Lovedale - An Ashaangi FanFic

C H A P T E R - 5

Hello!

Sitting opposite to each other on the walnut-finished wooden couch, the grandfather and granddaughter duo were deeply engrossed in each other's vibrant presence. Lakshmikanthan's silly jokes had his new-found granddaughter dying of laughter.

Sivaangi just couldn't seal her lips.

Even Sujatha's pseudo-glares couldn't stop her from bursting out. She tried very hard to supress her giggles by placing a palm on her chest to compose herself and opening her jaw wide. But her laughter returned back in the form of short breathy hiccups.

Sujatha couldn't stifle her smile at Sivaangi's creaky hyuk-hyuks.

"Ashwin um ippadi sirichu sirichu avara encourage pannadhunaala dha ippa paadu padraan, pathuko" she warned playfully.

"Athai adhu illa athai, vandhu thatha vandhu thousand nine fifty ku tamil la aayirathi tholaayirathi ainoor nu solraaru" she said in between her chortles.

Lakshmikanthan scoffed at Sujatha who by now, had joined Sivaangi in laughing.

"Pa adhu tholaayirathi ambadhu dhaane. Ainoor epdi aachu" she tittered, resuming to unpack the boxes.

They had shifted to Lovedale just that day. Their belongings had already been unloaded at Vrindavan by a team of packers and movers yesterday. After a quick pooja, Sujatha had boiled the milk until it overflowed, praying her favorite deity to bless the house with abundance of prosperity and food.

While Sivaangi and little Maya had offered to serve the milk with a bit of sugar to the neighbours, Rakshan helped Ashwin in moving the furnitures and plugging in the appliances.

Ashwin had left to the college as soon as he was done with the chores, as he had to invigilate an exam. He had assured Sujatha that he would return by afternoon to help her unpack and arrange their stuffs.

"Sirikumbothu apdiye unga paati maari iruka" smiled Lakshmikanthan, caressing her head lovingly.

That did the trick of shutting Sivaangi's mouth. Just like that, her grandma's face flashed in front of her for a brief moment.

"Apdiya?" she asked with her big eyes wide open.

Lakshmikanthan nodded his head with a tight smile. He noticed her zoning out.

"Paati ya ka-kadaisi ya paaka, am-amma vidala" she stammered anxiously, plucking the teeny-tiny fuzzballs on the cushion.

Every second of that particular day was engraved in her brain.

Her heart had swelled in grief when she learnt of her grandma's death from a common relative. She remembered how she had begged her mom to let her go to the funeral. She badly wanted to have a look at her, one last time. She had cried all day, but all Geetha had done was to lock her in a room cruelly.

Lakshmikanthan and Sujatha stared at her in disbelief. They knew Geetha was a hard-hearted person. But they had never imagined her to be so unsparing. At the same time, an unknown content filled their heart on learning that Sivaangi had wished to see her grandma at the eleventh hour.

Vrindavan was filled with a strange silence. Three humans were cudgeling their brains, trying to decide on why that particular round-faced woman was so mean and egomaniacal. Whatsoever, the truth was painful.