Junior Vocab
Anya's Tooth Trouble
Anya: "Ow, my tooth hurts when I bite this murukku."
Rohan: "Then don’t bite! Just lick the masala like this."
Amma: "You two, chew slowly. Anya, is it still hurting?"
Anya: "Yes, Amma. It’s like a tiny drum is beating in my tooth."
Rohan: "Maybe I can fix it. I’ll be the Tooth Doctor and use my pencil."
Amma: "Arre, no pencils in mouths! We’ll go to the dentist after school."
Rohan: "But I can do it! I watch dentist videos with Appa."
Anya: "You also watch dog videos. That doesn’t make you a dog."
Rohan: "I’m serious, Anya. Open your mouth, say ‘aaah’."
Amma: "Rohan, the dentist is a specialist. That’s their only job all day."
Rohan: "But I have many jobs! I’m a cricketer, an artist, a magician—"
Anya: "And a murukku stealer."
Rohan: "Exactly. So why can’t I be a tooth specialist also?"
Amma: "Because a specialist studies one thing for a long, long time."
Rohan: "Like… how Paati knows every spice in the sambar without looking?"
Amma: "Yes, Paati is a sambar specialist."
Anya: "And you’re a scolding specialist, Amma."
Ammaspecialist right now. Come, brush before we go.": "Very funny. I’m a brushing-teeth
Rohanspecialist.": "Fine. I’ll be a toothpaste-squeezing
Anya: "I just want a not-hurting-tooth specialist."
Rohan: "That’s the dentist. The real specialist."
Amma: "Exactly. After school, we’ll visit the tooth specialist and your drum tooth will be quiet."
Anya: "Okay. Till then, I’ll be a soft-idli-eating specialist."