What A Beautiful Face She Has

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Stella's POV:

Ever since morning, he has been behaving very strangely. I don't know what's wrong with him. He's asking me, out, now.

What’s happening to him? Is he under the effect of ganja, again?

No... I don’t think so.

My mind was disturbed by thoughts of him when my phone rang.

I looked at the caller ID – it was Amma.

Ennachunu theriyalae... (I don’t know what happened…)

I picked up the call.

“Hello, what happened, Amma?”

“Stella, come to KRS Hospital, now. Juno is not doing well,” she said.

“Amma, I’m not interested, please.”

“Stella, don’t be selfish. Juno unna chinna vayasulaendhu thol la thooki potu valathavan and also Daisy. Ipdi kevalama behave pannadha. Vandhu oru ettu parthutu po.”
(He raised you on his shoulders since you were a kid. Don’t behave so heartlessly. Just come and see him once.)

Yes, he brought me up... and he’s the same man responsible for my trauma. I chuckled, sarcastically.

“No, ma. I can’t,” I said.

“Selfish, chi, you are not even my daughter. I regret…”
(Before she could finish her sentence, I hung up.)

Marubadiyum, avana parka poi naan dhaan hurt aaven,
(If I go to see him again, I’ll be the one getting hurt…)

Anagayum edhachum enna solluvanga.
(And they’ll say something that breaks me again.)

I’m not ready for that.

“Stella?” It was Mathew, standing near my room’s door.

“Sollunga.” (Tell me.)

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said.

He came and sat on the bed in front of me.

“Saptiya?” (Did you eat?)

“Mm…” I nodded.

He raised his hand toward my cheek, and instinctively, I flinched—thinking he was going to slap me.

“Hey, relax,” he said softly, and gently caressed my cheek with his fingers.

I felt weird.

Yen ipdi behave panraru? (Why is he behaving like this?)

“Can I ask you something?” he said.

“What?”

“Lunch-ku velila polama?” (Shall we go out for lunch?)

“Why? Naan samaikira food nalla illaya?”
(The food I cook isn’t good enough?)

His expression fell.

“Apdi sollala. Already evening plan irundhuchula, adhoda idhuvum add pannikalamnu sonnen. And, nalla illaama dha un sapada ithana naal sapten paaru.”
(I didn’t mean it that way. There was already an evening plan, I just thought to add this. And I’ve eaten your food all these days even when it wasn’t good…)

I didn’t reply but, inside, I was a little glad.

“Sollu, can we go out for lunch?”

“Venda. I’ll cook something. Evening polam,” I said.

“Unnaku edhachum genetic problem ah?” (Do you have some kind of genetic issue?)

“Excuse me?”

"Illa, epo paaru no va thavira edhuvum un vai lendhu vara matengidhu. There is a saying that you must learn to how to say no, at times. But, for you it's different, you must learn to say yes, at times to make someone happy.", he said.