New Beginnings....

Homeward Bound....

As the bus starts, Mullai shivers in her berth... She still can't believe that she is on her way to Kunnakudi... The last time she was there, was as a newly wed...

Yet another shiver wracked her body and she pulled the blanket close...

She hated that the ac temperature in buses were always set at the coldest...

It was a 13 hour journey...

13 hours to contemplate what she was going to say to him...

13 hours until she steps foot on the soil of her forefathers, after such a long gap...

Mullai still doesn't know from where she got this courage...

She realizes that as soon as she heard Dhanam say that Kathir was going back to Ireland...

There was this fire in her heart...

This new burst of bravery...

She was not going to let him go...

It was time for him to know the truth...

*****

As her destination nears, Mullai is filled with jitters and agitation.... His entire family will be there, what was she going to tell them? Will Kathir accept her, even with her phobia? Or what if he decides that she was too broken for him to fix? Her stomach turns queasy at that thought...

All around her, people are sleeping... but she is awake and alert..  She leans her head against the huge window and watches as the green landscape outside passes by in a blur...

She is the last person to step down from the bus...

Mullai pauses for some time to take it all in... The cool air on her face, the cacophony of the bus stand, and in the distance... The tower of the Temple that is visible above the skyline...

She freshens up in restroom and decides not to call anyone and let them know that she is here..she wants to do this all by herself...

There are plenty of autos is the stand... And she gets into one...

Kunnakudi has changed so much and yet it remains the same...

A bit modern...but still has that old charm...

They pass by her old school and she has this choking feeling in her throat as she stares at the familiar building.. Just as the auto is about to cross the Temple, she asks the driver to stop...

M: Five minutes wait pannuringalae Anna...

AD: Seri ma... Ingaiyae irruken...

She removes her slippers and walks inside...

And tears roll down her face as she sets her eyes on her favorite deity...

She prays for strength and that no matter what happens in her life, Kathir should never leave her side...

Mullai asks the driver to stop at the beginning of the street... And she gets down and pays him and turns around to walk inside...

She adjusts her bag at her shoulder, wipes her sweaty hands with her dupatta... She is shaking like a leaf in a storm... What was she going to say to them? To explain her sudden presence here... Her nails leave deep marks in her palms... Take a deep breath, she starts walking towards the Pandian house...

The sight of his bullet makes her heart leap... Like seeing an old friend after sometime apart...

The door is wide open...

As soon as she steps inside, she knows that something is amiss..

It is far too quite...

There's no one in the house...