Excerpt
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The plane swooped down like a huge metal bird. What a sight! It landed on the runway, turned its sharp beak, sped down the tarmac, and came to a smooth halt about fifty metres from the control tower of the tiny Madurai Airport.
Of the passengers coming down the stepladder, one stood out: Viswanathan Rupasekaran Kottaipurathaan, known to his friends as Visu.
The regal characteristics of the whole Kottaipuram clan were evident in his clothes, his colour, the way he carried himself. Watching him stride through the foyer holding his gray briefcase, Karwar Karunakaran, his clerk, brimmed with pride. He welcomed Visu warmly as he stepped out of the airport.
"Namaskaram, oh Raja!"
In return, Visu merely nodded distractedly, as his eyes scanned the parking lot, searching for someone. Disappointed, he turned back to the karwar.
"Are you looking for someone, Raja?"
"Karunakaran, my name is Visu," he snapped, irritated. "You're more than twice my age! Why do you insist on using these pompous titles? Please call me by my name."
"But that would be disrespectful, sir! The grandeur of Kottaipuram lies in the way your family has retained the esteem of its subjects. Whatever you may say, you are a member of the royalty, and I am a mere karwar, a clerk, forever loyal to you. Why, when even Thirumeni Devar, the eldest man in the samasthanam, calls you 'Raja,' how can I afford to be presumptuous?" Karunakaran guided him towards the parking lot. Mallaya, the driver, gave a low bow and took Visu's briefcase.
In the parking lot, amidst several Marutis and Ambassadors, was a Vauxhall bearing the bright yellow flag of the princely state of Kottaipuram. Even as the driver held the rear door open, Visu climbed into the driver's seat.
"Please, Raja," Karunakaran begged him. "If your grandmother the maharani comes to know that I let you drive, I'll lose my job. I can already hear her shouting at me. 'How many times do I have to tell you?' she'll yell. 'Don't you have any brains?'"
"Karunakaran," Visu cut in sternly, "as long as you are in this car with me, I don't want to hear another word from you. In fact, if you do say another word, I'll speak to my mother and make sure you lose your job. Also, try to learn to call me Visu. If you really can't manage that, at least call me Thambi."
He sounded genuinely angry, and Karunakaran and Mallaya got into the back seat without another peep. Visu started the car.
Just as he turned onto the main road, a moped, as if it had been waiting for the car, sped right up to them, touched the bumper, and came to a halt.
On the moped, clad in tight jeans and a T-shirt, her hair in a ponytail and a slim gold chain with a locket around her neck, sat a young girl, about twenty—her figure like a sandalwood statue.
Visu cut the engine at once and called out excitedly, "Hi Archana!"
"Sorry I'm late, Visu," said Archana, getting off the moped. "I had some trouble with my vehicle."
Visu was already out of the car. "I was hoping to see you the second I got off the plane."
She replied with a gleeful giggle. Her lightly polished lips and the neat row of shining pearly whites behind them captivated Visu's attention. Her elegant looks reflected a high-class upbringing.
In the car, Karunakaran was looking concerned. Mallaya had already broken into a sweat. "What's happening, sir? There seems to be something going on between him and this girl…" the driver whispered softly to the karwar. The karwar silently pushed him aside, and they went back to listening in on the exchange.
Archana's bout of laughter ended with a jiggle of her firm breasts. "So how was the Bangalore trip? Was it a success?" she asked, throwing her arm around Visu's shoulder in a manner that confirmed the karwar's and the driver's suspicions.
Visu gave an elaborate nod to indicate that it had, indeed, been a success.
This is a deep love; they're as close as copulating serpents, thought the karwar. His initial shock that Visu had somehow managed to get involved with a girl—in spite of the tight watch they kept over him—now gave way to panic.
