Kadhalin Niram

Steel Blue...

The next day Kathir woke up to what he feared might be the worst day of his life since the marriage fiasco. First it was the blinding headache that woke him up fully, as though hammers were pounding against his temple. Flashes of last night's events were coming back to him in bits and pieces, in a foggy haze. He propped himself up from the cold hard floor, slowly, groaning out loud. He looked around in trepidation, to see Mullai in her most angriest state glaring daggers at her...

But he turned around to find an empty room, her paai was neatly stacked away. He was on his side of the room. It was as if nothing had transpired last night, and Kathir wanted to really hope that he had come in and just gone to sleep. but his brain was very adamant in making sure this hope burned away with memories of the night before. He groaned as he clutched his head again in pain.

He looked up to see the clock, and found the hazy vision, to come together.. seven thirty five..

"Ahyioo, enna evlo neram thoongitom! Inniki nala iruku annan kittenthu, odra kathiru.." he scrambled up into action.

Mullai stifled yet another yawn, blinking back the water in her eyes it caused. Last night had been more or less a sleepless one. After Kathir had passed out on the floor, spreading mat clumsily a mile away, she waited to hear soft snores to make sure he really was knocked out to take the mat roll it back placed it on the other side of the room. She had fallen back into her own mat, and tried to fall asleep.

But sleep had eluded her... She could still hear the sniffling, and tears he had shed. The reasons he had pointed out.. It all made so much sense to her. But what made her go sleepless was the cruelty of her ill thought actions. Of course, she and her mother had jumped off the bandwagon and ridiculed him for the way he was, because he was out of the norm. But she never thought about the painstaking measures he had to go through. Who wouldn't be serious and grumpy all the time, if he was subjected to ridicule for the heavy work he does for his family, all year long?

She spent the whole night, thinking back to every terrible thing her mother, or her friends or even she had said to him, during the course of his life. and that thought made her veins go numb with dread. Steel Blue... icy, cold and lifeless colour.

God, she turned to face him, and saw how he had curled up like a child, having the moonlight be sprayed across him. Of course, he hated her... A part of her hated herself too, for being that rude to someone...

"Anni!" Kanna pulled her out of her day dream, "Tea kothichi kothichiye aviya poidum pola, pothum off pannunga!" he said, but did it for her.

Mullai turned to get the cups, "Sorry da etho yosanaila.." she muttered.

"Hmm, etho ungaluku innum commerce exam iruku maari la moonja yum nu vetchu irukinga.." He asked helping her pour the tea, "Nyayama naantha sogama irukanum, inniki accounts half yearly.." he pouted, making her crack a smile.

"Accounts ka ivlo bayam... sappa matteru, exam eppo lunch apram na na lunch la nee veetuku varapo mudijatha revise panalam.." Mullai gave him a boost. Kanna's eyes instantly brightened. he was about to say something when raised noises from the hall reached them.

Kanna immediately strode to take a look while Mullai followed a minute later after rearranging the cups into a serving tray. She came out of the corridor, her stomach churning at the sight. Kathir standing in front of Moorthy with his hands tied at the back , humbly and eyes downcast, taking all the yelling , Moorthy was throwing at him, in a calm stride.

Jeeva and Meena looked absolutely out of place wondering why the quiet brother was getting all the yelling for a change. Dhanam was looking from her husband to Kathir, with restlessly entwined hands, taking a steady break to calm her husband. Kanna tensed up at once and Mullai knew why. He never liked it when Kathir was the one in trouble. Mullai looked around at the family all, of them being a silent spectator and no one, actually stepping in to mediate it into a better discussion.

All her guilt snowballed into anger. The steely blue got darker and murkier, so much so that it almost made her retch.

"Enna da nenachituirukuravan! Enga kekka aalu illa nu nenchitiya! Unna nambithane, antha ponnu katti kuduthu irukaga, ippidi pannitu vanthu nina, enna bathil solluvan na? Avanga athai mama, enna pullaiya valathu vetchurinkinga nu keta, enna solrathu na!" Moorthy went off on his own track not allowing anyone else to jump in to save him. and for some reason Mullai couldn't stand to see Kathir with his head hung low, for something she was also responsible for...

Without even realizing she stepped in, and walked closer. "Enna pazhakam da ithu-" Moorthy stopped abruptly as Mullai came into his eyeline, behind Kathir. Before Moorthy could speak up, Mullai did, "Namma veetu vishayatha yaaru vanthu keppa mama?", she voiced clutching the tray tightly for strength.

Kathir whose eyes were only for the floor, was well beyond surprise at her intervention. So surprised, that he couldn't help but turn to her side a little but not as to fully face her. Even the tiniest of acknowledgements from him made her flush red in warmth. "Itha pathi ini pessa venam mama, tea eduthukonga... soodu arida pothu." she shut the topic, extending the tray to a dumbfounded Moorthy and an even surprised looking Dhanam next to him.

Heated silence ensued as Dhanam and Meena left the brother's to it. Kathir's gaze fixed on the back of her figure as she extended the tray to Jeeva who didn't know what to feel, happy that she was being amicable to him or surprised that she hadn't thrown the tea in his face. He took the tea cup with a meek 'Thanks pa' and she came back close to where Kathir stood, facing Kanna.

She could feel his eyes on her and her insides danced. maybe if he wasn't looking at her like he was a detective, staring down a suspect, she would have extended the tray to him directly. But her guilt and the heat of his look, didn't really help her case. So she called out for Kanna, and almost dumped the tray on him and fled the scene.

Kathir's eyes followed her and fell back on the tray to find two cups of tea. One for Kanna.

And the other for him...

"Eduthuko ne.." Kanna extended the tray, as Jeeva came in closer. Kathir eyes his favourite drink steaming seductively up at him, and his ego pulled him back.

"Na kekalaiye.." he muttered and betrayed his love, Kannan rolled his eyes at Jeeva.

"Yelai, inga vera yaar iruka..Unnaku than eduthuko," Jeeva rationed with his brother, and Kathir shook his head slightly. Kanna took the cup and gave it to Kathir forcefully, "Pudi nae.."

Jeeva examined his brother as he took a grudging sip from the cup. They had few mouthfuls of the delicious cardamom tea, that Kathir hated that it tasted so good. "Kathiru.." Jeeva called him out, "Nee kudukura aale illaye da yen da nethu kudicha?", he asked, no accusatory tone, but in genuine concern.

Kathir didn't know how to answer that. How was he supposed to accept that he was hurt because her friends proded on his insecurities? That was too much guilt for Jeeva who was already on that ship. So he bit back the truth. "Onnume illa, vidu nae", he said derisively.

"Sandai pointagala da?" he asked again,

"Ama podranga, ivlo naala pessunathey illa, nee vera...," Kathir finished his tea and bent to place it on the floor next to him. When he came back up, he was met with his astounded looks on his brother's faces. If Jeeva had felt that he should pry on their life more and kept mum, Kanna made no such decision.

"Ethu pessave matingala?", he almost yelled, and Jeeva scorned at him to be quite, but turned to kathir,

"Dai, Pessama eppdi da.." he questioned, utterly confused on how the most talkative girl he had ever met had breathed without talking to her husband.

But her husband didn't seem to find that weird at all, "Ithu ku munnadi pota sandai lam pathatha? Innum vera podanuma? Vidu nae silla vishayangala, eppdidi na eppidi than irukum..", He said and walked out, unceremoniously..

Kanna moved forward to stop Kathir, but Jeeva held him, and shook his head "Vidu, seri agidum, avangala pessi thithupanga.." he advised a sorrowed Kanna...