Gowrigaatha - A love story [Completed](The story of Gowri)

2. Anand

Gowri had warmed up to the stay in Kaniyankara. She enjoyed playing with Malathi's baby and herself got babied by her doting aunts. Her uncles and grandfather constantly called her to their side and talked to her. The detachment and morose feeling she had was quickly erased and she became talkative, even a bit sassy with the others. Every day, the marriage broker would come to their home and give details of new alliances, most of which her grandfather Keshavanunni would reject.

"I don't think these alliances are suitable for you", he said to Gowri.

"Why don't you trust me or Achan (father) to find a good groom for me?" she asked him playfully. Only she knew that she did not want to get married.

"That's because you are too young to judge character and family, and your father has got good business skills, but family and personal skills, he isn't that good" he said shaking his head. He was a man in his 80s, of medium height, and a dark skin tone that shone in sunlight.

"Achacha (grandfather), you just called both of us idiots", whined Gowri.

"You both are my idiots", said Keshavanunni and kissed on her forehead. He missed his only granddaughter a lot, she would get close to everyone quickly as compared to his grandsons. Since her father lived in the city, she rarely stayed at the ancestral home for more than two days at any time and he missed pampering her. When he got to know that her examinations were over and that it will take time for her to join her job, he immediately told his son to send her to him so that they could find a suitable match for her.

"Where are you going now?" he asked as she jumped up from her seat with a book in hand.

"Don't you know I had joined the local library, I am getting some books from there", she said as she gave a quick kiss to her grandfather and ran out. 

"This girl! One second she will be moody and quiet, in the next second she will put the house upside down", said Keshavanunni to himself as he watched her skip out of the front gate.

The library wasn't too far from the house. She just had to cross the fields, a grassy plot and get to the road and walk until the junction. Books had recently become her best friends, rather out of necessity. The internet was at the best patchy in the village and the TV was only switched on for news or soaps that she hated. Gowri happily skipped the way looking at the scenic beauty of the rolling landscape afar. Finally she reached the grassy plot, where a break in the mud wall connected it to the main road and it took a while for her to realize that a jeep was parked on the side of the wall. Vasudev was leaning against the driver's side and drinking water from a bottle while Anand was on phone. Five days have passed since she saw them at the temple.

Gowri froze for a second seeing them and quickly decided to cross the road to the other side, but before that she was stopped by Vasudev.

"You are from Kalarikkal, right?" he asked her.

"Yes", she replied stiffly.

"Where does your family stay?" he asked her.

"Kaloor, in Cochin", she replied, his gaze seemed to travel from her head to toe making her uncomfortable.

"Go" Anand said out of the blue from behind them, he motioned towards the direction she was heading. She didn't need to be told twice and immediately walked away.

"Etta (elder brother), since when do you stop girls on the road and ask unnecessary questions? Its embarrassing that Achachan does it" said Anand barely containing his irritation.

"And since when have you started questioning me?" Vasudev's eyebrows were raised in curiosity.

Anand merely glanced at his cousin brother and went back to the passenger seat. He had noticed the book in Gowri's hand, it had the seal of the local library.