Thanks for the amazing response...

"One life" is a short story and would end sometime this week...

Hardly 3-4 chapters are remaining with an epilogue....

So, please cope with the chapters and the author.....

I feel bad putting this disclaimer but then please note that
"
This story is written only for entertainment purpose, and author cannot be held responsible if the part influences persons....their mood.....mindsets....."

Ipdi lan disclaimer poda vendiya katayum varudu adan......

Kindly avoid the story if you feel the story or author is toxic to your health...

Apologies to the baseless disclaimer and the authors rudeness ......

And Enjoy the day....with this part..............

Parvathy and Murugan were shocked to see the PS family before their doorstep standing with a mix of emotions ranging from shock, happiness, guilt, remorse and all the emotions present in the world...

Parvathy and Murugan didn't have a mired of emotions clouding them, but one thing was sure....Surprise resurfaced in the atmosphere there......

Both the families didn't know where to start or what to start...

What were they supposed to do now?

They were family...

They were at log heads with each other....

It was his sister...the one he always adored....

It was their uncle....they had always ignored......

They were humiliated by them....

They were guilty of the humiliation caused....

They had forgiven them......

They couldn't forgive themselves....

She ruined their daughter's life or so they thought......

Their daughter was even better now....they knew....

Both the families stood staring at one another...................

Neither one had the courage to initiate the talk.....

What if they turn their faces? Thought the family who had migrated

What if they bring the old wounds back? Thought the other.........

Putting a break to their thoughts, the wooden door of "Kudil" opened and out came two little girls merely an age or two elder from each other, holding their hands tight....clasped together with each one and their shoulder were held by another manly hands one with a kada and another one with a stylish watch....only to meet their respective family standing in shock.....

The moment he had stepped into this wooden frame house wanting to take his baby girl back he was met with a photoframe....

A latrge photoframe of his cousin with Kyra, the girl his baby had come to play with...

The frame was a clear information of how this tiny girl with lively eyes, outgoing character, talkative nature was related to him....It was his cousin's daughter....

The one he had detested...The one whose course of life was changed by his family's stupidity..... The face that could give him a nightmare even today.....

In this whole wide city of Bangalore, his baby had to find friendship with the daughter of the very same girl who detested their family now.....

The game of fate.......or the play of destiny.............

No wonder, he felt this little girl looked familiar...........He had brushed the feeling off thinking that was just his imagination....but now he knew......She was a replica of her mom, his cousin, Mullai.....the tiny Mullai...the one he had spent time with her.....his house was never his or his brothers alone it was equally hers....She was found more in his house rather than hers....

His father adored her as much as he adored him.....the childhood jealousy....how could he forget this face......

So, KYRA was mini mullai....her eyes looks different now that he thinks of it, mostly she inherited it from her father......

But, he was happy.....

Happy to know she has moved on....

Got a life she deserved.....

Away from them.....their family......their Kunnakudi....

Wait ? Kunnakudi? Wasn't she in Malayasia as per her friend.....Now, when did Malaysia become Bangalore?

May be she wanted to keep her place hidden from them...

A fair chance and choice after their families doing.....

Now looking at this guy who was coming with his cousin's daughter and his baby, he is contented that She is happy....with the guy she liked.....got a baby girl of her own.....

She deserved happiness and she got them.....He believed.....

For a moment, his mind drifted back to the multiple times he had tried apologisizing to her....for the misatkes done by him and his family....

He rejecting her at the altar was for her benefit.....She deserved a better guy and a better family......to live in the same house facing the past would be nothing less than a hell....no matter him detesting her or disliking her....he knew this girl deserved better....

He didn't know if his intentions were clearly expressed....

As the havock wedding day gave way to a new dawn, it gave rise to a new realization of the society.....

He realized that she was being thrashed and tarnished for the multiple rejections of the day and that thought didn't settle well with him...

He didn't have the courage to go to her house and apologize for his family's mistake....

May be he was not a macho man like he believed he was....

He had seen her thrice after that.........and all the events were fresh in his mind....

Once in the temple on a new year day,

Once with her parents with a baggage before she left the village for good...

And later, almost few weeks later, he had seen her....but she had ran away like the prey saw its predator.....

And he didn't follow her....He was on his chariot...she was on her feet...

A little pressure on the accelerator he could have easily got in pace with her...but something in his heart said she wanted to be alone.....didn't want to meet the demons of past....

And he let her be....

After that he had never tried apologizing to her....

His baby girl's "paa" brought him out of the memory lane....

"Enna pa yosikira" his girl enquired, what does he tell her that he was lost in the past turmoil connecting the two families....

"Seri uncle bye, bye kyra" his baby girl said....well, the manners he cultivated....he had forgotten...he had not introduced himself to him nor asked his name....Before he could...

"Bye kayal" said his cousin's hubby and opened the door...He was sad on one side that he couldn't meet Mullai..nor his enemy aunt or his uncle...may be it was better this way...

He wanted her to be happy....she is happy....That's enough he decided...

He is not going to let his family know of this unexpected meet, he didn't trust his family with that...What if they want to meet her...

What if she considers it a disturbance?

Both the families are happy in their life and that's more than enough...

With Kanna's alliance being fixed with the girl next door he is not sure how many days this will be kept under wraps....

May be just like how Kayal and Kyra met and made a friendship just like play of destiny...

How he got to know Kyra and Mullai family...

One day destiny might make the two family come face to face...

He will wait for that day instead of setting up one...

With these thoughts, he stepped out of the door only to see the worst already happened....

To his left, was his family...with vivid emotions and to his right, was his uncle and aunt.....

"Well, destiny was not in his favor" he knew especially when Kyra ran to her thatha pati....

Kyra: thatha....idu en pudu friend Kayal........the little girl smiled while introducing...

Kayal also responded back with same enthusiasm..."Hi thatha ....hi patti" .

The little girl kayal was confused as in why her family was keeping mum....

Didn't they teach her its bad manners to not greet anyone...

Or was the manners n stuffs only for the kids...the tiny mind wavered....

"Paaa, oruthavungala patha...wish pananum nu nee dane solithanda...nee yen pa wish panla" questioned the little heart...giving a blow to her family....

Kathir with a clouded mind clogged throat, "epdi irukinga....nalla irukingala.......mullai epdi iruka" he broke the ice....

Well three people over there were confused on hearing a name

Mullai

"Yaaar ivan......epdi mullai aa theriyum....yen uvunga lan ipdi irukanga" were his mindvoice , the eldest among the confused three....His mind gave him a wage possibility...

Could it be them?

His mind questioned....but he got message ...a reminder about his travel from Mullai....and he moved to pack his stuff...knowing she will be inn in few minutes....

"Uncle, ungaluku epdi enga amma per theriyum" asked the middle one....

"Pa....yaar pa mullai?" questioned the tiniest....

Mullai, the name...that name had many meaning....that could bring out multiple emotions.....

On seeing the blank face of the family, Kyra enquired once more...

"Uncle, ungaluku epdi enga amma va theriyum.....neenga friends aa?" .....was her second question....

Friends?

Seriously, they were anything but friends....they were loggerheads.....they could bring out the worst of each other....they were enemies.....they were cousins.....

But friends?

NOOOOOO....

A big huge no.......

"Solunga pa" forced his baby.....

"Adu....adu....." he didn't get the perfect words to answer these tiny ones....

Who better than moms can fix their kids turmoil...

His mom came to his rescue....

"Muruga....Enna manichidu......enna manichidu parvathy" she folded her hands....

His sisters apology brought tears to his eyes....No matter what ever they did was wrong....was pathetic.....this women was his sister...

The one who grew him up....something of a motherly figure.....

Seeing her apology...for something that happened decade ago.....he didn't know how to keep back the grudge....

" To err is humane, to forgive is divine" wasn't it....

Had Mullai forgiven this family?

Yes....

Had she forgotten the misery?

He doesn't know.....

His daughter had become a puzzle even for him nowadays....

She had mastered the skills of hiding emotion ....

Life had taught her that....

None knew what to tell....what to respond....

When the angel made its entry ....

The lift had opened and out came Mullai, in a pair of jeans and Tops with glasses and open hair....

Kyra ran into her arms....once she stepped out of the lift....

"Aaammmaaa" ....

Poor thing had only one parent to compensate the love of father and mother.....and she loved her too much...

"Kyra.....enna seekram veetuku vanta.....naan unna rabbit aa play area la theditu irunden..." came her mothers reply....

"Amma....innaiku en pudhu friend aa nama veedu kata kootitu vanden...adan" were Kyra's words...

Mullai: "appdiya....yaar anda pudhu friend" enquired the mother....

The mother and daughter duo were too much into themselves they forgot the surrounding and the guests they were playing the family scene to....

"Kayal ma.....anga paru....ava dan....Kayal inga va" called out her pointing her hand to her extended family....

Few moments only shock waves were passed.....

"Hi anty" came a tiny bundle who was called as Kayal moments back by her child.....

She was numb...she didn't know how to react....

Her forgiven past was standing before her with the whole family....there were additional members who were foreign to her....

But, the base, the basic people...were the members of the house she had planned to live with,....dreamed to live with.....

"Anty hi...." Said the little Kayal again....

Mulali caressed the little girls hair and smiled....masking her past ....she was a mother of Kyra and this girl Kayal was her daughters friend....

"Hi Kayal papa" she smiled.....

"Mullai.. nee vantiya......seri naan kelambaren....enaku bus ku time achu" came a manly voice with a luggage in his hands ...

"Paathu poitu va......inda car key" she handed over the key to Kavin who had to go to Mysore...

"varen atha.....varen mama" he bid bye....

"Vaanga mapilla" came the reply....

"Bye Kyra" kissing on his forehead he left....."bye bye" came the chirpy reply....

"Varen" he said to the unwanted guest....

"Paathu....iru.....naan phone panren" he gave a side hug to Mullai and left....

She nodded her head assuring him....

"Anty neenga dan mullai aa.... " asked the little mustard....

She was explicity taught by her father that it was bad manners to barge in when two people are talking so she had kept her question to herself...

But now with this uncle gone, the question came.....

"Aaama amma....unaku epdi inda thadi uncle aa theriyum"was Kyra's doubt...

"Uff..him and this kids obsession with her dad like thadi" thought kathir...True, her dad (Kavin) had trimmed beard...compared to his thadi....but that doesn't earn him the name Thadi uncle......Now, he understood she was a replica of her mom, his cousin....who had the habit of calling him as "Kathiru.....Sidumoonji....Ammavasa" when they were kids.....

What else can be expected from this little packet "Thadi uncle.." he was and will be for her....he was sure....

Mulali had no doubt as in who was her daughter referring to as Thadi uncle...

It was Kathir....her sworn enemy....he literally had this worst beard....Gosh, who keeps this beard...

This devadas beard?

He looked different....everyone looked different....everything looked different....

Her eyes did follow each and every face few faces a glance few for a minute.....the new faces a couple of minutes more.....

She didnt know what to respond to this girl or her daughter.....

What will she say?

They are cousins?

If so, she knew her daughter will come up with a thousand questions on how she had not met them......

Her little girl was just like her....had numerous friends.....

She has seen the earn for siblings......cousins......

Everytime for vacation when her friends talk about cousin...siblings

She has seen the spark in her baby girls eyes die.....

Now, introducing this family as her cousin....could bring unwanted trouble.....

She saw two tiny eyes looking at them and the family for answers.....

On how they knew each other.....
On how they were related......

*****

Pic credits: mullai_fan_crazy_girl

Thanks for comments and reviews