Kalyani: (talking to Kishore): "Kishore Anna, this is Preeti. She was my classmate, but you would not know her because she joined our school after you finished yours. She now stays in the first floor of our house with another room-mate of hers, Navya. You don't know her too as they both started staying here only for a year now after you left for US"
"Kishore Anna, Ee ammayi - Preeti. School lo naa classmate kaani neeku teleedu endukante nuvvu school vadilesaka eeme school join ayyindi. Ippudu maa inti paina inko ammayi, Navya, toh kalisi untondi. Navya kooda neeku teleedu le, last 1 year nunchi iddaru ikkada untunnaru - nuvvu antaku mundare US velli poyavu kada"
Kishore and Preeti exchanged pleasantries. Kishore asked Kalyani to come in and meet his sister-in-law and make her comfortable as she was new to the city and the house. Kishore & Kalyani go into the house leaving Kumar and Preeti outside with both of them avoiding eye contact with each other. Kumar, yet again, wanted to start the conversation, but did not know where to start. He thought of asking about how she liked the movie, but did not want to start the topic of him sleeping in the theatre; he did not even want to talk about the auto fares and so said...
Kumar: (Not realizing that this was a conversation that he had overheard)
"Does your uncle stay near the Railway Station?"
"Railway Station deggara mee Uncle vallu untaara?"
Preeti: From when are you following us?
"Mammalni eppati nunchi follow chestunnaru"
Kumar: What?
Preeti: Ok, how did you know our names?
"Sare, maa perlu ela telusu meeku"
Kumar: Oh that, it was very easy. When you were waiting at the bus stop and Kalyani called you, you had answered the phone with your name and you took her name multiple times on the call.
"Oh ada, chaala easy. Meeru bus stop lo wait chestunappudu Kalyani call chesindi - meeru phone answer chesi nappudu mee peru chepparu and Kalyani toh maatladinappudu chaala sarlu tana peru teesukunnaru"
Preeti: So what? Why were you eavesdropping?
"ayite maatram, ala chevulu vesukuni vinestaara, andaru emi maatladutunnaro"
Kumar: (almost shouting at Preeti) I was not, you were speaking so loud that anybody standing 5 miles away could listen to what you said. I could not avoid. Even now, when we were walking you were shouting and I could hear"
"nenu emi mee maatalu vinadaaniki try cheyyaledu. meere try cheyyakarlekunda, 5 maillu dooramu unna vallaki kooda vinapadettu gattiga chepparu. Indaaka kooda manam nadustunnapudu meeru gattiga maatladaaru and naaku vinipinchindi"
Preeti fell silent.
Kumar: (soothingly) Sorry for shouting. I did not mean to hurt you. Okay, topic change.. I will tell you something about I thought about you and you tell me something that you thought about me.
"Sorry, arichinanduku. Mimmalni hurt cheyyali ani kaadu. Okay, nenu mee gurinchi anukunnadi okati cheptaanu and meeru naa gurinchi anukunnadi cheppandi"
Preeti did not respond.
Kumar: "Looking at you I thought you were soft so I offered you Maaza, but since you snatched Coke from my hand, I understood that you were not what I thought"
"Meeru chaala soft ga kanipiste meeru Maaza ne taagutaaru anukunnanu, but Coke laakkunte meeru nenu anukunnatu kaadu ani telisindi"
Preeti: "What do you mean?"
"ante?"
Kumar: I mean.. No.. No, I don't mean it in a derogatory way.. actually, I like aerated drinks.. that's good.
" ante.. aha.. adi kaadu.. adi tappu ga ana ledu.. actually, naaku kooda coke istham.. adi manchide"
Preeti did not respond again. Kumar was desperately trying to correct the impression that Preeti had on him. Kumar started again..
Kumar: "Okay, now it is your turn. What did You and Kalyani name me, of which the first 3 letters matched with my actual name?"
"Sare, ippudu mee turn; Kalyani inka meeru kalisi naaku emi peru pettaru? andulo naa nijam peru lo first 3 letters kooda kalisayi annaru?"
Preeti started smiling now and seeing this Kumar started pleading her more to reveal the name and she said...
Preeti: "KUMbhakarna"
******* To be continued *****************
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