Lost love

Thavikkum Nenje!

The car dangerously sped away, jostling kumaran and ganga who clutched at the seats in alarm. Vijay’s wrath knew no bounds as he mentally went over the incident again and again. His mind supplying him with different scenarios, each one more horrifying than the last. The only terrifying truth he was sure of was that this man was somehow involved with vennila and the very thought sent him careening into a fury so great that his entire being vibrated with rage.

Vijay’s eyes reddened in anger and he clutched at the steering wheel tightly as he drove them in a maddened frenzy. The car swerved steeply as it entered the next Street to the house, making Ganga and Kumaran glance at each other in question. The car hurtled along at a terrifying pace before screeching to an abrupt halt in front of a big gate, the house partially hidden from view with canopies of trees. Vijay honked repeatedly, until a man ran from somewhere to open the gate, apologizing over and over. Vijay, without any kind of acknowledgement, just smacked the steering wheel in pent up frustration before haphazardly parking the car halfway to the house. 

He jumped out and tore his way through a path between the trees, leaving Ganga and kumaran to catch up with him. He abruptly plopped down onto a tea table set up in the middle of the garden, and without hesitating a beat, spit out the question churning in his mind.

“Yaaravan?”, his voice thundered.

Kumaran and Ganga uneasily surveyed the new surroundings with suspicion.

“En veeduthan…”, he declared with barely repressed irritation, “enakku ipove theriyanum Avan eduku vennila va pathi pesran?”. Vijay’s eyebrows rose as he glowered, daring them to answer.

Ganga jumped a little as kumaran answered, “Avan Nivin. Ennoda friend than. Pasupathy oda thangachi paiyan”

“Na onnum Avan bio-data kekala..Avan eduku en venilla kita pesanum? Atha sollunga…”, the command in his voice was clear.

Kumaran looked at Ganga helplessly, letting her take the lead. Ganga cleared her throat mulling on how to answer.

Vijay rubbed his face, irked to the core, with all their reluctance to give him a straight answer. He glared at the two of them stormily and unable to take the silence anymore, jumped up pounding on the table.

“Ipo solreengla illa na venilla ta pesikava?”

“Ayyo venam!!”, both Ganga and Kumaran shouted together, surprising Vijay. He looked at the two and twisted his lips, “Cheri..venam. Apo neenga sollunga? Avan eduku en venilla va thedran?”, he asked, clasping his hands together.

Ganga reluctantly explained, “Adhu vandhu…Ava Mela endha thappum illa. Apo avaluku neenga yaarune theryadhu. Adhayum please manasula vachikanga. Nivin than first avala pathuttu…”

As she slowly went through everything that happened between kaveri and nivin back in Kodaikanal, Vijay oscillated from furious to devastated to pensive to enraged, the emotions hitting him like waves, drowning him in melancholy. He felt like someone had suddenly sucked all the air out of lungs, leaving him bereft. 

“Naanga ipo Vara avanuku marriage aiduchunnu than ninachikittu irundom. Ipothan engalukke theryum. Aana ivlo nadanthathuku apram kandipa avalala avana mannikave mudyaadhu. Ava apdi mannikavum koodathu.” Ganga slowly finished, watching Vijay’s face cycle through emotions, each one hitting him harder than the last.

Kumaran lurched forward alarmed as Vijay finally reeled back, drained. He rubbed his face, wearied, and sat down heavily. His eyes glistened. Ganga and Kumaran both watched him in concern, not knowing what to do. Time dragged on, and Vijay sat, his head in his hands, mind racing a mile a minute.

“Leave”, Vijay’s voice rang out finally, from where he sat hunched. “I need to be alone. Just leave!”,he raised his head to look at them both, and they were both taken aback by the fire in his eyes, a reflection of the inferno that raged within. “Inga irundu veetuku poga vazhi theryumnu ninakiren”, his grim tone rendering his voice deeper.