Distance plays Cupid

14

A/N: For the purpose of this story, please imagine MuP house as the first house shown on the show. The one before wedding, the one for maruveetu saapadu, etc.

Mu: Mulla! Ammadi Mulla! Yei Parvathy!

Parvathy walked out from her room to the living room as Murugan continued calling Mullai.

P: yenga! yen ipdi kathitrukeenga? Ava pinnadi kollai la irukka. 

As she reached the living room, she realised there was not one but two people seated on the sofas. 

P: neenga.. vaanga. yeppo vandheenga? 

Kathir stood up as Parvathy walked into the hall. 

K: adhu ippodhan... Neenga epdi irukeenga? Odambuku paravalaya ippo?

P: paravala thambi. Edho irukken. Veetla ellarum nallarukangala? 

K: Ahn nallarukanga

Mu: Yei Maapla vandhurkkaru nee enna apdiye ninnutruka? Poi kudikka edhavdhu eduthutu vaa

K: illa paravala. Adhellam edhum venaam.

Mu: Ada enna maapla neenga. Irunga naa poi ungaluku saapda edhavdhu kondu varen. Iva kaal'a vechitu nadandhu pogardhukum kashtam. Irunga

K: aiyo adhellam venaam mama

Murugan had left for the kitchen by then.

A tensed silence filled the room. The last time they met was a disaster. He had asked her to leave the PS house, as she had made insensitive remarks about Lakshmi and Dhanam. The other time, Kasturi and her had come over to argue about Mullai pawning her ring

Parvathy still doesn't have that great an opinion of him. Murugan had told her about how Kathir spoke courteously with him and also about how he has grown to like Mullai. However Parvathy being Parvathy, wouldn't change her opinion simply based on what she heard. Only when she sees things herself, would she believe them.

Kathir on the other hand held no major grudges against her. He was furious the other day but wasn't particularly holding on to it. Especially after growing more fond of Mullai, he had slowly began to react less and tone down on the enmity. 

Both of them were awkwardly sitting, maathi maathi looking at floor and ceiling. Thank god Murugan returned quick, with some tidbits and water. 

Mu: idhanga maapla, saapdunga. 
To Parvathy: Mulla enga?

P: ava kollai pakkam pona. Iruttura neram aayirchu la. Kaaya vecha thuni ellathayum eduthu, chedi'ku thanni oothi, ellam seiyyanum la. Adhan.

Mu: Adhu sari ma. Ippo maapla vandhurukaru. Andha velaiyellam apram paathukidalam la. 
to Kathir: Irunga maapla naa Mullai'ya kootitu varen

K: Illa paravala. Yethana dhadava poitu poitu varuveenga? Naane poren.. Kollai ku

Mu: apdi solreengala? Adhuvum sari dhan. Naer'a poi yedadhu pakkam ponga Maapla

K: Nyaabagam irukku Mama

Ofcourse he remembered. This was the house he spent a lot of his vacation days in. Murugan, Parvathy and Mullai were not living in Kunnakudi but used to come back for every major festival and school holidays. Those days, both families had spent a good number of days in each others' houses. It was a thing of the past but definitely memorable. Afterall, those were the final days when Kathir was happy, when he lived under the protection and guidance of his father, when the household was peaceful.

The walk towards the backyard felt like a walk down memory lane, physically short, yet a long one when measured in thoughts. The paint on the walls had changed, more photographs adorned the walls, but the wooden furniture and the old photo frames were the same. 

What grabbed his attention was another thing that hadn't changed, that hadn't been fixed.
The step(stair) leading to the backyard was still broken on the edge.

He remembered Jeeva and him were once playing badminton in the backyard. Mullai was given the role of picking the shuttlecock whenever it fell outside the 'court' they had created with chalk. One time when she ran to pick the shuttlecock, she accidentally hit her foot on that broken stair. Her pinky toe had turned blood red and she wailed inconsolably. 

This was a memory from around 15years ago. She was only 6 or 7. Her mom scolded her for being careless. But his dad intervened and consoled her, lovingly telling her to be more careful next time. 

Kathir remembered the time she accidentally hit her arm on the cot after their accident, the countless times she fell when learning to ride the scooty, and when she fell off the bicycle at Kodai. 

Eppo paathalum velaiyaattu dhan. Gavanam illama adipattukardhey velaiya pochu ivaluku. Appolerndhu ippo varaikum apdiye dhan irukka. Paapa

Kathir had a half smirk and half smile as he reminisced the good old childhood days. They were all friends, cousins, besties, who never got enough of playing with, and teasing each other. She had always addressed Moorthy and Jeeva as "mama", and Kathir and Kanna by their names. Moorthy being the much elder to the rest, was either busy with studies or was helping out at the shop. The next three seniors belonged to a similar age group and thus, spent a lot of time together. They used to have a gala time when Kanna was a baby, running behind him and playing with him all the time. 

Appa irundhurundha adhey maari sandhoshama irundhuruppom la...

He brushed off that thought and entered the backyard. There she was, watering the plants. 

There was this sudden surge of happiness in him. Never had he thought a day like this would come, when he would miss her, even for 3-4days.
But it wasn't just the happiness of seeing her but also the happiness of hearing her, that too, like never before.

Yes, Mullai was singing! He had never heard her sing before! He slowly walked towards her and stopped beside the bench where she had placed the dry clothes.

ஒத்தையில் ஓடும் ரயிலோரம் கத்தியே ஒம்பேர் சொன்னேனே
அந்த ரயில் தூரம் போனதும் நேரம் ஆனதும் கண்ணீர் விட்டேனே
முத்து மாமா என்ன விட்டுப் போகாதே 
என் ஒத்த உசுரு போனா மீண்டும் வாராதே

Mullai was in her own world, singing and watering the plants. She had no idea she was being watched or heard. After the final pot, she turned to face a pair of eyes watching her intently, with his trademark smile plastered on his face.

She had definitely not expected to see him in her house, at that time. 
They had just spoken over the phone a while ago
But he showed no signs of visiting her
Was she dreaming?

Kanava? Ivagha enga inga vandhurukkagha?

Kathir was just standing there without moving an inch. The smile hadn't altered either.

She wasn't sure as to what to do. 
Should she walk towards him and confirm that he really was there?
Should she just open her mouth and speak to him, or his image as she thought?

She wanted to see him, so there he was! 
He wanted to surprise her.
He wanted to see how she'd react when she sees him. 

Oru vela nesamave vandhurukkahala?

She walked towards him, taking slow, nervous yet excited steps.
There was a good one-arm's length distance between them when she stopped.

Enna apdiye nikkuragha? Oruvela kanavu dhano? 

K: Oye!

Her eyes popped out

Aaathi!!