The Unsaid

Chapter 16

Sweat trickled on Prithvi's neck; mid afternoons were getting hot even though it was only April. They had air conditioning only in their bedrooms, so the rest of the house felt like an oven. The heat would become more brutal in May. He had promised to take Pallavi to Singapore and Thailand in summer. They would get a break from the chaos surrounding them as well as the heat. She was so excited that she talked about it everyday and researched on the sight seeing places.  He observed how her one hand's fingers held a pair of jasmine buds while the other hand swiftly and expertly wove a white string around them, creating a beautiful sweet smelling fresh flower garland. He could see how much she enjoyed this process of picking the flowers, making the garland and adorning it in her hair. Not only that, she would make enough of it to share it with his mother and Madhu vadina too.

"Aunty," he heard a soft voice at the door and turned his head. Ravi, the six year old boy who had recently started living with his maternal grandparents, stood at the door.

"Em kavali, Ravi?" ( What do you want, Ravi?)Pallavi said lovingly, walking over to the little boy as she adjusted the jasmine flowers within her plait.

"Ammamma said that... umm... she wanted a cup of sugar. She ran out of it."

"Oh... alright. I will be right back, ok?" She went into the kitchen. Prithvi could sense the soft heart she had for this boy. Perhaps, everyone in the village had similar feelings for this particular lad. His mother had left his father and his father had remarried a year ago. The boy's maternal grandparents had not wanted his father to remarry. So, after much arguments and fights, they got the boy with them to raise him themselves.

Pallavi came out of the kitchen and handed over a bowl of sugar to the boy.

She took a keen look at his worn out shirt. "Your shirt is torn under the arm." She saw the blank look on the boy's face and smiled. "So what! It's a great shirt. Why don't you get it back to me later? I will stitch it and give it back to you. Then you will look just like Mahesh Babu!" The boy grinned. "Ok Aunty," he replied and sped away.

Prithvi stared at her appreciatively. Sometimes he had been disappointed by her lack of interest in assisting him with the community work. She had only asked him twice if he needed any help and both the times, she seemed to be utterly bored when he took her with him. One was during a farmer's workshop on creating compost from natural waste and the other was how to know your soil and select the right crop for successful harvest. He shouldn't judge her though. He could see that she had a soft heart in general, especially with little children.

"I hope she dies the worst death and burns in hell." Prithvi heard her mutter under her breath and jerked his head. Did he just think that she had a soft heart?

"Pallavi?" Prithvi said in a warning tone.

She stared back at him, her face stern. "I know what you will say, just like all the other times we had a angument about Aparna. But I... I can never forgive her." She slumped on the sofa.

Prithvi stared back at her silently with a steely look, hoping that the rant would end.

Pallavi gritted her teeth and shook her head. "I cannot understand how you can support her."

"I am not supporting her,"Prithvi said.

Pallavi twisted her mouth. "Of course you are supporting her. Otherwise why would we have so many arguments over a couple that separated? Anyways, whatever your opinion may be, but I cannot imagine how any responsible women can leave her child and loving husband."

Prithvi took a deep breath. "We don't know her point of view. She obviously must have her reason. I for one thing know that she was married at a young age against her wishes. Who are we to judge?"