No winning with kids

"Oooh! Aunt Margoo", cried Liya more out of panic rather than excitement but Aunt Margo took it for the latter and beamed as she hugged her. Liya's reaction was out of panic because this surely was not the right time for a nosy guest like Aunt Margo, what with the family dealing with the nasty divorce proceedings of Jimmy. 

In their family just like all other families, even an insignificant news gets tossed about and made to bounce umpteen number of times until it loses all its sheen. There was no question that an exciting matter just as a divorce would lead to a test match rather than a 20-20. The topic would just never lose its sheen. Strange, a marriage doesn't generate such curiosity in people like a divorce does; maybe because it has a lot of space of speculation and rumour mongering. 

"I'm so happy that you came to visit after such a long time, Aunt Margo", Liya continued, trying to appear pleased, "but it's a pity momma had to go to run an errand", she said trying to appear apologetic. 

"No problem dear. I have come to stay for a few days", she announced, "Oh! Wait. Seems like you don't want me here".

Aunt Margo had that uncanny ability to embarrass the opposite person by pointing directly at their intentions. 

"Nooo! Why wouldn't I want you to stay here?", Liya under direct attack tried to hide her embarrassment, "This is your home as much as it is ours", she declared. 

Just then her six year old daughter Pia came rushing towards the guest room. Her face lit up upon seeing Aunt Margo. She was a favourite among kids as she would bribe them with delicacies to get little secrets out of them as they babbled precious jewels out of their mouths unaware of the damage they might have caused to their family. 

"Ah! My child. How are you and how's your grandma?", the first attempt was made at gathering information. 

"She's in the kitchen making donuts for all", Pia replied with all her innocence more than she was asked for, even as Liya signalled her not to, as Aunt Margo turned her sharp gaze upon her.

"Oh! Is she? When did she come back?", Liya's attempt at damage control turned weak as Pia replied, "When did she go out?". 

"You don't know. You were asleep", replied Liya. 

"But I ....." Pia's sentence was cut short midway as Liya shouted her down, "Just go and play with your toys. Stop bothering Aunt Margo", Pia walked away with a sullen face but the conversation seemed to have done the opposite of what Liya intended it to. If at all it only succeeded in raising Aunt Margo's suspicions of Liya's behaviour.

As she began to enter into the inner realms of the house, Aunt Margo commanded Liya to bring her luggage inside. There were two heavily packed travel bags waiting at the door to be pulled inside. It meant she was here not for some hours but some days. 

"Hey! Brenda". 

"Hiii Margo!"

"When did you come back from the market?"

"Market?", Liya's mother appeared puzzled, "I've never been to one today". 

Liya who just entered the living room tried to stop her but the arrow had been shot. 

"Uh-Huh! Your daughter here tried her best to send me back from the entrance itself", Aunt Margo took a jibe. 

"Come now. Why would she do that? WE all enjoy your jovial company", here was mother's attempt at damage control but Aunt Margo was adamant and mother had to relent.

"Oh! She's a little girl. What does she know?", mother replied.

"Little girl! She is not a little girl. She is the mother of a little girl", Aunt Margo appeared aghast at her mother's dismissiveness. 

"And now, where's my boy Jimmy? How is married life faring with him?", finally she had turned her attention toward something different but wait! This was a much more problematic thing. They had wanted to avoid that very conversation. Truth be told they were not even comfortable to discuss it among themselves. 

Aunt Margo continued her own tirade, "Where's his wife? That lovely little girl. What was her name?". 

"Who was she calling 'little' now? That witch who mentally tortured her brother and the entire family mercilessly?" Liya thought silently as she replied, "Eliza". 

"Yeah. Eliza. Where is she?"

"She went to her mother's house two days back", Liya promptly replied but immediately was cut short by Pia who replied,

"But she's been away for many many days mumma. The other day you were telling that she's gone for more than two months".

There was just no winning with kids. 

"Brenda! Is there a good news you haven't shared with us yet? Is your daughter in law pregnant?" inquired Aunt Margo. 

Only if it were true they would certainly have felt happy to divulge it to Aunt Margo who would then make sure it reached every nook and corner of the street and the whole of their extended family. 

But they were in the middle of a nasty divorce. Her brother had faced a lot of humiliation at the hands of that wicked woman who berated him at every opportunity she could. 

"No! She's not pregnant. She's just gone to her mother's place, that's all", Brenda replied. 

"Yeah, she went after having a huge fight with uncle Jimmy", it was Pia again. 

"No nothing of the sort happened", mother tried to cover up and addressing Pia she said, "Go and tidy up your play space. There are toys all over the floor. What if Aunt Margo trips on one?". There was a note of command in her voice.  

"Oh! On the contrary, it is the children who always speak the truth", now here was a universal truth being spoken by Aunt Margo. 

Caught red handed in the failed attempt to keep the secret under wraps, they had no choice but to divulge the truth. Hoping for the best reaction from her, Liya told her with much difficulty "Jimmy and Eliza are getting divorced".

A momentary wave of shock rose and fell across Aunt Margo's face and then a vicious smile which she made no attempt to hide. 

Indeed as they had thought, the news had spread like wildfire and each person came out with a different theory for the reason behind the divorce.