Chapter 1 - The Meet - Now
"Thambi, don't you have change? Don't you even think it is unfair to give 2000 rupee note for a bottle of water?"
"Sorry Anna. Have only Rs.15 otherwise." Elan was wondering what other options he has. Return the bottle? Go to the next shop? Go to the ATM at the CMBT's concourse to withdraw some cash? 'Have to rule it out. ATM will rule it out.' "Anna, Can I use Paytm to make the payment?"
"For Rs.20?"
"I will pay Rs.100. You can give me some change also."
"I don't trust these things. And even I don't have any change to return. Either you pay Rs.20 or leave. Its 12 in the night and I have no mood to argue."
Elan kept the bottle on top of the boxes with butter biscuits and was about to leave, when he heard "I can give you change." It sounded familiar. He turned to his right to find a familiar face. The girl who lived opposite to his house at Nerkundram. He cursed himself for remembering her only as Sumaar Moonji Figure, as she was identified in their house amongst Elan and his friends. "Hello?!"
Chapter 2 - Elan's Story
Sankaran was an office clerk, in a co-operative society. He joined the society as an errand boy, then acted as delivery boy and now, after couple of decades, an office clerk. Officially. Practically, he is still the errand boy. Life without a degree or diploma to his name can be miserable. "Education is important. Every officer at the society is a graduate or a Post Graduate. You get your studies in order", he used to tell his son Elanchezhian.
"That new Nodal Officer at Indian Bank, is a Graduate in Agriculture. You need to have a degree atleast to become an Officer." This was when Sankaran had returned home after delivering some document to the only nearby bank for the village, at a village eleven kilometres away. "At such an young age, he has a TVS 50". Sankaran was informing Elan as he was entering the house, parking his cycle. "It is education that takes them to such heights. Please study well."
"What's all this?" Sankaran had fumed at Elan practicing wall painting for some competition at the District Headquarters at Dindivanam. That was when Elan was 15, and it was hardly 1 month for his Board Exams. "I thought you'd become an officer, and earn me some respect. Now with all this..." pointing at paper sketches and clay models Elan had created, "I don't think that's going to happen". It was a broken man's voice. "Artistic painting is a remunerative vocation in bigger towns" Elan had retorted. "The competent earns his living at his home town." Sankaran had ended the conversation.
Sankaran had wanted his son to become an Accounts Officer, and goaded him into Commerce stream. Elan found it convenient as he could find more time to explore his passion, which had blossomed to Painting, Carpentry, Interior Decoration and Space Management. "Space Optimization", as his childhood friend and collegemate Vikram used to say. Special classes were a ruse for Elan to learn newer skills in wall paper pasting, vinyl flooring, carpentry tools, aluminum board cutting. "Visualize your output", Vikram, always the motivator, used to say.
College days went by. Both Vikram and Elan cleared with distinction. Neither of them wanted a career in Commerce. "Accounting is bloody post mortem", Elan would say, and Vikram concurred. Sankaran appreciated his son's work at home. He noticed all the small home improvements brought in by his son. He suspected his son's interest to be more than just pastime. "Never give up on education.". But Elan never found an opportunity to be an officer in his village. Those were days of "Big Town Experience and Post Graduation" to get an opportunity.
And so Elan had moved in with Vikram, at his rented house at Nerkundram. Good seven months after graduation. Vikram, had given up on his aspirations in Visual Media, and had taken to a job at a Call Centre. "You know what..... The only skill I require is speaking good English with some decent book keeping knowledge. And they pay me well." That was three years ago. "I am earning even more now. I can definitely afford to support you for some more time." Vikram was supporting Elan and shielding him from Sankaran's aspirations for his son.
Over the years, they had two more people sharing their rented abode - Karthik and Richard. "We will introduce you to new people." They had said and had stomach full of alcohol at the nearby bar. These were expenses out of Vikram's support. Vikram was still by his side. Smaller opportunities yielded small returns. Part time photography didn't yield good returns. Wall painting opportunities were rare. House painting with an artistic flavour were even rarer. "Sunnambu adikkanum." was the standard requirement. Elan wasn't interested. And when one of the most promising leads failed today, and Elan just couldn't control his frustration. He threw just threw the phone, that had hit the Television, which fell on that crystal gift given by Vikram's girlfriend to him.
That broke him more than the Television. He had no strength to face Vikram. He just had to leave. To any place.
Chapter 3 - The Conversation - Now
"Hi....eh.", 'What's her name? Some Muthumozhi or Thenmozhi?' He remembered her name "Muthazhagi"
"You didn't know my name?"
"No. No. Just didn't know if I should be using your full name or use some shorter nick". Elan mumbled, "I would be grateful if you can give me some change for this". He said handing over the Rs.2000 note.
"Sure. But a water bottle and some snacks for me is on you."
Elan recollected her mother and father screaming at her and calling "Theenipandaram", and smiled ever so slightly.
"I know what's running in your head", she said.
"No. Nothing." Elan was wondering where her parents were. She can't be around at a bus terminus all alone in the middle of the night. "So, where are you traveling?"
"Nagercoil. And you?"
"Hmm... " Elan hadn't decided. "To Bangalore". 'Or may be Coimbatore.'
"Short trip or long trip?"
"I am relocating to Bangalore."
"Oh? I thought you had your business here. Some carpentry work right?" She was recollecting the work he had done at her home for her father.
"Yeah. Kind of. Interior decoration, primarily. Am shifting to take a job at Bangalore. And you?"
"Short trip. Will have to be back in ten or fifteen days."
"A holiday? Good. But all alone? But where are your parents?"
"Excuse me. I am old enough to travel on my own."
And so the conversation went. Elan was staring at the news headline hanging on the shops, highlighting the Plus 2 exam results to be published the next day. And realized that she might just be running away from home over the results the next day.
Chapter 4 - Muthazhagi's Story
"Thambi, can you make me a small cup board for storing my alcohol bottles", the ex-serviceman living opposite gave a small opportunity to Elan. "I don't want it to look like one. Can you have some secret cabinet inside so that people cannot know that it has some bottles inside?"
Elan had made one, designing a secret cabinet to store three bottles of alcohol, and the cabinet looked like one for storing cups and glasses and spoons and soup bowls."Uncle, you can just lock this glass, and turn this lever inside to open the cabinet behind. It can store three bottles." He was paid Rs.4500.
Duraisamy, the ex-servicemen used to frequent to his home. He was the local electrician, and had found good company in Karthik and Richard, for their regular alcohol consumption. Electrical work was a ruse for him to come. During one of those sessions he had said "You know something. My daughter is 20 and she is yet to complete her Class XII exams. She scored good in all the papers. Seventies and Eighties. Only that Maths. She doesn't go beyond 30. Sandaali...."
A year back, on the date of the results, Muthazhagi had climbed up the water tank, and threatened to jump, if her father or mother or sister made fun of her or scolded her or beat her for failing in the exams. The unexpected rains that evening made her climb down. She just ran out of her home, with her father chasing her for couple of houses, in full view of all the neighbours. She had failed again.
Muthazhagi returned couple of hours later for dinner. "You'll never change. We'll get you married. For someone who hasn't cleared even Class XII, you'd get only a beggar as a groom." Her mother was cursing.
"Ok. Ok. I am hungry. Where is father?"
"With your results, where do you think he'd be?"
As she was eating, a chappal flew from the door towards the dining table. It was her father. "Don't you have any shame? She has eaten snacks and cool drinks for over Rs.500 at Murugan's shop. That too with her friends. What were you celebrating?"
That was last year. She had wanted a smartphone, a pre-condition for her to study well. She got one. On her father's compulsion, she attended some new Maths tuition at Anna Nagar. And yet she wasn't confident of her results. Not willing to stay at home on the day of results, she had planned to sneak out after 11, and go to her Uncle's place at Nagercoil. And may be, drop by at Courtallam with friends from Tirunelveli. And so she sneaked.
Chapter 5 - The Realisation - Now
It had started drizzling. "These rains...." Elan cursed. "Makes life miserable at Chennai"
"Its not the rains. It is our roads, clogged drainage systems. Rains are good. They are god."
"Yeah... May be." He wasn't sure if should broach the exam results the next day. Knowing well the angry stare she had at her room mates the previous year. But curiosity got the better of him. "Your results will be out tomorrow, right? So this is more like an advanced celebration." He said with a smile.
"Yeah. It is an advance celebration." That deadpan look in her face made Elan realize his folly. "I am celebrating by running away from home before the results. Like you probably are."
"What?"
"What?"
"I have never seen you go out without that tall friend of yours. Vikram right?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Have noticed him pick you from bus stop. He had also borrowed dad's vehicle couple of time to pick you from the Railway station. I don't see him here. I saw him leave for office today evening. So you are running away from him for whatever reason. Business oothikicchaa?"
Elan was stunned. He just couldn't believe it. "That was brutal." was all he could manage.
"That was true."
The silence that followed was broken by the sound of a loud slap from close by. "You bastards want to elope?" Some one was screaming as a crowd had gathered to beat a guy and a girl. And at that precise moment, Elan was worried about Vikram. What if the neighbours think that he and that failure of a girl had eloped? What if Vikram misunderstands the "Sorry" message he had left at his bed? What if it causes more trouble to his roomies? What if the guys beat up Vikram?
Chapter 6 - The Goad
"You know what." Muthazhagi continued. "You and Bangalore don't even fit."
"Why?"
"It is such a cool place. People are outgoing. And you are so guarded. You don't even speak. You can't survive at Bangalore." She wanted him to stay back, so that her leaving and his leaving aren't connected by the gossiping neighbours into something that's juicy. She didn't want to alert him of her fears. Her fear that her parent's will be subjected to even more ridicule.
"What?"
"Yeah... You have some connections here, right?"
"So?"
"So?"
"One of them will yield a good return, and slowly you would start making money. You shouldn't run away like a coward." She was in a free flow, taking all the liberties. "You should stick to your passion."
'What was she now? Lady Vikram?' Elan was thinking. "That's all right. I had three leads, and one of them failed today. The other two, I can handle from Bangalore, if they fructify."
"No. You can't. Think logically."
She was relentless. "I can do it over weekends. But forget me for a moment. Think of what your parents will experience when they find that you are not there? They'd be tensed up, and worried."
"They won't be. They are used to this. "
"Of course, they'd be. And do you think that it is sensible to runaway for an exam result? You should be experienced at this. Even if it goes wrong, you know how to handle that." Elan just couldn't control his laughter. "This is not the first time."
"That's not funny."
"Am sorry. But...." He continued giggling. "But you should think of the positive side. You won't be around to see your parents happy faces if the results are good."
"In which world you are in? Will have a video call with them. Jio is there. Now tell me, you'd know the status of the other two orders by when? A week's time? or a month?" All she wanted was for him to stay back for atleast a week.
"May be a day or two."
"See. That's all. You can wait for a week. Do you know Oscar Pistorius?" Muthazhagi wasn't leaving it at that. "He lost his legs and with prosthetics, he now competes in running races. And at your age, you are giving up on your passions? What kind of man are you?"
"I have said all that I can. I am pretty sure you'd clear the exams this time. I have noticed you putting all the hard yards. And I don't think your decision to sneak out late in the night is justified. That too being a girl. It's your life and your parent's life ultimately." Elan had started toward the Bangalore bus bays. She was saying something he didn't even want to hear. After a few steps, he turned around to see her crossing over to the bus bay housing the Kanyakumari Buses
Chapter 7 - The Morning Rain
Elan's phone buzzed. It was his 5.30 AM alarm. He woke up, and picked up the milk packets. He went to the bedroom and cleared the "Sorry" notes, and burning them over the gas stove, while boiling milk. It will be another hour atleast before the guys returned. He started cleaning up the mess and prepared to apologize to Vikram in person.
"I'll wait for three months before I decide to take up any regular joe job." As he was clearing the glass pieces he told him self that he'd call Nandini, Vikram's girlfriend and apologize to her. Again in person. That headstrong idiot of a girl, "Sumaar Moonji Figure" didn't leave him with much of a choice. He smiled at himself, and murmured "Probably she was a tad better than the Sumaar Moonji Tag".
He made his cup of tea, and carried his piping hot cup to the roof top. It was cloudy. As he took the first sip, he saw Muthazhagi with a brush in her hands in her balcony. He was surprised. He was also amused. He smiled at her in appreciation. She had the same angry and bewildering stare. He shurunk and rose his shoulders asking "What?". She smiled and nodded back.
And then it started drizzling.
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