The Silence Between Us
In a lavishly decorated house filled with expensive furniture that looked like a royal palace, Kousalya stepped out of her room and sat on the sofa in the hall.
“Radhika, bring me a coffee,” she said.
From the kitchen, the maid replied, “Yes, madam”
While Kousalya picked up the newspaper in front of her and started reading, a voice called out after a short while:
“madam, here’s your coffee.”
Kousalya looked up and took the coffee, asking the girl — the maid Radhika’s daughter, Jyothi —
“Didn’t your mother come ?”
“She got a call from our village, She left urgently and said she’ll be back by evening,” Jyothi replied.
Kousalya took a sip of the coffee and said, “Okay. Go tell Nagaraju to call the house-cleaning people again and check if they’re coming today or not.”
“Okay madam,” Jyothi said and left.
Kousalya went back to reading the paper.
After a while, Arjun came downstairs from his room and sat beside her. Kousalya gave him a quick glance and noticed he looked dull and lost in thought. Still reading the paper, she asked,
“Do you want some coffee?”
Without answering, Arjun gently pulled the paper from her hands, placed it aside, and laid his head on her lap. Kousalya lovingly stroked his hair.
“What happened ?” she asked softly.
Arjun didn’t respond. She too stayed silent, just continuing to gently run her fingers through his hair.
After a while, Arjun quietly asked,
“mom.. am I making everyone suffer because of me?”
Kousalya paused for a moment.
“What happened suddenly? Why are you asking like that? Did someone say something to you?” she asked.
Arjun remained silent, unable to speak. Kousalya sensed he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words, so she too stayed quiet.
After a long pause, Arjun softly said,
“I don’t want to marry Priya, mom.”
Kousalya closed her eyes in pain for a few moments, then opened them. Never one to force Arjun into anything, she gently stroked his hair and said,
“Okay. I’ll talk to dad”
Hearing that, Arjun suddenly sat up, frustrated.
“Why are you like this, mom? No matter what I do, you always say okay. You know I’m making a mistake. Why won’t you scold me? Even Babai does the same — he just says ‘whatever you want.’ Knowing I’m wrong, why do you all say nothing? That hurts me more,” he said, his voice cracking as he broke into tears and hugged her tightly.
Kousalya pulled him close and held him silently for a while. Then, in a soft voice, she asked:
“Tell me something, Do you not want to marry Priya because you don’t love her? Or because you don’t want her to suffer because of you?”
Kousalya waited for a reply, but when she realized he had none, she continued:
“I’ve seen how much Priya loves you over the last two years. She’s mad at you, Arjun — she can’t bear to see you in pain. When she found out you were in love with Anu, she distanced herself, afraid that if you learned about her feelings, you’d feel guilty.”
Looking at the wall in guilt, Arjun said,
“You should’ve told me at least, mom. Why didn’t you tell me she loved me?”
Kousalya looked straight into his eyes and asked,
“And if I had told you, would you have left Anu and married Priya?”
Arjun had no answer. He remained silent.
“I’ve known Priya since she was a child,” Kousalya continued. “But in these two years, I’ve seen her love for you — how she’s never happy unless she’s with you.”
Arjun stayed silent, listening.
“You’re sad because the girl you loved left you. But Priya is sad because the boy she loves is suffering. That’s the only difference between your two loves.”
Tears welled up in Arjun’s eyes.
“Love causes pain. Only time can heal it. If someone decides to never marry because their love failed, then half the world would never get married.
You always say no one ever asks you for anything. So I’m asking now. Will you marry Priya?” she asked gently.
At that moment, Arjun understood — he would have to marry Priya. After a few silent moments, he looked at the wall, closed his eyes, then opened them with a deep breath, smiled slightly, and said,
“Okay, mom. I’ll marry Priya.”
Kousalya, overwhelmed with joy, asked, “Really?”
Arjun smiled again and replied, “Really, I will.”
Beaming with happiness, she hugged him tightly.
“Do you know how happy I am now?” she said with tears of joy.
At that moment, Jyothi came in and said, “madam , Sir is calling you.”
Kousalya stood up excitedly, pulled Arjun up too, and said,
“Go get freshened up. I’ll go tell dad. The wedding will happen on the chosen day!”
Watching her walk away happily, Arjun smiled gently and went back to his room.
