Thanks for the amazing response for the past two parts.......

For the past two parts, I have been giving emotional, teary parts...but, this one is from Karaikudi....so, of course, this will be a normal feel good update...I believe....

So.....

Happy Reading......

A normal lazy weekend evening in the household of Pandian Illam, all the members of the family sand including Kumaresan Mama and Saravana were sitting and enjoying their evening beverage along with the hot crispy pakodas in the backyard of the house, enjoying Kayal's naughtiness, the princess of the house was having a fun time riding on her grandpa Kumaresans back....

Kathir: harshu....kayal aa mama mela irundu eraku....avaruku valika pogudu....

Kayal: paa.....2 min paaa.......and showed her puppy face to harshu...

Kumer: rasathi nee........thatha mela sawari po da.......

Kathir: ungaluku enna innum kumaran nu nenapakum? Ava nala weight mama.....kayal erangu da....evalo neram thatha mela sawari panuva.....

Harshu: kayal papa.....aama eranguga appa ungala sawari panuvaru.....illa mama? She asked with a small wink....

Kathir: kozhupu di unaku......

Kayal: venam........ thatha mudugu dan nala iruku and she continued her play....and Kumaresan mama continued his game....

That's when, they heard a car sound...Wondering who would be that untold guest of their house, all sat in confusion. The eldest daughter in law of the house walked out to check upon who was the guest and she was pleasantly surprised to see her brother and family...She welcomed them inside the house and walked to the backyard...Seeing dhanam come back,

Kathir: yaar anni?

Dhanam: dei paar da yaar vandiruka nu.....annan vandiruku da....

All stood up as a sign of welcome greeting them inside the house...

Jega: adda enna maplai ...ukarunga ellarum.....namakulla enna....

The guests, Kasthuri, son Akash, and dhanam mother, Kausalya had occupied the empty space on the white painted iron benches........Kathir stood up from his place giving place to his Jega mama and settled on the grass, next to Harshu and Kayal on seeing this, stopped her elephant ride and ran, settling down on his lap....

Lak: epdi irukinga ellarum.....

Kau: nala irukom naanga ellam.....neenga ellam epdi irukinga....

Dhanam: engaluku enna amma...nala irukom.....

Kau: apram meena...epdi iruku ma......ipo paravalaya...vaandi ellam ninunidicha.....

Meena: enga ma....3 maasam aana ellam seri agum nu sonaga doctor...aana enga....5 maasam achu apdiye dan iruku .....

Jega: doctor enna sonanga maple?

Jeeva: aana doctor....weight gain lan normal nu solraru adan.....paravala silavungaluku ipdi irukum nu vida solitaru.....

Kas: hmmkmmm....aama oorla yaarum vandi edukaradu illa ...pulla pethukaradhu illa......inga matum dan nadakudu......she mumbles...within herself.....

Kanna: edum soningala enna.....

Kas: illa thambi.....naan enna sola poren....edume illa....she said with a fake smile....

On seeing her fake smile,

Harshu to kathir: mama......ivunga matum yen mama ipdi irukanga.....nama veetla enna ennavo maridichu....ivunga matum naan inda veetuku vandapo epdi irukangalo ade madiri irukanga.....oru matram um illa....munnethram um illa.......

Kathir simply nods his head......he knows Kasthuri has a strong dislike towards his family...the initial reason for dislike he isn't aware of ...but he knows how it worsened....it was Mullai.....it was DEC 12.......He can't entirely blame that her dislike for the family is wrong...

How could he?

When he knew the fault was theirs...

An entire family had been moved out of their native place............just like how it is hard to uproot a fully flourished tree from its place and planting them somewhere else...it would have been hard for them especillay her parents to move from their native place....native town...to another place....another country...........

He had disliked his maternal uncle and aunt with an intensity he couldn't measure...

But, what they had to face in Mandabam and after only because of his family and its doing, was something he couldn't come in terms with even today....

He is certain, his mind is certain that Mullai would be living happily with a guy who deserves her...a guy she loves.....a guy who could give her all the happiness in the world........By now, his cousin would have a family of herself in another soil.......and he is genuinely happy for her.....

He wishes against odds, that one day, he could meet her ...meet her family....meet her better half......her kids....Give them at least the love of an uncle........tell them the stories of their countless banter.....

But, only if destiny permits.....

Not knowing that all his thoughts are just his mere imagination....

The reality is far worse......

Worst than the past.....

He was brought out of his reverie, by a shake...

Har: enna mama....enda olagathula iruka....enna apdi oru azhndha sindhanai....

Kathir simply shaked his head in a nothing...just like that.....

Harshu: anga paru mama....evalo important aana scene nadakudu ......

Kathir tried to fit himself into the discussion going on, not even aware of what it is all about....He sat in silence hearing all the words and it took him less than a minute to make out that it was all about a marriage proposal for Kannan, the kadaikutty of their family....

He wanted to giggle thinking now his small brother is going to be married, become a family man...in his vision, Kanna was still the small boy, he used to take to school.....but he knew the truth ...the reality...His brother was in his late 20s....and that's the perfect time to settle down....start a family of their own....

Kanna is no longer the immature guy he was once nor is he the perfect matured guy ...But he was a guy with a bit of maturity and a large chunk of naughtiness and liveliness.....He wishes his brother gets a women who could love him, cherish him for what he is.....

He couldn't stop himself from joining his elder brother in teasing kanna about his marriage....

Jeeva: dei kathiru....ivanuku kalyanam na namba mudila da ennala.....

Kathir giggled and he felt a punch on his shoulder by harshu for teasing Kanna...Well, Harshu and Kanna are the typical best friends....they tease each other, but cannot hear a word against each other....even if its from his own brother......

Jeeva giggled seeing harshu hitting kathir for teasing Kanna....He always adored the relation Harshu shared with Kathir, with him, his wife Meena, with anna, his anni Dhanam, with Kanna, his amma...everyone....

Kathir: adikada di.....naan onnum solala ivana....

Murmurs: ennamo enna sona iva vandiruva malu kata nu solranga....enaku la theriyum iva kanna kaga en kita podra sandai aa.......

Kathir: aama annan.....yaar inda ponnu....enda ooru nama oora....

All gave him that look, like really?

What was the error in his question he thought.....

From their look, the least he could make out was that...that topic had been already discussed when he was lost in the reason behind Kasthuri's hatred to the family....

Har: mama, idu ku dan naan keten...enda olagathula irukinga nu?

Kathir gave that asadu smile to her ......

And jega mama answered that the girls family was a distant relative of his neighbor, the family was settled in Bangalore, the prospective bride of his brother was a post graduate girl with teaching degree in her mid-20s....She was born and brought up in the nuclear family setup in the posh, fast moving city life of Bangalore.....

He heard his mother's concern on whether the typical city girl can fit into the lifestyles of their family....the joint family set up he had seen his second Anni, having a tough time adapting to...but the same setup his Harshu had embraced with open hands......from day 1.....

Jega mama eased out his mother's worry telling how the girl was aware of the joint family set up and still showed interest...He was happy hearing it but then his ears and heart stinged along with other family members especially tears clogged his second brother and sister in law along with his mom, hearing the venom filled words of Kasthuri, about another particular girl who had wished a joint family setup and the wonderful gift the family had presented her with...

Jega mama rebuked Kasthuri for her choice of words in the happy moments and she didn't stay behind putting forth her anger on how she had not seen her cousin and her family for almost a decade all thanks to them.....

Harshu tried her luck diverting the topic, but was of no use....He had to step in along with his brothers and stop this useless banter mentioning "How there is no use crying over spilt milk" ...and that till date, every member of the family repents the events that happened a decade ago...

But, how even they were not given a chance to repair the damage done.....

Dhanam anni's mother brought the topic back to track, enquiring when would they go and see the bride....He heard his mom asking his anni to bring the calendar check for a good suitable day with no inauspicious timing to go and check on the bride ....

Few minutes of discussion followed and collective decision of going to meeting the Bangalore bride on this coming Friday, the so called auspicious day of the week for Hindus was finalized...

And then came, the next part of the discussion......when is the journey started...

Owing to Meena's pregnancy it was decided, they will start on Thursday afternoon, reaching Bangalore by Thursday night, giving his pregnant sister in law ample time for rest and see the bride the next evening and start their journey back on Saturday morning....

Mobiles were scrolled, looking out for places to visit on Friday morning...Being the month of January, they were aware the climate won't be too hot for their morning funtime....And zeroed on Lal Bagh Park for the elders to sit and enjoy the senery and the rush, crowd filled " Commercial Street" for the youngsters, the shopaholics of the family...

With all decisions made, discussions done, brides pic seen, the date and timing called and fixed upon, Jega mama and family left after the family dinner.....

And the rest family members retired to their respective room, with minds full of the upcoming wedding of the family, the last wedding of this generation....in Pandian Stores family.....

Days rolled by, with teasing Kanna about his first alliance to be seen, the dress to be worn....Amidst this, Adithya made a small chaos on how he cannot be left out on this family picnic they are doing to Bangalore....No amount of coaxing that this was nothing but a mere alliance seeing for his youngest uncle worked on him, and finally his elder brother and anni had to let their armor down bringing him back to home on Thursday afternoon once his classes for the day were over for the supposed happy family picnic for Kayal and Aadithya and prospective bride groom meet for the rest....

The whole of PS family started to Bangalore on two cars, what actually did look like a family picnic now with Jeeva driving one car with oldies, Lakshmi amma, Dhanam, Moorthy and his wife and the others in his car along with Harshu, Kayal, Aadithy and Kanna...

In their car, they were having the fun of the moment with peppy numbers, usual banters of his Harshu and Kayal, the countless counter of Adithya and Kanna......his humming the song played through FM...

At around 10pm with three stops for coffee, juice and dinner, and the countless stops for traffic, the family reached Bangalore.....

Truth to be spoken, both the drivers were done, their back was aching, their legs tight from the uncountable number of brakes applied and all settled on their bed for the much needed rest...........

A peaceful sleep followed and all the family members got ready for the day..for their respectively planned rountine.....

So, what is in store in Bangalore for them?

The ruins from Past?

The happiness of future?

Some unwished Meet ups?

Some more unwanted talks?

Some happy family moments?

Unnecessary brawls?

End of bitterness between estranged families?

Even worse cracks between them?

Only time could unravel them or fate could answer what it had in store for this families.......

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