Appidi podu, podu, podu...

All that hysterical yelling and screeching was cruelly jolting me awake. Whyyyyy this utter disregard for my dreamworld?! Ok, whose vocal chords were so touched?!!
It turns out that my maid (who shall henceforth be referred to decently as Janaki) was making her presence felt. No, she doesn’t live with us like in some more prosperous homes.
… (Aside)
I had once heard a silver-spoon-still-in-mouth-at-16-years-of-age friend drawl, "Bahaduuuuur, paani lao" from a bedroom right next to the kitchen, where all the water she needed to drink was. 12-year-old Bahadur would stumble over himself to bring a glass of water placed neatly on a little sliver tray (probably kept in the drawer marked ‘Water Trays’ in the ahead-of-the-times modular kitchen). He wouldn’t ever take his eyes off the floor, except maybe to look at how much Tendulkar had scored. My friend would set the half finished glass of water aside, and after 10 minutes, when she reached for it again, it wouldn’t be there. Bahadur. As invisible as can be. Just doing his work and blending back into the walls.
...
And here was Janaki bringing the roof down with her bellowing.
At that decibel level, it was hard to make out what she was so happy about. Some glasses of water were handed to her, a chair softly slipped under her legs and a little prodding of her knees to get her to sit down. (all the while, I was playing Distracter Uncompare, making eye contact with Janaki. Believe me, it isn’t so easy when the subject is non-stationary).
Once she sat down, she brought out this bundle of what looked like cake, and said, "Happy Barthaday!!" with some remnants of the high pitch.
WHAT?? Oh no. Had I forgotten my mother’s birthday?? What a shameless, ungrateful, cold, compassionless daughter I was!!
Just as I was mentally scripting the most eloquent apology speech, amma said very sweetly, "Happy birthday to you, Janaki." And the girl who was just unabashedly calling upon the whole neighbourhood with her hysterics was now blushing a deep maroon.
It turns out that it indeed was Janaki’s 19th birthday. And she had been reminding me about it incessantly only for the last three days. Major guilt trip. Quick salvaging required.
In about 10 minutes, her little cake was beautifully redecorated with some powdered sugar, some chocolate syrup and 19 birthday candles (On finding those still lying around, amma threw a look at dad, her expression triumphantly saying, "So NOW look how things we don’t EVER throw away come in handy..")
We all sang "Happy bird-day toooo youuu" very tunefully (it’s a family of AIR singers, you see…), with some classical intonations and Janaki cut the cake amid applause (ok. Not applause. Clapping by 3 sets of hands. Technicalities!)

Me: So what are you going to do today?
Janaki: I will see Gilli with my friends. (For those you thought "huh?", Gilli is the super-duper-hit tamil movie starring dappankoothu-doing Vijay. Will explain dappankoothu another day)
Me: Oh, which theatre?
Janaki: Che! Theatre?! We will bring CD… (Shove THAT in the face of the chaps on TV who say ‘Don’t buy pirated tapes. Watch movies in the theatre.")
Me: Ok, you want holiday… ?
This digging of grave, which meant her being stuck with all the housework, could not be tolerated by amma. She shot some 15 arrows (of all types shown in DD’s Mahabharath) at me with one sharp look. I shut up and turned my attention back to Janaki.
She was so thrilled about her barthaday. And amma was especially happy to see her madness. She had seen Janaki sell her gold earrings to pay her brother’s school fees some days ago. Amma had decided to do something about it. Something that involved going back to that pawnbroker when Janaki wasn’t around.
The best part of the morning? Listening to Janaki go about her work singing "appidi podu, podu, podu..." (also a tamil song starring Vijay) and finishing off every line with "happy bird-day"(remixed version).
 
Disclaimer: This is not an attempt to weave a heart-rending sad tale for a short story telling competition. It's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me god.  :)