Truly Yours 2

Imagination 3: Mad Men

Disclaimer: The plot is purely fan fiction akin to a movie script. The depiction of incidents in this story is fictional and entirely unrelated to the persons after whom the characters are named. The story is not representative of any persons' view or imagination except mine.

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"Oru drive polaama?"

"Ippava, pa?" Sivaangi asked her father.

"Aamaa, ma. Oru drive polaam, va."

"Okay, pa. Ennakku oru five minutes kudunge. Naan freshen up pannittu varen."

Sivaangi quickly changed into a pair of track pants and a hoodie and tied her hair into a low ponytail. Seeing her father waiting for her in the car, she hopped towards the front porch.

"Sivaangi." Her mother called her.

"Enna ma?"

"Appakooda drive poreh. Avar kaalaiyile etho konjam harsh-ah pesittaaru. Vittru, Sivaangi... Appa-thaaneh."

"Naan athey eppavo maranthutten, ma. Haiyoo! Appathaneh!" Sivaangi hugged her mother before walking out to get into the car.

Mr Krishnan's route seemed very familiar to Sivaangi. It was not long before she realised he was driving to the same spot Ashwin stopped his car for their talks.

"Thiru thirunnu mullikaathe, Sivaangi! Neeyae ellaathaiyum sollaame solliduve polae!" chided her mind voice.

"Sivaangi, unnakku ice-cream venuma?" asked Mr Krishnan, pointing to an ice-cream cart as he stopped his car.

"Vanilla flavour, pa."

It being a Sunday, the nearby park was crowded, so they stayed in the car to avoid being recognised. Sivaangi looked at the park, reminiscing last night's beautiful moments. Her face got warm, and she felt a blush coming on. Clasping her hands, she hee hee-ed to herself.

The car door opened suddenly, and her father handed her a wafer ice cream.

Wiping his hands, he said, "Sivaangi, naan innaikki kaalaiyile unkitte firm-ah nadanthathukku oru reason irrukku. Athu yennennu naan solren but athukku munnadi appa unkitte onnu kaetpaen. Nee enkitta unmaiyaa bathil solluvenu ennakku nambikkai irukku. Kaekatta?"

"Hmm, yenna vishayam, pa? Yaen ivalo serious-ah irukeenge?" Worry crept in, and Sivaangi felt a little anxious hearing her father.

"Naethikki night Vishal ennakku phone panniyirunthaan. He wanted to know if you had reached home safely as he left the function before you. We were talking casually, and I got to know that the singing skit ended at 8.30."

Mr Krishnan paused. His daughter had stopped eating, and her eyes were looking down.

He sighed as though he was expecting to hear some unpleasant news. He continued, "You came home around eleven-thirty and told me that you were late because the function ended at ten-thirty. Ashwinnum atheythaan sonnaru. Say you packed up at eight-thirty and perhaps, you mingled and left the place an hour later, you would have still reached home long before eleven-thirty, Sivaangi. Or let's say you and Ashwin went to grab some dinner or snacks, and it got late; I trust my daughter would have told me about it to explain the delay. Unnakku unge appave nalla theriyum. I do not calculate the times you leave and arrive because I know my daughter. I trust my daughter. But you told me something contrasting to Vishal. And I want to understand why. Sollu, ma. Yaen appadi sonneh?"

Sivaangi gathered herself quickly and looked at her father. The ice cream was beginning to melt badly, so she grabbed some tissues to wipe the dripping liquid. Then, she resumed eating to appear normal. If she could describe what she was feeling at that moment, the fast-melting ice cream would be an apt description.