From & To Sathish #5 - Page 124

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Avan, Aval Adhu 405

Fear-an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.

Meenakshi entered through the large metal door and the darkness turned into day as lights came alive over their heads. She looked up in surprise and then looked ahead at what had just been illuminated by the lights and glancing at Rajendaran ' A metal corridor. Really?'

R smiled and said, ' Yes. But we have to walk through it to move ahead.'

Meenakshi unable to control her curiosity any longer enquired as to what was going on all around them. ' Those giants, camouflage netting all over the trees and metal doors with security pads, and now this metal corridor which I suppose is some kind of test for me.'

Rajendran smiled, ' An astute deduction, Meenakshi. My instincts about you were right. You are not only powerful but highly intelligent ' and pointing to the long gleaming metal corridor, ' But, I am afraid that you still have to walk through the corridor to further this meeting of ours.'

Meenakshi stared at the shiny corridor and thought to herself, ' God, narrow spaces make me feel claustrophobic. That is the one thing apart from the fear of losing Ravi that scares the crap out of me.'

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she whispered, ' Ravi, this is for us. I am taking on my fears for your sake. Stay with me.'

Then with the memory of her love and his kiss of hate that he had delivered as a goodbye message that still tingled in her shapely red lips, and inside her, she boldly and calmly walked into and through the corridor and exited on the other side and turning around looked at Rajendran who was obviously staring at some information on some screen.

A sense of relief washed over his face and Meenakshi asked him in a loud voice, ' R, what's going on here? Even me, a Madurai girl knows what that corridor is all about. I have seen such metal corridors before in Airports and that too in International airports. Behind them are metal detectors and some sort of scanners, right? But, they are meant to search for knives, guns, and in some extreme cases, small bombs.'

Rajendran walked through the metal corridor clapping his hands and said, ' Bravo. Well done, Meenakshi. Again, I see that your eyes miss nothing and see everything.'

He pointed to the door and Meenakshi's face turned sarcastic and said frustratedly, ' Oh no. Not again.'

R smiled and tapped the pads on the button and the door slid sideways revealing an elevator. Meenakshi raised her left eyebrow in a curve of a question, ' That is obviously going down for there is nowhere to go up but into the skies.'

Rajendra extended his left hand and said, ' Nothing can fool you it seems. But, again, you are right. For, we are indeed going down.'

Meenakshi stepped in and R stepped in and tapped the keys and the elevator began gliding down. Down and way down.

She observed loudly, ' So much security, Rajendran, and that too in Madurai which everyone knows is secretly ruled by your family. Then why all these extreme security measures? Who do you fear so much for even God will have a tough time before he can ever reach you and that too only if he manages to get through those giants that watch over the entrance.'

Rajendran smiled and looked at her, ' Meenakshi, there are other forces that are more powerful than God and unlike the mysterious and invisible God, these forces are very real, alive, and hunting and killing. All the time.'

The elevator stopped but its doors did not open making Meenakshi realize that the doors could be opened and would be opened only by the people who were on the other side. They would do that only after checking if it was safe and after checking the occupants of the elevator.

' God, you fear forces more powerful than God itself. Impossible. Nothing is more powerful than God.'

Rajendra Cholan smiled but did not reply and instead stood thinking to himself, ' God and all life that we know belong to this planet. But, the forces that I fear and am talking about are not of this Earth.'

Meenakshi pointed to him, ' R, hello, Earth calling Rajendran. Please respond.'

He smiled and apologized, ' Sorry, I kind of drifted away. But the answer to your question is " Fas est ab hoste doceri. One should learn even from one's enemies."

The elevator doors opened and R smiled and said, ' Maybe, someday there might come a time when I will be able to tell you more and in detail. But not today for today is about you and the help that I have offered you.'

Meenakshi stood watching him exit the elevator and whispered loudly, ' Learn from enemies. But, from the little I have seen of this place, your enemies are obviously formidable and powerful. Wonder who they are.'

Meenakshi stepped out of the elevator not knowing that she had already made contact with the formidable force that Rajendran was talking about.

He has been called many names but even after 800 years, he prefers the name his blind mother used to call him. Azhagan

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Avan, Aval Adhu 406

Madhurima thanked young Ganesan, ' Child, in the end, happiness is determined by each and every individual person's thoughts and actions. Then again, happiness, peace, and life itself are not guaranteed permanence. Everything shifts, changes, and morphs into new thoughts and emotions according to the person and the persons involved with them.'

She smiled beautifully and looked at Ravi, ' If only everyone in this world were like your master, then there would be no need for a heaven for the place in which souls like your master dwell becomes a place that will be far superior to heaven.'

Ganesan looked at Ravi and overcome with emotions hugged him tightly and said, ' Master, I owe you so much. All that I am is because of you and your love and kindness. This whole Kumarapalayam exists on your grace and well-being.'

Ravi hugged him back and whispered, ' All of you are my children. That being the case, it is my duty as a father to watch over you and tend to all your needs. I just did my duty to the best of my abilities and the rest of the credit goes to you and to all the other children and people who were here, who are here, and who come seeking my help.'

He looked into Ganesan's eyes, ' Child, I only showed the door and the way beyond it for a bright future. It is you and the rest of my children who walked through it and made a life out of it for yourselves.'

Brahma Ganesan wiping his tears shook his head and protested vehemently, ' Sorry master, but I disagree. It's like a mother or a father telling their children that they did nothing and contributed zero in their lives.'

Ravi sighed and in an attempt to divert the conversation asked Ganesan who he had been talking to and that too about phones old and new.

' Was that Pushpa or Rita?'

Madhu exclaimed loudly, ' Two girls? You mean, our young one here has two girlfriends?'

Ravi looked at Ganesan and sniggered funnily and told Madhu that the number was greater than two and maybe it was five or even more.

' Mr. Ganesan here thinks that I am old and hard of hearing. I might be old but my ears and their drums are working just fine and hear clearly all that he speaks and that too constantly.'

Ravi's tone changed slightly as he chided Brahma Ganesan, ' I have told you a thousand times and I am warning you again, spending too much time with your mobile phone will damage your brain and your ears.'

Getting into the auto, he turned to Madhu, ' I am sorry but I haven't finished with Ganesan's list of girlfriends. So, let me add a few more to the list.'

' OMG! our young lad is quite the casanova it seems.'

Ravi shook his head and said, ' A small correction to that statement, Madhu. Our young man here thinks he is a casanova in his own head but none of his girlfriends think that of him. The reason for that is because it is only he who falls for them and floats around dreaming about love and life while his girlfriends remain that. Just girlfriends, like his boyfriends. Just friends and nothing more.'

Ganesan complained loudly to Madhu, ' Ma'am, what master sir is saying is true. I don't why none of them fall in love with me. They go around with me to malls, shopping, movies, KFC, and everything but when I open my mouth to say " I love you " they all reciprocate in the same way and with more or less, with the same answer.'

Saying that he fell silent and Madhu looked at him and asked him in an eager voice, ' What do they say? How do they reciprocate to you and that too in a similar way?'

Ganesan who had yet to get into the driver's seat threw a pathetic look at Ravi and in a very soft voice answered, ' Thank you, brother. You are the best brother any sister can have in this world. Every girl should be born with a brother like you.'

Madhurima's mouth parted in shock and surprise and she looked at Ravi and then at the sad and embarrassed-looking Ganesan and went ' What? All of them? All of them called you, Brother?'

Then raising his hand to the skies, he imitated Ravi's favorite actor, Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan, and roared loudly, ' Carpe diem! Carpe diem.'

Then hearing a familiar croak, Ganesan looked up and Janaki, Ravi's pet crow unloaded itself on his head and forehead.

There was pin-drop silence as Ganesan stood staring at the sky above with crow shit all over his head and face and slowly looked at Ravi and Madhu and that was all that they could take or bear any longer.

They laughed so loudly that the birds scattered in fear and their laughter echoed all around Kumarapalayam.

Ravi reached out to the front and taking a cloth that was wedged near the handlebars of the auto, offered it to the stunned-looking Ganesan and said, ' I don't about seizing the day but you better seize this cloth and wipe your face before the crap reaches your mouth.'

Then both of them began to laugh and laugh seeing the young Ganesan's funny face and life could not have been better.

"carpe diem” means “seize the day."

Why do I have a variety of friends who are all so different in character?

How is it possible that I can get along with them all?

I think that each one helps to bring out a _*different*_ part of me.

With one of them I am polite.

With another I joke.

With another I can be a bit naughty.

I can sit down and talk about serious matters with one,

be on the same wavelength with another.

With another I laugh a lot.

I listen to one friend's problems.

Then I listen to another one's advice for me.

My friends are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

When completed, they form a treasure box.

A treasure of friends! They are my friends who understand me better than I understand myself.

They're friends who support me through good days and bad.

Real Age doctors tell us that friends are good for our health.

Dr. Oz calls them *Vitamin F* (for Friends) and counts the benefits of friends as essential to our well being.

Research shows that people in strong social circles have less risk of depression and terminal strokes.

If you enjoy *Vitamin F* constantly you can be up to 30 years younger than your real age.

The warmth of friendship stops stress and even in your most intense moments, it decreases the chance of a cardiac arrest or stroke by 50%.

I'm so happy that I have a stock of *Vitamin F* (Friendship)!

In summary, we should value our friends and keep in touch with them.

We should try to see the funny side of things and laugh together and pray for each other in the tough moments.

I know I am part of their lives because their names appear on my mobile screen every day and I feel blessed that they care as much for me as I care for them.

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