Nandini

Chapter 12- Thiruveni's Dreams

"What is she expecting? I am fed up with this girl. Why are you staying mum, boy? Ask her. Do you think she is imagining that some prince is going to carry her away?"

Is Amma talking about her? Who is she talking to? How does she know? Wait, did she expect some prince to carry her away? To where? Of course not. Nandini shivered as she heard Amma's words.

She peeked inside the house and saw Amma scolding akka and annan trying calm her down. What a relief! This isn't about her. Poor akka. She doesn't deserve this.

Amma came to Chola kingdom in the first place because she was worried about their marriage. Now that appa is earning enough and they are under the patronage of Sembiyan Madevi, akka has started to recieve some good proposals. But she rejected all of them. Did she have someone in mind? Since Amma's attempts to uncover it were unsuccessful, she entrusted that task with Nandini. Akka insisted that there is nothing like that but didn't Nandini know very well that some girls could keep some very inappropriate secrets even from their sisters?

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"Come, come Nandini. See thangai, our youngest sister too is getting older. Don't we have to marry her off? If you stay here as a spinster, won't it affect Nandini's future too?

Thiruveni knew that it was true. She decided to bare her heart.

"Amma, appa, anna, kanne, you all have been asking me if I am in love with someone or if I am going to become a spinster. No. But there is a reason why I rejected all the marriage proposals we recieved till now".

"Why akka? You didn't say anything when even Periya Piratti asked you".

"That's because I don't want to marry anyone from Chola kingdom, especially Pazhayarai. I hate living here. The men are nasty and the women are jealous. They always bully poor Nandini."

"But they like you akka".

"No Nandini, recently I learnt that they are saying some awful things about me behind my back".

"What are you saying? That's how people behave. Aruma thangai, I have travelled across different countries. There are nasty people everywhere".

"I know Anna, but I want to go back to our Pandya country. Our village or a nearby village. If there is a suitable proposal from there, tell me. I will get married".

"You silly girl. Do you think the people in villages are any different? Do you remember a Gamini who lived in the corner house? Your darling mother hated her. Their rivalry was infamous in the village. You might not have noticed it because you were too young then". Appa laughed. Amma looked slightly annoyed but she couldn't help smiling thinking about her adventures in the village.

"I don't like this city life either", Thiruveni was adamant. She continued, "I know that you won't want to be away from me. But I want to live in a small village. Preferably on the banks of Vaigai. There should be greenery and birds everywhere, we should have a small garden where I will plant jasmines and bananas. . . ".

Krishna!

Stop! She doesn't have to think about Krishnan right now. Akka has so many dreams and never shared it with her. She was talking with so much is as if she had been thinking about this for a long time. How long has she been dreaming about living in a small hamlet with jasmines and plantains?

But how can Nandini blame her when she has her own secrets? She shuddered as she thought about her own dreams. She is such a foolish and audacious girl. How can she even dare to dream about . . . him? Hmm . . .  Why can't she too have her little dreams? Is dreaming wrong? Didn't Usha dream about Anirudhar? Hasn't Andal dreamed about Kannan? She too can dream a little bit here and then.

Appa and Amma were happy that she agreed to get married. Annan agreed to enquire about prospective bridegrooms from that region.

Aruma thangai - Darling sister