Mullai stood feeling devastated
Not because of what she said
But because it was not true
Kathir would never claim her like a right..like a prize for pulling off something
Again she was not ready..yet..maybe
Aaarrrrrgggghhhhhh she groaned
Why did she have to eavesdrop on such ludicrous conversations
But the issue was
Verumna Kathiru venaam enakku konjam time venum solli iruntha pothum..ippo thevai illaama kadamai urimainnu pesi she stood lamenting
Kathir for his part stood in the terrace licking his bruised ego
He felt terrible
She was so beautiful and he loved her..
And she looked so pretty today..and all the ceremony related acts and her coy smiles..how he kept quiet till the night was a huge question mark..
It was but an honest expression of his love..of the need to break the platonic streak they were in
But she had said no
He was not weak.he can take a no..but what she had said like he was collecting some dues from her irked him
For the first time he felt irritated with all this
He took a deep breath to calm himself down
He tried to see it in perspective
Well he had tried to take a step forward..it had backfired..failed..he was back by a step..so ideally what it meant was they were back to friendship
But the issue was it was not a calculated move like the ones you take in business..where only the brain is involved..this was a matter of the heart..and 2 people were involved..this was emotional
How would he face her again
What was her stance
Did she hate him
Lose respect for him
He didn't know
And the frustration was back and the irritation
He was being very patient..patience was not his forte..she was the one person who could get away with this
But he was irritated even with her
He was not willing to let this go he thought to himself mulishly
Basically his male ego was hurt and that was all there was to it..he had taken a liberty with her and she had categorically clarified that he couldn't and he was upset
So the next morning when she walked over to him with the ash
Naan kelambaren he said and walked out the room
She knew this could happen..had braced herself for it and it still hurt
But with a resigned sigh she placed the ash back and went down to the dining area
He had completed his breakfast and was leaving
He said a general bye to no one in particular and proceeded to walk away
But unable to completely ignore her
He said a quick naan varen when he passed her
And she smiled at him
And all his irritation flew away just like that
And he looked back to smile at her as he left for work
A few days went by
The ash and forehead kiss tradition stood forgotten
Things between them was not all fine too
The spark was missing
Mullai was feeling low
But she knew this one she was responsible for
So she decided to take it in stride
She immersed herself in the kitchen renovation project
She extended the kitchen to encompass the well area as well
The square around the well area was left open to air..
She put cement slabs on 2 sides to accommodate a small kitchen garden..
Meena was surprisingly very knowledgeable about gardening and had green fingers too
She planted mint, coriander and Methi leaves..they also had a pot for green chillies..
Meena opined that they should plant greens in rotation..so they could harvest and cook while the next variety was sowed and would be ready in about a week's time
Almost 10 days had rolled by
But for coriander the rest of the plants had begun their yield
Intha kothamalli mattum vecha udane varathu..makkar pannum Meena sulked
But later Mullai was amused to find her talking fondly to the pot
Unnaiyum matha chedi mathiriye paasamaa thaane paarthukkaren..konjam thaan manna vittu velia vaayen she was saying
Mullai hugged her then
Neenga romba sweet Meena..
Athu ennavo unmai thaan aanaa plants kitta pesina pookkum kaaikkum..athu nejam she explained
They expanded the garden to the backide of the house
Meena had included a pumpkin creeper
She also added a flower corner and was encouraging Kayal to tend to it..
Kozhanthaikku colour colour poo paartha pudikkum la athaan she said
They started seeing results in a week's time
Completely inspired by this she urged Jeeva that night at dinner to go with her to see the horticulturist about what trees they could plant in the open space behind the house
Jeeva as usual mocked her
Unakku thottam pathi ellam enna theriyum..Kaasu kku pudicha kedu he ridiculed
And Meena's face fell
Innikku Chappathi manamaa irukku nnu saappteenga ille maamaa..athula use panna venthaya keerai Meena valarthathu thaan Mullai said with a smile
Jeeva looked at her
Neenga kindal pandra alavukku Meena summa ille maamaa..ovvoru naalum saappidum pothu kaai onnonnum ore size la irukku nu pugazhnthu kitte iruppeengala..veettula most days Meena thaan samayal ku kaai cut pandrathu..antha pugazhum Meena va thaan serum..Meena ku semma knife skills actuallu she said with a slight glint in her eyes
Theriyum pa Jeeva said in a soft tone..
Mullai looked at him a little confused
But something in his smile..in his eyes..
She looked at Meena
She seemed to get it..coz she was smiling
Mullai didn't but what Jeeva said next she was happy
Naalaikku polaam Meena..unakku venungarthu vaangalaam he said
Hmm seri Jeeva saappidu
Kathir was observing the whole exchange with a lot of pride..how she had effortlessly clarified without hurting or embarrassing anyone
The next day Meena had gone with Jeeva and come back with proper trees for the backyard
Coconut, mango, drumstick, banana and a few more
Some of them would of course take a few years to grow
Lakshmi amma was pleasantly surprised to see Meena so passionate about something
And on the other hand Mullai was busy too with the renovation of the kitchen
L amma observed her taking inputs from Dhanam for each and everything but at the same time when the discussion veered towards spends she was firm..
Akka athai maamaa intha renovation ku enakku oru budget approve panni irukkaanga..athukku mela selavu panna maatten I promise..so neenga kavalai padaama naan propose pandrathu ungalukku ubagaaramaa irukkuma mattum paarunga she said
Her proposal was slabs on 3 sides with a dishwashing provision at one corner
Drawers and storage spaces under the slabs on all 3 sides
An island setup in the middle for all electrical appliances
She installed a gas range that had a stove top with 4 burners, and a grill and oven attached to it
She also had a chimney attached
For some of the heavier appliances she had hydraulic solutions built in..
She also had spice racks nailed into the wall that were easily accessible from the stove top
Knowing the family's liking for old traditions she had grinding stones set in tiltable stone slabs that made both cleaning and covering them easy
Dhanam actually was getting excited seeing all the work happening
A month had rolled by
That both Kathir and Mullai were engrossed in their work meant they had little time with each other so there were no new tensions ..
But there still was a slight awkwardness between the two of them
Amidst all this the new kitchen was ready
Dhanam wanted to do something special for Meena and Mullai
So she promised to make Kasi Halwa Mullai's favourite with Meena's organically grown pumpkin..
The first sweet from this kitchen and Meena's first vegetable produce
Mullai wanted to try her biryani again..this time with most of the vegetables from their garden
Meena wanted to try out the new kitchen and made her special fish fry
Dinner was going to be a grand affair but the men didn't know this
It was supposed to be a surprise
But what they didn't expect was for Kathir to go on work to Pudukottai..and was not expected to be back till midnight..he was going to have dinner outside
Putting on a brave face Mullai gave the men a tour of the new kitchen
And then dinner was served
Mullai's biryani had turned out just perfect that day
Only the person she made it for didn't get to taste it
The biryani was so tasty that there was nothing left by the time the family finished dinner..
That night when Kathir reached home
Mullai was sitting in the hall
Kathir letting himself in using his key went stiff on seeing her there so late
Thoongalaya he asked
Ille..thookkam pidikkala
Udambukku onnum ille la he asked in concern
Athellam onnum ille
Yen dull ah irukka
Innikku puthu kitchen inaugurate pannom..naan biryani senjen..nalla vanthuchu..nee thaan saappidala
Naan thaan velila maattikkitten la
Enakku athu theriyathu la
He looked at her then
Was she upset that he had not informed her..looked like it
Inime late aagum na inform pandren he stated matter of factly
And just like that she smiled
Hmm seri ..tea podattuma..
Oh poden..konjama biryani kooda kudu..oru rendu vaai..ippo saappidaren
Theernthu pochu ..iru tea podaren and she went in
Kathir felt sorry for her
Again he was reminded of why she was adorable to him..she held no grudges..
And he looked at her like he really looked at her
What was he so upset about
Yes he found her desirable..but couldn't it wait..it could..
So what if she denied him..didn't she have the right..she had
He decided to break the ice that they had allowed to grow around them the last couple of weeks
She was also morose without their regular banter he knew
Thinking this he went up to their room with a smile
But all the travel and work..he lay fiddling with his mobile and before he knew it he was asleep..
He was lost to this world when when she came in
The next day in the morning
Mullai decided enough was enough
She once again took the ash and stood in front of him
Their eyes met
She applied the ash on his forehead and he allowed it
But somehow he couldn't bring himself to kiss her..the rejection was still like a thorn wedged in him he realised
No hard feelings against her but he couldn't
He actually stood a gutted look on his face trying to decide
But she again smiled
Breakfast ready ah irukku..sooda poi saappidu
And he nodded his head thanking her for the excuse and left the room
Mullai had smiled but the fact that he didn't kiss her hurt her
She came to the conclusion that at the first chance available he had backpedaled on their relationship
She squared her shoulders
That night a visibly upset Kathir had his dinner in a hurry
He mumbled something about feeling tired and left to the room
He paced the room in frustration
The moment Mullai entered
He pounced on her
A steely glint in his eyes he asked
Vasudevan yaaru
And Mullai froze