𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫

TWO

Date:26-02-2024

"Naaku ardam kanidi enti ante-" Maanav shut him in the middle with a glare. It wasn't new for them to talk about her but it had always been serene and special.

"Ikkada unnappudu thana peru asalu etthaka." He muttered though his gaze was fixed on the door. "Even doors have ears here." Maanav pointed towards the servant who knocked on the door and bought some morning snacks.

"Maanav babu, ela unnaru? Chala yellu ayindi mimmalni chusi." The latter asked him affectionately. Maanav passed him a wide smile and took the tray from him.

"Nenu bagane unna, meeru ela unnaru? Venkat ela chaduvuthunnadu?" The matters of the village always reached him at the end of the day by his friends here. Though none knew about his feelings for her. It was always hidden, for everyone and from everyone. A hidden but an open chapter of his life, Chaitra.

After a few minutes of conversation, the servant taking the tray and Chandu again started to use his absent brain. "Where did we stop? Haan, even the doors have ears here. What does that mean?"

"Simple, you should be careful uttering each and every word especially when it's them we are talking about." Chandu gave him a bombastic side eye. "Endukante ma Nanna kanipinchentha manchodu aithe kaadu."

"Looks can be deceived, maybe I got that from him. But he isn't what he shows so better have a check on your words before they slip out of your tongue." He warned Chandu and began to arrange his clothes in the wardrobe. Living alone, away from home, taught him to be self-dependent.

It was evening when Padmanabham and Prasanna, Maanav's parents came home after attending a wedding. The wedding was important as the people were related to the in-laws of their daughter so they couldn't drop it.

Maanav smiled at his father and hugged his mother. Though the father-son relationship was normal but there was an invisible line that grew up with the time and made it look curt and formal. Deep down, both can go to extreme levels to shield the other.

"Enti ra ila ayipev, asalu thintunnava?" The typical indian mother never says anything other than this. Maanav let out a chuckle and dragged her with him. "Arey aagu kaallu kadukovali." She chided and washed her feet followed by her husband.

The night passed with Maanav filling her ears with his hardships of studying law and worries about practicing it. Prasanna wasn't as literate as her son, in fact she wasn't literate in the first place. She was eighteen when she got married to her husband. But the common sense she was applauded by many people she came across.

If Maanav got the secrecy traits from his mother, then his thinking ability was from his mother. Her advice was always helpful for him and according to his father, it was the reason why his grandparents came to ask for her hand for Padmanabham.

The dinner was prepared alongside the long conversations. Chandu left for his room to have a nap while Maanav was still talking to his mother.

"Amma, Akka ela undi?"

"Thanu bagane undi. Mi bava mathram inka alane unnadu." She complained though it was a routine. He laughed at her, his brother-in-law was definitely a goal. He waited for his sister for a long six years so that she can complete her studies and achieve her dreams. Now, they're a happy couple with a cute little munchkin of 1 year.

･ᴗ･

"Amma, Naana chudu nannu edo criminal ni chusinattu chusthunnaru." Chaitra screamed from the living hall as it was audible to the whole people in the house.

Shanti came into the living hall with a spatula in her hand. It has been her weapon to tackle both the father and daughter easily. "Inka okka maata matladina, vaalle vanta chestharu." She thrusted the spatula onto the small square table and sat on the sofa.

Both Ranga Rao and Chaitra fell silent and zipped their mouth as none of them were ready to eat a disastrous meal for dinner.

"Nenu vanta chesi vache varaku ilage undandi." Shanti returned to kitchen after leaving the father-daughter alone for themselves.

Being cousins, Ranga Rao and Shanti were always an ideal couple to Chaitra. There wasn't any need of wordly respect but a heartful loyalty between them. She always wished to have a partner like her mother, someone who is patient enough to calm down her.

Chaitra looked at her father and quickly averted her gaze before he could make it up for something he didn't do yet. "Ellundu jathara undi kada, repu shopping ki veldam." He calmly cooed his daughter as the next thing would definitely steal this calmness around them. His daughter got his traits, fierce and fire. She would burn down the world rather be a part of something that she doesn't want to be.

"Edo theda ga undayya Ranga Rao!" She raised her eyebrows at him with a narrow gaze which he swiped off with a chuckle. A laugh to escape the situation, a laugh to procrastinate the calm.

"Amma, Savita pelli anta vache nela, ippude phone chesindi." Chaitra beamed in happiness which shortlisted as she grasped the look of her mother.

"Shanti, shantam." She tried, the keyword being tried though it didn't work.

"Andariki pellillu avthunnayi neeku thappa. Nuvvu emo magarayadu la roju podunne polaniki povadam. Eroju em ayindi ha? Neeku raanu raanu penkithanam ekkuva ayipothundi."

Chaitra murdered the veggies in her plate listening to her mother while her father cleared his throat. He looked at Shanti and his gaze fell on her.

"Chaitra, neeko sambandam vacchindi. Abbayi vallu ellundu sayamthram vastharu. Neeku nacchithe muhurthalu pettukundam." He continued eating as if he didn't drop a bomb in her life.

Proposal? For her? Damn! She didn't sell at least one of her paintings. It's just that she didn't have the heart to let go of them rather than cashing them.

"Nanna, nenu appude pelli chesukonu." She banged the table earning a glare from her mother.

Unfazed by her words, Ranga Rao placed an envelope beside her plate. "Indulo abbayi photo, konni details unnayi. Chudu, tharvatha em cheyyalo chuddam."

Washing his hands, he got up and left. Chaitra looked at the envelope for 30 seconds and continued her dinner. She wasn't that type of people who would cut short of resources to win their words.

She would rather scare away the groom than sitting in front of him pretending to be a shy person which she wasn't. "Okati saripodu ante malli inko problem na life lo!"

•••

To be continued.

Families? Parents?

One sided love?

Proposal?

Read. Vote. Comment. Share.

Till then. Namaste. Bye. Allah Hafiz.