hot buttered toast and chutney

In the mad rush of peak hour traffic,I happened for a split second to look to my right and it set off a series of memories.It instantly brought to mind hot buttered toast and tomato chutney.A not so common combination but thats the memory attached to that place.
Its a set of government quarters set in a sprawling estate on haddows road.My elder sister had a friend who lived there and as I was a constant appendage to the elder sister,there I was visiting.As a child I loved these outings,for the simple reason that I always had a hungry look and most people would bring out a snack or two when I was around.I loved the tangy chutney which always showed up and in the mango season there was always juicy mangoes.
The reason for being in that house is really far more interesting.Like always one memory led to another.
Our school always had a Christmas play and my role was always that of one of the three kings or of some Chinese merchant from far away land,(thanks to having slit eyes)so a lot of rehearsals and make up had to be done and being children the teachers insisted we be there the whole day.It was my sisters responsibility to escort me to all this and as she was in a college close to the venue she had to make sure I got to the place on time and was looked after and not left alone otherwiseso.
My sister obviously had other plans and babysitting was not one of them so instead of taking me to rehearsals,she took me to college,got a group of her friends together and they plotted and planned as to what they were to do with me.One of the girls suggested they smuggle me into the literature class for a lecture.So there I was being warned of dire consequences by a bunch of college girls and given strict instructions not to make a noise and not to ask any questions(like I knew what to ask).
The class went off well,being rather small the lecturer didn't notice me in the backbench until almost to then end and the girls were ready for that.A sob story about how the poor child mother was ill and they had no choice but to get me there was all said and accepted.Of course after that everyone and her aunt wanted to give me sweets and chocolates so I wasn't complaining.When we were through with class one of the girls decided to take me home which is how the toast and chutney happened.
I continues to visit that girl as the house had loads of play areas and her mother always had interesting food.My home was always well stocked but the grass like they say is always greener on the other side.
The years spent being appendage to elder sister were always eventful and fun and long forgotten memories crop up at odd times like they did today because for me Madras is full of memories and every corner tells a story.