1095. Tulasi's Discovery!

"What is it? There is a shrink above your left eye!" pointed out Rani.

"No. There is no such thing" replied her daughter Mekala.

"I have been noticing this for the past two days. Don't you feel any pain or strain in your eye?"

"I don't. You have been imagining things!" said Mekala, with annoyance.

"I suggest you apply the juice of the Pinwheel flower. It will cure you of any possible infection in your eye" said Mekala, unconvinced by her daughter's denial.

"Ok." said Mekala.

Presently, her friend Tulasi came to see Mekala. 

Mekala told her mother, "Mom! I am going out with Tulasi" 

"Be careful. If exposed to sunlight, your eye problem may worsen!" cautioned Rani.

"Haven't you heard me saying that there is no problem with my eye?" shot back Mekala, and left home, along with Tulasi.

After they come out of Mekala's house, Tulasi asked Mekala, "What is wrong with your eye?'

"Nothing. My mother imagines things" replied Mekala.

Tulasi held Mekala's face with her hand and examined her eyes closely.

"Your mother may be right. I see a shrink above your left eye" said Tulasi.

"If I have any problem with my eye, wouldn't I know it? You also talk like my mother" said Mekala, in a tone of irritation.

After waling some distance along the river bed, the two girls sat under a tree,

Sitting under the tree, both were chatting with each other, enjoying the cool breeze that came their side, after embracing the river.

Suddenly, Mekala got up, told Tulasi, "Be here. I will be back in a minute" and walked away.

Sine Mekala didn't return even after several minutes had passed, Tulasi got up and walked in the direction in which Mekala went, wondering where she had gone.

After walking some distance, Tulasi saw Mekala standing on the road adjoining the river. Curious to find out what her friend was up to, Tulasi approached her cautiously, ensuring that Mekala couldn't hear her footsteps.

Mekala was looking at the other side of the road, not realizing that Tulasi was standing behind her. 

Tulasi noticed that Mekala was looking at a young man, standing at the field adjoining the road, in conversation with an old man.

Tulasi cleared her throat.

Mekala turned back, startled. Seeing Tulasi, she said, "Oh, you!" feeling relieved.

"Yes, it is me! Were you scared that someone had caught you looking at your lover surreptitiously?" asked Tulasi, smiling mischievously.

"What do you mean?" 

"The young man talking to the old man is your lover, isn't he? I have been moving with you closely. Do you think I couldn't have sensed your having fallen for that man?" asked Tulasi, pointing to the young man with the forefinger of her stretched hand.

"Put your hand down. If someone sees this, what will they think of you and me?" said Mekala with concern and pushed the raised hand of Tulasi down.

"I have seen through your furtiveness. When you were looking at your lover, you deliberately shrunk the muscles above your left eye, as though you were trying to resist sunlight from falling on your eye! When you keep doing this, shrinks are bound to form on the muscles above your eye!" said Tulasi.

Section 3

Love

Chapter 110
Reading the Cues

Verse 1095 (in Tamil):
kuRik koNdu nOkkAmai allAl oru kaN
siRakkaNiththaL pOla nagum.

Meaning:

She peeks at me not directly, but as if she squints an eye, and then simpers.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kaNNil oru surukkam' by the same author.)

Verse 1096
Verse 1094