' Hurry up, dear they will be here any minute' her mother urges her to get up from the floor.
Suru rubbed her nose and got up she walked inside the house while removing colour from her hands.
'Wait' just then her mother stopped her.
Taking a part of her Sari that the mother was wearing she wiped some colour from suru's face.
'Mom' Suru said while moving her head sideways to remove the mother's hand acting a little spoiled. She was cautious not to touch her with her coloured hands.
'Go' her mother gestures her to go inside.
'go now' her mother then send her in fast and went out to pick up the newspaper just outside the gate.
Suru reached the hall of her house. A simple elegantly decorated house. She passed through the cleaned red couch and white drawer shelves on the left. Her father was praying in front of the little house temple. He move around the incense stick in his right hand while ringing the bell with his left.
Suru joined her hand in front of the temple standing behind her father to pay respect and then enters the room on her right where her sister was combing her hair. She closed the room's door to get dressed.
'The paper has come?' the father asked as he turn back holding some fresh banana leaves after finishing his prayers.
He sorted out the leaves and walked towards the front door where mother was.
'The boy's family are coming from the US' she said while passing him the paper.
'What if they don't like the home made food' she said looking down with a worried look on her face while the father was busy sorting out the leaves besides her.
'So? What?' the father turned his face towards her asking with a stern face which made the mother a little intimidated.
'So.... should we order some diet coke?' she said suggesting him timidly.
Father kept his stern face and turn back to look at the leaves.
'You can bring instant food in this house, When I am dead!' the father said in a dead serious voice while keeping the stern face as he kept checking the house around with his eyes.
The man downstairs was listening to the conversation between the married couple upstairs and was surprised a little by the man's reply. He looked up towards the floor above him though he couldn't see them he was imagining all sorts of figure that could fit the man.
'Understand?' the father said
'okay...leave it...sorry' the mother apologized
Then he passed the bundle of banana leaves to her in the front gate where they were standing.
'Serve the house guests on fresh banana leaves*' he said while passing the leaves to her then
He started putting out those dried leaves decoration from the door
'like we do at home'
'they will appreciate it' he said
Note:- *In southern part of India it's an old tradition to serve food on big Banana leaves on special occasions.