Mullai was cursing her stars for this pickle she was in
Amma appo sonnappave kettu irukkanum...thala paadaa adichukkittaanga..samayal kathukka solli..kettiya..unakku venum..
Oh it was not like Mullai did not know anything..she knew the basics alright..but certainly not enough to pull off a luncheon for the entire family all alone
Again she knew if she asked Dhanam would help..but she didn't want that..she wanted to do this responsibility of hers well..she didn't want to give Kathir any new reason to regret marrying her
Her shoulders slumped..why did everything have to be about him..she didn't realise it..but their relationship had long before transcended friendship amd moved to a space where the love they had for each other was not spoken about but was very much there ..
Had theirs been a normal marriage she might not have worried so much..but now she was desperate to impress him..do him proud in front of his family..like he had chosen to marry a girl who was fitting to be his wife
She turned and looked at her man then
Sathyama Naalaikku sothappal thaan..innum 2-3 varushathula naanum Meena mathiriye thaan thalaiya thonga potru ukkaara poren she lamented
She tried to concentrate on the video..but frankly the confidence she felt when she started an hour back had dwindled considerably
The content of the videos was going above her head
Aiyo...ippudi maattikkittene she was lamenting
And that's when she heard his laughter over and above the headset she was wearing..through which the lady in the video was droning on
And she jumped out of her skin
All tousled haired and droopy eyed there he sat laughing his head off
Her first reaction even then was how handsome he looked while laughing like this
She removed her headset drinking in that site
Ey...enna pandra
Ahn athu onnum mukkiyamaanathu ille..
Oh athe thaan ippudi raa vidiya raa vidiya thookkatha keduthu paarkkuriya
Ille athu ..athu vanthu enakku romba ellam samaikka theriyaathu
Samaikka theriyaamaa..atheppudi avvalavu thairiyama full alangaarathoda manamedaikku vantha..he ribbed her
But the moment he spoke he bit his tongue
But Mullai smiled ..a wan smile
Kalyanathukku appuram velai seyyarthu thaan plan..munname sollitten anthamma kitte..she scowled at the memory
Avanga kitta pesinappo ellam avanga ippudi thaan nu theriyaleya
Ille..romba inimaya pesuvaanga..samayal kooda ennaala mudinja varaikkum naan seyyaren..appuram kooda samayalukku aal pottukkalaamnu sonnaanga
Hmm seri vidu..sorry athu naan yosikkaama kettutten..kashtamaa iruntha mannichudu
Mullai again smiled but said nothing
Kathir had his own reasons to bring this topic up..
He felt the more this incident was flushed out of her system the more open she will be to the next relationship..he wanted to help her spend all the toxicity of that incident out
Aaga motham samayal theriyathu he grinned
Summa oru rendu perukku..oru rasam kaai appudi manage pannuven but intha spread and for an entire family ellam no way..evvalavu pannanum..ethu jaasthi ethu kammi..soru evvalavu vadikkanum nenaichaale I am stumped
Saappaadu rasichu saappidra..appuram eppudi seyya kathukkaama vitta
Amma samayal nee sappthathu illiye athu vera level..avanga aasaiya samaichu poduvaanga..naanum vanjanaiye illaama saappiduven
Nalla Puriyuthu...amaam nee paarkkurathu namma type samayal thaanaa
Appudina
Sutham athuve theriyaathaa
Sambhar na sambhar thaane ...ithulla enna namma type namma type ille nnu
Chettinad samayalngarthu oru thani cooking thaane ...podura masala..use pandra ingredients ellaame konjam different ah irukkum la..nee paarkkura video antha lady paartha kekkanum thonichu
Acho appo Ithu varaikkum paarthathu ellam waste ah
Ellame ivangalodathu thaan paarthiya
Amaam..ezhuthi ellam vechu irukken..romba azhagha ithana perukku ivvalavu podanum...ivvalavu neram varukkanum kothikkanum ellame sooper ah soldraanga...neraiya cooking tips vera...enna mathiri first time cook ku etha mathiri..athaan..Ippo first lernthu aarambikkanum..thoongina mathiri thaan ponga
Naan onnu sollattuma..nethamum thaan namma saappaadu saappidrom...naalaikku oru naal vithiyaasamaa saapdalaam...enna ippo
Appudiya soldreenga...mathavangalukku pudikkalenna
Pudikkaama ellam irukkathu..vithiyaasam unarntha kooda solla maattaanga..appudiye sonnaalum ithu eppovum pola vithiyaasam ah nalla irukku nnu thaan solluvaanga..brothers naanga rusi vida pasi kku thaan jaasthi saapdarathe...Meena anni yum Kannanum food nu vanthutta paara paksham paarkkaama veluthu kattuvaanga..vaayaara pugazhuvaanga...amma mostly kanji antha mathiri thaan...so ithu konjama taste pannuvaanga maybe ...anni enna solla..nee kevalamaa onnu senjaalume romba nalla irukku nnu paaraattuvaanga..saappaadu mattum ille...ethuvaa irunthalum
Athai kku kanji veikka akka kitta irunthu kathukkanum..mothal velaiya atha seiyyanum
Naan solli tharen he said his voice quite low..
Neengala
Amaam naan thaan
Theriyuma..
Romba nalla...in fact ammakku yen kanji romba pudikkum..
Appudiya..nejamaavaa
Hey nejamaa nambu...
Hmm seri seri
Both realised almost at the same time that they were talking normally like the friends they had been once
And just like that the awkwardness crept in
Athu laptop light la thookkam kettuducha..sorry
He looked at her not saying anything as she proceeded to shut the laptop down
Mullai
Hmm
Oru varusham kazhichu nadakkarthu nadakkattum...but athu nammalukk ulla irukkara chinna vayasulernthu valartha friendship maathaathu...purushan pondaatti ya vaazha ishtam illaama irukkalaam..piriyalaam..but appovum nee enga irunthalum nalla irukkanumnu thaan yosippen..eppo naalum unakku onnunna nee en kitta sollalaam
Hmm seri.
Athu naan kekkarthu unakku puriyutha theriyale..aanaa naan solla varathu ithu thaan...namma yen intha one year ah friends ah kazhikka koodathu..innikku mathiyam kooda naan unna sangada padutha yosikkala..romba neramaa uyaram ettaama thavicha..athaan uthavi pannalaam nu..oru varusham thaan namma sernthu irukka porom na atha jolly ah santhoshama nalla friends ah spend pannalaam..bitterness vendaam..of course ithu yen opinion mattum thaan..nee yosichu sollu..force ethum ille
She smiled at him her wide open friendly smile..
Ithulla yosikka enna irukku...enakku santhosham thaan...un kooda irukkara friendship enakku romba pudikkum...so friends...and she offered her hand out for a shake...
He took the proferred hand and shook it
Ippo padu...naalaikku rendu perum samaichu asathalaam
Neeyum en kooda samaippiyaa...athai ethaachum solla poraanga
Athellam onnum solla maattaanga..namma pannalaam..
Hmm oru pathu nimisham..innum onne onnu mattum baakki irukku..athu mattum paarthudaren please
Hmm seri...paaru...naan poi oru tea pottuttu varen...unakku venumaa..
Ille venaam
Hmm seri...naan itho varen
He came back in 10 mts..with a piping hot cuppa...
Mullai was a sucker for a nicely brewed cup of hot beverage...to her coffee tea it didn't matter
And the smell wafting from this one..unmistakably a Masala tea..
Azhaga ketta pothu venum solli iruntha..ippo intha kashtam thevaiya..she sat thinking
Kathir sat sipping the beverage..sip by sip..the soft slurping sound...and soon Mullai could take it no more
Kathiru enakku oru sip please
He was visibly surprised seeing how desperate she was
Ennaachu...
Ennaala oru hot cup of coffee or tea resist panna mudiyathu..athulla ithu masala tea vera pola..vaasam summa appudi irukku..athaan..she said with a doleful expression
He chuckled handing her his cup...kitchenlernthu innoru cup venumaa..
Ille parava ille and she drank with so much relish...
After 3 sips she handed the cup back to him
Ille neeye kudichu mudi
Ille athu parava ille
Kudi Mullai...nee thaan school girl kanakka homework ellam pannikittu irukka nadu rathiri la he grinned
Mudinjuchu ...avvalavu thaan she said closing the laptop
Hmm appo padu...morning enthirichathum oru list pottu kudu...naan poi fresh ah vaangittu varen...
Seri...ippo thookkam pochu ..naan anga table la ukkanthu list podattuma
Ey ithe ivvalavu serious ah ellam edukkathe...thoongu
Mullai sat looking tensed
Kathir realised she was not going to be able to sleep
He slowly sat up and said seri vaa plan panni list podalaam
Ille nee thoongu...naan pandren
Ada konda..
He took the laptop from her...kathir took a look at the list of items on the menu...and he chuckled to himself...he thought to himself...oru varushathula vittuttu poga maatta Mullai...appudi ishtam illenna yen ivvalavu aasaiyaa samaikkanum...enna periya list uh...ore naalla motha kudumbathayum samaichu kavukka plan thaane ithu...
For Mullai this was no plan...she was happy with this marriage...one word she heard and she had consciously taken a rash decision and discussed it with him as well...but sub consciously she was embracing the family...the ramifications one year down the line was not even in her radar...
They spent the next 1 hour planning and making lists...
Planning the order in which they would make the dishes
Kathir suggested some minor changes to the menu so it had one item at least that was each member's favourite..
Ippo paruppu vadai pottu irukka..athaye vaazhappoo paruppu vadaiyaa maathina ..Jeeva annanukkum Periya annikkum semma favourite..Serve pannum pothu ithu ungalukku pudikkumnu special ah senjen solli pottannu vechukko athukkappuram athulla oru korai sollamaattaanga...eppudi
Semma po...amaam ivvalavu confident ah kooda samaikkaren soldra..unakku nejamaave samaikka theriyuma..
Oh nalla samaippen
Eppudi akka intha veettukku vanthappo nee chinna paiyan...appuram eppudi kathu kitta..akka yaaraiyum samayakattu pakkame vidara mathiri theriyale
Athu 3 varusham Chennai la hostel la thanginen ille appo kathukittathu
Hostel la thanginiya...yen..ithu eppo
Kathir fixed her with a stare and smiled at her
Chennai la thaan college B.Com padichen..he said
There was a moment of absolute silence from her
Then her face broke into a huge happy smile
Romba santhosham Kathiru...ithu eppo...kekkave nalla irukku
Nee sonnathu naala thaan Mullai ...he added
And she looked at him then trying to gauge his mood about that
But he smiled at her..a radiant smile and she smiled back at him
Santhosham Kathiru..athu naan appo unne mattam thatta pesala..aanaa theramaiya modakka koodathu..athaan sonnen..Seri Padukkalaamaa.
hmm padukkalaam..gd night Mullai
And he laid down...she laid down too..but her mind wandered to all those years back
After getting down at Trichy her father had taken her home to her periamma's and from there they had gone to her college hostel...
They had stayed with her for an hour while she set her things up and had taken leave leaving copious instructions on what to do and what not to do...
Hers was a twin sharing room and soon her roommate to be had also arrived..
Hi naan Geetha...neenga
Mullai..hi
And just like that they became best friends in the next 3 years
Mullai sat looking at her diary and the last page
She wanted to badly call that number
As if reading her mind Geetha spoke
Vareengala ippudi konjam nadanthuttu varalaam..pakkathula enna kadai irukku ennannu paarthuttu varalaam
Ahn ok polaam..aanaa oru condition...intha nga pottu pesa koodathu...nee vaa ponne pesunga...
Geetha giggled and said athe yaaru soldrathu...and linking her arm into Mullai's she said vaa...polaam
Mullai was on the lookout for a PCO
And luckily enough there was a copier place which had a PCO too
Oru call pannanum Mullai told Geetha and entered the shop
She called the number she had noted down
Hello came the deep voice on the other end
Theeraa naan Mullai....
There was silence while Mullai waited for a few seconds
Ille athu ...innikku busla ...innum kovama Theeraa..
She asked and waited for him to answer
Sorry Theeraa..Romba Sorry
When there was still nothing she tried saying hello a couple of times before realising the line had been disconnected
Feeling quite glum she placed the receiver back and left the shop...
The poor thing didn't know that Kathir's mobile had konked off ..
That he was left looking at his phone..his trusted aid..and how it had chosen just the wrong moment to do this to him..he had stood feeling devastated
Mullai didn't have her own mobile then..while in Kunnakudi she used one of her parents' phone or the land line at home
He was sure she was calling from a PCO..
So calling her back wasn't an option
She had tried to apologise once already..immediately on realising he was upset..he had been rude with her..his number that he had shared with her as a protective gesture he had ripped off..but she had called him
How? He wondered
Had she memorised his number?
But however she had still called
And his silence and an abrupt ending to the call was what she had gotten..
He stood gutted..
Nobody with some pride would call back again
He decided that he would the next time he was in Trichy try and meet her outside her college..
But fate had other plans..An interlude of a different kind