After 5 years.
On that bustling street, Mullai's eyes darted here and there, searching for someone. The object of her search, a boy with a gun in his hand and a swagger unbefitting his age, was threatening someone in front of him.
"Apologize to my mother properly," he threatened, but the man smoking a cigarette in front of him looked at the little boy, who wasn't even knee-high, and said, "Hey little boy, did you get lost from your mother? Is that a toy gun in your hand? Go on, go find your mother."
But the boy didn't seem to back down. "Hmm... I know how to go. You first apologize to my mother," he said seriously.
The man laughed loudly and said, "Hey little boy, go away while I'm telling you calmly, otherwise..." He left the sentence unfinished.
"Otherwise, what will you do?" the boy asked fearlessly and confidently. Losing his patience, the man said, "I thought I'd let it go since you're a little boy, but you're talking too much," and approached him. Just then, a scream of "Theeran!" was heard from a distance.
The little boy turned around, and upon seeing his mother, he called out "Amma!" and ran towards her. It was Mullai who was standing there. After searching and searching for Theeran, she saw him fighting with a thug. Fearing that something might happen to her son, she had called out to him in panic.
As soon as Theeran came, she picked him up and quickly moved away from the place. Their house was a short distance away, so she hurried home. No sooner had she arrived than she lowered Theeran from her hip and began speaking rather angrily.
"Theera, how many times do I have to tell you not to get into fights with people like that?" she asked, to which he replied, "Mom, I didn't go to fight," trying to deflect the blame. Still not calmed down, she asked, "Then why did you go there?"
"Uh... I went to buy ice cream," he said, and Mullai's anger reached its limit.
"Have you learned to lie too, Theera? Why don't you ever listen to your mother? Are you behaving according to your age? Your younger sister, who was born with you, is playing so nicely at home. But I don't understand why you're always looking for trouble," she said angrily, then sat down wearily on the sofa.
Hearing their commotion, the elderly couple from inside came out with a little girl in their arms. As soon as she saw Mullai, the little girl, who had gotten down from her grandmother's arms,
"Mom! What have you brought for me?" she asked, running to her and sitting on Mullai's lap, and began to open the bag she had brought. Mullai kissed her daughter's cheek and said, "Vaishu, here's the ice cream," and found and gave her what she had bought.
Delighted, Vaishu exclaimed, "Yay! ...So much fun!" and after taking it, she first offered it to her brother who was standing there. "Brother, here," she said, extending it to him, and as usual, Theeran took it.
Vaishu had another one in her hand, which she opened and started eating. But Theeran sat on the sofa and ate his ice cream neatly without spilling it. As usual, Mullai looked intently at Theeran, and handing the groceries she had bought to the grandmother, she said, "Here, Grandma." The grandmother took them and asked, "What's wrong, dear? Why were you scolding Theeran the moment you arrived?"
Mullai replied angrily, "What can I say, Grandma? When I went shopping today, some guy deliberately bumped into me. I didn't want a fight, so I left. But this boy, acting like a grown-up, is going to pick a fight with him." Although she spoke angrily, the fear that something might happen to Theeran was evident in her eyes.
The grandfather, sitting next to Theeran, said, "Oh, why are you getting angry about this? He spoke up for you. Don't you even understand that?" He then lifted Theeran and made him sit on his lap.
She said, "But Grandpa, are you telling me to be happy about this? He's just a little boy, Grandpa, he's only 4 years old. But even now, he's so aggressive. I'm very afraid for him, Grandpa," she expressed the fear in her heart.
He proudly said, "Oh, what are you saying? My grandson is so mature. He's protecting his mother."
Mullai sighed and said, "That's what scares me, Grandpa. Children his age are all laughing and playing. But he hasn't smiled since he was born. Look at his younger sister, she's always smiling and lively. But he always has a sullen face. He only speaks when necessary. He's too mature. Vaishnavi is just like me. But he's the complete opposite." When the grandmother said, "He seems to be just like his father," for some reason, Mullai's body trembled. "What, like his father? I haven't even seen him until now. So, he too is just like Theeran, then?"
"Will he keep staring like this?" she thought to herself.
Just then, she received a phone call. Returning to reality, she answered the phone and began to speak. "Yes, sir..." she started, and then finished the call saying, "Yes sir, we are leaving tomorrow," before hanging up.
Seeing her grandparents looking at her, she explained, "It's nothing, Grandma. We're going to India tomorrow, right? That's what my boss was asking about." At this, the couple's faces fell. Mullai asked, "What's wrong, Grandpa? Why are you looking so sad?"
The grandmother spoke up, "Mullai, do you really have to go there? There are many dangers for you there," she said anxiously. Mullai replied, "Yes, Grandma, what you're saying is true, but I can't avoid going, can I? The competition is also approaching. Besides, the boss of the company where I work is sending me and my colleagues to his other branch in India." "That's why we have to go," she said firmly.
But she didn't know that many dangers awaited her there. She made this decision without realizing that her life was about to change completely.
After that, the grandmother didn't say anything more and sat down quietly next to Vaishnavi. Mullai glanced at them all and went to her room. After showering and changing her clothes, she stood by the window, staring intently at the sky.
Only she knew what was going through her mind. When she first got off the flight and stepped into the apartment, she was trembling. She stood there like a statue, wondering how she would manage in an unfamiliar place, especially one where she didn't know the language.
At that time, her grandfather and grandmother were standing there with her photo. When she didn't come forward and stood like a statue, they went and brought her. Initially frightened, she later overcame her fear and started talking to them.
As her grandmother had said, they treated her like their own granddaughter and even helped her with her studies. They sent Mullai for check-ups with their family doctor. After she gave birth, they cared for her like a baby. Mullai had two children.
Theera and Vaishnavi; Theera was the spitting image of his father, while Vaishnavi resembled her mother. They were also exactly alike in their personalities. Theera never smiled. Everyone at home struggled to make him smile, but ultimately failed.
But Vaishnavi, like her mother, was always smiling. No matter what she said or did, a smile would always be on her lips. But Theera's face was always serious. With his thick, arched eyebrows, he looked incredibly handsome even when seen casually.
He was also very bright in his studies. The only thing was, he would get angry very easily. Mullai, while taking care of her children, continued her studies and got a job with good marks at a large company there. She is going.
For some reason, her boss is transferring only a few people to India and asking them to go. Since she is among them, she goes out of necessity. There is another reason for her going, a secret known only to her.
Lost in these thoughts, she didn't even notice the time passing. After a few moments, she suddenly heard the children's voices.
"Mom!" Vaishnavi and Theeran came running into the room with a shout. Coming out of her reverie, she knelt down before them and asked, "Little ones, did you eat?"
"Yes, Mom, we ate. Grandma gave us chapati," Vaishnavi said in her childish voice. Mullai kissed her forehead and said, "Okay darling, let's go to sleep," and as she tried to get up, she stumbled slightly.
Theeran tugged at her clothes. She turned to look at him, and Theeran was showing her his cheek. Mullai smiled softly, kissed both his cheeks, and said, "Come on," then put them to bed and lay down herself, beginning to tell them a story.
The story she was telling was a story from her own life. Vaishnavi listened to it every day without knowing, but Theeran knew it was a tragic story from his mother's life. His heart boiled as he absorbed every word Mullai spoke.
"Has our mother suffered so much? So she has been raising us with so much difficulty? Who could be responsible for all this? They definitely shouldn't be let off easily," many thoughts raced through his mind.
At one point, his murderous rage towards those responsible for his mother's situation intensified, especially towards his unknown father.