"AM ante?"

Vennela asked glaring at Arjun. Arjun grinned.

"Maname! Arjun Manasa"

"Ante?"

"Moddhu!"

Arjun admonished. Jai glared at him.

"Manasa and Arjun are getting married ani artham Vennela!"

"I know that! But.. He just came home! And he did not even inform chinna mavaiyya properly."

Vennela frowned. But Jai looked at ARjun and raised his brow.

"Enti Thindi Ramudu.. Will you do the honors?"

Arjun glared at him and Manasa smiled.

"Vennu.. Na Mahathalli! That was a little stunt we pulled on you people to let you know that we are coming. But our actual mission was to get Mavaiyya to know Manasa so that they can talk to her family. And also for Manasa to meet our family"

"Aba cha"

Manasa said and earned the glare from Arjun and Vennela.

"Ippudu cheppu ra Moddhu Ramu. If that was really your intention, you would have come here 2 months back, not gone to Iragavaram. Even last month, sir was found there only."

Vennela poured heatedly. Jai chuckled. Looks like his wife has decided to make Arjun pay for running away all those years ago.

"Vennela"

Manasa called as she saw Arjun standing there with his head down.

"He never knew that he would meet me in Iragavaram two months ago."

She said making Jai frown and Vennela look at them with wide eyes.

"We met for first time in Venice when I went there to celebrate my graduation from Milan. There we met.. Fighting for a gondola. But then As the gondola man asked us to share and I had no choice, we shared the ride. But we were both in check as I was still recovering.."

Jai's face lost the smile, which returned as Vennela moved to stand close to him curling his hand around his arm.

"Jai.."

"Sorry, just continue Manasa"

Jai said and smiled as Vennela smiled.

"But this fellow.. Kept talking non stop making my ears bleed."

Arjun glared at her. Jai chuckled.

"I came to know a lot about him. But I never said anything about me. And by coincidence, he was staying very close to the hotel I checked in. Slowly we settled into a routine and those 4 days I enjoyed my life and then we parted our ways."

Arjun who had his head down, grinned seeing which Jai and vennela understood that this was just one sided story and there was a flip side to it.

"But 2 months back, I saw him in Iragavaram trying to renovate the old house there and that is when I understood that this fellow was Gajapathy mavaiyya's son."

Jai and Vennela understood what could have happened later.

"Adanta sare Thindi Ramudu. Why did you never come.."

"2 months back I came and I went back in 4 days. Last month on your birthday only I came back. And you can see I was busy.."

Vennela was about to throw something on him.

"Mahathalli! I am talking about the house. The renovation"

"Hmm!"

At that moment, Arjun looked at his watch and cursed.

"Enti Arjun?"

Jai asked frowning.

"The architect.. We have a meeting to talk about the house."

"Who is the architect Arjun?"

Jai asked frowning.

"Mr. Sri Nandha. Yen?"

"He is Architect himself Arjun. Forgot?"

Vennela asked shaking her head.

"Oh! Marchipoyanu Vennu. Now I have to run."

"Orei.. Eat something and go.."

"Its ok.. I will return after dropping Manasa. Ikkade untanu"

"Good decision thammudu"

She said and giggled getting the desired response of his grunt. After a lot of questions and answer session Arjun and Manasa were let to go.

Vennela went to change herself when Jai followed her. He picked up her usual saree she used to wear at home and went about to change himself. As both came after change, Vennela got him coffee for herself and him. Both sat on their room balcony with their foot brushing the other's. Vennela smiled sipping her coffee as she felt his thumb caress hers. Her foot curled but did not back off. But Jai sat sipping his coffee happily. Suddenly he turned to her keeping his cup aside.

"Why were you so troubling him Vennela?"

"Enni yenlu bava.. Its been years since he left this place with no words to us. I saw how Chinna Mavaiyya and Athaiyya were. Mavaiyya at least knew you and Athaiyya were safe and sound somewhere. But Chinna mavaiyya was really worried as Arjun left and that too when he was freshly wounded by his mother's death. You know bava, they were really depressed that they lost their very first child. Now Chinna is there. But for them always Arjun has been their first kid. So its high time Arjun gives them the happiness they deserve."

"Its his decision Vennela. It could not have been easy for him too, to return and say he is back, just like that. He.."

"You are supporting him?"

"Ala kadu Vennela. I am just saying think putting yourself in his place.."

"You were not the one who saw every bloodshed that happened here Bava!"

"Vennela! That was uncalled for"

He said in warning tone.

"Its the truth Bava!"

Jai stood up.

"With my arrival I at least ended the feud."

"At a great cost! Before that?"

Jai breathed heavily. His eyes went red remembering his mother. He turned around and walked out. Vennela stood her ground. She saw this family go through hell in the past years and she wanted to see them happy. By Jai's arrival and their marriage though it was accomplished, still Arjun's return could strengthen it. And just like her pedda Mavaiyya, her chinna mavaiyya also deserved some happiness.

She took their cups and went to kitchen knowing that Jai had taken his bike and has zoomed out in anger. He would have gone to the rocks were she sat waiting for him 11 months ago. Whenever they fight, one of them go there and other used to come tailing along to end the fight.

But not this time.

She thought as she went on cleaning utensils in Kitchen. Her amma held her shoulders.

"Emayinde?"

She asked worried. Vennela understood that her amma has seen Jai leave angrily.

"Yem ledamma."

Lakshmi shook her head. She knew that her daughter would never let her husband down.

"Vennela. Are you fine?"

"Hmm!"

She said as she knew what her amma was asking. And just in cue, a slow pain shot from her lower back.

"Idigo!"

Her mother passed her a hot bag which she kept ready.

"I will send the dinner to your room. And don't say you dont want. Its absolutely necessary to eat to bear this."

Lakshmi said pushing Vennela out of the kitchen. Vennela slowly made way to her room and rushed to the bathroom. She came out and fell on the bed and curled up like a ball placing the hot bag on her lower abdomen.

How she wished her husband to be with her right now? Everytime, he would be with her, lying on her side, caressing her back, trying to take out her pain with his touch. Normally when men would shy away on such time, her husband used to stick to her. She chuckled and then groaned and grunted in pain. Curling up with her hands crossed over her abdomen, she closed her eyes.

Jai entered the house to see everyone sitting in the living room after their dinner. He saw his Babayi and pinni smiling talking animatedly as their hand caressed Arjun and Chinna whos were lying on their lap. This was something new. They were always smiling and looked happy. But today he saw something different in their eyes. He understood what Vennela said.

They deserved their share of happiness. Lakshmi saw him and walked up to him.

"Kopam thagginda?"

She whispered.

"Athaiyya.. Adi.."

"Naaku telusu Jai. Vennela is handful. But.. Right now, I think its better you go to her. And take the dinner too. It is in the hot box."

That is when he remembered the date of the month. The main reason for his early return from Hyderabad. He took their dinner and rushed to their room to see it all dark. He switched the light on and saw Vennela curled in the middle of the bed. Keeping the dinner on the table nearby, he rushed to her and caressed her hair.

"Vennela"

He called slowly. She opened her eyes and immediately was about to sit up.

"Bava"

He helped her and kept a pillow to support her back.

"I am so sorry Vennela."

He said caressing her back as she lay her head on his shoulder.

"Did you have dinner bava?"

"Come let us have dinner!"

He said instead of directly answering her.

"I don't want."

"I dont want to hear such thing. You should eat."

"Bava"

She burying herself more into him.

"I am hungry Vennela"

And that did the trick. He put the food in the plate and brought to the bed. He took a morsel to her. She shook her head and guided his hand to his mouth. He knew that he could never argue with her in. At least not in this. So he took the food into his mouth. And then he fed her. In silence, that spoke a lot, they finished their dinner. Jai went down to clean the boxes and plates and returned with a glass of milk and fresh hot bag, to see Vennela coming out of bathroom. Her face was more pale than sometime ago.

"Idigo paalu. And Menthulu"

Vennela smiled. This was the man who brought tablets for her in the early stages of marriage. She chuckled seeing her husband getting used to her village medicines which she preferred than other english ones.

She had the fenugreek seeds and milk to see her husband making the bed more fluffy.

"Padha Vennela."

He said once the bed was ready and she lay on it. She did not even have the strength to sit as she usually does every night chit chatting with her husband before sleeping or.. Ahem..

He lay beside her and pressed the hot bag to her lower abdomen removing her saree pallu. She hissed.

"Oops!"

"It feels ok"

He kept doing it as he lay there with her eyes closed.

"Vennela"

"Hmm!"

"Arjun came back"

"He said he would"

"He was lying there, on Athaiyya's lap."

"He used to do that. He was a very restless child. And that was the only way to make him sleep calmly."

"I understood what you said Vennela. They deserve their happiness that only Arjun could give."

"I know I went overboard by accusing you Bava. Sorry."

She said opening her eyes to him. He leaned in and pecked her forehead.

"You are right. I don't know many of the things that happened around here. Akhiriki amma ni kuda.."

"Shh!"

She said holding his cheek not able to take the pain in his voice.

"Its all in the past. It is time we put it behind us."

"Narakam Vennela. That year without you by my side, with Amma gone, Nana not with me."

"I am here. You are here. Mavaiyya doesnt blame you. Bava. Nannu choodu"

He looked at her.

"Do you really think I was not there by your side?"

He thought of the moments he spent alone in hyderabad and milan and how everytime he closed his eyes, he felt Vennela smiling at him, calling Bava and how it eased his pain. He smiled.

"Kada?"

"Adbutham"

He said as he took her in his arms. She laid her head on his heart and happily slept off forgetting her pain that ate her up sometime ago. Holding his moonshine, Jai too closed his eyes wondering what had he done to get such a wife in his life.