It was a lazy Sunday at Kalarikkal, the boys were in the TV room when Pranav entered.
"Hey, which one of you is going to collect the rent from the tenants? I have to go to the town today so one of you have to do it" said Pranav his brothers.
"ME", shouted Dinesh almost too enthusiastically.
"What has got into you?" asked Anjaneyan.
"Nothing" muttered Dinesh.
"I am taking the jeep to the city, do you want me to drop you near their homes?" asked Pranav.
"Don't worry, I will take the motorcycle", said Dinesh.
Dinesh left before Pranav added more jobs onto him.
He drove his motorcycle through the picturesque roads stopping at the homes of the tenants who owed them rent. Some were for houses and others were for the agricultural lands they had rented to them. He completed almost all of them and finally reached the house of Purushottaman. He had rented a plot of land for rice cultivation from the Kalarikkal family. Dinesh went and knocked at the door and there was no reply, so he went to the back of the house where they had a small shed used for storing paddy, farming implements and firewood. Sure enough the door to the paddy room was open and he gazed in and smiled. The person he so eagerly wanted to meet since morning was inside. The room was filled on one side with paddy until about half the height of the room, a girl of medium height, dressed in a sandal colored cotton pavada (maxi skirt) and long blouse was putting some of it into a palm leaf muram (winnow). He stood for sometime gazing at the long hair that shifted around like a curtain behind her.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
The girl got startled and she looked around to see him. She was fair, and had chubby cheeks, as if baby fat hadn't fully left her face but was over all, a pretty girl. She got up, but before she could say anything, Dinesh got in and closed the door behind him.
"What do you think you are doing, get out!" she said to him in anger.
"Pournami, what the hell! I can't meet you at home, in public, at the temple or anywhere! Do you remember that you were the one who confessed to liking me in the first place? What am I supposed to do when I want to meet my girlfriend", he asked in exasperation.
"Get out before Achan comes back", she said to him.
"Why can't I talk to you when I want to talk to you?" asked Dinesh.
"Because rich boys like you don't have to care about their reputations, but I do. I don't want people to talk bad things about me if you come around when my family is not here, so please leave", she said.
Dinesh sighed. "Fine, so did you send the application to my college?".
"I did" she muttered.
"Then see you in college. And be careful, I will be taking revenge for refusing my advances", he said as he opened the door. "But until then..." he grabbed her and gave a quick kiss on her cheek. "This will keep me happy". And he left before the pink faced, startled girl could scold him.
***************************************
Pranav was in a bakery in the bustling town nearby buying snacks for the whole family. It was part of their Sunday tradition where they sit down to watch the Sunday Malayalam movie and have snacks and hot tea.
A tall, fair man in his late thirties approached him, "Excuse me, are you Kalarikkal Pranav?" he asked.
"Yes, I am. Sorry, I do not recognize you", said Pranav.
YOU ARE READING
Malathi charitham (The history of Malathi) (Kalarikkal series - 2)
Romansa"I want a relationship with you. And I want to tick every single milestone in that relationship. I want you to woo me, date me, make love to me, and.... break up with me" she said. "What!" he looked at her in shock. "I have loved you for more than a...
