Raining Love for Her by Kalai Selvi Arivalagan (digital e reader .TXT) 📕

“'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Alfred Tennyson

 
  ‘Tap, tap’ the keys went on smoothly on the lap top.

Vel looked at the watch. It showed 2 am. From afternoon he was so much engrossed in the work and didn’t remember when he checked the time.

For more than once he walked to the pantry to have a cup of strong coffee to brush away the sleep that patiently lingered on his eye lids. It has been a year since he started to work like that often shifting between day and night.

“Ricky…” Vel called him loudly. “Bring me some hot soup from the canteen.”

“Yes.” Rick replied from the door without even looking at him. It is a routine thing to happen every time around 3 am early morning. When everyone wanted to sip a hot cup of tea with elaichi, Vel preferred to sip his vegetable soup.

He always loved to sip any type of soup with the spoon and never wanted to drink it directly from the bowl. Vel knew how to cook delicious and nutritious and he also specialized in preparing different types of soups. At home he sometimes made delicious, rich vegetable soup made from the left-over vegetables.

On rainy days, when everyone was at home, he prepared hot vegetable soup or chicken soup and served it with style. The flavor of the soup would be so inviting, sometimes even his neighbors enquired his mother what was special to cook something so delicious and appetizing.

His taste for soups helped to slowly improve his culinary skills also. At home whenever his mother is not at home, he preferred to cook his food. His father also enjoyed eating the food cooked by him. He always compared it with whatever his mother prepared.

Her mother always encouraged him to cook. She felt that it is a must for a boy to know cooking as it is a must for a girl to learn cooking. If a man can cook food, he can also assist his wife in all her cooking and that will definitely help them to sort out any problem or misunderstand amicably.

“Sir, your favorite soup is here.” Rick left the bowl of soup at the corner of his desk and looked at Vel who was deeply engrossed in his work.

The flavor touched his taste buds and he could not resist from having a sip from the bowl.

“Thanks.” Vel took the bowl of soup and started to sip. The soup was neither too hot nor too cold. It had the exact warmth that he needed at that time. But the flavor was so mild that made him add some more pepper and salt to the soup.

Vel always preferred to have soup with more pepper especially during early morning. That helped him to feel energized and concentrate more on his work.

“Morning, boss.” Reema’s message popped in from the chat window.

“Good morning. How are you?”

“Good. I can feel the aroma of your soup, here.”

“You are a devil. How can you smell it from there?”

“Because, I am sitting right across you, turn around and look.”

“But, I am not ready to share it with anyone now.”

“Yes, I know, let yourself drown in that yummy soup. I have better things to do.”

“Cool, cool, I will take you to the place down in the street this Saturday. Are you happy with that?”

“No, thanks. I can walk on my own and treat myself with whatever I like. Good bye.”

“Ah!” Vel chucked louder. “The soup is so hot with too much of pepper.”

“Go to hell.” Reema got up from her chair and made the remark grinding her teeth.

“I not only enjoy sipping the soup, I can make delicious soups also. This is for your information.” Vel told her loudly.

“Yes, then your wife will be better placed to take the risk of your soup every day.” Reema mocked at him.

“Come to my home one day. I can show you how many varieties of soups I can prepare in an hour.” Vel invited Reema to his home.

“Yes, I will be there one day to risk my life. Now let me go. Bye, Bye.” Reema made a mocking sign to him and started walking toward the pantry to get a cup of coffee.

Every day something or other happened like that and Vel loved to tease Reema. Though they both sounded harsh and exchanged heated words, they loved each other in their hearts. Yet, they have not responded to each other openly and claimed their love also.

Chapter 2

The day started sunny and bright. The recent showers made every flower in the plant to bloom adding colours to the surrounding. But everyone was least bothered to watch those tiny wonders, and rushed through their way to enter the gates of the work place and get their cards punched on time.

Everyone felt that there looked a prominent change in the weather. At times the sun looked hot and made the people complain about sweat and dryness in the air. Suddenly during evenings, the clouds one by one peeped from every nook and corner of the sky and gathered together with their dark coloured cloaks and started to come down as if hitting the earth in the form of strong drizzle without giving a chance for anyone even to open the umbrellas.

People who wore their rain coats somehow escaped from the strong winds that splashed rain on their face. The umbrellas could not withstand the power of the wind and they turned up exposing the person underneath to the down pour. The fancy umbrellas that sold in the roadside shops did not have the power to fight against the heavy wind or the heavy downpour. The umbrellas turned upside down and the ribs of the umbrella twisted and made them unusable.

The streets were flooded with muddy water mixed along with the garbage thrown down at the corner. The down pour took along with it all the dirt even from the far away roads. Reema stepped out of the main door and stood at the entrance. The main entrance had more than twenty wide long steps and she could see the roaring water down the path that connected the office to the main gate.

The heavy downpour looked like a thick curtain that was dropped from the sky down to the earth. It made everything hidden behind it. Nothing was visible and it was difficult to walk or drive the vehicles down the road looking beyond the thick curtain of water. It was only evening six o’clock, but it looked darker like mid-night. The chill breeze that blew splashed drops of rain water on her face and made her feel thrilled like a little girl. As a kid, Reema always loved to play in the puddles of rain water after a heavy rain. Her mother never allowed her to enjoy such play with her friends in the neighborhood and kept her inside the house with the doors locked.

Somehow Reema would manage to convince her mother or get the permission from her father if he was at home at that time and join her friends down the street to play boat race. They collected the required paper from the used note books to make paper boats. Paper boat racing was one of her childhood favourite play time and if it rains Reema always looked forward to spend the whole day out in the street.

Reema still remembered how her dad taught her to make paper boats. Her friends knew how to make ordinary paper boats. But Reema’s dad taught her to make paper boat with a sword underneath that made her boast to her friends. She made them beg her to teach how to make that kind of paper boat. The only difference is doing one extra fold of paper, which she would teach them with much fuss. After getting something in exchange for teaching how to make that paper boat,

Reema taught them how to make that paper boat. After making maximum number of paper boats, they decided to have the paper boat race in the stream of water that flowed down the street. Little boats made out of different colours of paper floated gracefully on the small stream of water that ran down the street.

“Shall we play pirates with our paper boats?” Reema called her friends.

“That is interesting. I will be the pirate.”

“No, I will be the pirate.”

“Hi, I will also be the pirate” another one joined the group.

“Then, I will be the sea guard.” Reema would shout above the noise.

“Ok, Let us begin the game.”

With a cheer, they would start the game. When the boats were half way through the stream, the rain would once again come down harshly and drown their paper boats. The water flowing down the street would carry away the crumpled paper boats and throw them into the rain water drain. Yet, they never complained. With all the cheer of heart, they tore away more number of sheets of paper from their used note books and made another set of paper boats. Till their hair started to drip drops of rain water, they would run along the street chasing their paper boats.

Reema also remembered how they decorated their paper boats with tiny flowers that grew on the plants on the roadside. They also made tiny paper dolls and made them stand in their paper boats. Their paper boats carried the tiny dolls as sailors and they all shouted together when the boats started to move down the water. Reema could not forget all those childhood play and they were still warm in her heart.

‘Hi, once again into day dreams”

Reema turned around to see who made such a remark. Her friend Caroline stood there with a mischievous smile.

“It is not day, dear. This is evening. No day dreams to dream now.”

“So, you are waiting for your Prince Charming to come in one of the paper boats down the stream?”
Both of them burst into laughter.

“Hi, Caroline, when did you shift to boats from horses? You are becoming adventurous.”

“I know you like only horses. See the water. How it will be if we get a boat ride back home?”

“Enough. Come on, let us start. I may miss the bus. Today it is going to be pretty long to reach home. My mother will be really worried.” Reema spoke with a concern.

“Do you have your rain coat?”

“No, I have my umbrella only. It is not comfortable to travel in the bus with the rain coat.” Reema and Caroline stepped down and put their legs together in the street water.

“Ayyee” Caroline screamed and jumped onto the middle step.

A long snake swimming down the water was trying to climb over the steps searching for a dry space.

“Oh, god, what a miraculous escape” Caroline trembled with fear.

“I don’t know if it is an escape for the snake or you.” Reema replied her giggling loudly.

“Don’t joke. I am really scared. This is the first time I am seeing such a long