The news that the engaged couple have finally decided to choose a date for their wedding is met with the same reaction among the ladies of their respective families...
They all shed tears especially Paarvathy, who becomes hysterical with happiness.
Murugan is the first one to be informed and he gives them his dates for his trip to India...
Astrologers are consulted and they give some auspicious days..
And finally Kathir and Mullai zero in on the date...
December 18th...
Since this is Kathir's first wedding...
Lakshmi Amma wants it to be a grand wedding and invite the whole of kunnakudi to it and everyone from the nearby districts as well if that is possible.
Kathir firmly disagrees... This was going to be a very small affair...
"Naan onnum kadaisi paiyen illae ma... Kanna kalyanathae thiruvizha maari nadathiruvom" he placates her over the phone...
And his decision is final.
While looking at venues for the wedding, Mullai does not like the usual hotels or Mandabams... She suggests that they have a beach wedding...
Kathir nods... It does sound exciting...
M: Engae nu sollu?
K: Unmaiyavae unnaku oru edamum thonaliyae?
She pretends to thinks for sometime...she knows exactly what place he has in his mind.
K: Ideal resort...
He says with a mischievous smile...
She laughs... And the venue is decided...
Only their closest relatives and friends are invited...
And the decoration, the wedding trousseau, the flowers, and a million other things he let's Mullai decide...
If she is happy, he is happy.
Mahi is so interested in the color schemes and the shopping trips... And the makeup of the bride...
And begs her mom to allow her to wear makeup that day and Mullai agrees...
****
The morning before the wedding day... The entire clan checks into Ideal Resorts..
And have an amazing fun day together...
More than the kids, Simba is so excited to finally be in such a huge open place... He just runs about here and there, his tongue lolling out happily... Sniffing here and there and chasing squirrels...
In the reception of the hotel, Kathir asks for the same sea facing room that he had the previous time... He even remembers the room number...
D: Yehn da... Appadi yennae anthae room leh special? Lucky room ah?
K: Aama Anni... Rombhae lucky...
He says laughing and dashing Mullai's shoulder lightly...
She pinches him.
****
Mullai spends the entire day, having a spa day and relaxing...
In the evening, they have a prewedding photoshoot on the beach... Mullai in the gorgeous blue saree and Mahi in a matching lehenga... And Kathir.... In a navy blue sherwani...
He can't take his eyes off Mullai, she looks like as though she has risen from the sea and is taking a stroll on the sand...
And Mahi.... His mini goddess... The light of his life.... She is his joy personified...
He thanks God that he accepted the job offer in Chennai...
His life became far more meaningful here...
At the dinner table that night... Mullai spends so much time observing others and wallowing in happiness...
Her Athai and her father laughing together, Dhanam, Paarvathy and Meena's mother in deep conversation... Kumeresan Maama, Jeeva and Kanna clapping and laughing at something Aakash said, Mahi is on Jeeva's lap... A little further are Moorthy, Jaga and Janarthanan having a serious discussion about what, she doesn't know... And then the unexpected foursome.... Kathir sitting and chatting with Kasthuri, Meena and Shewtha, Iniyan on his lap...
She watches him as he laughs, she used to tease him as a child about the tiny gaps in between his teeth... But now.... They make him look all the more adorable... Mahi comes over, pushes Iniyan off his lap and settles in comfortably... He bends low and whispers something in her ears and she grudgingly moves to one side and he makes Iniyan sit on the other side...
That is exactly what a father would do... This man of hers, was born to be a father...
As though feeling his eyes on her, he turns and their gazes meet...
And her throat catches painfully...she feels so emotional... She wants to be hugged by him...
And she smiles...imagining the scene it would cause if they see her sprinting across the restaurant just to hug him...
Kathir gestures at her to join him and she does... The ladies move and make space for her... And they sit by side and hold hands...
*****
On the evening of December 18, just before the sun is about to go down, a small crowd gathers at the beach... Family members of the bride and groom, Jasmine Miss and her family, two other teachers, a few of Mullai's current colleagues, and Kathir's friends from office...
The pathway to the place where the marriage is to take place is strewn with flowers... And the sides have glowing laterns attached to poles, and flowers flow down from hanging gold cages... The color theme is ivory and pink... There's pink Anastasia roses, carnations, white Azaleas and of course Jasmine...
And it leads to a stunning cream and gold canopy under which sits a priest chanting mantras..
The cool air is filled with a fragrance of the sea mingled with the scent of the flowers...
The sun is huge ball of orange and red as it starts disappearing into the waters, leaving behind fiery streaks across the sky..
The sea is calm that night, gently lapping the shores with a melodious sound...
Kathir is already seated there next to the priest, dressed in a striking dove gray suit with an ivory waistcoat and a pink silk bowtie and a matching flower on the lapel of his suit...
Mahi is seated right next to him waiting for her mother to arrive... She looks so pretty in a simple pink choli and is watching the proceedings with wide eyes...
Kathir is nervous... But he is nervous for Mullai...
He prays that she is keeping it together and is not riddled with anxiety...
And... there she is walking down the flower strewn pathway to him...
In life, the roads that we take are often rough, irregular and filled with potholes...sometimes a person comes along the way to smooth it over... And at very rare times, God sends a person, not to smooth things over but to carry you through it...
And that person is Kathir...
Their gazes lock across the distance and Mullai smiles at him...
Not the coy, shy smile of a bride... But an alluring, happy smile of a lover looking forward to their future together..
She looks gorgeous in a beautiful rose gold designer saree and lightweight jewelry, a garland of lotus buds and roses hangs around her neck, the numerous pearls and kundan stones on her saree reflect in the fire and make her glow ethereally.
Not one thing about this marriage reminds her of the previous one..
And it is all because of Kathir...
From a childhood crush, a friend, a lover and now her husband and a father....
He is the reason that she loves him in all his different facets...
The speakers play the ghetti melam, and it is mixed with the timeless sound of the sea...
And amidst a rain of flowers, rice, and loud cheers, Kathir and Mullai are married...
For the first time, in a wedding... No one is looking at the bride or the groom...
All eyes are on a little girl standing right next to the mandap...jumping up and down and clapping in joy... And a dog wagging his tail so hard, it looks as though he has two tails.
Mullai sobs as he applies the kungumam on her forehead, it is tears of happiness....
And when he slips on the mettis onto her toes...
He presses her ankle reassuringly...
After they circle around the fire seven times...
Kathir calls Mahi forward and from his pocket... He pulls out a small jewelry box from his pocket, and takes a chain from it...
He shows her the pendant, it is circle that has three tiny rubies in it, her birthstone...all interconnected to each other...
K: Ithu nee, naan approm ungae amma... Epoovumae nammae ippadi dhan onnu kullae onnae irrukanom... Seriyah Mahi... Nee evloh valanthalum, you can tell me anything and I'll always be there for you... Always..
She nods tearfully.... Holding the pendant in the palm of her hand.
He puts it on her... And she hugs his waist tightly... And doesn't let go...
Smiling... He lifts her up and she buries her face in his shoulder...
Mullai steps forward to calm her down a bit...
And Mahi hugs them both together...
The best group hug ever.
Murguan is wiping tears, as is Paarvathy...
Lakshmi and Dhanam are in tears too...
It is a scene that most of them will remember for a long time to come...
****
From there, the crowd moves to the restaurant there for the reception...
Mullai and Kathir walk hand in hand along with Mahi and Simba trotting by their side...
They are surrounded by their friends and family, hugging them, wishing them and patting them on the shoulders...
The cake is rolled in... A three tier vanilla and strawberry cake filled with nougat praline and decorated with star fish and shells in fondant.
The buffet starts, and the live music show begins as well...
Half of them go to eat, while the other half get on the dance floor...
After a while Mahi and Kathir join the others to dance...
Mullai just stands there admiring her husband and her daughter...
Kathir says something to Mahi and she rushes over, takes her hand and pulls her onto the dance floor.
And the happy family dances the night away...
****
Much much later, everyone has retired for the night...
And Kathir can't find his new bride....
"Kalyanam aahi patthu nimisham dhan avuthu... Athukullae pondatti yeh kanom" he mutters to himself as he unlocks the door to his room...
His eyes are immediately drawn to the bed...
A huge silk curtain hides it from view...
In a bucket of ice, there's a bottle of champagne and chocolates...
"First night package nah ithu dhanae" he thinks and smiles...
"Illae first night illae... Wedding night"... He corrects himself...
He opens the shower room and stops in his tracks...
The first thing he notices is the fragrance...
It smells of desserts...
He is so confused...
And then he sees the numerous scented candles glowing around the bathtub...
The bathtub is filled with foam and bubbles...
And then his eyes land on Mullai...
Right in the middle of it...
K: Oii Pondatti...
He calls softly...
M: Hi......Mr.Husband
She says smiling languidly at him...
He crosses his ankles, leans on the door and continues watching her...
Only her face is visible amidst the foam...
But it is her expression on her face that arrests him...
Of utter contentment and he has seen that look before...
The bright yellow thread on her neck stands out...
And a shiver of happiness goes through his body as he looks at that...
M: Kuptae dhan varuviyae?
He smiles...
It is the same grin that the wolf must have given little Red riding hood...
That is her last thought before he starts undressing...
****
When they come back to the bedroom, after a long time...
They sit on the bed, eat chocolates and talk about the wedding...
M: I don't want this day to end Kathir... Naan ivloh santhoshamae ennodae life liyae irrunthathu illae...
He pulls her towards him...
K: I want you to say that everyday Mullai... Daily nee adhae yosikanom... Inniki maari naan happy ah irrunthathae illae nu...
She has tears in her eyes...
And she pulls his face down for a kiss...
A chocolatey kiss...
When the door knocks...
They both freeze..
"Mummy ennaku kaal vallikuthu... Neengae amathi vidungae" says a voice from outside...
"Nee poie dress eh mathu" Kathir whispers to Mullai...
She is wearing only a short satin nighty...
Mullai runs to change and Kathir opens the door and carries Mahi to the bed..
And of course Simba follows her inside, and settles down at the foot of the bed...
Mh: Aiiii inthae room evloh super ah irruku...
She complains...
Mullai brings the balm that she always carries with her...
And Kathir and Mullai spend their wedding night rubbing Mahi's legs and then cuddling together to fall asleep..
They have a thousand nights ahead of them for pleasure and ecstasy...
But this night is a night that he will never forget...
The night that they became a family of three...
Tbc...
*****
Once again, thanks to thamizh_ponnu for this edit... We spent hours chatting about this and looking for pics but couldn't find proper ones... I'm so glad for this sweet pic of Mahi and Simba.
****