Chameleon

I am changing the blog look once again, since my bro tells me that some of his friends found it was difficult to read on the light grey background.
This time, the change was achieved courtesy V, who has a much better sense of colour and order than me. Though unfamiliar with the blog terrain, once he got down to it he got very interested and gave me a satisfactory color combo. I must get him to sketch something for the header.
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Meanwhile the maid is acclimatising well. She is a typical old-world type from Kerala - chews betel leaf at least 5 times a day and wears a lungi-blouse-towel combo after an initial attempt to survive the Chennai weather in synthetic saris. The kids initially found her attire strange, and insisted that she wear something else but have now got used to her.
They get along well with her and she relishes their company too. Only, once I reach home Mira changes colour. "I like only Amma, enikku ammame ishtamalla," with a stress on the last word. But the moment I leave for work, she tells the lady: "I like you a lot!"
She continues to be a tomboy and a terror at home but outside, she is quiet and well-behaved. To the teacher's "Good Morning Miriam" in the morning when she reaches school, she replies with a salute and not a word. The teacher assures me she mingles well with the other children.

Just last week, Deepa, my co-worker, whose daughter also happens to go to the same school, came over to me in the canteen.
"I just had to tell you this. It was my daughter's birthday and we cut a cake in school. Your daughter ate her share so neatly with a spoon, while all the other children made a mess of themselves. And then she ran off to play. My mom [a doctor], wanted to know who that lil girl was."
I am surprised. She expects one of us to feed her at home. Tantrums are meant for the home turf.