Ithuvum oru Kathal Kathai

Athirchi

Mullai was busy cleaning the tea glasses for the evening snack crowd

She sat on a plastic stool cleaning the glasses and humming a song to herself..

🎶🎵உனக்காக வாழ நெனைக்கிறேன்
உசுரோட வாசம் புடிக்கிறேன்
புடவை மடிக்கையில்
உன்னத்தான் மடிக்கிறேன்
ஒரு நூறு வருஷம் பேச நெனச்சி
தோளில் தூங்குவேன்🎵🎶

She was even singing after so long she realised ruefully

It felt like a different life

One that she wanted to leave behind completely

She never thought she would smile again in life..

Everything looked so bleak

But gods had finally relented and here she was working for a family that she really liked

Dhanam was warm and caring

Meena who was her age was fun and quirky

Aishu..she smiled..Aishu and Kanna she hardly met initially..but after the babies caretaking arrangement..Aishu and Kanna came everyday to pick the babies up..but were always a little distant until of course that one incident ..Mullai sat thinking about that day

Very soon it was a month since she joined the mess..

Dhanam asked her to wait

Mullai konjam iren..kelambaatha

Ahn seri ka

Intha Mullai un motha maasa sambalam Dhanam smiled

Akka.maranthe pochu oru maasam aayiduchunnu

Seriya pochu po..intha pudi..mess velai appuram Kozhanthainga paarthukkarthu rendukkum ithulla irukku..

Akka mess sambhalathula konjam eduthu kittu atha enakku appuram varaanga la..Aishwarya..avungalukku kudukkareengala

Yen Mullai

Illekka pala naal kozhanthaingala paarthukkanumnu yen velai naan seyyaama vittu poi irukku..antha velaiyum serthu antha pulla senju irukkum la athaan

Sollitta la..naan Aishwarya ku serthu kudukkaren..ithe nee pudi

Akka ithulernthe

Mullai pudi..romba yosikkaatha

Kanna and Aishwarya had just arrived at the shop and saw all this and felt very small

They walked in smiling

Neraiya naal naan college pora avasarathula en velai kooda thaan vittu irukken..athe neenga panni iruppeenga ille ..she smiled at Mullai

Mullai didn't know what to say to that

Namma mess..namma velai pandrom..Friends she proferred her hand

Hmm friends Mullai smiled

And the last 2 weeks it had become habitual for Kanna and Aishwarya to stay 15 mts at Mullai's place and chat away over a steaming cup of tea before taking the kids home

But her main happiness came from an unexpected source..Murugan uncle..he had become like a father figure to her..they went shopping for the mess together..

His one and only daughter had eloped she had gleaned from him

Athu naala othukki vechutteengalo Mullai asked him

Pinna kalyana mandabathula ellaraiyum thalaya guniya vechuttu pona

Antha kalyanathula avangalukku ishtam illennu ungalukku konjam koodavaa theriyale

Theriyum theriyum

Appuram yen erpaadu panneenga

Ponnu vaazhkai nalla irukkanumnu thaan

Mullai smiled but said nothing

Ennamma summa irukka

Appo avangalukku enna vayasu

Oru 22 irukkum

Appo avanga vaazhkaila mudivu edukkara alavu vayasu aayiduchu ille

Murugan kept quite

Yen pudikkalennu ketteengala

Verenna kathal thaan

Oh

Speaking this they came back to the mess

Uncle enakku intha tumbler la konjam tea venume

The cup had water in it

Murugan uncle proceeded to pour the water out

Enna pandreenga uncle

Tea ketta ille..

Thanniya kottaamale antha tumbler la tea kudunga uncle

Atheppudi ma mudiyum

Mullai smiled at him fixing him with a stare

Mudiyathu la..ponnungalaala mattum manasula oruthar vechu kitte eppudi uncle innoruthara kalyanam panna mudiyum..she whispered

And simply went about her work without waiting for a response

Later that day unknown to anyone

Murugan had been to Pandian stores

Moorthy stood up out of courtesy

Maappillai enna mannichudunga the older man said

Ada maamaa..enna periya vaarthai pesikittu..ippo ethukku a visibly flustered Moorthy said

Ille manasaara unga kitta pesanum thonichu athaan

Moorthy smiled

Naanum sorry maamaa..ippo naan santhoshama irukken..ungalukke theriyum..Malliyum santhoshama irukkanum thaan en aasai..neengalum yosikkaatheenga maamaa..

And just like that an icing out 15 years old came to an end

And it was to this milieu that Kathir came back home

The mess was running well..

The afternoon tea and snacks idea was a whooping success..

Kanna was completely won over by Mullai and couldn't stop talking about her ..

Murugan maamaa had come home and Kathir was stunned to see him and his eldest brother talking nineteen to the dozen and laughing their heads off

He gleaned that this was due to something Mullai had said but no one knew exactly what

Somehow in the few weeks that had gone by this girl seemed to have inter woven herself into everyone's heart

Even the kids seemed to perk up whenever her name was taken

Kathir felt a compelling urge to meet this person

Outside in the thinnai

He sat chuckling to himself

Naan aarambicha mess..athulla velaikku serntha oru ponnu

Ellarukkum therinju irukka..pudichum irukka aanaa naan mattum innum avala kannaala paarkkale..hmmm

Naalaikku enna aanaalum paarthudanum he made a resolve to himself

And it was with this intent he stood in front of her the next day right after lunch was over

The ladies had this habit of unwinding with a cup of tea before the tea crowd hit  them next

He had decided to go at that time and stood in front of her

A very pleasant beautiful looking woman busy preparing tea ..the rest of them, it looked like, were inside the mess

On hearing a sound she looked up with a smile

Sorrynga lunch mudinjuduchu she said

But the next instant the smile froze on her lips and she looked shocked like she saw a ghost