Ashwin unlocked the door of his apartment and instantly smelled something amazing.
He recognized it in a heartbeat and walked straight into the kitchen where his mom stood making his most favorite Dosa and Tomato chutney.
"Amma", he exclaimed in surprise. She was his best friend and his person. Having her around always made him feel at peace even when on the darkest of days.
"Va da thangam", she turned to hug her baby boy.
(Come here)
Ashwin: Vareenga nu solave illa. Appa vandhurkaara?
(You never told me that you are coming. Is dad here?)
Chitra Ma: Illa da. Edo vela iruku nu sonaru. Marriage ku dan varuvaaru.
(No. He has some work to finish. He will be here to attend the marriage)
It took a lot of convincing for them to visit him often but over the years they got accustomed to at least staying with him for a couple of weeks once in few months when he got a break from shoots. At times, he even took them with him to abroad shoots to show them around new cities on his off days.
His mom and her presence is the only thing that helped him with handling his heartbreak after he had let go of Sivaangi. Though he never could smile from his heart, his mom at least tried her best to keep him from losing his sanity.
***
Mothers do always have an intuition when it comes to anything related to their kids. Specifically with matters of heart. She saw her son open up in a way like never before to a girl who he merely knew for weeks. He kept talking about her antics, the way she made him feel and it was very evident that this girl was irreplaceable in his life.
But, post the show she saw him go back into his shell. He stayed in touch with everyone but her from the show which was puzzling at first and turned into a conscious concern that kept her awake at nights.
He was suddenly visiting them much more than ever before. He insisted on her staying with him and tried to keep himself overloaded with work. When all of this might have looked very casual for an upcoming actor who was finally getting to do the work he always wished and yearned for, as a mother she knew it in her gut that he wasn't ok. Her son wasn't happy.
Though he tried to keep the specifics to himself, he wasn't able to hide his suffering and pain from his mother. She had once found him tearing apart on the day she had received her first award Best Debutant singer – Female and indirectly thanked him, "Thanks to all my fans who made this possible. Dedicating this award to all my well-wishers wherever they might be."
It was devastating to even witness her kid go through something that was so terrible right in front of her eyes. It was breaking him apart and she could do nothing about it. She just sat next to him when he continued to cry for hours lying on her lap.
"Na tholachten ma avala. En ma ava enakagaa irupen nu solala? Na po nu sonen dan... ava en pona? Mudiyaadu nu solirkanum la... " he kept rambling with the card from their trending pair award on his hands.
(I lost her. Why did she not stay? Yes I pushed her away... but why did she not fight me back to stay? She should have right?)
If there was one thing mothers could not do, it is to see their kids going through a heart break. She was no exception.
"Ashwin.. Enna pa aachu.", she pleaded while caressing his messy hair.
(Ashwin... What happened?)
