1105. Discovering Hppiness

"What is the story you are going to tell me today?" asked Vimala.

"You have just completed narrating a story!" said Ganesh.

"That's a story we both have read together. Usually, at the end of the story we both read together, you will narrate a story. I asked about it!"

"Oh, are you referring to my leaning on your shoulders and talking about my love for you?" 

"Yes. You are on dot!" said Vimala.

"What should I do? Not having a mind to take leave of you, I keep leaning on your shoulders. Lest your shoulders should feel the pain of my head resting on them, I keep talking to you, hoping that diverted by my talk, you won't feel the pain. You call it 'narrating a story!'"

"Your talk is always interesting. Listening to your sweet words, I don't feel the pain. I described your talk a story because it was so interesting. You think it is wrong?" asked Vimala.

"It is not wrong. But what I am going to narrate today is not a story, but a true happening" said Ganesh.

"Ok. Tell me. It is good that you say something true, at least once in a while!"

"During my childhood, I would often lie on my mother's lap. After I grew up, my mother asked me to stop that habit. I told her, 'Mom, lying on your lap makes me feel happy.' My mother told me, 'You have become a big boy. Hereafter, you can't lie on my lap. Find something else that will make you happy.' After that, I would ask my grandpa or grandma to tell me a story. I derived happiness listening to the stories narrated by them. As I grew up further, I discovered other things like talking to my friends, playing, reading books etc. that made me happy. Now..." 

"Now what?"

"Nowadays, it is your shoulders that give me happiness" said Ganesh.

He then lifted his head from her shoulders and looked at her face. He inhaled the fragrance of the jasmine flowers that adorned her tress and exclaimed, "Ah, what a fragrance!" and then pressed her shoulders with both his hands.

"Don't press so hard. It hurts. Even when you were leaning on my shoulders for long, it didn't hurt!" said Vimala.

. 

Thirukkural
Section 3

Love

Chapter 111
The Joy of Being Together in Love

Verse 1106 (in Tamil):
vEtta pozhudhin avaiyavai pOlumE
thOttAr kadhuppinAL thOL.

Meaning:

Just as a thing we like gives us pleasure whenever we want, the shoulders of this girl, whose tress is adorned by flowers, give me pleasure.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'magizhchchi aLikkum vishayangaL' by the same author.)

 Verse 1106 
Verse 1104