His Lotus

55

Deva

Thursday
7.am

"Bye, mama..." He gives me a painful gaze, his face clearly showing his reluctance to send me to our hometown. "Just a day mama, then we can be together again," I cheer him up with a pinch to his cheeks and back off, stepping inside the train and settling in one of the empty seats near a window.

Looking out through it, I watch as Deva mama advances towards me and stands grumpily, watching my eyes with obsessive love.

I have no idea what I should feel right now. Should I be concerned about his overwhelming love? Or Should I melt at his said kind of love? I feel stuck between the two. But then there's this feeling of happiness that swirls within my heart at the pure love he holds for me. This is what I certainly craved the most in my life. To be loved without limits and boundaries.

And I'm fortunate that my better half is someone that I knew all my life and could trust with my everything.

"Be safe, okay?" I nod towards him, adoring him inwardly. A while later, the train starts to shuffle away and I wave my hands at Deva mama who seems to refrain himself from pulling me out of the train as he waved back at me, half-heartedly.

His love...is so cute.

I blush as soon as the train flees far, blocking my eyes from gazing at my Deva mama. It's a strict order from him that I should message him once every 30 minutes and I quickly type away a text to him, regarding my state.

He views the message within seconds and sends a thumbs-up in return. I smile at that and lean back on the seat, witnessing the world blossom into its bright self gradually.

The journey came to an end at evening and I saunter off my home with the fatigue of the travel weighing me down. Hence when I attain my home, the first thing I did was slumber on the couch in the lounge.

My mom is the first one to notice me. "How was the marriage?" She asks softly, patting my head. I smile at her motherly touch. I missed her.

"It was fantastic ma," I adduce, opening my eyelids. "Seri (fine) freshen up, I will prepare you tea," I nod and stretch my hands and body to relieve the weariness.

And then as I look at my mom, she has her unmoving gaze fixed on my neck. My heart literally paused for a few seconds as I speculated about her seeing my thaali!

I hastily try to push the dupatta up but mother harshly tugs it away and grips at the yellow string, watching it with stunned eyes.

With a thudding organ beneath my chest, I fearfully perk up at my mom. God! I'm dead. "What is this Thamara..." She leaves me, stumbling back and settling herself in one of the chair-couches.

I straighten my body and approach her, words clogging in my throat as I try to say the truth. She looks devastated and betrayed.

"Deva mama..." That's all I was able to manage out as mother's eyes becomes blurry with tears. "...sorry ma," and she slapped me hard on my cheeks.

"You were going to marry him anyway! Then why can't you both just wait?" Mother spills in anger that drags the attention of my aunts as I sense them entering our home one by one.

"What happened Tharani? Why were you shouting!?" Deva mama's mom asks her and as she gazes at me, her eyes instantly zeroes in on the thaali dangling on my chest.

She stood there a minute, seemingly contemplating whether to believe this or not. And she steps closer to me and touches the thaali and perks up at me. "Who was it?" She questions me, cautiously.

"Who else! It's your son," my mother yells and athai appears astounded. My other aunts and cousins gasped loudly. "When did this happen?" She puts forward, gawking at me intimidatingly.

"On that day when everyone confronted Deva mama," athai sighs and sits back on the couch while I settle on the floor, frightened.

"What more were you both hiding from us?" Mother questions, her gaze intense on mine. The fact that I stayed at Deva mama's apartment for almost three consecutive days flashes across my brain alarmingly and I gulp as I try to lie again.

"Nothing more amma," however, mother doesn't seem to believe me. She asks for my phone and I provide her with the same, confused as to what she was about to do.

She then picks up her phone from her room and types in a number on my phone. Wait...is she dialing to my friends who I said to her were accompanying me to the fake marriage!?

I had informed my friends about my returning to the village today and they would be prepared to deceive my parents If they were to contact them.

But my mom is smart. She knows the girls would fool her If she called them through her mobile.

Pressing the call icon, I watch as mom latches the mobile to her ear and probably calls one of my friends. As soon as the receiver attends so, mom clicks on the loudspeaker and brings the phone to my face.

"Thamara!? Have you reached your home?" Mother glares at me and nods, asking me to reply.

"Yes.." I trail off and pray to every lord to keep my friend from blabbering the secret.

"Well well, so how did you enjoy your time with your mama?"

Okay, I'm officially doomed. Mother disconnects the call just as my friend let that query out of her mouth.

"You were with him all these days?" One of my aunts boom, astonished. "Kadavulae! (Oh god)" another one of my aunts exclaims, placing her hands over her jaw, obviously taken aback by what we did.

"Let's not inform this to the males. They won't let this go easily. And don't anyone dare say this to Deva either. He will be here tomorrow, right? Let's confront him then," mother attests to everyone and gives me a disapproving look.

"Your father will be broken If he learns about what you have done," I stare down at the floor, ashamed.

"But Deva is the elder one. He should have known what he was doing and whether it was right or not. Can't blame you alone entirely," Mother further speaks.

And then she looks at me intently and I know she wants to ask me something more but she hesitates. I've stayed with him alone for three nights and we were married...

Hence I am aware of what everyone's mind will be cooking at the moment. It makes me feel embarrassed.

I stare at my mom and shook my head negatively, telling her silently that we'd not overstepped the line.

She understands me and her body relaxes a bit. "Go to your room," I dash away hurriedly, reflecting on everything that had occurred.

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