Mother

The twosome:

It was an early winter morning; the sunlight was yet to show up. But there were people out on the street already. Though too little in number but there were...

Mahesh opened the main door of his small flat and came out. He was a tall, fair a little plump guy. His wife Uma was as pretty as a painting. Tall, slim, brown eyed, her hair hung below her knees, it covered her whole back and a lot of her arms and chest when it was open, so she had to keep it in a tight bun most of the times. Mahesh loved playing with it when they were together.

Their union was the most blessed union in the world... that’s what their friends, neighbours and relatives said. Two persons deeply loving each other for twenty years. Mahesh was twenty and Uma was barely fifteen years old when they married.

Every one present in that marriage said that God Shiva has come down to marry his Parvati. May be God wanted to deprive them of something, to save that blessed union from evil eyes...

Twenty years after their marriage they both know that they will never be blessed by a child of their own. Mahesh had some serious physical problems.

It did not change Uma’s love for him an inch. She knew all the while that she was blessed to have him in her life. Whenever her friends used to share their agonies of being beaten up by their drunkard husbands or their other amorous affairs she used to count her blessings and her love for her husband used to swell even more.

“You will be coming back for lunch?” she softly asked him. “Please do, I will prepare poori and gajar ka halwa for you.” She said, as if she was trying to lure a child. Her love for her husband was a purest blending of all types of love.

“I will certainly try to come; you know I can’t eat unless you serve me with those lotus hands of yours…” Mahesh answered equally softly, none of them wanted the neighbours to hear their parting words, every one teased them for their undying love.

He started to climb down the stairs after soaking her with his gaze full of deep love. She closed the front door and started her chores one by one.

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The surprise:

Mahesh reached his parked taxi within five minutes. The sky has started to fade into grey. Birds were waking up one by one.

He dusted the taxi and opened the front door. He was about to turn on the ignition key after performing the puja when he heard something in the backseat. It was mewling of a kitten. He switched on the light and saw that he has left the window open last night.

“Oh God!!!!” he muttered as he descended and opened the back door to shoo the cat away.

He saw a small baby lying on the backseat, a beautiful girl dressed in neat and costly clothes. There was a gold chain in her neck and a letter requesting to keep the chain and leave the child to some decent orphanage.

He scooped up the child, locked the taxi carefully and rushed back home.

They contacted the local police station showed them every thing and requested them to let them have the girl. The girl was handed over to them officially. They adopted her and named her Esha.


Twenty five years have passed by. Esha was a young girl now. Studying in university, pursuing doctorate in Economics.

The weather was lovely that evening, Durgapuja was round the corner. The weather was pleasant; the sky was full of white, dazzling clouds. She came out of university and started to walk towards her home. It was hardly fifteen minute from her campus.

She was lost in her own world of young dreams when she heard the screeching of the car’s brake. She lifted her startled eyes and saw a car standing still a few metres away from her and the driver of the car following it cursing his heads off.

She saw a lady looking out at her from the window of the passenger seat, staring would have been the correct word. She ignored her and went her way.


She reached her home and turned to check the traffic before crossing the road, just then she noted a car stopping near her. The same lady came out of the car and approached her with a slight hesitation.

“Do you live here?” she asked.

Esha did not feel any alarm because the lady was too sophisticated and motherly looking to be menacing in any sense. So she simply nodded.

“Are you looking for some one?” she asked politely.

“No, you look like someone I know. You have a very strong resemblance with him.” The lady said. “Would you mind telling me your father’s name?”

The lady handed her over her visiting card, which said she was the wife of one of the biggest industrialist of a nearby town.

Esha told her father’s name and bade goodbye to the lady. She turned to see before entering her flat, and as she has assumed the lady was standing and watching her.

She said everything to her parents and handed them over the card.


The parents:

Next evening when she returned from her college she saw that her father’s taxi was standing outside.

She was happy and worried. She took two stairs at a time and rang the bell a little breathless.

She was very childish even at this age; she hugged Mahesh and sat down beside him. “Are you okay baba? Ma I am famished, give me something to eat.”

Then she noticed an eerie, uncomfortable silence. Her parents were sitting there silently and were visibly upset, almost morose.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“The lady you met last evening is your true mother.” Uma said softly.

“You are my real mother; you mean to say she is my biological mother.” Esha said. “From where has she appeared now after these years?”

Uma repeated the story told to her by Kaushalya, Esha’s biological mother. Esha was abandoned because she was a girl child.

Kaushalya was initially told that she was still born but later, years later her husband told her the truth.

They have shifted to USA just after abandoning Esha, they had another son, who is living in USA right now. They have returned because they were missing India.

Kaushalya saw Esha accidentally last evening; she is a replica of her brother Kaushik. The locality is also the same so she took her chance. They want her back to them.

“Okay, story finished, but I am still hungry ma.” Esha said. “When Kaushalya aunty comes next time tell her that if she wants to meet me she will have to come here.” Esha got up to change her dress.

Snowy

I


“Stand still on the pavement, let me pay the fare. Don’t go any where.” His mother said.

Rick was standing there but his eyes were roaming all around him. Suddenly it falls in him. A tiny puppy, black and white. He was also watching him, wagging his tail happily.

He went to him and looked at his mother. She was busy paying the driver. He patted the puppy and fished out a biscuit from his bag. He instantly ate it up and started to lick his boots. Rick looked for another biscuit but there were none.

By then his mother has finished, “Don’t play with street dogs baba, they have germs.” She said. “They sleep on the dirty roads or other places; there is no one to clean them up so they become infested with all type of germs.”

“Don’t forget to wash your hand properly after reaching home.” Tanisha was not very fussy but careful.

“Okay ma.” Rick said, he turned his head, the puppy was following him. He looked back once more after reaching the gate of the Housing. The small puppy looked sadly at him when he realized that he can’t follow him and sat down outside the gate.

“Ma, he is hungry.” Rick looked at his mother pleadingly.

“Okay, take some rice and milk outside the housing complex and feed him.” She said.

It became a daily routine thereafter. The tiny puppy following him to and fro auto rickshaw stop. Waiting patiently for little food outside the gate.


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II

“Tanu, I have been transferred to our Murshidabad office.” Ritwik said. “We will have to shift there within next July.”

“Don’t worry about packing I will contact packers. All you will have to do is supervise.”

“We will get a small bungalow of our own, with a small garden outside it. It will be a great relief after spending so much time in these stuffed match boxes.”

Rik was listening intently to the discussion his parents were having. “Ma, will I have to leave Snowy here?”

“Sorry baba but yes. We can’t take him there with us.” She said.

He went away after eating his dinner. A few minutes later Tanisha saw that he was silently standing in the balcony. She softly went there and saw Snowy standing near the Housing Gate. Wagging his tale at him.

She retreated to the kitchen, heavy hearted. She went to the balcony again, Rick was still standing there. “Go to bed babu. You will have to go to school tomorrow.”

Rick silently obeyed her. She tucked him in and went to watch the news with Ritwik.

When she came to check him before sleeping she saw that his cheeks were stained with tear.

“Can we buy a puppy for Rick?” she asked.

“Why? All of a sudden?” Ritwik did not know about snowy.

She told him Snowy’s story.

“Let’s take him with us. We will get him examined by vet.” Ritwik said. “We will be traveling in the truck along with the goods so we can always take Snowy with us. Cant we?”


She hugged him tightly and smiled.

Eyes

I

 

Tilak was coming out of his cubicle when he heard Chandan call him. “Will you come here for a while?”

 

“Will you please read what is written in the sms?” he asked when he entered his cubicle.

 

Chandan was one of the most meritorious employees of their company. He was a magician when it came to composition of background scores of the ads that their company created but just like all the geniuses, nature has balanced his fortune with a misfortune. He could see things alright when they were far but could not see things that were close, or things which were hard to read, like smses on a cell-phone.

 

He often asked for the help of his friends, who happily helped him because he was a wonderful person.

 

Tilak read him the message.

 

“Will you please answer it? I will tell you what to write.” Chandan requested again.

 

It seemed that the girl who has written the message truly loved Chandan. Tilak answered the sms.

 

He heard Chandan talking with the girl as he closed the door of the office behind him.

 

“Hey Tilak, I want to see Pausha, I want to know her more.”

 

“I think that’s a good idea. She seems to like you. Why don’t you take it a step further and see if you can end up together forever.” He laughed.

 

“I think you are right. May be we should meet. I like her very much. She is a very sweet girl.”

 

They were having their lunch together. On Chandan’s request Tilak texted the smses and fixed an appointment in a restaurant next Sunday.

 

 

 

II

 

 

“Tilak, I am scared. What if she refuses me? And calls off the friendship?”

 

“Don’t be scared buddy, she will like you, and you are a marvelous person.” Tilak smiled at him fondly.

 

It was Sunday morning. Tilak was still in his bed when his cell-phone rang. It was Chandan. “I am on my way to airport. My flight is at ten. I am leaving for two years to Singapore.”

 

“Will you do me a favour? Will you meet Pausha on my behalf? She will be coming here all the way from Raniganj just to meet me. Tell her that I am really sorry that I had to go away like this. I received the sms fifteen minutes back or else I would have called her up myself. She must be on her way to Kolkata so calling her now is useless and rude. I will pay you the bill buddy; just take my girlfriend to a date. Please!”

 

Tilak agreed because he knew that if none showed up in the restaurant that will mean end of Chandan’s friendship with Pausha, there are slim chances that she will take it sportingly.

 

He got up and left for the restaurant at the given time. Pausha was sitting in the table; it was love at first sight. He spent the whole day with her and left absolutely drowned in her love.

 

She really was like an autumn morning. Simple, calm and serene. An air of purity enveloping her whole being.

 

He hid the fact from her that he was not Chandan. Why heaven only knows. He told her that he has changed his phone number and email address and gave his phone number and email id to her.

 

He knew Chandan has left his phone in India. He was dead sure that he will forget her in two years.

 

Sometimes people lie just without any reason at all. May be he thought that it would be their first and last meeting. But then why did he give her his own number? Hoping she too will be smitten by him?

 

She did not contact him back and two years passed by. Though he tried his level best to befriend her she remained aloof.

 

Chandan returned to India as his boss. Tilak got a little scared that he will ask about her, and if he finds out the bluffs, the results will be extremely bad for him.

 

Well, he did, the first question he asked him when they met was about Pausha, how was the meeting and what type of person she was.

 

“She is married. She came with a small daughter.” Tilak blurted out.

 

“She can’t be married. She told me she is unmarried and she is not a liar.” Was Chandan’s firm answer. He brushed off all that Tilak said to convince him.

 

 

III

 

 

 

He has already replaced Pausha’s number with the number of his cousin sister. Who lived in Raniganj. He has told her every thing and begged her help. She was furious but promised that she will help him as much as possible.

 

He has gathered enough knowledge about Pausha pretending as Chandan, he shared them with his sister and requested her again and again to get rid him of Chandan as early as possible, or else she might get caught and that will mean his doom.

 

He has failed to gauge the depth of Chandan’s feelings for Pausha. He was one of those persons who loved very rare, and when they did they loved with their every thing.

 

“Tilak, Chandan is nagging me to meet him again and again.” It was Doyel, his cousin on phone. “He is ignoring all my attempts to brush him away. I can’t be cruel to him without any reasons… tell me what I will do!”

 

“He is convinced that I am not married, because he calls up at all hours and asks me to let him speak with my husband or daughter, now from where will I get a husband or daughter?” she added, “So I avoided his grilling without saying anything.”

 

“Give me little time sis, just little time, I will try to shake her off his head. Can you give me your phone for a few months?” he asked and she happily gave it to him because she was absolutely disgusted with the entire affair.

 

Tilak started to sms him as abusively as possible. Trying to shake him out of his obsession.  He could see that Chandan was shattering to pieces, his heart started to curse him.

 

So he tried to treat him with firm friendliness even that failed. He could see that he was deeply in love with her.

 

His mother complained to him that he is turning down all the marriage offers.

 

He felt like banging his head to the wall.  He truly liked Chandan and hated himself for slipping into this quagmire of endless lies. He was sinking deeper into it with every passing day. He could see no way out of it.

 

 

 

IV

 

Pausha was sitting in her room when her phone rang, it was Chandan. She was a little irked. He did not turned out the man she thought he was and have been trying to get rid of him since then but he just was not giving in.

 

“Pausha, I am coming to Raniganj, can you meet me for a while? It’s urgent.”

 

“When and where?”

 

The venue was fixed. Tilak met her, told her the whole story and begged her to save him and Chandan.

 

Pausha scolded him but forgave him.

 

Next day Tilak entered office, “Chandan, Pausha wants to meet you.”

 

“Where? How did you know her?” Chandan beamed.

 

“I gave her my number when we met.” Tilak said, she is coming to Kolkata tomorrow. Please don’t go to Singapore again. Tilak laughed hiding his pain and fear.

 

They met in the same restaurant. “Where is your daughter?” Tilak asked her naughtily.

 

“I am not married; she is my sister’s daughter. I brought her with me as a safety measure.” She laughed. “When you told me that you are not Chandan I was so mad at him that I deliberately lied to you and gave away the phone to my sister. She has been playing all these pranks with Chandan.”

 

“I am sorry. Really.” She smiled at Chandan. Tilak could feel their mutual attraction. He tried to slip out but was not allowed. They passed the day together happily. Pausha went back to Raniganj glowing like a jasmine in early morning. Leaving behind a ecstatic Chandan.

 

(END)

Fake pearls

I

 

“Do you really think you will be able to do it? Take her place?”

 

“Give me some time, I will try and win.” She said with confidence.

 

“Okay. Then lets start trying.” Her mother in law said. She was a rich woman, very rich and was habituated of having her ways. Her only son fell in love with a poor girl.

 

She had other plans. She wanted him to get married to her friend’s daughter, after an exchange of a hefty sum of dowry.

 

She chalked her plan. Hired some goons to scare the family of the girl off the marriage and got her son married to the girl of her choice.

 

These two girls were as different as day and light. That was perfectly fine for Mrs. Majumdar but not for her son. He simply rejected her as soulmate but fulfilled his duties as husband.

 

Shyama complained to her mother and mother in law. It was not acceptable to any young woman that her husband will reject her as soulmate.

 

A weird idea popped out of the twisted mind of the woman.

 

She contacted her goons again, they contacted the girl’s family,”We have a request for you. You can keep it or leave it, it’s up to you.”

 

“Our client’s son is refusing to accept his wife as soulmate because of your daughter.”

 

“She gave us an assignment to kill her but we will not do that, we will give you a fair deal. We will give you an address, you have to keep your daughter there, and we will tell you for how long. Our client’s daughter in law will try to learn her ways. To become like her, as much possible.”

 

“We guarantee her safety if you listen to us, nothing if you don’t.”

 

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II

 

Her parents have knocked every police station when she was threatened first time but they received only two things, by name lecture and sniggering.

 

The reputation and life of their daughter was intimately involved so they surrendered their weapons and let them had their way. The girl was sent to that house with her older brother.

 

Then the woman started her real game. She on one hand made the life of the girl insufferable, praying deep in her heart that she will commit suicide on the other hand her daughter in law tried to mimic her as much as she could.

 

Watching her through her window, using a binocular, and placing a small listening device in her room, listening to every thing that was uttered in that room.

 

One year passed, two years passed. Slowly the girl’s family started to lose their cool.

 

Whenever they asked about getting their daughter back, all they heard was “wait.”

 

Finally it got on their nerves and they contacted the man whose love’s price she was paying. He promised stealth and soon accidentally entered the room when his wife was snooping, he saw and heard both.

 

“Shyama, I can forgive you because you are from an unsophisticated, rustic background, so you don’t even realize how disgusting it is to snoop on a person. Not only that, it is illegal too.”

 

“What will I do with my own mother? She can’t give your excuses.”

 

“Listen, you will never be my soul-mate, you just don’t have those materials in you. If you are not happy with being my wife you can walk out any day.”

 

“I have collected enough proof of your and mother’s deeds, if she is not released from that house immediately I will send you both to jail.”

 

“If any thing accidental ever happens to her, you both will meet me in Court.”

 

“If you apologize to her and me I will take you with me to my new home. But you will have to snap all ties with your and rest of my family forever.”

 

He walked out of the room.

Poisonous mind

I

 

It was a warm summer evening, the day has dragged endlessly, it has turned into a sultry afternoon. Then a quick spell of rain changed every thing. The weather changed dramatically and a cool wind started to blow from east.

The infamous trio was sitting on the park bench facing the lake. Watching people rowing their boats in the lake. Sometimes boating alone, sometimes a pair, and sometimes family members or friends. All enjoying the fresh air which was blowing and the cool serene water after a scorching summer day.

 

They were famous in the whole housing society because of their friendship, which has started with their shifting to the housing as brides about half a century ago. No one and no thing can come in between them. Wherever they were, they were to meet in the park in the afternoon. Their world started and ended with the housing and its people. They knew almost every one by name.

Mrs. Gupta first noticed Jane sitting in a bench little distance away from them. She was sitting there with her laptop as usual, and a sketch book and bag. The trademark jhola of artists and intellectuals.

 

Mrs. Gupta muttered, “I have never seen eyes as innocent as hers, even though you can’t call them gorgeous, or doe eyes but the purity that drops from them makes them so divine that one will love to sit beside her and see them.”

 

Mrs. Sinha chimed in, “That’s why she is bothered so much in life, one look at that face and every one will know that she does not have venom enough to hit back when hurt.”

 

Mrs. Ghosh joined them a little bitterly, “In this world of crows, and vultures the gentle souls suffer immensely, after all, virtue is more persecuted by evil than it is adored by good people.”

 

Then she added, “In this world of shoving, pushing, and bullying people like her are a treasure, who know how to live life and how to let others live.”

 

Mrs. Gupta softly said, “How could people like John Shah had the audacity of thinking that she will cast a single glance at them is a wonder, they just made that poor soul miserable. Don’t they know they are as different as black is from white, as mud from sandal?” her voice was laced with sarcasm.

 

“It’s good to see that she recovered from the entire thing without losing her heart or peace of mind.” Mrs. Sinha softly said.

 

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II

 

Jane was unmarried; she never thought marriage as essence but was ready to settle down with a person she could love, trust and respect.

 

She has been friends with a guy from Indore for years through internet. They have often talked on phone, exchanged mails and smses but never met face to face.

 

Deepak often expressed his affection to her but she could not reciprocate, because falling in love with some one without seeing him was impossible for her.

 

Then Deepak came to Kolkata on a tour and they met, she instantly fell in love with him because he had an out of the world innocence and purity in him. He returned to Indore and slowly disappeared from her life. She tried a lot to revive that friendship but could not. It subsided into casual friendship.

 

A  new friend has suddenly popped up just after Deepak’s visit to Kolkata, Mahesh. He has been her friends ever since Deepak became her friend but maintained a low profile. He was also a member of the same website which made Deepak her friend.

 

He used to exchange only mails, then all of a sudden, he became over friendly. But she maintained a distance because he was married.

Her friendship with Deepak has become a see-saw, Deepak started to act in a strange manner. It appeared that he was hell bent to ruin even the friendship they had. All of a sudden he became very abusive, she consoled herself by thinking that he has stopped liking her after seeing her.

 

Suddenly truth came out when Deepak came to visit her again. The person who has been sending her those mails and smses faking as Deepak was not actually Deepak, he was John. He worked in her company’s Indore office, a guy who has stalked her to the limit of her utter disgust.

 

She despised him because there was nothing in him which she could tolerate, forget about admiring. He in return was obsessed with her and snooped on her.

 

He used to visit Jane’s office more than once a month and was quite popular among some of her colleagues. What Jane did not know was he used to work in Deepak’s office as a part timer. Two hours each day.

 

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III

 

He easily befriended Deepak, who did not even imagined that he was obsessed with Jane. He became his play thing and he convinced him easily that Jane was flirt.

 

It was John who impersonated as Mahesh and befriended her. His sole intention was to tarnish her image in Deepak’s eyes.

 

He told Deepak that he is having an affair with Jane. Who is crazy for him, even though he has lied to her that he is married with children.

 

She is running after him because she thinks he is a millionaire.

 

To convince him he used to send her dozens of smses, Jane used to answer them, which is quite normal. He used to call her up and disconnect the phone after talking with her for a while. Taking cautions that no one catches him doing that.

 

After disconnecting the phone he used to talk sweet nothings into the dead phone for long long time. On other times, he used to pretend as a saint to her, a friend who doted after her. As a result she was all praises for him.

 

Deepak became confident that she was having an affair with him and walked away from her. He got married soon thereafter.

 

After clearing his path John thought that he will be able to woo Jane but she rudely refused him. That brought out the beast in him and he decided to settle his scores.

 

It was his sheer dumb luck that Deepak surrendered his old number; he instantly got hold of it, and kept the number secret from every one.

 

John has often eaves dropped her conversation with Deepak, from both ends, her and Deepak’s office. He used it in impersonating as Deepak. Their voices had a slight similarity, rest he blamed on changed handset.

 

Encashing his access to her office he installed some spy ware in her office p.c. which used to send a copy of her mails to his computer, so he could keep a track of her mails and play the game perfectly without being caught.

 

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IV

 

Heaven only knows for how long he would have played this game. It was only luck that Deepak came to visit Jane again and the game was up.

 

He was simply settling his scores by hitting her impersonating as her loved one. Every time she refused him as John he used to immediately insult her faking as Deepak. With sadistic pleasure.

Love has gone out of his heart a long ago, all there was left was vengefulness. All he wanted was to destroy the woman who has refused him again and again.

Mrs. Gupta added, “If only that dirty scoundrel John had seen his own face in mirror, and seen Deepak’s he would have known why a person who likes Deepak can’t like him, forget about loving him.

 

His face, behaviour is so reflective of his dirty character that ordinary people like us will shrink back from him with hatred, forget about spiritual-minded women like Jane. And he did ultimately show his real face and proved that she was right in loathing her. The level to which that monster went; he should be shot like a mad dog.”

 

Mrs. Sinha added, “What a repulsive creature, its really ridiculous that filthy beasts like him could dream about a girl like her. These people are tarnish to humanity, trust and love. They try to show off their dirty obsession as love, where as it is lust in its crudest form, even the thought of him and his ways makes me sick.“

 

Treachery

I

 

Dusk was slowly settling down in the town when Madhurima stopped her sunny in her courtyard. Three doors opened instantly. A child peeped from one of them and a teenager from the other. She looked up and smiled at her mother who has come out to the balcony after hearing her enter. Next she smiled at the kids who were already near her.

 

“It’s my turn today.” The teenager girl said.

 

“You never take me out for a trip.” The child pouted.

 

“Didi, you took Lina yesterday, it’s my turn today.” A young boy shouted from the doorway.

 

“Come upstairs and change first.” Her mother said and Madhurima started to climb the stairs after locking the sunny.

 

 

She has shifted to a small town in UP to pursue her career. She has lost her father in her childhood and rest of her family lived in a small town in west Bengal. Only her mother accompanied her to this small town. One of her distant relations lived in this town and they were the one who informed her about this job.

 

 

They rented a floor of a three storey house. The landlords lived in the top most floor and Madhurima occupied the first floor. The ground floor was occupied by a family. Husband, wife and their two children – one son and one daughter. The son was about Madhurima’s age, he lived in Delhi, worked there. The daughter Kanti was a few years junior than her. Not married yet. Kanti was Madhu’s dearest friend, she trusted her with all her heart.

 

“You are back!” Kanti opened the door of her flat and smiled at her. “Are you coming in or going out again to give them a ride?”

 

“I will need your bike for a while when it is free.” She said. She treated her like her own sister and never bothered about formalities like permission. She just informed her like siblings do.

 

 

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II

 

Madhurima entered Kanti’s rooms after an hour. She was sitting there with Gudiya on her lap. Her brother’s daughter. Her mother has passed away when she was just a baby. Kamesh has left her with his family.

 

Gudiya was a very sweet child; she was adored by every one in the house. She was a very soft and well behaved kid.

 

“Come beta. How are you?” Kanti’s mother Manju asked. “How is your work going on?”

 

“Every thing is perfect aunty. How are you?” she smiled before sitting down.

 

“Ma bring some tea for Madhu. Madhu I am taking your sunny for a while, ok?” Kanti said before leaving. “I will be back within an hour ma; I am going to Saroj’s home.”

 

Saroj was Gudiya’s aunty. Her mother’s sister, they lived a few miles away from here. Saroj often came to see Gudiya and vice versa. But Gudiya doted after Madhurima so much that it was impossible to make her go to any one else when Madhurima was around. She just glued herself to her.

 

Kanti returned an hour later and they both went to the roof, it was a summer evening, and sitting on the roof was a great comfort for anyone. All the roofs were occupied with people.

 

“Kanti, Devesh again tried to talk with me.” Madhurima told her after a while.

 

Kanti took a long time to react, may be she was thinking about some thing. “Give it some time he will move on when he will know that you don’t like him.”

 

“It really does not look like that. I have seen his car following me when I come home from school. He has never tried to talk with me in the road but he follows me all the same.”

 

“You know he is a rich and influential man’s only son. I am scared.” Madhurima was scared.

 

Devesh was the only son of a rich businessman here, a strikingly handsome man. Madhurima knew they were no match so she never entertained him. But he seemed to be obsessed with her. He had a showroom right outside her school and whenever she went to school or came out of it she was sure to meet him. Standing outside his showroom just staring. But his gaze was so intense that she could feel its burning sensation.

 

Not only that he escorts her to her home almost every day, that is, his car follows her to her home every day when she returns from school and she has seen it inching on the road near her home too many times.

 

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III

8.1.10

 

A few months passed by and just like Kanti told her, the scenario did change but it became a perfect nightmare.

 

Devesh was no longer seen in the streets, in place of his car half a dozen cars driven by rowdies started to stalk and scare her whenever she dared to step out.

 

After being saved from sure death a couple of times she decided to leave that place and return to her native town with her mother.

 

Kanti came to bid her goodbye in the station. Her eyes were brimming with tear.

 

She got an invitation to her marriage a couple of months later. To her shock she was getting married to Devesh. It was a arranged marriage. She apologized that she wont be able to attend her marriage because she really hated that place and did not wanted to go there ever again.

 

She soon moved forward in life and time flew away like a bird out of cage.

 

She was running for the train when someone blocked her path. She was about to give him a piece of mind when the man startled her by calling out her name, “Madhurima? Is that you? How is Kamesh?”

 

She stared at the guy. “I am Devesh. You don’t recognize me? I recognized you instantly.” He said in a little complaining way.

 

“Kamesh? Who Kamesh?” she asked.

 

“Your husband.” Devesh replied.

 

“I am not married. Who is this Kamesh by the way?” she asked. She has missed her train already because he did not step aside. They were sitting in the cafeteria of the station.

 

“Kanti told me you are engaged to his brother and later told me that you will marry him…. “He was staring at her with a shocked expression.

 

“How is Kanti? I did not have any contact with her since ages. As for Kamesh, now I remember who he is but whatever Kanti told you is wrong because I have never seen this guy, forget about marrying or loving him.” She answered.

 

“Are you going to Kolkata? We live in Kolkata now. Please come with me and meet Kanti.” He requested.

 

They boarded the next train. Reached Kolkata and Devesh requested her to sit in a restaurant, have a cup of tea. Then Devesh shared a story with her. A story which she will never forget.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

IV

 

“I fell in love with you at the very first sight. I still remember how you walked to the school wearing a white sari. Simple yet gorgeous.”

 

 

“I used to stand there just to see you but soon I realized I won’t be able to live without you so I tried to become your friend but you snubbed me again and again.”

 

“Then I befriended Kanti and she gave me a number, telling me it was yours. Believe me that girl had a stunning similarity with your voice and way of talking.”

 

Madhurima remembered Kanti used to mimic her expertly.

 

“That girl kept on squeezing me for more than a year. I have showered costly gifts to her through Kanti because she said that she will meet me only after marriage and for that I will have to wait for a year. She wanted to know how deep my love was.”

 

“The year dragged by and I asked you, that is, her to permit me to meet her mother. She said Kanti will tell me the date and venue.”

 

“I waited for a month for Kanti, and you (she) stopped responding to my calls.”

 

“Then Kanti one day came and told me that you are in love with her brother. She showed me your sunny standing outside his deceased wife’s home. Not once, but at-least a couple of dozen times. For hours at a go.”

 

“I lost my humanity and asked my workers to teach you a lesson. To confirm that you are scared out of that town so that I don’t have to see your face again.”

 

“I married Kanti to settle my scores with you. We were returning from our honeymoon when the car overturned. I was saved unharmed but she lost both her legs.”

“I guess we paid for the sins we did against you.” he concluded the story.

 

“I feel pity for you both but please don’t ask me to meet any of you again.” Madhurima got up and walked away.

 

 

(END)

Diptesh

I

 

“Dipteshda, Swamiji wants to see you.” One of the boys told him. He was about to enter his dormitory after spending long hours at the library.

 

He reached the door of Swamiji within a few minutes. He was an orphan, being born and brought up in an orphanage run by swamiji. Swamiji was a rich man, who did not married and devoted his wealth to bring up orphans.

 

He used to give them shelter, food, education and vocational training. After that, first foot-hold in the real world.

 

Diptesh entered his room after knocking the door and touched his feet.

 

“Sit down.” Swamiji looked at him with eyes full of tenderness. “Diptesh was one of his favourite kids.”

 

“You have finished your training with brilliant percentage. The campus recruiters have recruited you.” He said with a heavy heart. “You know the system of ashram; you will have to vacate your bed.”

 

“I have talked with one of my best friends, Mr. Lahiri; he will have a room in his home ready for you on Monday. You can stay with him as paying guest.”

 

“Your salary will be ten thousand per month; he will charge you four thousand for every thing. Will that be alright for you?”

 

“Try to save some money, and try to come to meet us once in a while.” He said with a forced smile, hiding his pain.

 

A part of his heart always rejoiced whenever one of his boys went out to live on their own another part missed them. Because he knew, just like any parent, that this might be the last goodbye. He did not have any thing to pull them back to him, other than the affection which he has given to them.

 

Diptesh bowed down to touch his feet and two drops of tear fell on his feet. Swamiji hugged him tightly. Diptesh was a boy of very few words; actually people teased him for talking so little.

 

 

He left for Mr. Lahiri’s home with Mr. Lahiri. Who has come to the ashram to collect him. He was an elderly person with a dignified appearance. His very countenance spoke of noble character.

 

Mrs. Lahiri and their daughter Meghna was waiting for them in the verandah. It was a small two storied house. There were four rooms on first floor and four in ground floor, the whole house was surrounded by a spacious verandah in the ground floor and a balcony on the first floor.

 

The bedrooms were in the first floor. Mr. Lahiri took him upstairs to show him his room. It had a separate exit, a separate stair which came down to the drawing room. It was connected to the other rooms via the balcony.

 

It was a beautiful room, overlooking a small garden. “That belongs to Mr. Sensharma. He does not live here, his family lives in USA; I will show you the house if I can manage. They were landlords of some place near Dhaka, had this house since then, and shifted to west Bengal after partition.”

 

“Baba, ma is calling you two downstairs, the breakfast is served.” A soft sweet voice sounded at the doorway, it was Meghna. She smiled at him. Diptesh smiled stiffly. He was always uneasy with girls and Meghna was a gorgeous young lady. Both Mrs. Lahiri and Meghna were beautiful.

 

The typical Bengali beauties, wheatish gold complexioned, plump figure, rounded arms and wrists. Long, voluptuous hair.

 

They sat down to eat the delicious breakfast. Soon they were engrossed in chatting.

 

Diptesh joined office from the next day. His office was in Dalhousie, a few minutes walking distance from Meghna’s office. They both had the same timings, so they used to leave and return together. Meghna was a few years older than him. Soon she became his best friend.

 

She took him under her wings and made it her priority to introduce him to the real world. They soon realized that they shared almost all the tastes. Starting from music to foods they loved.

 

 

II

 

Diptesh soon became a dear part of the family. Somnath and Deepali treated him just like their own son, to Meghna he was a dear friend. She soon conquered his initial shyness and introduced him to all her friends. Still they remained the very best friends.

 

“Diptesh!” Meghna interrupted his dreamy trance. He was sitting alone in the balcony watching the rain fall on trees and plants of the huge garden of Mr. Sensharma. He has already visited their mansion. It was a very old, well maintained palace surrounded by a not too well kept garden. It was given a little deliberate liberty by the owners. So that nature does not loses her true beauty.

 

He just loved to watch that garden from the balcony. It was like an oasis in Kolkata’ S concrete jungle.

 

He turned his eyes to look at Meghna. She looked like some fairy that has lost her way and landed on the balcony beside him. She was wearing a white saree without border and a small bindi was shining on her forehead. A single pearl shining in each earlobe. Another was hanging from the gold chain around her neck. She never dressed up too much.

 

“We are going for a picnic tomorrow and everyone has insisted that you come along.” Meghna said. “I know you don’t know my office colleagues but I have talked so much about you that they want to see you. I too don’t want to go without you. You have become a habit I guess.” She softly laughed.

 

“Okay.” Was his short and to the point answer.

 

Meghna was quite habituated with his shyness by now. Being a reserved person she adored this shy and reserved guy. She sat down beside him and started to relish the rain silently.

 

“Megh, Deep come downstairs and have your lunch.” Deepali called a little later and they both went downstairs.

 

“Ma, Deep will be going to my office picnic along with me. That means you won’t have to cook our lunch tomorrow.” Meghna said.

 

“That looks really tasty. Ma, what will we do without you? Why don’t you too come along with us and fix us some goodies?” she laughed.

 

“What about your dad?” Deepali smiled back, serving them the lunch.

 

“Oh we will take along him too.” was Meghna’s reply.

 

“Sure why not, then he will spend the day running after you guys. Don’t go too far in the sea, don’t do this, don’t do that…” Deepali smiled fondly. She knew her husband and his overprotective nature.

 

  

III

 

The day passed like a beautiful dream. Every one liked Diptesh. He had a fabulous voice and sang one song after another at their request.

 

Meghna was sitting there, facing the river, Diptesh’s golden voice was pouring down her ears, soaking her very soul.

 

Someone sat down beside her, it was Rosie, one of the persons she truly liked and believed that the feeling was reciprocated.

 

“Megh, I think Diptesh loves you.” she whispered.

 

“You are insane. He is ten years junior than me and he knows that very well.” She whispered back, furiously.

 

“Five years? Ha!!! In today’s world age does not matters any more when it comes to love.”

 

“You can’t see him, but his eyes are almost always at you. He just can’t pull them away from you.” Rosie smiled. “He is really handsome and fabulous. Perfect for you.”

 

“Shut up! You wicked girl!” Meghna muttered and got up, she turned her face and her eyes met Diptesh’s. She blushed hard and turned away her face to steady her breath.

 

She instinctively withdrew from him. Natural shyness and social prejudices created a blockage in her easy flowing heart.

 

They returned in the evening, Diptesh noted with deep pain that Meghna was absolutely silent during the trip and even after returning home.

 

She mumbled some half hearted words and retired to her bed after nibbling a few pieces at the dinner table.

 

“Deep, did some thing go wrong in the picnic? Megh is so reserved that she wont utter a word to any one.” Deepali asked, sounding a little worried.

 

 

“No ma. I don’t know what happened to her, I don’t think any thing has happened to her at all. May be she is tired after spending all day there.” He excused himself and went to sleep. He has noted Rosie whispering to her and her expression thereafter.

 

He has madly fallen in love with her. A love which he did not dared to express, nor will he be able to express it ever.

 

Meghna came downstairs next morning, a little tired after spending a restless night, dreaming about Diptesh. Dreams which brought blush to her face after she woke up.

 

“Why was I dreaming about him? Heaven only knows. I never took him that way.” She was muttering to herself when Deepali called her in the kitchen. “Megh, Diptesh is not up yet, he will be late for office.”

 

She went upstairs, the door was bolted from inside. Diptesh was the earliest riser in the household. He woke up before the birds. She hesitantly knocked but it went un-answered. She knocked harder and heard something incoherent from inside.

 

Diptesh opened the door, his eyes were bloodshot. She reached out her palm to touch his forehead it was burning with fever.

 

IV

 

The doctor was called; Dr. Basu was their family physician. He has been treating them for years. Meghna’s grandparents were treated by his father.

 

 

“It must be because of all that river breeze which you two soaked yesterday. You are alright ma?” he asked after checking Diptesh and writing the prescription.

 

“He will be back on his feet within a week.” He left. He was wrong. The fever refused to go. A week turned into a fortnight.

 

“We should better take a second opinion.” Dr. Basu said.

 

All type of tests have been performed every thing was normal but the fever was not leaving him.

 

“I think its some psychological trauma he is facing. Let’s talk with Dr. Deb.”

 

Meghna was sitting on the roof; she came out because the psychiatrist was talking with Diptesh. She rarely left his bedside during day time. In the night her father slept in his room.

 

“Ma Megh!” It was Dr. Basu. She turned her surprised eyes at him.

 

“Yes uncle?”

 

“I have come to talk with you ma.” He sat down in the chair beside her.

 

“That boy is madly in love with you. He is unable to express it and that is causing him the fever.”

 

“Kaku, he is ten years junior than me. What will every one say?” she blurted out.

 

“So you too love him.” He rubbed his hands happily. “You two will make a perfect couple.”

 

“Don’t hurry, right now just accept his affection and tell him to think about it thoroughly. Wait for at-least an year before finalizing the commitment.” Dr. Basu laid his hands on her shoulder. Every one who came in touch with Meghna ended up doting after her. She was a unique girl.

 

“Your father and mother were there when Dr. Deb discussed the matter with me. They don’t seem much averse to the idea. I think they will be happy to have him as their son in law.” Dr. Basu smiled at her before going back downstairs.

 

Meghna got up and went to Diptesh’s room. He was lying there, his eyes were closed. She gently laid her palms on his forehead; he opened his eyes and looked at her.

 

She softly held his hand in both of her hands and smiled. “Go to sleep and don’t worry about any thing. Any woman will feel blessed to have your affection.”

 

He went to sleep almost instantly; the fever was gone next morning.