Sorry for the late updateđ
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Chapter 1
âBondita!! Mai port ke lye nik-âas if finally noticing the unchanged state of the room, âkal raat tum nahi soye?!â he concluded.
It was a rhetorical question, so she didnât need to answer.Instead she walked over to the large window. She could see the park from here,it was on the other side of the street with a small pond, benches, large trees and beautiful flower plants. The dark colored pond water was glistening in the morning sun. A group of moorhens were making their way towards the pond probably for their morning meal.
âBondita!â he said her name using his slow voice the one he used when he explains something to her, âItâs natural to be scared of new beginnings. Per tum toh darne walo me se nahi ho na Bondita. Aur mujhe biswas hai tumper aur mere sikh per, ke tum yeh kar sakti ho.â
âLekin kya yeh sab jaruri tha?â Her voice came out hoarse for the lack of use. A first actually, she has never stayed silent for such long period of time.
âJaruti tha.â He said, successfully decoding what she meant by âyeh sabâ, âKyunki, tumhari age ki safar tum rishton ki bojh tale dabke nahi paar nahi kar pati.â
âBojh!!â She spun around to finally face him, his face was expressionless and she didnât like it when he wore that expression, âPichle 5 saalo me aapne mujhe yeh pahchana! Ki rishte mere lye bojh hai?â
âNahi. But thatâs my point exactly!! Yeh rishte tumhari lye hamesha first priority raha hai, tumhari siksha ki raste mai sabse bari badha banke.â
âYeh, sach nahi hai!!â
âNahi? Zara sochke batana, pichle panch saalo mai kitna baar iss parivar ki jhamele mai ulajhke tumhe aapni parahi se dur rahna para ho? Kitne baar asa hua ki tum hafton taak aanpi kitabon ko chu bhi nahi pati thi? Bolo?â âGin nahi paa rahi ho hai naa? Barristari ki padahi ittni asan nahi hai Bondita!â
âAsi padahi ka kya phyda jiske lye rishton ko piche chornapare?â
âTumhari padahi sirf padahi nahi hai aur yeh baat tumacchese jantiho. Maine tumhe siksha ka pankh toh de dya, lekin udneki ajadi ke bina tum ur nahi pati. Tumhe khuli asman mai pankh philake udna hai Bondita.â
âKya sirf yahi waja hai mujhe London bhejne ki?â
âKya matlab?â his mask of indifference faltered, her patibabu was a good liar but she had learned to pick up the little signs when he was lying to her or hiding things because she is âtoo youngâ to understand them, so she didnât miss when his posture stilled or when he looked over her shoulder instead of meeting her eyes, but his slip was only minuscule, soon the mask was back on, âMatlab chahe jo bhi ho, this topic is not up to debate!!â he declared and the Rakshas Babu was back.
âChalo nahi puchti.â Younger Bondita never would have let the topic go, would never left a debate unresolved, but this Bondita at the age of 16 had learned a lot about the World, about the man she called her husband.Though now-a-days she rarely gets to see this version of him but when he was like this nothing can move him from his decision. âNahi puchti ki aapne achanak itna bada fasla kase le lya? Kyun lya? Nahi puchti ki pichle kuch mahino me asakya hua jo aap mere as pas bhi nahi rahna cahte, asa kya galti hui mujhse?â she walked closer to him and instantly he became restless, his eyes were looking anywhere but at hers, âAur phir yeh, jab bhi mai aapki pas ati hoon toh asa lagta hai ki aapko ghutan si mahsoos ho raha ho. Per phir bhi kuch nahi puchungi aapse.â
He looked astonished which to her felt like an insult to her inteligence. But at that moment it was insignificant, she was running out of time. She needed to find some answer before he left.
Meri suhag ki nishani mari adhikar hai, mujhse yeh nishaniya chinke aap kya prove karna chate hai? Kahi iska matlab yeh toh nahi ki aapne mujhe aapni patni kabhi mana hi nahiâŚki mai aapki lye sirf ek zimmidari thiâŚaur kuch nahiâŚ
âBondita, tum yeh sabâŚkab-â
âJaane dijiye.â Fighting her stinging eyes she bend down to touch his feet, while sliding her fingertips on his shoes she said, âAshirwad ki jiye ki mai hamhara har sapna pura kar saku. Ashirwad kiliye ki mai uss layak ban payun ki aapki kandhe se kandha milake hamari desh ki kuriti woh kikhilaf lad saku.â
He gathered his astray emotions and put both his hands gently on her hair, âMai ashirwad karta hun ki tum woh mashal banogi jiskiroshni se hamhara pura India roshan hogi, aurto par ho rahi atyachar ki anttbanogi tum. Ashirwad karta hun ki parvat saman badha bhi tumhari manobaal kisamne nahi tik payega. Jaha bhi jaogi aapni roshni se sare andhkar mita dogi.âDespite all her efforts a drop of tear escaped from her eyes and fell on hisshoes. âDukhi mat ho Bondita, kuch pane ke lye kuch khona jaruri hai. Tyaag kebina safalta kabhi nahi ati.â
She engraved his words bot in her mind and her heart like doctrains and then closing her eyes she gathered all her strength to prepared herself for the hardest part.
âAbb aap ja sakte hai.â She ordered while standing on her full hight only inches from him, looking straight in his eyes.
Puch nahi sakti magar azma toh sakti hun naaâŚagar aaj aapne meri ankho se ankh churake chali gayi tohmai samajh lungi ki mai aapko gawara nahiâŚ
âAse dekhna band karo Bondita!!â His mask was dwindling gradually, now she could clearly see the adoration in his eyes, the adoration she had always seen in his eyes for her, but there was also fear andnerviousness, and something elseâŚsomething she didnât recognize, his pupiles were dialated and eventhough her eyes were locked to his she was close enoughto feel him swallow.
âNahi. Jana toh aapko ase hi parega. Mujhe aapko khudse dur jate hue dekhna hai.â Something akin tohope was growing in her heart, he was still thereâŚhe didnât look awayâŚ
âBonditaâŚâ he whispered, tears were forming in his eyesâŚhe was getting desparate, he has to go but he wasnât strong enough to go, not when she wasâŚ
She sighed in defeat and gave him a smile filled with melancholy, she knew she had to let him goâŚ
âAapko pata hai, aaj tak maine aapki harr fasle ki sanman kia hai, usi raste se chali hu jo rah aapne dikhaya, toh aaj bhi wasa hi hoga jasa aap chate hai. Kyunki mai janti hun aap kabhi mere bura nahi soch sakte. Aapki iss fasle ke piche bhi koi na koi waja jarur hoga, jo sayad mai iss waqtnahi dekh pa rahi hoon.â She took in a deep breath, her nostril were hit withhis familiar scent, and moved away from him, in the process breaking theireyelock.
Yeh tu kya kar hari thi,Bondita? Sabdo se khelte khelte kisiki mann ki sath khelna kab sikhlya tune? Wohbhi uss insanki jisne tere lye hamesha puri duniya se ladhte aye hai, teri harr choti se choti khushi ka khyal rakkhe haiâŚkya tujhe dikh nahi raha ki Patibabuko bhi utna hi dard ho raha hai jitna ki tujheâŚ
âJaiye! Aapki ship ki waqt ho raha hai. Thamesport kafi durhai yha se.â
âThank you, mujhe samajh ne ke lye. Abb hum tumhaigraduation ki din hi milenge.â She let out a soft giggle, âHaas kyun rahi ho?Tumhe yeh sab majak lag raha hai?â
âNahi, bilkul nahi. Mai toh baas yeh soch rahi thi ke aapme bohot sari khubiya hai lekin dhariya, patience aapme bohot kaam hai, mere binatoh who level aur niche a jata hai.â Maybe it was the new found hope which wasmaking her a little cheeky or maybe it was her need to say him goodbye with a brave face that put the smile on her lips, âJo insan meri subha uthne se le karraat ko sone tak mai kya padhungi, kya pahnugi, kya karungi, kya khaungi iss sare baton ka fasla karta ho, wahi insan itne saalo tak meri zindegiki mai tang adaye bina kase rahte hai yeh mujhe bhi dekhna hai.
âTumhe lagta hai mai nahi rah paunga?â
âAapko lagta haike aap rah payenge?â
âHaan! Kyun nahi?â
âThik hai, dekhte hai!!â
âDekh lena.â
âDekh lungi, aab aap jaiye, you are getting late.â She saidthe last bit with a fake british accent which made him laugh. She was jokingwhile on the inside she was struggling to maintain the happy face.
âChalta hoon. Aapna khyal rakhna.â He walked to the door andpulled it open but didnât leave immidiatly, it was their thing for him to linger in the door step, seeing her one last time before leaving, this time too it was no different, âIfâŚif you ever feel that things are getting out of hand,tumse loi problem nahi samhala ja rahi ho, which is highly unlikely, tum call kar sakti ho mujhe, mai a jaunga.â
âMujhe pata hai, thank you.â
And then he left, closing the door on his way out. As the door shut her smile dropped from her face, her legs gave out as she fell to the wooden floor.
A muffled sob escaped her throat as the sound of his footsteps faded on the stairs.

