Love Circum-fended

𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭

Aadhira and Janaki done with their fifth round of audition are heading towards the exit of the studio.

Janaki: I'm very nervous for the next round.

Aadhira: Me too. Looks like we have to practice a lot for the next round.

Janaki: Yeah, everyone will come well prepared since it is the last round of auditions.

Aadhira: True... Have you decided the song?

Janaki: I have chosen two songs, will have to choose the best out of the two.

Aadhira: Hmm... I have to ask my brother about it. He is the one who always chooses songs for me.

Janaki: Oh... I wish I had a brother like yours.

Aadhira: Why, you have a sister right? Won't she choose for you?

Janaki: No, she hates songs. Nothing serious and all, maybe she is not interested in them.

Aadhira: Hmm... Even my father doesn't like songs.

Janaki: Really? Then how did you choose singing?

Aadhira looks down gloomily. She sees her best-friend coming to save her. She signals her best-friend to come fast.

Aadhira's best-friend: Hey, how much time should I wait for you? Can't you walk faster?

Aadhira (smiles sheepishly) : Sorry ma... (silently) Stop overacting now, we have to escape...

Her best-friend understands her problem and thinks of an idea.

Aadhira best-friend: Come it is getting late for the bus we have to leave. Bye Janaki!

Aadhira (acts) :  Oh yeah ! Bye Janu, bye !

Both of them run to the end of the street.

Aadhira's best-friend (mockingly): What happened, why were you in such a hurry to escape from your Jaaanu? 

Aadhira: She started a topic about my father-the-great...

Aadhira's best-friend: Tell me the truth, you only started right?

Aadhira looks away in awkwardness. 

Aadhira's best-friend (laughing) : Now don't try to make up a lie. By the way, I wanted to ask you about something.

Aadhira: What is it?

Aadhira's best-friend: Umm... never mind I'll ask you later.

Aadhira stares derisively and walks away.

At Anjana's hostel

Anjana is lying on her bed reading a book just for the sake of finishing it. Their office had given them a day-off. She was really tired from looking at the computer continuously for two days and looking after the arrangement of registration forms single-handedly. Her eyes half-closed reading the book, suddenly widened hearing a ringtone. She reaches out to her phone. She gets tensed seeing the name of the person calling. She attends the call hesitantly.

Anjana (tentatively): Hello...

Chithra: Hello Anjana, what is this ma?

Anjana: Hi, Chithra Aunty... How are you?

Chithra: Leave all that. Where have you been? I have been trying to contact you from yesterday. Why aren't you attending my calls?

Anjana: Sorry aunty, I was a little busy yesterday. How is Madhi uncle?

Chithra: He is fine.. When will you be...

Anjana: Ah.. aunty I am having a slight fever. Can I talk to you later?

Chithra: Anjana, understand my situation you...

Anjana: Aunty, I'm getting a call from office. I'll talk to you later. Sorry aunty, bye. Please tell uncle that I inquired about him.

Anjana cuts the call swiftly and switches off her phone. She checks the calender.

Anjana: Its still 15th of August only... and I'm short of money again...

She sighs and returns to finishing the book again.

Chithra: Madhi, look at her she has not been talking to us properly after June.

Madhi: What do we do... we shouldn't have trusted her. Look at how she is denying now.

Chithra: Hmm... 

Madhi: Don't worry, we'll find a way out.

Chithra: I wish. And... we will have to visit ABC Nursery School next week I guess.

Madhi: Is it for that sapling planting activity?

Chithra: Yes. The principal spoke to me about it last month. They specifically wanted Environmental NGOs like us to organize an event for environmental awareness among kids. Did you arrange the saplings and agenda for the event?

Madhi: No I didn't. You had asked Grace to do it.

Chithra: Oh... yes. Let me make a call to her.

Chithra calls Grace. 

Grace, a woman in her fifties was getting her son's lunch ready.

Grace's son: Ma, I am getting late. Bye.

Grace (shouts) : Dei, take your lunch.

Grace looks at him from the kitchen's window faltering with his office files. She hands over his lunch-bag to him.

Grace: Here, you forgot your bag.

Grace's son : Thanks ma. We have an inspection today at office. We will go out somewhere after I come back, okay? 

Grace: Okay da. 

Grace's son: Bye ma.

Grace: Bye da.

She hears her phone ringing and goes inside the kitchen.

Grace: What is it Chithra, you have called this early in the morning?

Chithra: Nothing serious, we have to visit ABC School next week right... So I wanted to take a look at the event agenda. Can you visit our house now?

Grace: Yeah sure, I have it ready. I'll be there in half-an-hour, I didn't have breakfast yet.

Chithra: No hurries, finish your breakfast. I'll inform the other members about the following list of events we have to organize and attend the following week in the meanwhile. 

Grace: Okay Chithra, bye.

Grace dresses up quickly and has her breakfast. She reaches Chithra's and Madhi's house.

When she is about to enter, something catches her attention. It was a newspaper.  Annoyed, she tears a column of the newspaper, rolls it and throws it into the garbage bin outside their house. She enters their house.

The garbage collector arrives at their house and empties the garbage bin. On top of the pile of garbage lied the torn newspaper bit which had the photo of a person with his name "Amaran" written on the bottom end of his photo.

TO BE CONTINUED