புத்தகம் மூடிய மயில் இறகாய்!

~ Chapter - 3 ~

Kathir sat leaning on the pillar in the hall with Kanna turning pages of his book just for the sake of it, stifling a yawn every few minutes. The moon, a perfect semi-circle, looked absolutely gorgeous in the starless sky and his mind couldn't help but poke him with a worry that haunted him for the past one week.

Mullai totally refused attending both his and Meena's call the whole week, except for a few messages to tell them she was doing fine though he very well knew that she was far from being anything close to fine. She had even not let him accompany her to the railway station when she left for Coimbatore and never anywhere in the past he had bid her bye without being present there with her in person.

His mentally draining thoughts were cut short when Meena came with a glass of milk for Kanna and she settled near them. Seeing Kanna all drowsy, she warned him of failing yet another exam which made him more grumpy and he turned the pages even faster in frustration as he gulped the milk in one go.

Meena then faced Kathir speaking the words which made his heart race fast, "Mulla koopta Kathir... konja neram munna...", Kathir had kept calling her constantly for the whole week and to know that his calls were sidelined, did hurt him quite a lot that moment, "enna sonna anni...".

Meena frowned in annoyance of her own impuissance in this issue and letting out a huff she said, "naalaiku ooruku varalaam... adha solla call pannirundha...", Kathir responded immediately, "naalaika... podhuva vaara kadaisila thaana...", Meena's next set of words made his senses get stupefied from being able to think straight,

"anga velaiya vittutalaam... Karaikudi la naanga padicha college laye velaiku join panna poralaam vara Monday... madam oru information ah mattum idhellam sonnanga... enna thaan Kathir aachu ivaluku...", Kathir's head spun in confusion and it took him a long time to even think of a counter to what his sister-in-law said.

Kathir asked again in total perplexity to reassure whether he really heard what he did a few seconds back, "namma Mullai... velaiya vittutala... adhu avaloda kanavu...", Meena cut in with bitterness slipping out in abundance along with her words, "namma Mullaiye thaan... Coimbatore illa Chennai la settle aaganum nu thaana ellam panna...

innum oru maasathula ava amma appa vayum angaiye veedu paathu kootitu porathavum sollitu irundhale... ippa dhideernu enna aachu nu sathiyama puriyala Kathir... en kannu munna mattum ippa ava irundha naalu ara vitrupen...".

Kanna too was by now totally into the conversation and he asked them the most obvious thing that struck his sensibility, "aana... Mullai akka Kathir annan ta sollama ivalo periya decision eppadi eduthaanga...".

Meena rolled her eyes replying, "adhu thaan da enakum puriyala... naan avataye keten adha... adhuku naalaiku ooruku vantu Kathir ta pesuren nu sollita... aana idhu thaan modha thadava enaku therinju Kathir ta kekama onnu panniruka athuvum ivalo periya mudivu...".

Kathir stood up saying he was tired and without another word moved towards the backyard, Meena and Kanna eyed his disappointed self with eyebrows furrowed in concern. Meena too got up to leave telling Kanna that let them leave Kathir and Mullai to handle it on their own and as she made her way to her room, she couldn't deny the fact that this was the first ever time, in all these years she knew Mullai, where she acted totally weird that too with Kathir.

She had never seen them have a fight ever and even if they did have a disagreement, they never delayed having a face-to-face confrontation before the problem gets solved. Hiding away from each other has never been their style but like everything else that seemed out of place in this one week, Mullai's rapport with Kathir too was utterly incongruous like never before.