Brihannala

The next morning, Archana still had a slight fever.
Lakshmi checked her forehead before breakfast.
“You should go to college today, ma.”
Archana opened her eyes reluctantly.
“Today?”
“Yes. The committee is holding the public apology.”
Archana thought for a moment.
“Let them do it.”
Lakshmi looked surprised.
“You don't want to go?”
“I'm more tired than sick.”
She pulled the blanket closer.
“I need some rest.”
“But—”
“Amma, what difference will my presence make?”
Lakshmi didn't have an answer.
Archana continued quietly.
“I don't want to go today.”
She glanced toward Kavitha's room.
“And Kavitha shouldn't go either. I want her to stay home.”
Lakshmi sighed.
“Fine. But you're eating first.”
She brought a plate of idlis.
Archana sat up, but Lakshmi insisted on feeding her.
After a few bites, Archana smiled tiredly.
“Enough, Amma.”
“Just two more.”
“Amma…”
“Two.”
Archana surrendered.
After breakfast, she went back to sleep.
Lakshmi prepared the herbal drink Archana had made the previous evening and brought it to her.
Before Archana drank it, Lakshmi asked again:
“Are you absolutely sure you don't want to see a doctor?”
“Yes.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
Lakshmi nodded reluctantly.
“Rest, then.”
Archana drank and went back to sleep.

Around two in the afternoon, Archana woke.
The fever had disappeared.
She still felt weak, but considerably better.
Lakshmi prepared something light for lunch.
The two ate quietly.
By around four, Archana and Kavitha went up to the terrace.
The evening breeze was pleasant.
They sat together, talking about ordinary things.
After a while, Kavitha said:
“Akka, yesterday… I honestly didn't know anything about that rice.”
Archana smiled.
“It's okay.”
“I thought it was just food someone had dropped.”
“Don't worry about it anymore.”
Their conversation gradually turned toward rituals and traditions.
Kavitha looked at her sister curiously.
“Akka, how do you know so much about these things?”
Archana laughed.
“I don't.”
“You always seem to know what to do.”
“I don't know how to explain it.”
She paused.
“Sometimes I just feel that I should do something.”
Kavitha looked unconvinced.
“Promise me you're not hiding anything.”
Archana smiled.
“I promise.”
There was a brief silence.
Then Kavitha asked:
“Akka…”
“Yes?”
“Did you ever love anyone?”
Archana smiled.
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“My ex.”
She explained their short relationship, the arguments, the constant disagreements, and finally the incident that ended everything.
“And yesterday she met me at the temple.”
Kavitha's eyes widened.
“What happened?”
Archana told her.
Kavitha laughed.
“She gave you ₹500?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you spend it?”
Archana thought about it.
“I don't know.”
Then she smiled.
“Maybe because I started thinking about something else.”
“What?”
“Love shouldn't work like a transaction.”
Kavitha became thoughtful.
“What do you mean?”
“If someone leaves me because I refuse to spend money on something, I would have to ask myself whether they loved me—or whether they loved what I could provide.”
Kavitha frowned.
“But isn't that unfair? It sounds like you're blaming women.”
Archana shook her head.
“No. I'm talking about people.”
She thought for a moment.
“Let me give you another example.”
“Suppose a boy genuinely loves me. He tells me he wants to marry me. I trust him completely.”
She paused.
“Then one day he asks me for something private. I say no.”
Kavitha listened.
“If he immediately decides that I don't love him and ends the relationship, what would you think?”
Kavitha considered it.
“That he didn't really understand love.”
Archana nodded.
“Exactly.”
“Real affection isn't proved by surrendering every boundary.”
She smiled.
“If someone truly loves you, they'll respect your decision. They'll make you feel valued. They'll wait. They'll build trust.”
Kavitha nodded slowly.
“And physical attraction?”
Archana smiled.
“That's different.”
“People can be attracted to someone without truly loving them.”
She continued:
“Real love isn't only about someone's body. It's about enjoying their presence. Their smile. Their personality. Their company. The way they make ordinary days feel special.”
Kavitha became thoughtful.
“So love is bigger than attraction.”
“Much bigger.”
Kavitha suddenly grinned.
“Are you in love now?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Why?”
“Because you're speaking like a real girl.”
Archana laughed and playfully tapped her sister's head.
“Enough!”
Kavitha laughed.
“Akka, one more question.”
“What?”
“Is physical intimacy the greatest gift between a husband and wife?”
Archana looked at her.
“That's a big question.”
“I'm asking seriously.”
Archana smiled.
“No. It's one part of a relationship. Trust, affection, respect, companionship and caring for each other matter just as much.”
Kavitha nodded.
“Okay.”
She stood.
“You're still not old enough to worry about all this.”
“Hey!”
Kavitha laughed and ran downstairs.
Archana smiled after her.
A moment later, Lakshmi appeared.
She sat beside her daughter.
Archana glanced at her.
“How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough.”
Archana immediately understood.
“You heard everything?”
“Enough to know you've taken over my job.”
Archana laughed.
“What?”
“You were giving your sister advice like her mother.”
Archana smiled.
“You have something in your mind.”
Lakshmi looked at her seriously.
“Don't use that trick on me.”
“I can't, Amma.”
“Why?”
“I'm tired.”
Lakshmi laughed.
“I mean something else.”
Archana looked at her.
“Ask.”
Lakshmi lowered her voice.
“Tell me about the gift you were talking about.”
Archana's expression changed.
“Amma!”
“What?”
“Are you testing me?”
“No.”
“I am still a virgin.”
Lakshmi smiled.
“I believe you.”
“Then?”
“I want you to speak to me as a friend for five minutes.”
Archana stared at her mother.
“You're asking me to talk about relationships?”
“Yes.”
Archana thought for a moment.
“The best things a wife can give her husband aren't material things.”
Lakshmi listened.
“Respect.”
“Affection.”
“Companionship.”
“Taking care of each other.”
“Making him feel valued.”
“And expecting the same in return.”
Lakshmi nodded.
Then she became serious.
“Is that all?”
Archana looked at her.
“Amma…”
Lakshmi raised an eyebrow.
Archana sighed.
“Fine.”
She leaned closer.
“A good marriage also needs tenderness, physical closeness, and especially.” She took her mother's hand and middle finger, licked it from the base, put it in her mouth, and started sucking it.
Lakshmi looked puzzled, and suddenly her face brightened and blushed. Lakshmi asked is not it bad?
Archana said, "Amma, nothing is bad between couples." Moreover, I don't know that I never give and receive it, but I learned it from someone while reading their mind (she never disclosed that it was from her HOD, when she did a ritual on her money)
Archana suddenly looked at her mother.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“You and Appa…”
Lakshmi's expression became blank.
Archana understood.
“You haven't been close for a long time, have you?”
Lakshmi didn't answer.
Archana shook her head.
“Poor Appa.”
“Archana!”
“He works so hard for us.”
“Enough.”
“But Amma…”
Lakshmi looked at her daughter sternly.
Archana laughed.
Just imagine, Amma: “You cook wonderful food for him every day.”
“Ok.”
“He eats it.”
“Hmm.”
“If he still goes to a hotel, then it means he has more appetite, and you have right to question him”
Lakshmi stared at her.
“But if you don't feed him and he is hungry and went to a hotel, then you have no moral grounds to question him.”
Archana asked, “You know what I'm saying, Right?”
She gently touched her mother's shoulder.
“Life is short.”
“Don't let routine make you forget that you're husband and wife.”
Lakshmi stared at her daughter.
“You've become very clever.”
Archana smiled.
“I'm just saying, Amma—take care of the old man.”
Lakshmi immediately stood.
“That's enough.”
Archana laughed.
“Amma!”
“Move your mattress.”
“What?”
“Take it to your room.”
“Why?”
“Because from today you're sleeping there.”
Archana stared at her.
“And clean the hall before you go.”
She burst out laughing.
“Yes, madam.”
Lakshmi shook her head and walked away.
A little later, Lakshmi bathed and began getting ready.
Archana watched her with a mischievous smile.
When Lakshmi passed her, Archana gently shook her head and kissed her mother's cheek.
“All the best.”
Lakshmi stopped.
Then she laughed.
“You're impossible.”
Archana smiled.
For the first time in a long while, the house felt ordinary again.
And sometimes, ordinary was exactly what they needed.