SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! My effing exams just started this Thursday, and to top it off, I have three more on this Wednesday, Saturday and Tuesday. Yippee me.
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. *horror music in the background*
"I am never going to be able to speak Malayalam." Shreya complained as she, Sachin, Anita and Daya got into Daya's Honda civic, parked nearby the hospital.
Anita's eyebrow shot up. "It isn't that hard! About half my class in college had learnt to speak some Malayalam." She grinned.
"What Malayalam?" Sachin asked, feeling curious as he sat in the back with Anita beside him.
"Poda Patti and mindathe izhikyada." Anita said, obviously trying not to laugh. Sachin wondered what was there to laugh at.
"Which means?" Daya asked as he started the car.
"'Get lost bitch' and 'shut up'."
Shreya turned back, a look of shock on her face. "From where did they learn that?" Anita shrugged by answer.
"Anyway, could you speak in Malayalam for a bit?" She asked.
"Itha. Njan ippe malayalathil thane pazhayane. Ithile appazham njan inni enthengilum pazhayano?" Anita calmly spoke.
"What?!"
"Here. I am speaking in Malayalam only. Other than this should I say anything?" Anita translated, finally laughing.
Daya laughed as well. "Teach us Malayalam! That would be better."
"Okay fine." Anita sat straighter, some hair falling into her face. Sachin was struck with the same impulse to brush it away from her face, the way he did at the hospital. "If you want to say 'Hi, my name is_', then you should say, 'Hi, ente pere _ aane. For example, 'Hi, ente pere Anita aane." She turned to Sachin. "Try it out." She told him.
"Um…ente perru Sachin ane." He said, really astounded at how difficult the pronunciation was. The couple in front snorted while Anita looked encouragingly at him.
"Not bad, for a non mallu." She told him. "Shreya, you try it out." Shreya tried speaking it out. "It's hard!" She exclaimed at the end of the sentence.
"It isn't that hard! You just need practice. Daya sir, your turn."
During the entire journey, the three of them learnt how to speak a bit of Malayalam with varying degrees of success. Daya was the most successful, perhaps owing to the fact that he was from Bangalore which was a lot closer to Kerala. Shreya was the least successful, but was the most enthusiastic one. Sachin marveled at how Anita could speak Malayalam that easily.
When they got back to the bureau, they saw Abhijeet and Tarika talking. Judging from their demeanor, it looked like they were having their age old arguments.
"Abhijeet, I am not a fragile china doll." Tarika said, frowning. "I'm pregnant, but standing for some time is not going to hurt me!"
"You'll get tired easily Tarika." Abhijeet said, in a slightly worried tone. "I just asked you to sit down-"
"Entha ithu, Abhijeet sir?" Shreya couldn't contain herself as she spoke in her best attempt at Malayalam.
"Huh?"
"She's speaking in Malayalam, boss." Daya informed him. "But seriously, you both are having the same old argument again?"
"Yes, and this time he's not the only one disagreeing with me!" Tarika looked at the bulge in her stomach. "Traitor! This one is definitely disagreeing with me! Just like his father!"
"It could be a girl, you know." Abhijeet said, a bit amused. "I expect it will be."
"What's the poor baby done to you Tarika?" Anita said, chuckling.
"Kicking up a storm, that's what he's done." Tarika crossed her arms. "Barely had we started conversing on me sitting down and Anurag here started squirming and kicking!"
"I'm thinking Priyanka."
"Abhijeet, it's going to be a boy."
"Girl."
"Boy."
"Girl."
"Boy."
Everyone sighed. They all knew about the main argument the two Srivastavas had: the gender of the child. Abhijeet considered it a girl, while Tarika made it quite clear she believed it would be a boy. They even had names decided for both genders; Priyanka, if the child was a girl and Anurag, if it was a boy. Till now, neither of the two had backed down from the argument.
"Pinneyum ithine thane patti parayano?" Anita snorted.
"Translation?" Tarika asked.
"Are you guys still arguing on this? Come on guys." Anita complained.
"Yes, poor Nitu here will soon develop a headache from the two of you arguing so much." Shreya smirked. Anita looked at her incredulously.
"When did my name change from 'Anita' to 'Nitu'?"
"It's a nickname, my girl. Get used to it." Shreya said laughing as she ran from a fuming Anita who was shaking a fist at her while yelling at her in Malayalam.
Meghna hobbled in at that moment, her leg in a plaster, with Rajat supporting her and Nikhil and Purvi following the two of them. "What is this guys? What sort of friends are you, leaving me out of your discussions? I'm hurt, I really am. I trusted you." She said with a mock hurt expression on her face.
"Meg, this is called blind trust." Anita sniggered. "Ingane okka vijarichal pinne nee evadeyum ethilya." After seeing everyone's confused expressions, she sighed. "If you think like this you won't reach anywhere."
Sachin shook his head while smiling. "Go on Anita madam! I believe another lesson is in order."
"Lessons in Malayalam?" Tarika asked, grinning a bit. "Alright Professor. Begin!"
Anita straightened, and with an air of superiority she began, "Crash course for the dummy in Malayalam: When you want to say, 'How's it going?' to someone, you say, 'Enthokinde visheshangal?'"
Now Abhijeet tried saying it. "Inthokkendu Weesheshanngall? "No no, I mean, andhokendhu…aah!" He threw his hands into the air. "Why is this language so bloody complicated?"
"It's not complicated, Abhijeet sir!" Anita said, half exasperated. "You just have to keep trying!"
"I'll try! Okay, uh, endokandu veshashangaal?" Tarika attempted, unsuccessfully. "I see what you mean, Abhijeet."
After everyone attempted to say that line, a very amused Anita went ahead with the topic. "Next, when you want to reply to the previous question, if you are going to reply in affirmative, you say, 'sugham aane.' Now try saying that."
And so the course went on. By the time 7:00 PM arrived, all of them were able to-in varying degrees of success-introduce themselves and carry a small conversation out in Malayalam. As everyone walked to the garage, Anita stopped. "Oh boy, my car!" She looked panicked. "How am I supposed to get home now?"
"I'll drop you, professor Williams." Sachin told her.
"A) Don't call me Professor and B)," Anita looked at him with a warm smile, "Thank you."
As Sachin drove his car out, Anita started humming a tune. Sachin asked her idly, "Which song?"
"Hm?"
"The tune you're humming. Which song is it a part of?"
"Oh, that." Anita thought a bit before answering. "It's from this Malayalam movie 'Premam', called Aluva Puzha, meaning 'Aluva river'."
"Can you sing it?" He asked her. She nodded and launched into the song.
"Aluva puzhayude theerathu
Aarorumillaa nerathu
Thannanam thennithenni
Thedivannoru maargazhikaattu
Poomarakompin chaarathu
Poomanam veeshum nerathu
Thannanam thennithenni
Thedivannoru paingilikaattu
Parayaathe palliyilvachen
Karalil keri olichavale
Pathivaai pala pala vattam
Manassil choolamadichavale
Parayaathe palliyilvachen
Karalil keri olichavale
Pathivaai pala pala vattam
Manassil choolamadichavale
Aadyamaai ullinnullil
Pootha poovalle…
Sammatham thannaal ninne
Thaaliketti kondupoville
Aluva puzhayude theerathu
Aarorumillaa nerathu
Thannanam thennithenni
Thedivannoru maargazhikaattu." (A/N: All malayalies will understand the song. All non malayalies…try listening to it. It's a nice song. )
She sang well. Sachin was impressed. Really impressed.
"So the professor knows how to sing!" He exclaimed, earning a light whack from Anita.
"I love this song." Anita said, smiling a bit. "So my singing was that great, huh?"
"Athu nanaiyi." Sachin said, trying out the language.
"Athe nannayi." She corrected him, blushing a bit. "And thank you, for the compliment."
"You're welcome." Sachin said. There was a sort of silence, before he awkwardly asked her, "Does your arm still hurt?"
"Nah." She shrugged. "Just the occasional ache when I move it around. I can get used to it."
"If you need any help with anything, I'll be around." He suddenly blurted out. He immediately felt stupid.
Congratulations, Sachin Hrishikesh Pandey. You truly are an idiot.
Anita blushed again. "Thanks." She answered, a small smile on her lips now. "I'll keep it in mind."
By the time they got to her house, the car was filled with awkward silences. Sachin had no idea on what to say to her, all of a sudden. Everything that came to his mind was either too cheesy or too boring. He shook his head as he said, "Here's your house. I'll pick you up at 7 o clock tomorrow."
"I don't want to inconvenience you-" Anita began, but was cut off by Sachin's, "No excuses. 7 o clock, okay? And here, I'll help you down."
"I'm not a fragile china vase, Sachin." Anita complained. "I can get down on my own."
"I know." Sachin said as he got down. "I just want to, you know, help one way. Take care of the person who I care for the most." Now where did that come from? It felt right, but still.
If Anita felt weird, she didn't show it as she opened her door. As Sachin got her down, he wrapped his arm around her waist to steady. It took about two seconds for him to realize just exactly how close they were together. Their faces were just a few inches apart. Once again his mouth went dry.
"Um…" Anita said in a breathy sort of voice, green eyes locking onto his brown ones. "So, I'll see you tomorrow at seven, then?"
"Not a minute late." Sachin answered in the same tone of voice.
"Okay then." Anita answered, and before Sachin could say a word, she quickly kissed his cheek.
"Good night." She murmured and walked off towards her house, leaving a shocked Sachin behind. If he looked closely, he could see the cheek muscles lifting, as though she was smiling.
Oh yes. I most definitely think I'm in love.
Scratch that. I am in love.
So, whaddaya think? Is the ending too cheesy? I think it was an okay chapter. And all the Malayalam sentences I used here are real. No fakes, whatsoever.
So anyway review! And best of luck for all people who're taking their exams this week!