Thoorigai

Anxiety

Mullai woke up abruptly as if someone yelled at her ears. She jerked up and sat immobile staring at her mother. Her brain was still processing the scenes she just saw, and she felt disoriented. Only after few minutes, she noticed her mother standing near her bed with concerned look in her eyes.

"Mulla, enna achu? Ketta kanava? Ipadi verkuthu iruku. Kathi azha vera senja?", Mullai's mother Parvathy asked worriedly.

"Kanava?", Mullai muttered. The prospect of all of it being a dream filled all particles of her brain.

"Inaiku enna naal?", Mullai asked hopefully

"Sevvai. Edhuku ipadi kathi azhudhanu ketta, inaiku enna naal'nu kekara?"

"Tuesday. Apo one day than college ponean this week", Mullai muttered aloud. She was still bewildered not able to figure out if everything about Kathir that she saw or rather she experienced was a dream. Everything looked so real and was trying to process if that dream were just recreation of what actually happened or fiction of her imagination. Feeling hopeful of it all being a dream, she leapt out of the bed and ran to her wardrobe. She started looking among her clothes.

"Eii Mulla. Naan unna pathu bayandhu poi irukean. Nee en kelvi ku badhil solama, anga enna nondara?"

"Amma, en white salwar pathiya? Nethu college ku potutu poneney?", she asked not taking her head out of the shelf.

"Nethu edho red top, jean thana potutu ponna? Selvi thovachu kaiya podarapo pathean. Adhu ilama, adhu enna white salwar? Un kita white la edhu salwar? Un wardrobe la pathi black'um red'um than irukum. Adhulum 4 salwar than. Salwar pota unaku nala irukumnu sonna enga kekara?", Parvathy continued her rants completely forgetting how she woke up her daughter few minutes back.

"En kita white salwar ilaya?", Mullai asked confused as she looked back at her mother.

"Sutham. Pathiyam than pudichu iruku unaku. Unaku mandhirichu vidanum pola. Oru vela, College pora vazhiyila edho kathu karupu adichuducho unaiya?", Parvathy let out a hearty laugh, pulling her daughters leg.

Mullai who was in no mood to react to her mother and hurried to get ready wanting to go to college as soon as possible to confirm all she saw about Kathir were just part of a very bad dream. 

*

Mullai parked her car and headed towards the cafeteria, as she didn't see any of her friends in the car shed, where they usually meet before class. As she entered, her eyes scanned across all tables and stopped at the table where they were all seated and discussing something.

They seem to be normal. Apo adhu kanavu than pola. , Mullai prayed and walked towards them and sat next to Aadhya.

"High raised jean ku ipadi oru long kurta. It's a Fashion disaster", Mounika said pointing to a girl walking towards a table with food tray in her hand.

"Ava department la ava mela ethane peruku crush theriyuma?", Harsha said and Mounika rolled her eyes in return.

"Mechanial boys avalavu kanju poi irukanga pola"

"Yen? I would totally date her", Harsha added. He loved to annoy Mounika and never let go of a chance.

"Adhu because you have no standard while it comes to choosing girls. Adhan", Dee laughed joining Mounika to taunt Harsha.

"Amma amam. Un standard than romba high achey. Adhan you are still single", Aadhya grunted.

"Hahah I would rather stay single, rather than settle down for any girl who isn't perfect", he commented sounding matter of fact.