Chapter - 3

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                                                                        Adhitya

                 Today I took a day off from the college where I work as a temporary lecturer to attend Madhan's marriage. He was not only my best friend but also my partner in our startup, a venture I embarked on recently, where I work after college hours. I started to work temporarily in the college to support my family and cover personal expenses until our start-up's turnover could support us financially.

               Before heading to the wedding venue, I dropped off my younger twin siblings at the nearby bus stop. As I settled into a chair in the middle row, my attention was captivated by a girl in a striking white and purple half saree. She was engrossed in conversation with the bride's sister, and I found myself irresistibly drawn to her. My eyes began to follow her involuntarily and I observed her every action with an involuntary smile. Her dimpled smile and kohled eyes held me captive, and I couldn't help but admire her from head to toe. She was petite, curvaceous, and of average height, probably around 5 feet or 5.3 feet., Her skin had a complexion that might rival the colour of the sandalwood paste and was visible only in her midriff whose colour is further accentuated by her purple dress, which was simply eye-catching.

               While I'd noticed a few girls during my school and college days, I'd never felt compelled to pursue a relationship with any of them. However, this girl was different. She had managed to captivate my heart and mind and swayed me to consider the possibility of a relationship with her.

               I hoped that she might be a friend of the bride or her sister judging by her closeness with them. I planned to gather details about her from my friend later. With our startup on the accelerated path towards success in the next one or two years, and my profit margin expected to grow, I could envision a future where I would have a more than comfortable married life within two years. If everything aligned with my plan and if we could be committed to a relationship within these two years, I saw no reason not to approach this girl now. I had a nagging feeling that if I missed this opportunity with her, I might come to regret it in the future.

               When it was time to congratulate the newlyweds, I made my way to the stage, my gaze fixed on her antics. I intended to approach her after offering my best wishes to the couple. However, just as I reached the couple, she moved towards the dining area at that time, and I lost sight of her and could not pay any more attention to her when the photographer asked to pose for a picture.

               After giving my best wishes to the couple, I headed towards the dining area in search of the girl in purple. But before I could make any progress, I received an urgent call from my startup and I had to rush to attend a meeting at our office. I was disappointed that i had to leave early and couldn't get any details about her today. Gathering details about her would have to wait, as Madhan was planning to leave on his honeymoon in three days, and the next three days would be filled with post-marriage rituals.

                 The following day, my thoughts were consumed by the girl in purple from the moment I woke up and I felt disturbed with millions of negative thoughts. In addition to that everyone in my family got on my nerves from the morning. I was late, Rushing to the bus stop, I missed the college bus and had to take a taxi to reach just in time for the last bell.

                 I headed directly to the college canteen to have my breakfast and then went to my cubicle. tried to focus on preparing class notes. However, I found it nearly impossible to concentrate. I felt an unexplainable urge to connect with the girl in purple and had a nagging feeling I couldn't afford to wait until Madhan's return from his honeymoon; I feared she might slip away.

                I rubbed the palm over my face with a sigh, i did not want to wait any longer, Without hesitation, I sent Madhan a text message.

Madhan: "Hey, I need a favour. Can you get me some information about the girl in the purple dress who was standing next to your wife's sister at the wedding ASAP?"

             When it was time for me to go to my class I left the staff room. After my lectures, I was roped into an impromptu meeting for a cultural competition which prevented me from checking my mobile phone for Madhan's reply to my message until the lunch break. I did not have time to check my mobile for messages until it was lunch break. As soon as I saw Madhan's missed call notification, I called him back.

               He excitedly started speaking " Dei ennada girl in the purple nu edho English movie name madri solra ?? ne en andha ponnu details kekura? samiyara poiduva nu nenachen ana ponnu details ellam kekuradha patha, samiyara irundhadhu podhum nu decide panitia enna "

                I  chuckled at what he said " Decide panitana nu ellam therila machan,enamo I like her. She just grabbed my attention and arrested my mind with her presence. I couldn't even pay attention to your marriage and watched her the whole time. Sumi's sister peru Anitha dhaney? She was with her and her friends. She might be Anita's friend. Please machan enaku ava details venum kettu solria? "

                  I heard some hushed conversations on his end and then he said "Machan marriage la 3 ponnunga purple colour la irundhangalam da, do you have any picture of her? "

I replied, " No idiot...how could I snap a picture without her consent ?"

I replied, "No, idiot I didn't take a picture without her consent."

"Sari pakka epdi irundha nu ne sollu na speaker la podren sumi ku therinja solluva "

                I eagerly explained, "White and purple half saree, she was slightly short and had a fair complexion."

                After a brief conversation, sumi spoke " Bro there were two girls who fit that description who wore white and purple. I'll ask my sister to send me the wedding pictures she took, and then you can identify 'Girl in the Purple.'

                Madhan continued after sumi " sari da nalavaney. I will send you the pictures once we get them, You identify your 'girl in the purple' and send her picture back to us, and we will gather details about her from Anitha. But please do machan under any circumstances do not call me on my honeymoon else forget about your girl ".

                "Great", I replied. " But machan idhu en life matter sodhapidadha da please get me her details and pictures as soon as you can.Deal ? Now I have to go. Bye, machan".

                As I hung up, I couldn't help but smile, referring to her as the "Girl in the Purple." I headed to the canteen for lunch.

               In the afternoon, while I was working on my lesson plans for the third year and class notes for the final year subject, an administrative assistant delivered my updated class schedule for this academic year. I groaned when I saw that I had been assigned to teach workshop subjects to first-year students this semester.

                   Frankly, I tend to avoid teaching 1st and 2nd-year students usually. They can be quite a handful and more pain in the ass frankly. They are often either overly enthusiastic or utterly irresponsible, lacking any field knowledge, which means I have to start from square one. While I enjoy teaching, teaching 1st-year students also require dealing with teenagers who are eager to embrace their newfound college freedom. On top of being an educator, I sometimes find myself in the role of a caretaker, especially in workshop sessions.

                    Let's hope that this 1st year's batch won't annoy me much and hope for me not to chew out anyone's head like last time. That evening i went to the college bus stop to board the college bus. I usually come by myself from home to the college and go by college bus to my start-up office. The travelling duration gives me time to catch up on my work and also saves me time.

                   I hope that this year's 1st-year batch won't be too troublesome and annoying. I pray I won't have to lose my temper and terrorise someone like I did last time. That evening, I made my way to the college bus stop to catch the college bus. Typically, I commute from home to college by college bus from my area bus stop and then take the college bus on another route to reach my startup office in the evening. This commute provides me with an opportunity to catch up on work and saves me precious time.            

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