Nenjamellam kadhal

Chapter-14

                                                                 Sakthi

   On a pleasant morning, two days after Dada's wedding, I awoke to the sight of Amar and Navya climbing over me and peppering kisses on my face. I tried to pull them under the quilt with me for a little more sleep, but my attempt was intercepted as my mom barged into my room within minutes, following the kids.

   My mom began speaking: "Ramya's wedding has been scheduled for August 29th, and it's already the 23rd. We barely recovered from Raghu's wedding, and now there's another one. I want you to come and stay with us to help with the kids."

   I made Amar and Navya lie on both sides under the quilt and said, "Inga vitru na pathukuren. I have to pack, ma. Also, edhadhu venuma nu check panitu, if I want something, I have to go buy it too."

My mom was clearly annoyed, "inum evlo naal d ellar melayum kovama iruka pora?"

    I retorted, "Enaku kovam ellam ila ma, but I feel awkward; unaku therilaya ila enaku enna nu irukia? She also feels awkward around me, and I can sense it from miles away, Why can't you understand it? Please, ma indha 15 days enna vitru na permanent ah inga vandha aparam, I will try to make everything right with everyone. Inga irukradhunala na un ponnu ilanu aidadhu, ipo po poi enna vela iruko paaru, konjam kuda enga moonu petha pathi kavala padama. Aparam, I left my traditional dresses there at home. Evening yaru varingalo, bring some for me to wear at the wedding."

    I helped Amar and Navya eat some snacks after my mother left the house around 10:30 a.m., and I ate my breakfast alongside them. Following that, we went to the backyard lawn and played in a sandpit where I used to play as a child. After that, we played in the bathtub while I bathed them. I was soaked to the bone after playing with them in the bathtub. It was almost lunchtime when I towel-dried them and dressed them both after applying moisturizer. While they were playing on my bed, I quickly took a shower. They eventually fell asleep after a late lunch, and Anni came to pick them up at 6 p.m. when we were watching the movie "Dumbo" in the theatre room downstairs.

    She ushered the kids to go downstairs, where Siva Anna was waiting. Anni handed me a bag and said, "Sakthi unaku dress idhula iruku marriage and reception ku. Check if they still fit; if not, we can alter them or get something else. Nanga ellam two days before marriage Ramya veetuku polam nu plan, yes, neum dha, no arguments, please. Siva vandhu unna pick up panipan nanga pora aniki,kalyanam simple ah dha plan pannirukanga. Temple la kalyanam pannitu reception matum grand a plan panirukanga." With that, she left the place without waiting to hear my reply.

    Packing and babysitting took up my three days in a flash. Except for my electronics and hand luggage, I almost packed everything. I could not avoid the stay because it was a family function, so I packed for a three-day stay and had been waiting for my brother since 7 a.m. after he informed me that he would arrive early.

    On the bright side, I knew I would see Mukhilan Anna and some of my cousins at the wedding. Dada and Thatha would go directly to the wedding and reception and would not be staying at Periappa's house. I would return with them after the reception.

As I was waiting for my brother, I received a WhatsApp notification from the unknown.

Unknown: Hey, good morning, How are you? Busy? Nowadays, you are not coming online like before.

Me: Good morning. Doing good. How is it going for you? Yes, busy with packing and stuff.

Unknown: Unga punniyathala nalla iruken. I hope you haven't forgotten about the address I asked for