It was March 11th. Anu's birthday. This year Anu and Tejas are here and so are Vinu and Jayashree. We are all awake till 12 a.m. in the morning. Anand had called two days back from USA and told me he will call Anu over phone and talk to her in between the meetings he will be attending in the conference in San Diago. Both me and my hubby were thinking he is attending the conference and were missing him.
After Lunch I was reading a book and the bell rang. Tejas ran to open it and shouts AH! and calls me saying some body is at the door. I go and see an young Sardarji telling me he is from Statistical Department. He gives me his id card and I come in to check the card, telling him that we are expats. (later I am criticized for using wrong English as there is not word expat and I should have said expatriates.). He walks in along with me and sits on the sofa. I am searching for my specs to see the card and I suddenly hear the Sardarji speak . The voice is so familiar. So I look up and keep looking and find out that behind the beard is my dear sonny Anand who has fooled me again. I shout Anand and call Anu to tell her that some body wants to see her without knowing that Vinu,Jayashree , Anu are all part of the game. Tejas emerges the winner as he recognized Anand in the very first moment while opening the door and smartly kept quiet when Anand signaled him to keep quiet.
Now it is my hubby dear's turn to get fooled, or should I say get surprised. Since I recognized his voice they decide that the conversation will be in Hindi.
Evening hubby dear comes home little earlier than expected and so Anand has to run to the second room, with his turban, false beard etc in hand . I am asked to take pa to the garden but I refuse as I can give away the secret by laughing. Anu keeps talking to him and once he goes to the other wash room, Anand runs outside Vinu following him with his coat, shoes, file, card, beard, turban etc etc.
The stage is all set now, I am hiding in the kitchen, Anu is sitting in a stategic position with a small camera in hand, and Jayashree is sitting in the sofa presumably reading a book. The bell goes for the second time in the day and now it is Vinu's turn to open the door. He ushers the Sardarji inside the house, shows him the sofa to sit comfortably. The man of the house, goes near him looking at him questionably. Sardarji e starts in his Hindi saying he is from statistical department . Unexpectedly pa sits next to the Sardarji watching carefully the false beard not knowing all this is being recorded in the video mode by Anu. Now the Sardarji says that according to his department only two people are allowed to live in this house, and he sees more people. Now pa has understood that this is a conman and wants to chuck him out of the house. He says talk to me in English , but the statistical officer (!) only talks to Vinu, who is explaining very calmly that they are all visiting and only two people live in the house in chaste Hindi. Now pa is really angry. He gets up and says 'young man i don't believe you please go out and come some other time' please leave'. He also tries talking in Hindi saying he is the owner of the house and asking him to talk to him. Not knowing how to proceed Sardarji turns to Tejas and says 'beta idhar aavo' (come here). All the while we are all able to see Anand laughing behind his thick beard. When pa sees that Tejas is moving towards him, he almost shouts , very angrily I say please get out. Anand can not hold on more and starts shouting 'balle balle' whole house is laughing but pa is yet to come out of his anger and is still saying get out. Now he realizes that the conman is his own Anand and now turns to Vinu to say that he should never allow strangers to come in so easily in side the house!!!
