Siva laughed at him loud enough to make Karunakar puzzled and even mad. Karunakar looked at him and "what do you mean? Why are everyone behaving like this?" asked in frustration. Oormila "Aparna, you're absolutely correct about your brother not remembering his own birthday." told as she looked at Aparna and laughed looking at Karunakar who's still looking clueless. Karunakar countenance changed from clueless, surprised to bashful, at himself for not remembering it. Subhadra "your sister asked all of us not to mention anything about your birthday and even made a bet if you can remember it or not." giggled while explaining these to her son. Karunakar looked at Siva and Oormila alternatively "bet? What did you bet on?" he asked them. Oormila "that you wouldn't remember definitely." she said that nonchalantly. Siva "same.", Karunakar face turned towards krishna as if she's his last hope "Krishna bet on the same too." Siva added with a smug. Karunakar looked utterly defeated and "you people are too mean. It's always you remembering my birthday so I never felt a need to remember it. Now you are playing with me.." he sulked at all of them, went into the kitchen passing Aparna, Krishna and Oormila, to drink water. Subhadra "hahaha, don't you want butter, then I may give it to others...." she talked as if she would give it away if he continued to sulk. Krishna "aunt, don't be so harsh on him. We know how much he likes it." she pleaded Subhadra. Karunakar face lit up at the word butter and beamed even more as Krishna supported him.
"Mother, then butter I brought it to you in the morning is for myself?" he asked dubiously. Aparna "then who else is crazy enough to eat a pot of butter which can't be finished even when four of us are combined." she said it sarcastically, handing the pot to him. Karunakar went ahead and sat on the cot at the corner took a portion of butter with his hand and hummed as he put it in his mouth "mother, and all of you, this taste even better than the one from the morning. I'll be generous a little and can spare you a bite each if you want." he said that as if he's doing them a huge favor. Siva laughed at him, "we don't need anything, you just eat it." replied him as he walked towards him, sat beside him and opened his mouth wide open infront of him as if asking to feed him butter. Karunakar grinned and put a bite into his mouth,Siva hummed "it's really, really, really soft!!!!" he exclaimed. Karunakar looked proud as if he's the one who made that "isn't it?" took another bite. Aparna sat down on the ground beside her brother while placing her elbow on his knee, "brother, for me too." opened her mouth as Siva's. Karunakar fed her and Oormila too sat beside Siva's knee,"me too." Siva fed her with a generous bite. "Woaah. It's really soft. It's just aunt Padma ,aunt Kasthuri and aunt Vanajakshi when it comes to making butter. No one can surpass them."praised the culinary skills of those three. Subhadra "Krishna, why aren't you joining them?" asked her in a low voice while poking her arm with her elbow. "Aunt, just looking at them is making me feel like I know how delicious that butter is. And you know that I can't eat that like them." Krishna replied looking at her friends enjoying butter..."Krishna..." Oormila called her while patting the floor gesturing her to sit next to her. Krishna smiled a little and looked at Subhadra with a content smile as she walked towards them and sat beside Oormila. Subadhra went into the kitchen to make necessary arrangements which are left.
"Karunakar, get up, we'll keep this cot aside and sit on the mat with them." asked as he got up from the cot. Karunakar got up from the cot with the pot held with both of his hands tightly. Siva put aside the cot and Aparna spread the mat, everyone sat on it, Aparna "Krishna, do you wanna have a taste of it? It's really melting on the tongue." shared her review excitedly. Krishna "I d...." before she could talk, Karunakar fed her a meager amount of butter. Krishna just swallowed it. "Brother", "Karunakaraa ", "Karunakar".... Aparna, Siva and Oormila called him simultaneously. Karunakar "Krishna Priya , sorry, I forgot you disliked it, but it's too good to leave you alone as we enjoy it." he said that feeding himself. Siva almost face palmed. Krishna chuckled "oh it really melted!" she exclaimed. They breath a sigh of relief. "You enjoy the remaining. I can just sit with you and enjoy myself watching you appreciating it." Krishna told as he looked at all of them one by one. Aparna nodded and "brother, it's entirely yours now as we took our bites. Enjoy it to your hearts content. We don't know when mother will be generous enough to give you a full pot." teased her brother. Karunakar nodded "I'll eat it later after taking one last bite.." took a bite,...."one last bite.." took another handful of butter...."this is definitely the last one..." took another two handfuls..."this is last. I promise." took another handful. Everyone looked at him like it's normal for him to behave like that."that's why she told you to enjoy that and not to put it aside." Oormila complained to Karunakar who's still nibbling his fingers for the remnant butter shreds.
Everyone laughed and Karunakar got up to hang the pot on a sling. Subhadra "Aparna and Krishna, come and help me set the dishes, Oormila you take this knife and get the banana leaves from the yard, Siva and Karunakar spread the mats and get some fruits from the garden." she assigned everyone with the tasks and they all did what they're told. Siva spread the mats while Karunakar went and brought custard apples and bananas, Oormila brought banana leaves after she cut them and washed thoroughly, meanwhile Aparna, Subhadra and Krishna brought the dishes and sat on the mats spread. They ate while chatting and finished their meals with banana. They got up and walked to the cot in the yard and lied down beside each other for a while, and went to their respective homes after taking leave from Subhadra and Obulesu who arrived while they're resting and thanked them for the food. Aparna and Subhadra went into the house and Obulesu "Karunakar, did Aparna say anything after that?" he asked curiously. Karunakar "no father, I'm thinking of asking her tomorrow again." he replied. Obulesu nodded and "don't force her if she doesn't like it. I can convince them in one way or the other." he said. Karunakar nodded "okay father, I'm thinking of that too. " he replied. "Do you mean, you know she'll somehow reject it?" Obulesu asked. Karunakar eyes widened at the question and started mentally searching for the best answer to avoid his gather for now. "Father,..I.." he stuttered and continued...