Mullai stood still in shock, unable to comprehend the scene unfolding before her. She couldn't believe her own eyes, questioning if she was hallucinating. The sound of a fallen water bottle brought her back to reality.

"Kathir...!!" Mullai exclaimed, turning around to find a shocked Kathir. An array of emotions played on his face as he saw Manju.

"Mulla..ad..adhu..." Kathir stammered, pointing with trembling fingers.

"Patha Manju maari theriyudhu..na...Naa..poi pathuttutu varen.." Mullai sprinted towards the bus stop, dashing onto strangers on the way.

At the bus stop, she tapped a woman's shoulder gently, and as Manju turned, her eyes widened with shock. With a gasp, Manju pronounced Mullai's name, leaving Mullai unable to believe her own eyes.

Manju appeared frail and weak, looking like a nomad lost in the desert. While Mullai stood still, unable to redeem from the shock, Kathir came and stood near her.

Manju stood absolutely horrified.

"Kathir..nee..neengala.." she asked, not expecting him there.

Kathir closed his eyes painfully.

He just nodded his head.

Seeing Mullai's kumkum-filled forehead and Kathir standing authoritatively beside her, Manju concluded that both were married.

"Na..naanga nee sethu.." Mullai started to say while Manju stopped her.

"Naan sethu poitenu nu nenachinga la.." she said sadly.

"Ama ana nee epp..." Mullai again started speaking, and this time Kathir stopped her.

"Edhuva irrundalum veetla poi pesikalam..." he said in an emotionless, stony voice.

Mullai gulped.

It was after a long time that he was using this tone with her.

"Neenga rendu perum auto la vanga naan bike la poren..." he said, and she nodded.

Realizing that Mullai must not have cash with her, Kathir pulled out his purse and handed over a hundred rupee note to her.

And without turning, he took his bike and disappeared into the traffic with a million thoughts running through his mind.

***

"Sollu..." Mullai commanded her sister as soon as she slumped onto the wooden chair.

"Enna tha sollanum...?" Manju asked.

"Haan, Chandra Madalatha eppadi kandupidichanga nu sollu...aala paaru...nee sethu poita nu naanga ellam nenaichom..nee thirumbha eppadi uyiroda irruka...tell me that..." Mullai abbreviated.

Manju remained mum.

"Akka, please vaaya thorandhu edhavadhu sollu...Anga hospital la kalyanam madabathula nadhandadu ellamae nadagama...?" Mullai asked.

"A...ama.." Manju said, her head bowed.

Mullai felt as if she was being thrown for miles.

"Yen..." Mullai asks tearfully.

"Yenn..yenna.ennaku indha kalayanathula virupam illa..." Manju said.

That was it.

Mullai felt her anger rise up to her head.

"Kalyanathula virupam illaya..unnaku yenna paithiayama...indha munnadiyae solliruka lam la...unnala nee sonna.oru poi nalla evlo prechana theriyuma..." Mullai seethed.

"Dho indha manushan..." she points to Kathir.

"Ivaru yenna pavam pannaru...unnala avlo masama depression la poi..manasula avlo kasthata sumandhu..." Mullai explained.

With each word out of Mullai's mouth, Kathir stiffened...

"Seri ivara vidu...appa Amma pathi yosichiya..innaiku varaikum ovoru maalum..avlo...kastha paduranga...what do you know about that.." she shouted.

"Naan.." Mullai pressed her hand to her chest.

"Naan evlo kasta Patten theriyuma...ennoda orae akka sethu poita nu evlo vedhana Patten theriyuma..." Mullai cried, her anger slowly fading away.

"Adhellam therijirunda nee ippadi sejituka matten...cause you are absolutely selfish Manju..." Mullai sneered.

Manju looked up at her sister as an arrow hit her heart.

"Ama di..naan..naan...selfish dhan..ivlo neram neenga ellam kasta pattadha pathi sonniyae ivlo masama naan evlo kasta Patten nu theriyuma di unnaku .." Manju revealed back.

"Naan Kathir ah kalyanam pannama pannadhadhuku innoru Karanam um irruku..." Manju said wiping her tears..

"Enadhu..." Mullai asked.

Bracing herself, Manju revealed the secret of her life.

"Naan..I was pregnant...!!" she said..

Kathir and Mullai felt a thunder slashing their heads..

"Yo...you..wh...what..." Mullai stammered.

"You heard it right..I was pregnant..." Manju said strongly again.

"Naan...konjam years munnadi oru military soldier ah kadalichen..he..used to visit me every time he came to Chennai...and then one day...he passed away..por la erandu poitaru...I was left shocked..yennaku yenna pannuradhunae purila..." Manju weeped.

"Appodhan appa Kathir oda marriage proposal ah edhuttu vandharu..at the start I wasn't interested..apron yen friend sonna.. avaru dhan sethutaru why don't you start a new life...be happy di..appidinu.." Manju said, recalling her past incidents.

"Appo dhan seri Kathir ah kalyanam pannuvom nu decide pannen...and when the marriage date was near..I...I was pregnant with Rana's child.." Manju broke out.

"I didn't know what to do...odanju poiten..vaithula irruka kozhandai ya konnuttu innoruthavaru kuda sandhoshama irrundha dho nee  ippo sonniyae selfish nu..appadi pattavala ayirupen...ana naan appidi illa di..veliya vum solla mudiyama ullayae kasta pattu .." Manju cried hysterically.

Mullai too shed tears seeing her sister's pain.

"Then I decided...ponnu odi poitta nu appa amma ku ketta per vangi tharadha vida...sethu poita nu poi sollidalanam nu..my classmate..Dr. Radha Krishnan helped me out with that..." Manju finished..

"Ivlo..nadandiruka.." Mullai parted her lips with shock..

"Seri kozhandha yenga..." Mullai asked.

Manju felt a pang of pain beating her chest.

"Yen kozhandha...yen vaithulayae erandhuruchu..." Manju said, her throat clogged with the pain.

Mullai clutched her head.

She felt like fainting.

"Eppadi..." Kathir asked for the first time, opening his mouth after the shock.

"Yennoda mother-in-law veetuku ponnen..Anga yen situation aha explain pannen..nalavanga maari nadichu...paal la abortion tablets ah mix panni yennaku kuduttutanga..." Manju said.

A ball of hatred churned in Mullai's stomach.

How can people be like this?

"Husband ahyum ezhandhu...kozhandaiyum ezhandhu..appa amma sondha badham ellarayum ezhandhu yevalo kastha Patten theriyuma..Nadi road la anadhaiya..." Manju cries, hiccuping.

Mullai takes a cup of water and goes near her sister and tenderly rubs her back.

And she hands over the glass of water. Manju looks at her sister with water-filled eyes.

"Saptu paala naal Achu sapuradhuku edhavadhu thariya...?" Manju asked.

Mullai felt swept.

Her poor sister was suffering even without food and water.

"Ju..." she hugs Manju and cries.

Manju breaks herself from the hug.

And she looks at Kathir.

"Yenna manichurunga Kathir..I am sorry..yennala ungaluku rombha vedhanai.." she apologized.

Kathir looked at her for a moment.

And then he spoke.

"Irrukatum paravala..." he waves his hands.

Mullai looks at him.

And then she leads Manju to the dining table.

After a few minutes, she enters Kathir's room.

"Kathir..." she calls out to him.

He was sincerely working on his laptop.

"Sollu Mulla..." Kathir spoke.

"Neenga..neenga okay dhana.." Mullai asked, rubbing her hands nervously.

"Naan okay dhan yen kekura.." Kathir replied, smiling.

"Yenna sirikuraru..." Mullai thought.

"Inga va..." he patted the space next to him.

Mullai sat diligently.

Kathir took out a slate and a small chalk piece.

"Mullai naan..idhuvaraikum neraiya thapu senjuruken...naan unna kasta paduttiruken...thapana varthaigala pesiruken..." he said.

"Pch adellam yendhuku ippo..." she silenced him.

"Kalayan ana ivlo masathula naan unna rombha kastha paduttiruken..." he said as he simultaneously wrote all his wrongdoings on the slate.

"Nee..nee yen mistakes ah manipiya..." Kathir asked, handing the slate over to her with a small duster.

Mullai looked at her husband sweetly.

This man has a heart of gold.

"Kandippa..." she said as she rubbed off his errors on the board using the duster.

It was as though she literally wiped away his sins.

Kathir beamed.

He took the board from her..

"Ippo unga akka kuda Silla mistakes pannanga...vanga yaar kittayum avangala pathi sollala..she played a drama for her own good and for others..she caused pain.." Kathir said as he wrote Manju's wrongdoings on the slate.

And he looked up at Mullai.

"I forgive her..." he said as he rubbed away the board with the duster.

Relief seeped into Mullai's heart.

"Naan avangala manikuradhu kana karanam avanga yen ex-fiancee appidradhuko..illa avanga un akka appidradhuko illa..." Kathir said.

"To err is human..to forgive is humanity...thapu seiyuradhu manashanoda iyalbu..ana thapa manikiradhu manushathanmai..." Kathir said.

"Naan manushana irrukanum nu virumbiren.." he said.

And he looked at her.

He raised his hand and gently cupped the side of her face, wiping the drop of tear that rolled down her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

Mullai felt butterflies in her stomach at the sudden gesture.

"Naan manushana irrukanum nu virumbiren Mulla...nee..nee yen thapugala mannikumbodhu...naan unga akka senja thapa mannika mattena yenna..." he said smiling.

Mullai was cleanswept.

She fell for him the nth time.

"Kathir..." Mullai purred, her eyes beginning to water.

Without a warning, she dashes to his chest and hugs him.

Kathir goes still for a moment and then relaxes, circling both his arms around her, gently placing his chin on her head.

Mullai nudged her head into his chest, crying. The hug wasn't out of lust or some other emotion.

It was born out of pure love and affection.

And Kathir, at that moment, registered an important virtue in his mind.

People who are forgiven forgive others..!!

TBC...