Broken I

14

A dumbo I am.

She turned towards me and asked, "Nenga enna sapduringa?" My mind raced, unsure of what to say.

"Neeyae ethavathu order pannidu," I replied hastily, feeling a twinge of uncertainty.

She regarded me with a scrutinizing gaze before turning towards the waiter.

"One sour soup," she said to him confidently.

"Yes, ma'am, anything else ?" the waiter asked, to which Arna shook her head.

"No," she replied, and he promptly left, making a note of it on a digital... What's that ?

I believe it was a tablet.

Arna turned towards me, her gaze soft as she spoke, "Ungaluku enna pudikumo athan neenga sapdanu... Na eppidi ethavathu order panna mudiyum?"

I felt a mix of embarrassment and uncertainty flood over me. Should I admit that I didn't even understand the menu, that her husband was clueless ?

"Enna achu?" she asked, gently touching my right hand on the table.

I shook my head slightly, feeling her small palms patting my right hand in an attempt to calm me. With a swift movement, she got up from her chair and came to my side, sitting beside me.

Our table had four seats, two on each side, and now Arna was sitting beside me. Amidst the bustling activity around us, no one seemed to notice our shift in seating arrangement.

Arna's gaze was fixed on me, awaiting my explanation, while my mind replayed her fluent English, indirectly highlighting my own feelings of inadequacy.

Her hands reached out for mine again, but this time, she intertwined her fingers with mine, locking our hands together. Her small fingers fit perfectly within my larger ones, and I looked at her with surprise, touched by her gesture.

"Enna nu solla mattingala ?" she asked softly.

"Ennaku menu la enna irukku nu puriyala," I admitted.

"Avalothana," she replied and took the menu card from my hand, opening it up.

Arna began explaining each dish and its cuisine in meticulous detail, not skipping a single item across the four long pages. But my focus wasn't on the menu; it was entirely on her.

I watched as she moved a few strands of hair behind her earlobe, gesturing animatedly with her hands as she described each dish. Her doe-like eyes conveyed the flavors she had experienced, drawing me further into her world with each word.

As Arna patiently explained each dish, I half-listened, not wanting to neglect her efforts. Despite my lack of knowledge, she didn't make me feel embarrassed.

I learned that she hadn't tasted everything herself. However, she knew every single dish from the menu, having explored them thoroughly.

"Ippo sollunga ungaluku ena sapdanu ?" she asked, looking at me expectantly.

I took the other menu card, just to say something. She had put in all the effort to explain, while I was already drowned into her.

"Ithu ?" I asked, pointing to a picture I quickly looked up on Google.

"Nala irukkum taste pandringala ?" she asked, as I nodded absentmindedly.

"Vera ethavathu ?" she inquired.

"Illa ma..." I trailed off.

"Na order pandran," she declared, cutting me off.

A smile bloomed on my face at her decisive action, grateful for her understanding.

"Excuse me," she called the waiter with a refined accent.

The waiter approached our table, and she confidently ordered a creme something and a dish of fried rice. I couldn't catch the exact names, but I trusted her choices.

After placing the order, she turned to me with a warm smile.

"Ithuku ellam romba yosikathinga... Nenga enkitta ethavathu irunthalum share pannalam," she said reassuringly.

"Sorry, na una disappoint panniruntha... na intha mari periya hotel ku vanthathey illa. So ennaku itha pathi suthama idea illa..."

"Appo vera hotel poirukalam la ?" she asked, her tone curious.

"Illa nee Nithya kitta intha hotel pathi sonnala..."

Unakaga itha kooda panna mattanu nenachutiya ?

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Hridhan 🥺🤌🏻

Anvi is blessed to write Hridhan's character 😭💜 Period.