A soft knocking on the door woke up both Pranav and Malathi who quickly dressed up and Pranav stepped out. It was just sunrise outside and the family hadn't even woken up, but Dinesh was standing at the door waiting for him to open.
"What's the matter?" asked Pranav, barely keeping his eyes open as he pulled his shirt over his broad shoulders.
"Our tenant Purushottaman is outside to see you", he replied.
Pranav followed him outside and found Purushottaman and Nikhil standing in the courtyard.
"What happened?" asked Pranav adjusting his bed hair.
"Kunje, those Paarakkal people had flooded the paddy fields in the north. Today morning when I went to inspect, it was completely covered in water. It includes the five acres which I was growing and the other five acres where you have planted. The embankment has been broken with some implements", said Purushottaman his eyes weary with sadness.
"Push the jeep out and start it at some distance, I don't want the rest of the family to wake up. I will be back in five minutes", replied Pranav.
He went back and quickly washed up and said to Malathi that he will be back for breakfast and left with the others.
The water in the paddy field looked like a mirror broken at regular intervals by the blades of the rice plant. It was painful for the Kalarikkal boys to see their blood and sweat drowned out by the water. By then workers had come to the fields and Pranav directed them to repair the embankment and drain off the water.
"You may still have time to replant. I will take the responsibility and the cost of procuring everything", Pranav reassured Purushottaman and then the Kalarikkal boys walked back to the jeep.
"So they have began their revenge. Dinesh, find what they are up to that we could use against them", said Pranav.
They returned back to Kalarikkal when it was almost time for breakfast.
"Where have you been?" asked Keshavanunni to them as they came back. The whole family was seated at the dinner table except the trio who had returned.
"Can we discuss it later?" asked Pranav with a pointed look which Keshavanunni understood as meant it was too serious to be discussed with everyone in the family.
"Malathi, you said you wanted to go somewhere?" asked Pranav.
"I was planning to go to the temple with Cheriyamma and then to the shops to buy some personal items", said Malathi.
"Why don't you visit the temple some other day and do your shopping in Prayikkal", he said to her.
This caught the attention of the elders; Prakashan, Sureshan and Satishan, and even Karthikeyan, who had his nose buried in a film magazine perked his ears and looked around at the tense faces of his father and uncles.
After the breakfast was over, Malathi went back to her room for some office work that she brought home while the rest of the family had gathered in the T. V room.
"I didn't want to let Malathi know anything, which is why I did not say anything during breakfast. But Paarakkal has started their work against us and we need to be careful", said Pranav and he detailed as to what they had done last night.
"Its a good thing that you did not tell anything to Malathi. I am expecting heavy repercussion from them. We are used to it, not her. I would really suggest that she cut her visit short and leave before she has to witness anything untoward", said Prakashan. The rest of the family nodded in agreement.
Pranav felt sad that Malathi has to leave early, but it was for her own safety. So he got up and went to his bedroom. Malathi was sitting on their bed going through a stack of files and Pranav had to push some to the side to make a place for him to sit.
YOU ARE READING
Malathi charitham (The history of Malathi) (Kalarikkal series - 2)
Romance"I want a relationship with you. And I want to tick every single milestone in that relationship. I want you to woo me, date me, make love to me, and.... break up with me" she said. "What!" he looked at her in shock. "I have loved you for more than a...
