could not even get enough money to pay the boss, Pappan took the autorickshaw boss back. When he was starving for two or three days, he planned to commit theft. So he started with small thefts and got the knack of committing big and big thefts. Houses will be monitored during the day. After a thorough study for a week, the house without climbing will be fixed. Pappan shared with his friend the interesting experience of a house he entered. It was like this.
Philip was a wealthy business magnate in the colony. Wife Thankamma. Children are living abroad as a family. Before the lockdown started, both of them used to go to the club, play cards, hit two or three pegs, come and sleep. During the lockdown period, as both of them could not go out, after saying the family prayer, two or three pegs would be put inside and they would eat the chicken and chapati prepared by the maid and go to sleep. Pappan learned from his staff that the two of them would drink more than usual on Saturday nights. Because the employees have been given a holiday on Sunday. Pappan had already realized that it was 11 a.m. to pick up the newspaper lying in front of the house on Sunday. So Papa decided to enter that house on Saturday night. It’s midnight. Dad entered the house. The bedroom is not locked from the inside. Both have a good night’s sleep. As the key was in the cupboard itself, the cash and gold were quickly brought in a bag and placed in one place.
It was then that the rhythmic snoring of the two was seen and heard. After a while, the sounds of murder came from both ends of the vast double-decker. After looking at it for a while, Papa himself started laughing. Realizing that two of them will not wake up even if the crackers burst, when they go to the dining room, there are well-fried chicken legs on the table. He took the plate and took a handful of chapati and three chicken legs. Sitting on the table, Shivaz took a full drink from Regal’s bottle. Papan, who was used to drinking only pattacharaya, understood this very well. And when I opened the fridge, there were fruits and cakes that I had never eaten in my life. He also ate more than enough. After putting a bottle inside, Pappan realizes that ‘Shiva’s Regal’ is not a retail person. Can’t even walk a step. The whole earth revolves. Papan again reached the couple’s bedroom in search of the bag in which the gold and money were kept. To say that he fell on that bed ‘potho’ is half the story. In no time, papa started snoring louder than them. Philip at the far end of the bed, Thangamma in the middle, then Papa. All three continued to snort competitively.
Papa woke up at 6 am. Then Thankamma’s leg was outside of Papa’s. When papa slowly moved Thangamma’s leg, Thangamma grunted. “Sleep there, man, it’s not too late, isn’t it Sunday, let’s sleep for a while longer.” God! Papa Trishangu is in heaven. After 15 minutes, Pappan made one more attempt to separate his leg. The effort was successful anyway. Got up and ran out of that house with his life. When he came out, he remembered that he had forgotten to take the bag where he kept the money and gold. Then thought, it doesn’t matter, gold and money can be stolen from somewhere else if not today or tomorrow. But that sumptuous food and foreign liquor taken from the fridge, cake, cherries, apples, almonds and nuts, ho! Its sweetness and comfort is still a warm memory. And if you are sleeping, take the coldness of the AC on the new mattress. Except for the difficulty of getting Thankamma’s leg replaced when she regained consciousness, all the rest are beautiful memories. Papa kept thinking again and again whether it was a dream or the truth.
All this uproar is over and now the shop can be opened? Papan used to sell everything at 5:00 p.m. if the shop opened at 3:30 p.m. He has sold only good quality goods till now. No one was left to die. Apart from some petty thefts due to bad behavior, that too was stopped immediately after getting the government kit. But who to tell all this? Who will listen?
Content Summary: Malayalam Short Story ‘Decent Pappan’ written by Mary Josy Malayil