Hari had been away for just two weeks but even after such a short period, there were noticeable changes all around the house. The incessant rains had turned the gentle stream into a river. The flow of the water was fast and it was muddy. There seemed to be a lot more greenery all around now. The rains had certainly done their job. As Hari reached his house that evening, he noticed rose petals spread out at the entrance. He smiled, “My vanchinad express has been visiting.”
He had a bath, changed, and then took stock of all the work remaining. The house need to be dusted, the dirty clothes had to be washed and food stocks were low. By the time he had completed the cleaning of the clothes and hung it out to dry, he could hear someone knock at the door. By the time he could open the door, Sumangali was standing at her favorite spot under the trees.
“How do you manage to run back so fast up to the trees? One of these days, you are going to fall and break your neck.”
“Why do you leave without telling me?” she asked. She seemed to be angry.
“Oh! I am sorry. Well there was no time to meet you or say goodbye. My father was not well and I had to rush back home”
“Oh! Then it is ok. I was worried. You were not here but most of your things were still here so I was just wondering. How is your father now?”
“ He is ok. He had a minor heart attack.”
“What is that?” She asked.
“Well it is like an intense pain that you feel in your heart and you faint. Normally happens to old people."
“Did you miss me?”
“ Huh… well. Honestly, I was too busy running around and caring for my father to have missed anything or anybody.”
Sumangali looked down and appeared sad. Hari thought of trying out some humor.
“Do you know my parents were planning on getting me married of?”
“ What?”
“ Yes, my father is now seriously thinking of getting me married of. He has even found a girl for me. It is the daughter of one of his friends. They even asked them to come to our house, so that I could meet her!”
“ You met her?” Sumangali said. Her voice sounded high pitched and agitated.
“I tried to avoid but then I did not want to trouble my father, especially at a time when he is not well. Anyway, no worries, they are in no hurry. Nothing will happen for a year at least.”
“Then what?”
“ I do not want to get married now. At least not for another five years. I want to settle down. Buy a house of my own and only then will I think of marriage.”
Sumangali seemed to be worried. She started walking back and forth talking to herself. Hari could just hear snatches of her talk, “There is too little time”, “I cannot let that happen” she seemed to saying over and over and then she walked away and disappeared in the thick foliage.
“Well, that my friend means she is in love with you, “Vijay said.
“What how did you deduce that, Sherlock?”
“What else would it mean? Ok tell me this? Why would some girl bring you food every day?”
“It is fruits and some berries”
“All the same you eat it don’t you?”
“Yes, that is because it saves me the time to cook for myself”
“Well, the point is she does bring you food. Ok next point why does she come there everyday to talk to you?”
“That may be because she is bored at the temple. She has no other friends and just wants to while away her time.”
“That may be the case but let me tell you. It is just not possible for a young man and a young woman to remain just friends. There comes a time in such a relationship when they cross from being friends to being something more than that. Which in this case would be lovers. She is from your part of Kerala isn’t she?”
“Yes, that is what she told me. Look she is a Brahmin, we are Nairs. I don’t think caste wise her father would allow it.”
“Have you asked him?”
“Asked him? Forget asking, I have not even met him as yet.”
“So let’s do it this way. This weekend let’s close this chapter once and for all. You go and meet her father and discuss this with him. You like her don’t you?”
“Well … I.. I have never thought about it. I mean I have never thought about her as a life partner.”
“Oh boy. For almost six months an attractive girl comes and talks to you daily, brings you food and you are telling me you have not thought about her. Tell me you are not gay are you?
Hari punched Vijay in the gut.
“Ouch! That hurt. I mean if you are, let me know, or else my reputation as a ladies man would be in danger.”
“Ladies man! That is a good joke,” Hari said and started laughing.
“By the way what about that other girl’s photo. You were supposed to bring the photo of the girl you had seen in Kerala”
“Oh I forgot. I will bring it tomorrow”
That evening Sumangali did not come. The fruits were there at their usual place but she did not turn up. Hari waited for some time and then went in to sleep. Before retiring to bed, he took out Anjana’s photo from his bag and placed it in the pocket of the trousers he would be wearing to office the next day.
On his way to office on the bus, he remembered about the photo that he was supposed to take with him to office. He checked his pocket but did not find it there.
‘Must have dropped it at home,’ he thought.
Later that evening he looked all around for the photo. He checked his bags, the floor, and the pockets of his other trousers. Then he looked up at the wall and there on one of the walls he saw the photo. It had a large number of nails stuck in it. There was some kind of a slime all over it and it appeared burnt.
“This girl is mad. Why the hell did she do that for?” Hari was angry.
He went out to the front door and started shouting, “Sumangali…Sumangali”
“I know you are there somewhere hiding behind the trees. Why did you do that to the photo? There was no need for that,” he shouted.
There was no response from any direction so he went back in and prepared to cook his food. That night as he slept he heard Sumangali’s voice repeating, “I will not let you go. I will not share you with anyone.”
“Man she is desperately in love with you. This is now getting serious,” Vijay said the next day in office.
“Hmm. You know for the first time in your life I think you are right. We do need to meet her father. What do I tell him? Usually it is the elders in the family who do all the talking in such matters.”
“No worries my friend. I will be coming with you. I will be the elder in this case. You just need to sit there and observe. Nod at all the right times and smile a lot, leave the rest to the experts,” Vijay said.
That evening Vijay came with Hari to the house. The rains had eased up a bit and as the two friends sat outside the house, talking there was a gentle cool breeze coming in from the trees.
“So let’s do a trial run. First of all do you love this girl?”
“ I think I do.”
“That answer will not do. You have to be 100% sure. Do you really love her?”
“ She is good looking, very shy, takes good care of me and is a bit crazy.”
“That does make her a perfect fit for you. Do you want me to talk about marriage with her father?”
“ That may not work out right now. Well you see, she is a Brahmin and I am not exactly from the higher castes. There is no way her father will agree,” Hari said softly.
“What were you planning on discussing with her father?”
“ I was thinking of talking to him in general terms.”
“Like what the weather, politics and the football world cup?”
“Let us just understand what the situation is in their house. Indirectly see if he would be open to a inter caste marriage and then decide what is to be done.”