WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY PONGAL….,MAKARA SANKRANTHI…LOHRI….. May this Festival bring Good luck and prosperity to you all…Enjoy the fun..!! Stay happy you all….
Impressed! (Shot 1)
“It’s only you who bargain for this price..look the bundle…each and every cane is like gold cake..”,the seller argued another time…
She stood pouting,with her eyes scanning each sugarcane of that bundle, top to bottom..,and extended a 100rs note…
“Why did you bargain….argh..!! And from when you started having sugarcane….I haven’t…..”,he handed a cane to her…”btw…you argued for extra one isn’t..so you bring this…”,he adjusted a sack of things purchased,on back seat of his splendor,and kick started his bike…
“Radhikaaa…!! You remember the route isn’t”,he asked…
Radhika’s POV
“Radhikaaa…!! You remember the route isn’t”,my cousin asked..breaking my trance I got into,listening his words of who taught me to eat sugarcane…
Who else..other than that rightful guy of mine…!
“Radhu..”,he called again..
“I remember Ranji…”,I said to my cousin Ranjith..,and he left with that….
Well…just because am staying away from my native.,how could they think I will forget the routes..,and that too I visit here often..often..!! Every time to be engulfed with his…our memories and go back to Chennai with a heavy heart……
“Radhu….it’s gonna turn dark…shall I drop you at home”,an uncle residing in next lane of our house asked me…I ignored politely…
“I prefer to walk till home…”,I smiled…
“Good….Only here, you can enjoy walking in fresh air.,pollution free..no tall buildings…only greenery till you reach home”,he said proud about our village atmosphere….He is
right to a extent.,but why to compare?!… I just nodded…
My cheeks pained smiling all the while walking..,greeting everyone….everyone seems to be known.,one or other way….Is it a advantage or the other….I smirked.at my thought….shifting the sugar cane to my other shoulder..,I walked relaxed….
“Radhu..enjoying my village?”,a toothless old man asked me….
Yes..enjoying…Once for all….I decided I won’t step to my native again…Never!! Few reasons and one among them is Arjun!! He..that…uff..I can’t even scold him….I felt the weight over my shoulder to pull me down…Am I that weak?…No!! This is not because of Physical weakness…Its because of him…Arjun!!….Because of him….am not going to enjoy Pongal..Ah…Why did I again say yes when my dad asked me this time to celebrate Pongal in my native…Every street and every thing in this place reminds him…why??
We din’t love or roam like every other lovers…still….in this 2 years,every time when I come here..I face the same situation….Dwelling on his thoughts…expecting him to come…anbd return to my place with memories.,with freshly added pain!!…May be am exaggerating…!! I need to turn practical…like that old lady laughing at her husband before me…may be she wouldn’t have loved someone…or no exam pressure..job tension…projects..debugging…ah..Life as a software engineer is heaven only if you love it…
And I chose it because…
“Hey Radhu…”,I halted on my tracks listening the familiar female voice…Nandhini Athai…(aunty)…she is here for Pongal…Haa…Village lovers..!!
I turned and she squeezed her eyes cute when the sugarcane leaves,I carried,swept the thar road noisily….Sweet lady!…I neither spoke or responded to her queries in this 2 years whenever we got to meet…still….she is the same…Elders prove their worth…!! Philosophy..!!
“Hi Aunty…All set for Pongal?”,I cheered and she smiled wide in surprise….
“Yes dear…Finished…Rangoli is pending.”,she said.,asking her maid to sweep the place before their iron gate…..
I enquired about uncle and other random things but had my tongue in control not to spell his name…I knew he won’t come….May be he had grown horns reaching Malaysia…Good that we din’t love that deep….I turned thoughtful at that thought…Really.??!!!…..then why …
“What a pose?”,I saw Raghu uncle to ask me….The evergreen cool uncle….
“Jai Bhajrangbali…Don’t you know I love Hanuman ji…So….Am practicing his way”,I mocked him back,in my self.,adjusting the sugar cane over my shoulder…
They smiled surprised,looking each other listening me…No…Looking me in my self…I should have interacted with them normally…Silly me!!
“In that case…where is your tail?”,Uncle counter asked…
This is how.,we were….I felt the good golden days to be back… “That’s invisible for normal people…you should meditate and get special powers to see it..”,I laughed at my own words before I could finish…They laughed heartily…That’s enough.!…I did feel bad after ignoring them…hereafter I won’t…I felt light….
“What?”,Nandu Aunt asked finding me lost in my thoughts…
I shook my head negative….”Tomorrow we will keep Pongal before you”,I raised my brows….
“Let’s see”,Uncle folded his sleeves…
“Mom…Where is that suitcase…last time….”,I couldn’t hear further.,not because of the distance between the road and their house portico….but because of the person…Its Arjun!!
Is he here?!! I din’t get to know….Every happening of both the houses would get passed as gossips between the servants…and why..even they din’t spell a word?!…..I stood rooted…
He looked more handsome now..!! Haa…A girl’s feel looking her heartthrob!….My first crush…love..kiss…everything is him…with him…!!..
He din’t look me!!!…Is he ignoring me…Straight to my face!…No…I can’t withstand it…Am not that strong…!! How come I could be invisible for him….Am standing before his house..in the middle of the road…and he is in steps before the wide opened twin iron gates…!! What did I do Arjun??!! My heart screamed….I want to leave in silence….I turned around in a jiffy.,and yes!! The leaves….Again created a noise seeking everyone’s attention….Now..he would have seen me…I din’t dare to turn his side…what if,he turns his face or
simply avoids….Radhi…You aren’t weak….I said to myself..
“Scaring everyone with a sugar cane??”,Uncle laughed a little…and I smiled faintly nodding a yes as I stepped away..
Enough of everything..!! Why the hell he is here…
Arjun’s POV…
That’s Radhika…My heart skipped a beat…In dark purple chudi..,carrying a sugarcane on her shoulder….Cute!! but why is she having it like that…she may get hurt…Thank God..I stepped down..and got to see her itself…But…why isn’t she looking me?….I took few steps down…but she faintly laughed when my dad passed a funny comment…why..? Did she feel offended…? or ….Din’t see me?…else…still angry on my parents or me.,based on the baseless argument that happened 2 years back…
“It’s there…Come with me…you never find things on your own?”,My mom chided me sweet…
“Mom…Shall I go to meet Dilip uncle?”,I asked like a permission…
“Why you ask like this..you should…I was about to say….”,my dad said patting my shoulder….After about half an hour.,I left to her house…Only to meet her….She might be..No.,will be angry on me…It’s two years.,we weren’t in contact by any means…She has all rights to punch and scold me….I hesitated a little.,before stepping in their house…Though we were extended relatives.,we never had any formalities in between us….May be that’s the main reason.,we thought our love would succeed easily….
“Arjun…Why are you still there..Come in..”,her dad Dilip greeted me warmly….
“Finally…you came here…After 2 years…I expect you to meet every time I come here”,he arranged the cushions properly as I stepped inside the hall…After exchanging normal pleasantries..,we discussed random things tasting vadais…Aunty and her grandma were curious in listening my recent trip to china…
“Radhu too works like you….will she too get a chance like you…..Aru…will these computer companies…allow anyone to take along with them…”,her granny asked me…and I blinked listening her…..Computer company??? I controlled my laugh….
“They won’t…but why?”,I asked with equal curiosity….
“I thought…I too can go with her…If she gets a chance”,she said deeply worried..
Oh Really…!! this 70+ granny wants a world tour organized by a leading IT company…!! Now..I understood,why my Radhika used to ask such questions to me….Genes!!!
Uncle’s approach somewhere got my lost confidence back!….He asked me to bring Radhika and granny to temple and left with Mala aunty….
“Why you din’t contact us?”,her granny asked when uncle left to temple…
What a twist this old lady gives…!!! “I lost…
“Don’t lie…not even for Pongal you came…Once in a year..we meet…were you that busy..?”,she asked….
Oh God!! I thought everything was over!….but this out dated atom bomb might blew things I guess…..what if she spoils Radhika’s mind also…
“Seems you finished all works before hand”,I asked looking around the wide hall.,portraits…freshly painted walls…and that’s when I got to see Radhika glaring me standing in that staircase…Glaring..!!
Ok..but…why to stand away?…I cursed myself for bringing this cleaning topic…. her granny went into a RJ mode.,explaining the cleaning process…..I somehow tackled her asking her to get ready and stepped towards first floor confirming that none was at home….The home library and her room is close to each other….Citing my interest on some books,I made my move easy…
Radhika’s POV…
Now why he is here? and Dad…Is he a.???….how could he ask someone to accompany me…. ‘Is he someone…once you did long for such a situation’…a thought crossed my mind….But…My granny…Aww…sweeto!….she asked one good question…yes…why he din’t come..haan?…I stood waiting for his answer…My granny glared him sharp….wow!! Am proud..!! She resembles me in many things…though I din’t like her world tour plan…What was the need to….
Oh..no!! He saw me!! I heard granny explaining about Pongal works…
Doesn’t he knew that…if someone who is unaware of this mass cleaning method.,steps in our home.,they would think that we are shifting our house…that’s how few…No..we..clean for Pongal….And.,why did he ask that…I walked away at that…Here…I had been for 5 days helping in cleaning…and that old lady is busy self flattering her skills of her times…and this idiot is listening….I so wanted not to see him…Why is he here??
I sat on my bed.,thinking how to avoid this temple plan….I heard faint steps to head towards my room….It must be him!….Why did I peep to see him?…why dad asked him to take me?…and granny..My savior!…..where are you darling?…..how she left him here…? I won’t meet him….I crawled under the bed to escape…then thought..that’s foolish.!….I moved to dress changer partition…Uff..he could see me.!…My eyes caught with balcony door….What a big teak wood door.!….What if that giant lizard resides there?…It do gives its noise at times scaring me…Gaining courage.,chanting few mantras.,I pushed the door a little aside and got behind it….
But..why the hell am I hiding like this…like a thief in my own house!….I don’t want to see him…I will turn weak….He may leave when he doesn’t find me here….I heard the door to be knocked twice..then four times…again twice.!…..I was happy for a second that he still remembers our codes….I saw him to scrutinize every inch of my room….he looked here and there…and left after a minute…I found myself stupid!…..but I had no idea other than this….waiting for 2 more minutes I went to lock the door.,but got diverted with my mobile’s ring tone…I turned busy searching it under pillows.,as its sound was feeble…I couldn’t get it…Now….am hell interested on my mobile…I couldn’t hear the ringtone now….
My messy room turned my work tough….Kneeling over the bed.,I crawled across,searching under the unfolded dresses.,bed sheets…pillows.,my clutch…I got down.,and was about
to search it under the cot…I heard my mobile to ring again…near door way…Ah…He is there…holding it….Hmmm..!! Plan…! How Smart…! No..Cunning…because it din’t favor me…
He extended to me….Ah!..I know this game…If I extend mine.,he will pull his hand back..and with every try of mine I would land closer to him…So.,I just glared this time…He smiled..!!! Smile…!! Was my glare that bad, he laughs!!…
With his every step towards me..I felt my throat to constrict….I wanted him to leave,at the same time desired to feel his touch…to speak at least!…He threw my mobile on bed and twirled me without my knowledge…I mean…when he held my hand.,now it got half twisted in his grip….No…No..No!! My heart warned…and brain screamed….!!! Exactly opposite..!…
Next sec.,I could see myself wound around two strong arms….Warm….his olive green shirt was the only thing I could see.,when I crook my head a little down…close.!!
I was still breathing!….His touch after 2 years.,this time something different…I wanted to stay there….”Rattu Kutty!!”,he…My Ajju called me!…
That was a wrong move I did…,I squirmed a little to move from his hold,pulling my hands out from his grip..,his arms rubbed against me…That wasn’t his fault…he still held me the same way….but…Oh.!.why did I wear a half saree today!! His biceps were almost over my precious…His grip loosened when he too felt pressing me there…,My hitched breath turned a bit normal.,trying to get off his hands holding my middle…
“You won’t speak?”,he asked and I pulled my hand back.,wondering what to reply…No..how to reply in silence….
“So angry?…Smile.”,he tickled a little…his fingers on my bare waist was no less to spell….My Ajju is holding me!….speaking with me.!. For real!!…..Half saree is not a bad choice…!! His fingers trailed off and came over my dupatta and he held me in his clasp….I could feel his touch though it was over my dress…His strong arms…and his breath fanning my neck…his front pressing my back….I lost my voice…Why this hug is so cozy…comfy…I should ask him to move…this is not done…His grip got tightened a little and my shoulders missed his warm breath…but..”Rattu kutty ma…speak with me”,his kissed my cheek from behind….and I felt., Am lost!!
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So…how was this…A new try…Two pov style…Pls share your reviews…Pls ignore my Typos and Grammatical errors….. Take care and loads of love to you all…