And in those who were waiting for him in the doorway, Harini had tears in her eyes when she saw Karthi. When Akash noticed it his heart was bleeding. 'In true love, even if the cracks do appear, they do not get widened!' When he got there he was heartbroken when he saw that she too had come and was waiting for Karthi. Only ParthaSarathy noticed his pain. RamaKrishna was keeping a close eye on what changes were visible on Karthi. Senthilnathan did not divert his gaze from Karthi.
Akash ran and hugged Karthi and asked, "How are you?"
Karthi wondered how he could do all this. Acting and pretending are the way of life of some people.
"I am Fine"
Everyone went inside. RamaKrishna could not control the thought of knowing the truth from Karthi’s mouth immediately. He said ahead of the others, "Thank God, you came back in good health. We're all worried something might have happened to you. I prayed to all the Gods I know”
Karthi said looking at him sharply and smiling.
"Looks like your wish has been granted. Your prayers has saved me, Grandpa,"
Even though he felt, Karthi was mocking him indirectly, he asked carefully, “What happened to you? Where have you been all these days?”
Seeing that everyone was eagerly awaiting his response, Karthi decided that to tell the brief lie he told his family without changing it to the last. He said he felt like he had been bitten by something in the leg while doing research on the mountain and immediately fainted. He said he did not know what happened next.
"In the moments I regained conscious, I felt I was in the middle of some forest. Then I felt m family members would be worried. Then I remember with much difficulty I sent a message to Uday and I lost my conscious. Some people from the forest poured some herbal juice in my mouth. I am confuse whether it is a ream or not. When I regained my complete conscious, I was lying on the mountain top.”
When RamaKrishna was stunned at such a blatant lie, Senthilnathan told Karthi, "Your brother and his men search for you in and around that mountain. Then we too have searched there. You simply vanished from that area”
He said and stared at him as if to say, ‘Let me see how what is your answer?’ Karthi guessed who he was but looked at him without revealing it. He told him after Senthilnathan introduced himself.
"I was in a semi conscious state and did not understand where I went or how I got there. May be you can find out and let us know”
Even with his piercing gaze, Senthilnathan was unable to guess anything from him. “But the tower signal says that your message originated from South America”
Karthi said non chalently.
"How is it possible, Sir, could I have walked all the way to South America?"
Senthilnathan did not know what to say when the respondent tactfully asked the question.
RamaKrishna asked Karthi.
"You told us something had bitten you. Where does it bite?”
"Something like a snake bite" Karthi pointed to his right toe and everyone looked at the dry scar on that foot. It was only now that it was confirmed that the hired killer had not lied to RamaKrishna. 'But he had died. You are alive with the wound’ He lamented in his mind.
For a while Krish spoke casually to everyone. Even asked Harini in a friendly tone, "How are you?" Though she said she was fine, there was a fire in her eyes. When she first saw him a little while ago her tear-filled eyes now filled with fire he realized that he had to face an earthquake. He got angry at Uday.
'He must have said something to her as if he had murmured to his mother. That is why she is here again. If she had not known for sure about love she would not have come here without any sense even though she was saddened to know when he disappeared and happy to know he was back. '
Gnanam who had brought coffee for everyone, took Harini with her. Others drank coffee and left.
Karthi went to his room and took a shower first and then sat down in his chair. He remembered that the master had been in this room for some time. Did he read the power, the frequency, the vibrations here, as Nikola Tesla said? What he would have read and known?
His closet door opened as he was thinking. Harini. She slammed the door. She came closer as she looked at him with a pointed look. She came very close. She never came this close after the day he ignored her. His mind told him that she was beautiful even in anger.
The woman who came near unexpectedly picked him up and slapped him in the room.
"Why did you behave like that on that day?" She asked.
Karthi put his hand on his red cheek and wondered what to say to her.
"I will kill you if you lie to me. I'm not the same old Harini. Tell me. Why did you behaved like that? Tell the truth” he could not lie when she asked angrily and sadly.
"Harini, I am going through bad phase according to my horoscope"
"When did you start believing in the horoscope?"
"My parents are believing. Even my current situation justifies their belief. I know you cannot bear the hardship if something was to happen to me. That's why I decided to leave. I thought it would be easy for you to move on and set up a good life”
She said, “There is no life for me without you” and hugged him. His mind forgot everything for a moment.
At one point she asked after restraining themselves, "What happened? Just don't tell me the same story”
Karthi said calmly and firmly.
"I don't want to lie to you. So don’t ask questions. Don’t hear lies”
She looked at him in astonishment.
He said pleadingly, "Please"
He would not say that for no reason. It seemed to her that it was not right to think that she should know everything just because she was in love with him.
She said softly.
"Well, make me one promise"
"What?"
“Swear to me you will never leave me. There is no greater sorrow than the sorrow of parting ways without any reason. Even if one us had died, we can spend the rest of our lives remembering how much we loved and were close to each other.”