24-11-2019, 03:32 PM
Ever since I relocated back here, I would go without fail every Friday to the ‘Lord Shiva’ temple located in a corner of the town. It has been standing there, majestically, for a few hundred years. I would attend the evening pooja in the company of my family, that is Meera and my two children. Even though the temple was within walking distance from my home, I would nevertheless take my family there by car. After attending the pooja I would take them directly to my shop. We would then have dinner at a restaurant before we return home. I stopped my car and got off. Meera and kids got off from the other side walked around the car towards me. It never ceased to amaze me how Meera could wear a sari so beautifully. In fact, any sari would look beautiful if she was the one wearing it.
Muththachi grandma called out,” Bigshoplady (Periakadaikaariamma) buy some jasmine flowers for your hair before going.”
Smilingly Meera walked towards Muththachi’s flower shop. The old lady thrust a big bundle of jasmine flowers into her hands. “Why grandma so much of flowers,” asked my wife.
The old lady looked at her with affectiom.” You have such lovely locks of hair, so broad, thick and long, why shouldn’t you wear this much of flowers.”
With a smile Meera took it and wore it on her hair. I proudly gave the old lady money for the flowers. After the pooja I sat down in the hall of the temple. My wife had a tough time controlling my two children running about helter-skelter. She was admonishing them gently as she tried to control them. I sat there joyfully watching them.
“Saravana,” I turned my head hear the voice call out. Prabu came and sat beside me.
“Hey, come, come,” I looked at Meera and said, “my friend.” She held her pallu in place while extending him the traditional greeting with her two hands. “You two carry on talking, I’ll take care of the children.” Saying this she went away after the children.
We talked for awhile recalling old memories. We were the only two among our old friends who were still here. They would come back sometimes if there was a big festival in town Prabu told me. I told Meera to get ready. She looked at Prabu with a small smile and said,” I’ll take my leave.”
One Sunday while I was getting ready to go to the shop someone knocked on my door.
“Meera, go see who it is,” I said.
Meera left her cooking halfway and went and opened the door. She stood there silently for a few seconds then, “Dear, your friend has come,” she said.
I looked at my doorway while sipping on my coffee, Prabu entered in.
“Hey, what are you doing so early in the morning.”
“No daa, I had nothing to do at home. It was so boring, so I came to see you.”
I called out to Meera, “Meera bring a cup of coffee for Prabu.”
I looked at Prabu and said,” Don’t take me wrong, but why don’t you join my shop?”
Prabu thought for a while and said, “No daa, right now you and I are good friends but if I join your shop our relationship would change to boss and worker.”
I too felt what he said was correct. After drinking his coffee he said, The coffee madhani (Bhabhi) gave was super.” Meera only gave a smile as an answer and went away.
In the night when I went to bed Meera slowly asked me, “How long do you know him?”
“Who?? Prabu?? I know him from when we were little.”
“Why is he not married yet?”
“No, he is only 27 now, why? why are you asking?”
“No, if he had got married at the right time… ,” Meera spoke hesitantly.
“What maa, tell me.”
“Oh nothing.”
“You wanted to say something, why are you hesitating?”
“No … if he had got married at the right time he would not be staring at different women.”
“Why? With you did he….”
“Aiyo no .. nothing like that. It’s just that he seems to be leering at women, that’s why.”
“Leave it, his age is like that. They will be like that at this age.”
We both went to sleep without any mental disturbance. Prabu coming to my house only happened very recently. He was in my house almost every day. My children too started calling him, “uncle .. uncle …” and became close to him. Meera however would only talk to him very limitedly.
That day I decided to leave the shop a bit early. My accounts man would lock up the shop and hand over the keys to my house. On the way home my motorbike suddenly started wobbling. I stopped to have a look. My front tyre had a puncture. Luckily my mechanic shop was very close by. I pushed my bike to his shop.
“Leave it here Anna (big brother), I will bring it to your home after repairing it.”
I smiled at him thankfully and started walking towards home. As I walked, I came to the school quite near my house. I debated with myself what to do. I could go around it or go across through the school field. At this time around 7 pm there usually would be no people around that place. I decided to walk across the field. I walked through the pathway which was close to the school. I could observe the wet grass of the field in the moonlight. Right at the end where a Tamarind tree stood, I could see someone standing there.
As I got a bit closer, I could see it was a man and a woman. He was leaning on his motorbike parked there. The woman was standing a bit close to him. There was no chance of them observing me at that time. I walked and reached closer to them, they finally noticed me. Now I could recognise who they were. The persons standing there were Meera and Prabu. Both of them stood there like stone looking at me. Meera stood as if she was in shock.
Prabu first came to his senses, “Madhani (bhabi) was just returning from the temple Saravana. I happened to be just standing here .. that’s why we were talking for a while.”
This was a normal event but why did Meera’s face seem flustered. “Meera, where are the children?” I asked her.
“They came with me and were here, then Pramila came they ran away with her to play,” her voice was unsteady.
“Why are you walking back home?” Prabu asked me.
I told him about my punctured tyre. “Okay, Saravana, you take Madhani back with you on my bike, I will come home tomorrow morning and pick it up.” There wasn’t any unsteady or guilty tone in his voice.
Muththachi grandma called out,” Bigshoplady (Periakadaikaariamma) buy some jasmine flowers for your hair before going.”
Smilingly Meera walked towards Muththachi’s flower shop. The old lady thrust a big bundle of jasmine flowers into her hands. “Why grandma so much of flowers,” asked my wife.
The old lady looked at her with affectiom.” You have such lovely locks of hair, so broad, thick and long, why shouldn’t you wear this much of flowers.”
With a smile Meera took it and wore it on her hair. I proudly gave the old lady money for the flowers. After the pooja I sat down in the hall of the temple. My wife had a tough time controlling my two children running about helter-skelter. She was admonishing them gently as she tried to control them. I sat there joyfully watching them.
“Saravana,” I turned my head hear the voice call out. Prabu came and sat beside me.
“Hey, come, come,” I looked at Meera and said, “my friend.” She held her pallu in place while extending him the traditional greeting with her two hands. “You two carry on talking, I’ll take care of the children.” Saying this she went away after the children.
We talked for awhile recalling old memories. We were the only two among our old friends who were still here. They would come back sometimes if there was a big festival in town Prabu told me. I told Meera to get ready. She looked at Prabu with a small smile and said,” I’ll take my leave.”
One Sunday while I was getting ready to go to the shop someone knocked on my door.
“Meera, go see who it is,” I said.
Meera left her cooking halfway and went and opened the door. She stood there silently for a few seconds then, “Dear, your friend has come,” she said.
I looked at my doorway while sipping on my coffee, Prabu entered in.
“Hey, what are you doing so early in the morning.”
“No daa, I had nothing to do at home. It was so boring, so I came to see you.”
I called out to Meera, “Meera bring a cup of coffee for Prabu.”
I looked at Prabu and said,” Don’t take me wrong, but why don’t you join my shop?”
Prabu thought for a while and said, “No daa, right now you and I are good friends but if I join your shop our relationship would change to boss and worker.”
I too felt what he said was correct. After drinking his coffee he said, The coffee madhani (Bhabhi) gave was super.” Meera only gave a smile as an answer and went away.
In the night when I went to bed Meera slowly asked me, “How long do you know him?”
“Who?? Prabu?? I know him from when we were little.”
“Why is he not married yet?”
“No, he is only 27 now, why? why are you asking?”
“No, if he had got married at the right time… ,” Meera spoke hesitantly.
“What maa, tell me.”
“Oh nothing.”
“You wanted to say something, why are you hesitating?”
“No … if he had got married at the right time he would not be staring at different women.”
“Why? With you did he….”
“Aiyo no .. nothing like that. It’s just that he seems to be leering at women, that’s why.”
“Leave it, his age is like that. They will be like that at this age.”
We both went to sleep without any mental disturbance. Prabu coming to my house only happened very recently. He was in my house almost every day. My children too started calling him, “uncle .. uncle …” and became close to him. Meera however would only talk to him very limitedly.
That day I decided to leave the shop a bit early. My accounts man would lock up the shop and hand over the keys to my house. On the way home my motorbike suddenly started wobbling. I stopped to have a look. My front tyre had a puncture. Luckily my mechanic shop was very close by. I pushed my bike to his shop.
“Leave it here Anna (big brother), I will bring it to your home after repairing it.”
I smiled at him thankfully and started walking towards home. As I walked, I came to the school quite near my house. I debated with myself what to do. I could go around it or go across through the school field. At this time around 7 pm there usually would be no people around that place. I decided to walk across the field. I walked through the pathway which was close to the school. I could observe the wet grass of the field in the moonlight. Right at the end where a Tamarind tree stood, I could see someone standing there.
As I got a bit closer, I could see it was a man and a woman. He was leaning on his motorbike parked there. The woman was standing a bit close to him. There was no chance of them observing me at that time. I walked and reached closer to them, they finally noticed me. Now I could recognise who they were. The persons standing there were Meera and Prabu. Both of them stood there like stone looking at me. Meera stood as if she was in shock.
Prabu first came to his senses, “Madhani (bhabi) was just returning from the temple Saravana. I happened to be just standing here .. that’s why we were talking for a while.”
This was a normal event but why did Meera’s face seem flustered. “Meera, where are the children?” I asked her.
“They came with me and were here, then Pramila came they ran away with her to play,” her voice was unsteady.
“Why are you walking back home?” Prabu asked me.
I told him about my punctured tyre. “Okay, Saravana, you take Madhani back with you on my bike, I will come home tomorrow morning and pick it up.” There wasn’t any unsteady or guilty tone in his voice.
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