Peacock...

18

Mayil

Storming inside my aunt's home, I scream a question at her. "Athai, am I not beautiful!?" My poor aunt who was working on the tamarinds jerks and gives me a shocked look.

Jayanthi also comes out from her room, staring at me perplexedly.

"You are beautiful Mayilu! Did somebody tell otherwise?" Pouting gloomily, I nod my head like a pitiful puppy.

"That person must have poor eyesight!" She curses, and I think back to Vetri sir. It would have been nice If that's the case now. But I'm sure his eyesight is brilliant. I can't even fall asleep in the corner without him noticing.

"No aunt," I sigh in sorrow and saunter wearily to the room. "Mayilu, who was it that hurt you?" Aunt further inquires and I halt at the entrance of the room, where Jayanthi is standing to a side.

"A kid from the tuition," I lie, aware it would stir issues If I tell the truth. "Must be stupid," she says and I nod, not looking at her. Yes, he is utterly stupid to have me feeling hurt.

The way he had watched me then, it was the same look I would give to my favorite milk ice cream. Hence I'm quite sure that he had lied to me! He must have found me pretty, but his ego might have shut him up from saying that.

Well, I would change my name If I don't have him saying to me that I'm beautiful in a few days!

That night, as Jayanthi and I lay on the mat, she starts enquiring me. "Is it really a kid that hurt you?" I mutter the truth to her without hesitation.

"No, it's Vetri, sir. He was looking at me dreamily and when I confronted him about that, he told me that I'm not very beautiful to be worth looking at," Jayanthi gasps and turns to me.

"Akka...did he really look at you dreamily? Are you sure?" I nod my head, replaying his gaze in my brain again.

"Akka, I think he is in love with you," with bulging eyes, I swirl my head to her. "What!? That is impossible Jayanthi! Besides, my mom had always told me to not love any male unless he is my husband. Thus I can't love anyone until I'm married," If Vetri sir has feelings for me, then the world we live in is just a dream!

"Oh..." She drags, displeased at my reply.

"Now stop suggesting irrelevant things and just sleep," I say to her stringently and turn to my other side.

A few minutes later, Jayanthi speaks up again. "But my friend had once said that we can't control falling in love with someone.." raising my leg, I lend a slight kick to hers. She hisses at the sudden action.

"Your friend must have a weak heart Jayanthi," I retort and attempt to plunge into the land of slumber but this Vetri sir keeps on disturbing me.

Jiffies later, I still stay awake, and all thanks to Vetri sir. Frowning in irritation, I toss and turn, unable to find the sleep that I'm looking for.

And when I finally slept, Vetri sir intruded into my dream. It was a weird one where we were hugging.

With a racing heart, I shriek and sit on the mat. Jayanthi also gets up at my sudden movements.

We both glance out and see the murkiness beginning to blur away, thus, giving way for the sunlight to take over the world.

"Why did you wake up so early?" Jayanthi sleepily asks while I shake my head, feeling timid to disclose the dream to her. "Just a strange dream..."
I trail off, my insides fluttering at the recollection of the scene.

"Mom says that dreams that appear in the early dawn will come true akka!" I'm aware of it as well. But this is just not possible at all.

"Hm..." I hum and fall back onto the pillow. "What was your dream Akka?" Jayanthi continues to pester me as she lies beside me.

"I forgot.." Jayanthi scrunches her face sadly while I gulp, knowing that I could never be able to forget that dream.

Subsequently, we both ease ourselves into dozing off again.

Later, aunt wakes us up just before the sun could walk into the world. Then I and Jayanthi freshen up at the pond, dressed up in the house, and strolled to the school together.

The morning classes were good and I attended to them actively. And the teachers were particularly sweet to me and were very helpful.

And after lunch hour, came Vetri sir, decked in a dark violet button-up shirt and black pants. Upon glimpsing at him, my dream flashes across my mind and I couldn't help but look away from him.

Perhaps, that is why he called me out first. "Mayil, let us watch a movie...what would be the question tag you would insert here?" Standing up, I confidently answer.

"Shall we?" He ushers me to sit using his stick and then begins to question the other students. He was totally in a professional mood throughout the class and he taught us about 'Positive, comparative and superlative degree'. It was quite interesting and I liked his way of teaching.

Before the class came to an end, he asked us to write ten sentences on that topic as homework.

Afterward, as the school hour terminates, I and Jayanthi walk together and attain our house.

Momentarily, while dressing up to attend the tuition, I wear the red t-shirt of Vetri sir and a white skirt. And I let my hair loose and part it from the left side. Picking a few strands from either side of my ear, I place two slides to adjust the hair.

Then I apply eyetex and a bindi...

"Akka...you are really so beautiful," Jayanthi comments, her eyes staring at me with admiration.

I'm expecting these sentences from some other person. If I couldn't make him say it, then...I would have to change my name like I had oathed.

________________________