It was a frosty december morning...
The coldness of the daybreak was sending shrills to the spine and the inanimate silence was making the day sober...
Adding to it, the place was blanketed with pitch black darkness as there were no signs of sunlight...
It seemed as if even the atmosphere couldnt handle the thickness it was surrounded with, jerking the beautiful lassie who was sleeping forgetting the world...

AAHHHHHHHHH...

Mullai woke up choking with a shrieking sound just to be pacified by her mother, parvathi who was getting dressed up...

P : mulla.. yena de achu... yen ipadi alarara... mulla... yena de... ammava paaru... inga paaruma...

M : maaa... maaa...

P : sollu de... yena achu... yetha ketta kanavu kandiya...

M : kanava... maa... athu... kanava...

Mullai stammered to speak as her thoughts were incoherent and words were glued in her throat...
Some muted images and a coarse deep voice reverberated inside her...
Her eyes showed pure panic and confusion while body trembled in unknown anxiety...

It took few seconds for her to realise where she was, who is with her and what day it was...
Ufff...
It should be a nightmare...
She sighed a breath of relief trying to dismiss the fear of the dream...
Once little back to normal, she changed her reaction in a wink with a wide smile in lips seeing her mother's panic stricken face...

P : sollu ma.. yena achu... bayama iruku ipadi unna paaka...

M : acho... yenama... onum illaa ma... nalaila irunthu unnaiyum, appavaiyum miss panuven nu thonicha... udane oru padapadappu vanthuduchu... avalo than... kanavellam illaa...

Mullai replied softly lying down in her mother's lap hugging her tight just to be caressed in turn...

P : ufff... avalo than ah... naan kuda bayanthuten... kalyana naal athuma ketta kanava nu...

M : athu... athu... athelam illaa ma...

When mullai was fighting for an convincing answer, Murugan dropped in and sat near her saving the moment for her...

Mu (smiling) : yenathu ithu... ammavum ponnum kalangathalaiye konjikitu irukenga... neram agalaiya... ammadi iniki unaku kalyanam ma... niyabagam iruku than eh rendu perukum...

P : yenga neenga vera... niyabagam illamaa yena... pullaiku ore vesanam namala vittu porom nu... konjam oru madhiri agitaa... athan pesikitu irunthen...

There was a thick silence between the trio and it was broke by murugan who placed his daughter's legs on his lap and started pressing affectionately...

Mu : enaku mattum antha varutham illaaya yena... ammadi... unaku kashtama irukum nu theriyaatha... appuram engalala mattum unna vitu iruka mudiyuma... athan mama kitayum, mapilla kitayum soliten... pullaiya vitu iruka mudiyathu... mulla ingayum angayum maathi maathi irunthukatum nu... avangalum athukena tharalama irukatum nu solitanga...

P : yenga... neengaluma... naanum athachi kita soliten... avanga oru padi mela poi vena vettoda mapillaiya kuda vechuko nu solitanga na paarunga...

Mu (laughing) : parra... yellam mapillai iva mela vechuruka paasam than avangala apadi pesa vekkuthu... ammadi kuduthu vechava ma nee...

M (smiling) : aama pa...romba... athu mattum illaa... enaku kashtama irukum nu yosichu neenga rendu perum pesirukenga la... ipadi amma appa kedaika im very lucky...

really... you are the best... love you so much...

Mullai got up like a spring hugging both of them also dropping kisses lavishly making her parents giggle out of happiness and love...

P : aiyo... konja arambichitiya... ini nirutha matte... pode... olunga sikiram poi kuli... muhurthathuku neram agidum...

Mu : ammadi... aaama ma... beauty parlour la irunthu vanthutanga... atha sola than vanthen... nee paatha kulikaama iruke...

M : yenavo theriyala pa... suryan varave illaa iniki... ore iruttu ah irukula... neram anathe theriyala... tho poren...

Mu : sikiram ma... parvathi nee ready than eh... vaa polam... velai kedakku...

P : tho varenga... mullaa... pode... sikiram ready agu...

M : sari ma...

As they left, Mullai took a look outside the window which was cloaked in blackness...
Why there was no signs of sun yet...
She didnt know...
The gloominess reminded her of something that was out of reach to her heart...
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became...
Sacred to think more, mullai rushed to get ready for her big day with the excitement pilling up like every other bride on their special day...

By the time, mullai came out she was nothing but a perfect picturesque...
She was decked up in a gorgeous red color silk saree with leaf green border along with a artistically worked blouse...
The exquisite jewellery starting from mere maang tikka, dangling earrings, eye catching neckwears, gracious hipbelt ending in antic anklets made look like a beautiful damsel..

The ball of flowers adorning her longhair and bunch of bangles bejeweling her slender hands prettified her more...
The elegant makeover and the traditional hairdo added a extra feather to her crown of beauty...
More than all her smile and her charm spread its wings around her brightening up the space...
The exact function mood was set on when her friends and cousins dropped in for her big day teasing her and bringing more function cheers...

When mullai was turning red with every single tease and blooming as a happy bride, there came a knock following the person who was the talk of the town inshort, the bridegroom...

DHEENA...

Dheena came inside just to be welcomed by smiling mullai and her friends...
He seemed to be totally flattered with mullai's beauty and took few seconds to come out of it inspite of her friends fun...

Dh : mullaa...

M : sollunga mama...

Dh : sema azhaga iruke... unna vitu kannu yedukka mudiyala...

M (smiling) : thanks mama... aama neenga yena inga...

Dh : yen vara kudaatha... vanthathala than eh un azhaga rasika mudinjuthu...

M (grinning): apadi solala... anga theduvangale nu than ketten...

Dh : theduvanga than... but aasaiya irunthuchu... athan...

M : athu sari... anga ponga mama... neram achu...

Dh : kandipa poganuma....

Before mullai could reply Vasantha, dheena's mom dropped in to take him for marriage rituals...

V : dei pothum da un pondatti kita vazhinjathu... athelam kalyanam mudinjathum vechuko... vaa vaa... iyer kupidararu... mullai sikiram ready aagu ma... pathu nimishathula unna kupiduvaanga...

M : sari athai...

Dh : varen mulla...

M : sari mama...

Dheena left the place reluctantly with a disappinted smile at mullai making her chuckle...
Soon then the clock ticked fast...
So did the merry marriage moments...
Just few more moments left for mullai to be just MULLAI MURUGAN....
She would soon be MULLAI DHEENADAYALAN...

When she was excited and enthralled about the new beginning, Mullai was called to the stage...
Dheena and mullai started doing the rituals together with all smiles...
Murugan, parvathi, mahendran, vasantha and all the loved ones were in cloud nine admiring the bride and groom wishing them a good life...

After some good moments...
The mangal sutra was ready to adorn mullai's swan neck...
With contented hearts and smiles around, dheena took the mangal sutra in hand waiting for the word while mullai expectedly lowered her head to receive it...

KETTIMELAM... KETTIMELAM...

The priest chimed loud so did the mangala vaadhyam but then all of a sudden the sound of mangala vaadhyam seemed to fade and whispers in the hall increased exponentially seeing a particular direction making dheena halt his hand...
Everyone in the stage looked the commotion in the hall and shifted their looks to direction where the entire mob was looking at...

It was...

It was the big projector screen that was livetelecasting the marriage few seconds ago...

Now it had switched to some pictures...

Pictures of mullai...

Pictures of mullai with a guy...

Informal pictures of mullai with a guy...

Intimate pictures of mullai with a guy...

Well...
The pictures weren't awkward but it spoke volumes of untold lovetales that stabbed everyone right into the heart...

Dheena was the first to react to it dropping the mangal sutra while all others were bewildered including mullai who got the shock of her life...
Both of them got up from the place and ascended towards the screen along with their family...

M : ka-th-ir...

Dheena heard her utter a name softly and squealed in anger...

Dh : what is this mulla... yena kevalam ithu... ivan kuda ipadi yellam palagitu intha pakkam ithana naal enna yemaathitu irunthiya... unna poi kalyanam panika nenachane... cha..

Those awful words reached her ears but not heart as her attention shifted to the entrance of the hall...

Sametime...

The murky morning dawned into a bright sunny day filling the hall with sunbeams in addition to the artificial lights...
The clamours and clangours paused abruptly as the guy in the picture walked down the hall with his steady gait and piercing looks at mullai...
Mullai's frame quavered as he stood near her casually as if they were meant to be together forever...

"Listen honey... im not joking... i mean each word i say... i love you even if u dont love me... and no matter what... I WANT YOU... neeya intha kalyanatha niruthitu enkita vanthudu... illaana naan eh niruthitu unna enkita varaveppen... but athu unaku romba valikum... i dont want to hurt u... please understand honey... just stop this crap..."

The coarse deep voice that uttered its wish soulfully thrummed in her heart again...
So it was not a nightmare...

All those words were from a corporeal soul whom she had met for just five minutes in her whole life...
It was from a person whom she didnt know existed a month before...
It was from a person to whom she had spoke less than two minutes...
But he is here to change her life...

The neatly edited and morphed pictures of her with him stood testimony to the life changing ordeal...

Mullai shook like a leaf with head spinning and heart aching not able to handle things happening infront of her eyes...

K (softly) : im sorry for what you are going through honey... naan than sonane... kalyanatha niruthidu nu... kettiya... im helpless now... sorry again... but...

I WANT YOU HONEY...

TBC...