Meant to Be note on page 162 - Page 103

Meant to be

part 43

She was standing alone on the blazing hot sand..the scotching sun above her head burns her skin all over...her throat went dry under the heat..she scrunched her eyes not able to face the burning sun...as time passed it becomes unbearable for her to tolerate the heat..she ran her eyes frantically to find the oasis..but all she could see was dessert .. and the eye blinding hot sunlight...suddenly at the distance...she had seen the hot sand slowly raising in the air like a twister..after forming as a gigantic twister ,it was coming towards her in great speed...she gapped at that giant form in sheer fright..her heart forget to beat..breath caught in her lungs and she could only stare at the disaster helplessly which was coming to engulf her..it was coming closer and closer..

Suddenly a strong iron grip encircled her waist and lifted her in one swift moment and flew away escaping her from the twister elevating her along in the air ...when she looked down to her surprise the twister disappeared suddenly in thin air as if it never appeared..then she looked back at her savior but it was only darkness she could see..fear clutched heart heavily..

With a sudden jerk...Raji got up from her sleep panting heavily..sweating very badly..her throat was dry ..the fear she gone through in her dreams felt so real.. she could feel the heat then also. ..she touched her neck at the back of her hand..she was running high fever..she ran her nervous eyes all over..under the light of night lamp she could see Lakshmi was sleeping besides her..

She couldn't even gulp as her throat was dehydrated to its maximum..she felt very thirsty and found no water in the room..she badly needed some water to cool down her burning nerves..and throbbing heart..

At first She thought of waking up Lakshmi then she declined the thought... she herself went to the kitchen to get some water..

She drank the water gulping it in one go...letting it drench her dried throat and also wetted her face along..after quenching her thirst she took another full bottle and returned to her room..when she was about to enter the room..

"Angaiye nillu..."A stern voice startled her..

Her legs stood rooted and her stomach churned in fear..

She slowly turned towards that voice..

Karthik's mother was standing there with ferocious look..

The aversion and anger she had seen on her eyes were pricked her heart like a needle..

"Yenna dhairiyam irundhaa..unnoda sondha veedu maadhiri nadu raathirila ulaavaruva?"

"Aunty thanni yedukka dhaan vandhen.."

Raji said meekly with so much of difficulty..trying to sound as casual as possible..

"Aunty aa ..yaarukku yaaru aunty..yennai appadi koopidaadha..unnai yellam nalla ponnu nu nambi yen veetla serthadhukku..ooru sirikira maadhiri pannita la..?she poured all her frustration on Raji..

Raji shook her head negatively..

"Neenga thappa purinjittu irukeenga..aun.." She tried to explain but was cut in the mid by k's mom

"ippa dhaan sariyaa purinjittu iruken..yenna... ivlo sothu ..panam yellam paarthadhum..yen paiyanai appadiye valaichi podalaamnu plan panriyaa?naanga solra ponna kattalainaa..oru paisa kooda kedaikkadhu avanukku niyaabagam vachiko..

Ivangalukku appuram namakku dhaane yellam nu karpanai pannadha..idhu yellame yen veetukaarar sondha sambaathiyam..yedhaavadhu aashramathukku yezhudhi vaipome thavira sol pechu kekkadha paiyanukku thara maatom..

Raji looked at her in confusion as if she was wondering in what alien language she was talking..actually she couldn't make head or tail out of her blabbering..

"aahaa..onnume theriyaadha maadhiri nalla nadikara..indha appavi mugathukellam yen paiyan venaa yemaaruvaan...yennai yemaatha mudiyaadhu.."his mother spitted fire on her..

"Sarada..ippa yedhukku indha ponna thittura..namma paiyan mela thappa vachi kittu mathavangala thitti yenna aaga pogudhu.." karthik's father's annoyed voice stunned them both...he silenced his wife and turned towards Raji..

"Inga paaru maa..unakkum yengalukkum yendha prachanaiyum illai.. unnai paarthaalum nalla ponnu maadhiri dhaan theriyudhu.."he started in very soft voice..which gave her burning heart a small relief..

"Thank god atleast his father seemed to be reasonable.." before she sighed in relief his next set of words poured hot coal on her head...

"yedho periya idathu paiyannu aasaipattaalum thappu onnum illai..aanna inga yenna nilamainu unakku theriyadhu..sumithra dhaan yenga kudumbadhukku yetha ponnu..avanga kudumbadhoda yenga kudumbam..kudukkal vaangal yellam vagaiyilum nerungina pazhakkam..ippo indha kalyaanam nadakalainaa..business, family rendume baadhikkum... adhoda Sumithra vukkum avanga appavukkum naan vaaku kuduthuten..kudutha vaakungaradhu yengala maadhiri business people ku uyir ah vida melaanadhu..idhu varaikkum naan vaakku thavarinadhillai... ...ippo mudhal muraiyaa naan vaakku thavara poren..adhuvum yen sondha maganaala nu ninakum podhu yennala adhi jeeranikkave mudiyalai..indha kalyaanam mattum nadakalainaa..karthik yen magane illainu thalai muzhugiduven..avlo dhaan..appuram oru kudumbatha piricha paavam unnai dhaan vandhu serum...adhu mattum illai...yengala meeri nadakkura yendha kalyaanathaiyum naanga yendha kaalathulaiyum yethukka maatom...

Purinji nadandhupennu nenaikaren...

He is a business man he knows very well how to tackle people by hook or crook..now he used his cunningness to win over the situation..after all he was the man of stubbornness..he knows his smartness doesn't work on his son as he is the exact replica of him..so he had chosen raji instead..

" Unakku panam yedhuvum venumnaalum naanga tharom.."

Raji raised her eyes in shock..her eyes reflected so much of agony ...the unfathomable anguish in her eyes.. melted even the stone hearten k's dad for an instance...the innocence in her eyes seized him inactive for a moment..but it was only for a fleeting moment ,he composed himself soon...and said his final words...

"karthik anaadhai aaguradhum ,aagadhadhum unnoda kaila dhaan irukku.."

Raji walked back to the room like a lifeless doll..

She felt the heat under her skin was increasing as the way her whole body burnt in her dream..it seemed soon it going to burn her into ashes... her physical as well her mental weakness had made her so vulnerable as she can't bear anymore pain..as she had already reached the saturation level..

"How much low they think of me..unakkku panam venumaa nu kekkum bodhe yen uyir yaen yen udambai vittu pogalai.."she still regretting for being alive..after hearing those harsh words from them..

She felt suffocating in this huge palace like house..her two bedroom flat seemed more spacious than this big bungalow...

She cannot breath in the same air those narrow minded people were breathing..she wanted to distance herself from them as far as possible..she felt she would rather die than to stay there for a moment longer..

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"Hello lakshmi..."

"Karthik... Raji ya kaanom.."

"What..?"he felt the land was slipping under his feet..

"Yenna solra lakshmi ..ava yenga poga muduym..nalla thedi paaru..anga dhaan irupaa.."

"Iyoo ...naan nalla thedi paarthuten..yengayum kaanom..avaloda pettiyayum kaanom..adhaan yenakku romba bayamaa irukku.."

"Ok u calm down lakshmi..naan ippave varen...Vishnu..?"

"avan inga dhaan irukaan.."

"ok naan varen.."

Karthik hurried to downstairs, jumping many steps at a time..

"Raji was missing..."the same words reverberating in his drums like an echo...

"lakshmi yenna aachu..?"he asked nervously once he reached the ground floor..

"Theriyila karthik..night thideernu muzhichi paarthaa Raji ya kaanom..naan room la thedi paarthen avaloda dress suitcase yedhuvume illai..indha raathiriya veliya kelambi pora alavukku yenna achinnu onnume puriyalai..avaloda mobile ku try panaa switched off nu varudhu.."she said in extremely worried face..

"Sari nee kavalai padaadha lakshmi..Raji nichayamaa kedaichiduvaa..."

Karthik said with assuring voice to boost some confidence more than to him...

"vaa daa Vishnu polaam.."

Karthik ignited the engine and zoomed on the alley..

When he reached the gate..he stopped near the gate and enquired to the watchman..

"Appu naa..konja nerathukku munnadi veliya yaaraavdhu ponaangalaa?

"aamaa thambi unga friend ponnu pochidhu.."

"neenga yen indha nerathula thaniyaa poga viteenga..?"karthik yelled at him in anger..

"andha ponnu taxi vara valaichi ponadhu paa..yaennu keten.. oorla yaaruko udambu mudiyala avasaramaa kelambanum nu sollichi..adhu matum illai..he hesitated for a second and said in low voice...periya aiyaavum andha ponnu ponaa thadukka vendaamnu sonnaaru.."

Karthik passed him an angry glare and rushed the vehicle in rage..

Seeing his outrageous face..Vishnu said softly

"kavalai padaadha daa..Raji ku onnum aagaadhu.."

But he got a glare in return..

"yepapdi kavalai padaama irukaradhu?midnight la.. theriyaadha oru oorla taxi la yeri thaniyaa poi irukaa..yeppadi daa kavalai apdaama irukka mudiyum?"

"Dai Raji padicha ponnudaa..muttal illai..avangala paarthukka avalukku theriyum.."

"Manaangatti.. paper news la laam yennenana padikirom..konjam kooda arivu vendaam..?

He banged the steering wheel in rage..

Distress..helplessness..anger ..everything culminated to his immeasurable wrath..he was literally on fire..Vishnu had never seen him in this much furious..

"Iva yenda aippadi irukaa?"he asked in annoyance..

"Yennai konjam kooda nimadhiyaave irukka vida koodaadhunnu kanganam kattitu irukkaa pola..

Avala kaanaama inga oruthan tension aavannennu nenaikchi paarkave maataalaa?"

He spited in frustration..

"Ippa yenga poi dheduradhu..?"

"Oorukku dhaan kelambi poi irupaa..railway station ku polaamaa..?oru vela bus la poanaa..?he applied sudden brake as the wheels screeching hard and came to halt..

"Dai Vishnu nee taxi la bus stand ku po..anga Raji irukaalanu paaru..naaan railway station ku poren.."

"ok daa.."

"Raji ya paarthaa udane yenakku call pannu sariyaa?"

Vishnu nodded and climbed down the car..

"Phone la charge irukula.."Karthik asked hurriedly..

"Irukkudaa..Raji ya paartha udane unakku call panren..adhe maadhiri neeyum call panna marakkaadha..un sandaiya yellam appuram veetukku vandhu vachikonga.,.."

Vishnu's words gone with the wind as karthik already left ...and the car speeded up on the lone road heading towards the railway station..

Karthik reached the station and ran inside like a mad man..wavering his eyes all over..scanning each and every face coming in his way..

After a while he realized that it was not the proper way to search Raji in this huge station..he felt that he has to keep his cool to act rationally..

He paused for a while closing his eyes he took a deep breath and thought with a clear and calm mind..

"First.. if Raji wanted to go to Chennai..then she must be in Chennai going train..so first I should check the schedule of Chennai going train.."

He enquired in the counter and learn that the next scheduled train to Chennai was at 4:30 am only..he looked in his watch it showed 11.45 pm

Almost 5 hours remaining..

Where she could be..if she has to wait for five long hours in the station..

"Where could she be ?"he thought rapidly..

"Waiting room.." a bulb flashed in his mind..

To be continued...