Pookal Pookum Tharunam

ᴛᴇɴ

"Chats along Chapatis"

April 7, 2019

Sreedevi

What's wrong with him?

I have been noticing since yesterday. Ajay is acting totally wierd. Day before yesterday he lost his job. I know how hard it would be for a workaholic like him to lose job. But does that make a person act wierd?

Yesterday when I was correcting the answer papers, he sat opposite to me and kept staring me and the papers. I thought he would have been hungry, but No. He came behind me everywhere and end up sleeping with me.

Today when I opened my eyes from sleep, I almost jerked as he was already staring me examining me. He averted his gaze and got up from the bed wishing me a good morning which was so unusual.

Morning, He didn't make any move to prepare the breakfast. So I started making breakfast by the left over batter. He joined me and started making tomato chutney.

Later, I took all the dried clothes from the cloth dryer stand and put the another set of washed clothes to dry. He joined me and helped me to put the clothes to dry. He also stood by me and folded the dried clothes silently.

While making lunch, he got a call and was busy in his room. By the time he returned, I finished cooking. He was visibly disappointed.

Evening, I got a call from my friend Asif. He is the one and only close friend of mine who has seen a different Sreedevi from others. His native is Salem but he studied in coimbatore for his UG&PG. He was staying in the house next to mine. As we were studying in the same college, we used to go to college together.

He has called me after a long time. I talked to him for 34 minutes. Ajay was watching me all the time pretending like checking his laptop. His face turned into a frown everytime I laughed. I am pretty sure that Ajay might have not seen me laughing all these years.

And I have never told him about Asif, so he might be confused. Anyways I dont care.

He was looking at me now and then the rest of the day.

Even now he is looking at me through the corner of his eyes while chopping onions.

I have heard that people who are addicted to something gets mentally affected when they lose it. I stop kneading the dough and gasp.

Has he lost his mind?

"Ennachu?"

I come out of trance hearing him. I shake my head as a nothing and continue kneading the dough. I can sense him staring my hands. I gather all my courage and look up at his face sternly. He jerks a little.

"Enna pathut irukinga?" I take the hands off the dough and rests it on my hip.

He visibly gulps at my stern voice. He clears his throat and moves front towards me.

"Athu.. Maavu ipdi pesaya koodathu.. Thallu" He gently pushes me to a side and starts kneading on his own.

All these one and a half years, I was the one who knead the dough and the method of kneading was also same. But what wrong did I do now? Ajay starts kneading the dough and I dont find any difference in our ways of kneading.

When he lost his job, I expected him to be depressed and may act harsh towards me. But he is acting completely different from what I have expected. Which is scaring me.

I slowly cut the onions followed by the tomatoes. I still feel him looking at me but I ignore it. For a second I forget what I am going to cook right now.