Kavya was always on time to catch the 7.30 a.m deluxe air conditioned chennai city bus and she had been doing this for nearly three years now.She worked in the accounts department as the chief investment officer in the TVS groups parry's branch office.Kavya had finished her MBA and had attended many interviews and was offered jobs by all the companies and yet she had chosen TVS for her godfather and uncle venkatadri worked there and that was more than enough.After kavya's father had suddenly died due to a massive heart attack when she was still in her 8th std,it had been her uncle who had helped their family through tough times both emotional and financial.
The one saving grace of her dad's death had been the small two bedroom flat he had bought near tambaram and the remaining dues had been paid off using his PF and other settlements by his company.Kavya's mother meenakshi was an excellent cook and from their kitchen went food to many houses and this little catering service kept their boats from sinking.Kavya's brother Murthy was now working for a big IT company in california and had openly declared that he would never come back to settle in india.Kavya could understand that for sometimes she also wanted to go abroad and start a new life but then who would look after her mother who had looked after them.Not that Meenakshi needed looking after for she still cooked for a few people and was more in demand for her ' Aacharama panna samaiyal.'Authentic iyer sappadu. Meenakshi used to joke to her daughter that it would be nice to watch people's reaction to know their father ate non-veg,drank and smoked and yet had gone about his life in a Aacharam way.
Kavya was 27,could pass of for fair and decent looking although she thought of her looks as typical constipated brahmin moonji.She was good at her work,never got into trouble and went about her own private life in the same disciplined manner.But now in her late twenties,the clock of her womanhood was ticking loudly and she knew she would have to make up her mind about marriage pretty soon for otherwise the decent offers that were trickling in would soon dry up and then only widowers,single men in their forties,ugly,fat in looks would slowly start to come up to her doorstep.
Getting a seat in the morning was pretty easy for the terminus was just at the end of the street and getting a seat on her way back home was what proved a bit irritating and frustrating.But she had managed it for nearly three years and wondered if getting a seat in a good marriage would be just as easy or just as difficult.
The conducter,a huge rajini fan saluted her like the superstar did in Padaiyappa and brought a smile on kavya's face." enna accounts amma,parrys polama."
Kavya nodded " france,paris okay,local parrys corner waste anna."
" ennamma panrathu,en vandi local parrys thaan pogum.Don't worry madam,soon good,rich husband coming,and you happy."
Kavya burst out laughing at his broken english and so did the other passengers.Raji aka rajalakshmi waved to kavya,who went and sat next to her.
Raji was a regular like kavya and she worked in some gujarati agarwal company that dealt in scrap iron.
She looked at kavya " enna,ethavathu nalla varan vanthirukka."
Kavya shook her head " neraya vanthirukku but nothing looks interesting.One looked promising but he is earning less than me and you know what that means.so,i said no.Anyway i am not going to think too much about it and am going to let my fate take its own course.What about you?"
Rajalakshmi smiled slyly " i think this sunday is going to be good for the giy who is coming to see me looks really interesting and promising.I just hope that he doesn't open his mouth and spoil the whole image i have built of him.lets see."
Their air conditioned bus soon reached nandanam and a few people got in and one man caught both the women's eyes.
Raji tapped kavya's arm ' this guy has become regular for the past few days.I wonder if he is brahmin and single.Looks like an interesting prospect."
Kavya tapped her forehead " thala eluthu.Raji,en ippadi alayare.Come sunday,everything is going to work out.appuram enna."
Raji " ennamo kavya,nowadays i am beginning to wonder about this whole marriage thing and have come to the conclusion that this whole business is done to have children and practice safe sex and legal sex."
Kavya turned to raji with a shocked expression and then it soon mellowed " en raji,why this conclusion.then what about love,bonds and relationships."
Raji " i dont know if all that is true or was ever true.you should see the way my brother-in-law stares at my chest and back whenever he and my sister come home.I don't know what he is staring at for there is nothing much to stare at and my sister is better endowed than me.i guess she took the looks,brains and breasts that were allocated for me.Still,the man leches at me and i think he has the wrong picture of me in his mind and would probably be disappointed if he ever catches me nude for even i don't stand before the mirror much for i am scared the mirror might pass a sarcastic comment."
Kavya kept quiet for a second and then burst out laughing and her laughter ricocheted all around the bus and the man turned and looked at her as did a few others.
Raji " ennadi,naa evvalavu feeling oda pesaren.ippadi comedy panriye" and then she imitated the bus conducter's english " what to do,my life comedy time."
Kavya laughed loudly again and this time raji joined her and the man looked at both of them and smiled sadly and happily.The bus kept going and going on the route called mount road.
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