It's Complicated

Fourteen

"You spoil her too much! Ethukku da ivlo dress?"

Ashwin laughed as his sister sorted through the bags and bags of clothes he'd bought for his niece.

It was the last day of Nivetha and Harini's stay with him, and he was really going to miss them when they left. It got lonely living alone all the time.

"Ennaku thaan kozhanthai illa. Atleast Harini ah treat panna vidu."

Nivetha rolled her eyes.

"Aiyo, I swear your kid is going to have you wrapped around its little finger. You'd buy your child a private island if they asked."

"Hey that's not true. Oru island vanga maaten, unnaku theriyum I buy two of everything I want."

Nivetha chuckled.

"Nee seriyana loosu Ashwin."

Their conversation was interrupted by the ring of the doorbell, and Nivetha left the living room to answer it. She swung the door open to find two faces she'd definitely seen before.

"Oh hi! Neenga Sivaangi thana? And Binni m'am?"

They nodded politely. Sivaangi knew from Ashwin's pictures that this woman was his sister. She was tall, skinny and fair with a barely there resemblance to her brother.

"I'm Nivetha, Ashwin's akka. Please ulla vanga."

They walked to the main room.

"So what brings you here?"

Sivaangi cleared her throat.

"Um, amma Ashwin ku pudicha sweet paninirthanga athan kuduthutu pollam nu pathom. We are going to a nearby mall, we thought we would stop by on the way. Is he busy?"

"Not at all," Ashwin replied as he walked in.

Sivaangi instantly beamed at his presence.

She had just seen him two days ago at their banyan tree spot, but it felt like forever.

Binni walked to him with the packet of rasagulla.

"Intha pa, ungalakku pudicha sweet pannen. It's a small token of my gratitude for what you did for Sivaangi."

Ashwin smiled shyly.

"Aiyo ithulam oru vishiyama?"

"Vishiyam thaan pa. In that moment you stood for her. You showed why we trust her to go anywhere with you."

Nivetha watched the interaction with complete confusion.

What could he have possibly done?

Binni noticed her bewildered expression.

"Nivetha, your brother is truly a hero. Yevano vanthu Sivu mela thappa ullampothu Ashwin thaan avanuku seriyana punishment kuddutharu. Rendu saathu saathunaru."

Nivetha was surprised, to say the very least. Her brother was the type who hesitated to even ask people what time it was, or correct a waiter if they got something wrong. But here he had gone out of his way to confront some street rat?

She sent a questioning glance to Ashwin, who looked away.

"Romba nalla paiyan. Unga amma and appa ku romba periyuma irrukum ipdi oru paiyana vallathathuku."

"Thanks m'am, they are very proud of him. We all are, he deserves all the praise and applaud that has come his way."

Sivaangi looked around.

"Neenga mattum thaan vanthingala, akka?"

"Illa da, I came with my daughter Harini. Ava innum thoongituruka."