~~~~~~~~~~Krishnan~~~~~~~~~~
I drove my car to my house with irritation clearly evident in my face. My family members at the back of my seat were in full josh and enthuse talking about my upcoming engagement and marriage formalities.
I did not like to participate in their conversation and remained silent. In between they teased me and my mom even scolded me to make me open my mouth but I did not.
Few minutes later, I stopped the car in front of our Flat gate. My family members got down. Seeing me go the other direction, my mom scolded me.
"Dei.. come inside to our house. Don't go elsewhere"
"maa..." I whined.
"pcch.. after returning from their house, we should first go straight to our house. You can go elsewhere later on. We have fixed marriage for you.. better you behave"
"ok.. coming.. I will park the car" I said dejectedly . My mom and her sastrams.. who is teaching her all this I don't know.
I came inside my house in the 5th floor. Taking my bike key , I went out to meet my childhood friend who resides 2 streets away from us.
Her name is Sandhya. We both are thick friends from childhood days. There had been many times when people considered as lovers, our families are not an exception. But we both feel brother sister relationship even though we are friends.
We clearly denied making us both a pair. Our parents too understood our bonding and did not bother us later on . I reached her house and parked my bike.
"Vaa pa..krishna.. what happened today? Heard that you are going to meet a girl for marriage " Sandhya's mom queried me.
"hi Aunty.. you know about my family la.. They don't want to drag or come without fixing an alliance. They follow an unspoken rule to fix whichever girl they go for meeting" I replied her with low spirit and heaved a sigh.
I sat on the sofa and took the TV remote switching on the TV. "Aunty.. please can I get a good coffee? I have really a bad headache"
Aunt went with a nod to the kitchen.
"Headache ah??enna thambi.. ipo dhan ponnu pathutu vandruka adhuke thalavali ah?" asked Sandhya, coming out of her room, dapping her hair with towel.
(Just for seeing the girl you have got headache?)
I looked at the time, its 5PM . "is this the time to take bath?" I queried her.
She shrugged it off. " dei.. leave all that. How is the girl? Did you like her? Did you talk with her ? How was she?" she snatched the TV remote from me and switched off the TV, ready to start with her enquiry session.
"sss.. avaley paravala.. nee kelvi mela kelvi ketu kolaya pandra.."
(she is better when compared to your talks. Why do you ask questions line by line?)
"oh ho.. Sir .. its been just few minutes you met her, but she seems to be better than me ah?? avlodhana gopal nammba natpu?" ( is that the friendship that we have?) Sandhya faked crying.
"da chii.. overah scene podadha.. ava onum avlo worth ila"
(Don't do too much.. She is not that much worth to take over you)
"dei.. don't drag.. first tell me what happened there? what did you guys talk?"
"When did she even allow me to talk? She herself was talking a lot. "
"so what da? did she seemed to be good? did you like her?"
"you know about my parents and their policy la.. they fixed my marriage with her. They don't want me to get married late. No one even considered my opinion there"
"ok.. but did you like her?"
"no.. I don't think so. I liked an other profile but my parents denied it saying the horoscopes are not matching. They chose this girl's profile which I did not like.
"Do you think she is not looking good something like that? " her mom asked me.
"what are we going to do with looks aunty? that does not matter for me. But she is very very very talkative. very noisy person.. chatterbox.. sss.. ppaa.. kadhu javu kilinjuchurchu. epdi ava veetla avala samalikaranganu therila.. ( my eardrums broke. I don't know how her family members are handling her.) I don't know if she is the right one for me.. confused"
"ok if you are not interested na.. you could have told subtly to your parents la.. before they conclude"
"I already told them. In, fact, conveyed it to them even before meeting the girl at her house. But no one listened. You know what.. I purposefully went not dressing up appropriately for the occasion. I wore this jean and shirt amidst of the protest from my parents."
Sandhya's mom gave me the cup of coffee. Mouthing thanks to her I continued. She too sat on the other sofa listening to my sad story.
"don't say that you purposefully did not trim your beard or cut your hair, for them to reject you" her mom asked me dubiously.
I nodded my head proving her that was the actual reason.
I continued narrating my efforts to stop the alliance or to make them say no. I spilled about everything that happened in her house and her non stop rantings.
"I actually thought they would not say ok , thinking I am not up to their expectations. I purposefully wore this dull shirt and faded jeans. Even though my body heat raised because of no hair cut, I withstood it to look awful during the meet. But no use. She said ok for me"
Sandhya and her mom laughed heartily at my state.
"dei..ana unmaya pakka romba mokkaya dhan iruka ipo.. apdi irundhum andha ponnu unna ok solirku pathiya" her mom teased me..
(indeed you look dull and average with this dressing.. still that girl has said ok for you.. how?)
"Aunty..." I whined like a kid.
"panja paradesi .. " (beggar) Sandhya started and I glared.
"illa da.. panja paradesi maari iruka.. una poi epdi andha ponnu pudichurku sonna?
(what I wanted to say is.. you look like a beggar.. how come she said yes for you?)
"That is what I too don't know. How did she say ok for me even at this kind of state of mine? But one thing I know.. She is not of my type. What is the need to get married so soon.. I wanted to enjoy my life for some days, before getting to live with trouble in the name of wife"
"dei.. do you mean to say girls are trouble?"
"of course.. what is the confusion there?" She opened her mouth to retort me.. But I stopped her. " See not all the girls are like that.. blah.. blah.. feminism.. stop there.. only few and rare girls are there who does not cause trouble.. But I am pretty sure that girl is a big trouble for me.. wrong.. her mouth is the biggest trouble and headache for me." I replied finishing my coffee.
"See even after finishing this coffee, the headache has not gone. It all started when she spoke with me and has not gone yet. She is unstoppable.. she did not even allow me to say that I am not interested in marrying her.. I just abruptly left from there not wanting to listen to her rants" I finished my sentence, placing the coffee cup on the table.
Sandhya and her mom laughed at me.. Sandhya put forth her big doubt. " but how come she came to a conclusion that you are reserved type of person? You don't even feel shy as far as I know"
"since he did not talk anything nor look at her, she might have mistook him" Sandhya's mom reasoned.
"pcch.. Aunty.. if you talk with a over talkative person, especially a big chatter box like her, you would be considered as silent type. that is what happened to me"
" I just spoke for few minutes.. but see the effect it has.. I feel like I have been talking more than enough"
Sandhya and her mom gave me a pitiful look trying to suppress their laugh. ok it lasted only for few seconds. They busted in to heavy laugh.
Uncle too joined, who came from his office. The ladies narrated my situation and I became a showpiece for them to laugh at.
Why is my life like this? Sandhya's parents are broad minded. They actually don't have qualms even if she is love with anyone.
She requested her parents to not pressurize her for marriage now and they too agreed.
enakum dhan irukangaley.. Payyana porandhadhu oru kuthama? pesama ponna porandhrukalam..
(see what type of parents I have got. may be I should have born as a girl than as a boy)
"Krishna..your parents would always give the best for you. don't worry too much.. with whatever you said, that girl seemed to be a good at heart person" Aunty tried to convince me..
"nalla ponnu dhan..ana vai dhan romba jaasthi.. " (indeed she is a good girl, but a chatterbox)
"ohh..ho... nalla ponnama. sir ku oru idhu iruku polaye ava mela" (ohh.. hoo. indeed she is a good girl...looks like you have some soft corner for her)Sandhya teased me.. and I felt shy suddenly.
"parra.. pudhusa sir ku vekka tha" ( you are blushing) Sandhya teased me... The rest of the time went in her teasing me and me denying her and other things..
Is she the right one for me? How will my future be with that chatterbox? Is my parents rushing me to this marriage phase? should I stop this alliance? I don't know.