This is an unexpected happening in Dammu’s life. Never has she ever thought of marrying such a handsome person in her life. Kowsalya asked her to take some rest in the room downstairs. She gave her a change of clothes and a towel. Dammu went into the restroom, and the restroom was so huge that her whole house could fit in there. The water pipes and control were all different, and she had no idea how to open the water. Everything was alien to her. There was a standing shower with glass doors and a huge bathtub. She saw a keypad with buttons and started punching in the buttons randomly. At one point, the water jet hit her everywhere from the shower and drenched her saree. It was a three-point shower with settings. One on the top, one straight to her face, and one near the waist. It was like a water massage but the water was very cold.
She tried to switch it off, but whatever she did, she could not stop the water. She ran out of the room to call Kowsalya for help. She ran out to the kitchen, pooja room, and everywhere downstairs, but Kowsalya was nowhere to be found. To her dismay, the maids were also not found. As she walked back to the room, she saw Krishna walking down the stairs. He was about to place his foot on the water puddle she made as she came out of the room, and she ran to him to warn him.
“Aiyayo!” she shouted just as he slipped into the water. She tried to hold him before falling but he was too heavy for her. He fell and she fell on top of him. Talk about embarrassment! God!
“Pch, what the hell?” He shouted as soon as he realized her weight. Yeah, she is on the plumpy side and 57kgs for her 5.2 height. Her wide eyes and bubbly cheeks turned red with embarrassment. He could not hold her eyes for long.
“Sorry!” she said meekly, still lying comfortably on his chest.
“Get the hell up,” he said, and she tried to get up but landed on his chest again as there was water underneath her hands. She was testing his patience at this point. So far, he had seen her as a little girl, but when she fell on him again, he realized that she was not a little girl after all. Her treasures were obvious to him.
“Sorry!” she said again, and this time, he grabbed her arms and lifted her from him like lifting a weight.
“Pch!” He stood up and looked at his shirt. It was all wet. That was when he saw her. She was drenched in water from head to toe. Her red silk saree was not doing what it was meant to do. Her wheatish sexy skin peeked out on her waist. She stood there looking up at him intensely. He could not meet her eyes after checking her out. He brushed his hair and turned to the other side, and huffed out a sigh.
“What happened?” He asked her in a very calm tone.
“There!” She showed the room.
“What happened there?”
“Come!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room. Though surprised by her behavior, he went along with her. She led him into the restroom, and there he saw the restroom flooded with water. She left the shower door open, and the water filled the dry bathroom floor.
“God, what have you done?” He ran to the keypad and hit some buttons, and the water stopped.
“Happa! I tried to press all the buttons. The water wouldn't stop.” She said, keeping her hand on her bare waist and the other hand on her chest. His eyes revolted to listen to him, and he shook his head to stop ogling her bare skin.
“Come here!” He called her. She ran to him like a kid running for ice cream.
“See this control? This is temperature adjustment. The higher the number, the hotter the water gets. This control here is to adjust the pressure. Same here. The higher the number, the more force the water gets. This control will play soothing music. You can change it by pressing this button until you find the music you like. And if you want the songs of your choice, you can connect your phone’s Bluetooth to the device. You can play anything you want on your phone and you will hear it.” He explained it to her like she was a child, and she listened to him carefully.
“But why do you want to hear songs while bathing? I will bathe in two minutes, and it looks like setting up the bathroom will take an hour for the two minute bath.” She said that made him smile.
“Whoa, do you even know how to smile?” She asked him in astonishment that made him lose his smile.
“And close this door while bathing. This area is supposed to be dry. Ask Thulasi or Maruthani to clean this up.” He said and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
“Why would a bathroom be dry?” She shrugged her shoulders and started playing with the buttons. “Hmmm, this is why rich people spend too much time in the restrooms, I guess. Such luxury relaxes your mind and thus paves the way for numerous inventions!” She talked to herself while listening to soothing music while enjoying the most luxurious bath.
She came out clean and fresh after that refreshing bath. She wore that nightgown her mother-in-law gave her and walked out of the room, not knowing what to do. She has not eaten anything since morning, and now her stomach has started growling in hunger.
“Come, dear! Let’s have brunch.” Kowsalya called her as she was busy setting up the dining table. It was 11.30 AM and of course, it was brunch.
“Where did you go, athai?” Damayanthi asked her mother-in-law.
“I went to the nearby temple. Why, dear? Did you search for me?”
“Um…" Yes. I didn't know how to use the restroom. Luckily, your son helped me.” She said that made the maids' jaws drop on the floor. Even Kowsalya could not believe what she was hearing.
“He did?”
“Yeah, he taught me how to use the restroom. Pch, poor him, I spoiled his clothes when I fell on him.” She added to their heart attack.
“You fell on him?” Kowsalya sat near her as she felt like the ground was shaking.
“Yeah, I drenched myself in water when I pushed the wrong buttons, and I didn’t know how to stop it. So came in search of you and could not find you. He came down and was about to slip in the water that I spilled everywhere as I walked around in drenched clothes. I tried to save him from the fall but he was too heavy and I fell on him.” She told them as if it was a story.
“I didn't even ask him if he was ok!” She added.
“Amma, I already missed an important meeting. Is the food ready? I am hungry.” Krishnan came down hearing everything she was blabbering to his mother. He wanted to slap his head hard for her insensitivity to his mother. He looked at his mother, and she looked at him with a smile that reached her eyes. Krishnan felt guilty for the first time looking at his mother’s smile. He had never seen his mother smile like this wholeheartedly. He never knew that his wedding would make his mother this happy!
‘Would you have married if you have known this?’ His conscience asked him for which he shook his head, dismissing his thoughts.
“The food is ready. Come.” She called him and started serving him.
“Um… ennanga?!” Damayanthi called him. Though he heard her, he opted to ignore her.
“I will be late in the night, amma. Don't wait for me.”
“But isn't our first night tonight?” Damayanthi asked her husband, and that made him choke on his food. He started coughing, and Damayanthi didn't wait to help him by tapping on his head and giving him water.
“Are you ok?” She asked him while he threw daggers in her way. His mother’s oversized nightgown was hanging on her and the fresh face with no make-up, and the new nuptials showed her like an angel fallen from heaven.
“Amma!” He tried to call his mother for help.
“Come home soon, Krishna.” His mother told him while trying to swallow her laughs.
He ran out of the house before Damayanthi could say anything. He could not handle her. He doesn't want to get angry at her. He doesn't want to show his true nature to her. To him, she is a little girl! Not his equal to even tell her about him. But she has been proving to be otherwise to him since this morning.
***
“Krishna, what happened? Why didn't you come to the meeting today? Is everything alright?” His friend and partner Mithran caught him as he entered his office.
“Pch, nothing is alright, Mithu. I got married.”
“What?” Mithran sat on the chair in front of him with his hand clutching his heart. “God, call an ambulance? What did I ever do to you? Why are you trying to kill me?” He started yapping, and our already angry Krishna burst out on him.
“Shut up, Mithu. This is not a joke. My mom made me marry the girl our manager Ram was about to marry.” He said that made Mithu listen to him seriously.
“What happened, da?”
“That girl didn't like Ram, it seems. She caused chaos in the wedding hall by writing a letter speaking ill of herself to Ram. He stopped the wedding at the last minute.”
“If she didn't like that guy, why the hell did she agree to this wedding?” Mithran didn't like her.
“I don't know. But she was very prepared. She knew her father would get an asthma attack and was ready with the Nebulizer. Everything would have happened, like her plan if not for my mom. She made me marry her to save the reputation of her and her family. But also she likes that girl. She told me that just after she saw her on the stage.”
“But what would she know about that girl in just one look? God! Now, what are you going to do?”
“I don't know! She is just 23 years old, Mithu. Very immature! I don't think I can handle her.”
“To be honest, I don't know what to say, Krishna. But I believe everything happens for a reason. Maybe she is destined for you. Maybe she is the one that is going to make you happy.”
“Mithu!”
“Go with the flow, Krishna. Life will take you to your destination. You obviously can not stay single for your whole life.”
“I can. I will. I asked Dayalan to make the divorce papers ready. I have promised her father her bright future. She has not even written her 10th exams. I am going to educate her and find her a good man.”
“If you are sure of what you are doing, then I have nothing else to say,” Mithu said. He knows about his friend more than anyone else. As much as he wishes for his happy, glorious life, he also knows no one can push it on him.
“All I have to do is compromise my mom. And I might need your help with that.”
“I will do what I can.”
They got on with their work, and when the time came to go home, Krishna called in Mithran to accompany him. They both went to his home, not knowing what was waiting for them!