Kalaba Kadhala | Part 1

Chapter 18

Italics- Translation

The scent of freshly brewed filter coffee mingled with the aroma of spices in the dishes, comforting her like a warm hug. Arjun and Adi, her older brothers, each shared a light-hearted story about their childhood while their wives, Priya and Chitra, playfully bantered about who made the better dosas.

For a moment, everything seemed blissfully perfect. Anushka took a moment to appreciate this harmony and thought, "Perhaps we've finally moved on from the chaos of the past." They were together, and that was enough.

But happiness can be as fleeting as a summer breeze. Suddenly, the door swung open with a heavy thud, interrupting the laughter. One of their men, a scruffy-looking fellow named Ramesh, burst into the room, his face flushed and eyes wide with urgency. "Anna! Antha Raghava ode aalunge namma edathku vanth sanda pottitt irukke"(those Raghava's men have picked up a fight at our plot)

Anushka's heart raced as her brothers' expressions shifted from jovial to stormy. Arjun's eyes darkened, and Adi's fists clenched at his sides. "What?" Arjun growled, his voice low and dangerous. "How dare he?"

Before Ramesh could respond, Adi stood up, pushing his chair back so violently that it tipped over. "Let's go, Arjun. We can't let them get away with this! I'll rip their hands off If I had to".

Chitra and Priya passed a look to each other and then to Anushka. She seemed utterly disturbed. For her, the atmosphere shifted in an instant. The laughter and warmth dissipated, replaced by an oppressive tension that gripped her chest. She had seen this side of her family before—their fierce protectiveness had often crossed the line into aggression, especially when it came to defending their territory. Memories flashed through her mind: the nights her father, uncle and brothers would leave the house with fire in their eyes, the loud brawls at the edges of the fields, the way they had once sought revenge on a rival family that had dared to challenge them.

Anushka shook her head, the reality crashing down around her. Had she believed that time could rewrite the chapters of their family's history simply because they had shared a meal? Nothing had changed; the roots of violence still ran deep, like stubborn weeds in the soil of their lives, choking the possibility of something better.

Deva, her father was noticing all this from afar. He let out a defeated sigh knowing that they have pissed her off again. This was the reason why she never wanted to come back to her home. But even they can't run away from their responsibilities. They chose violence as the solution for their problems despite of Anushka's interest.

———

It was around lunch time when Arjun and Adi came back home. Their clothes had a hint of mud and she sure they had got into a fight. She royally ignored them when they smiled at her. They understood the reason for their behaviour and they let out a sigh.

"Is everything sorted?" They heard Deva asking. Arjun and Adi nodded respectfully when Anushka rolled her eyes.

"Senior gunda". (Senior thug) She mumbled. They heard her saying something but couldn't understand because she's the only one who speaks malayalam.

"Adi... you said the new investor will be coming for lunch". Deva asked.

"Aama Appa... he'll be reaching soon. I'll go get changed before that". Adi said looking at the time.

"What investor?" Anushka asked.

"We are planning to build a local clinic for the villagers. You know how far we have to travel to get to the hospital. So someone from Chennai offered to invest". Arjun said.

"Hmm..." she said and turned to go murmuring. "Clinic il varunna patients ellam ivar talliya aalkar tanne aayirikum". (Patients at the clinic would be the people who fought with them only).