Abhigya FF:Night To Remember LAST ch PG 75 NEW FF LINK pg 1 - Page 17

Just then bulbul came to inform me that he had returned and was waiting for me. I looked around searching for baba, he wasn't there," isn't baba at home?" she shook her head in negation and told me that he had gone out for some work, I pressed her hand assuring her once again that I was fine before leaving the house.

I stood at the parking lot with my bag near the car, he walked up to me and handed me over something wrapped in a newspaper, I frowned then slowly unwrapped the newspaper, my lips stretched in a smile on seeing some green glass bangles. I looked at him in surprise, my smallest of things didn't go unnoticed by him. I pushed the bangles through my empty wrist carefully, the cut had healed up by now. I parted my lips and gathered all the courage I could to thank him for everything that he had done for me so far but before a word slipped out of my mouth I heard him call out to purab and say," drive pragya carefully to the hostel."

My eyelids dropped to hide the disappointment I was feeling on hearing that he had asked purab to drop me to the hostel. But bulbul asked him instead of me," aren't you going with bhabhi?" he slipped his hands in his pockets and replied casually," I have more important things to handle."

Yes, he was right, he was a busy man and didn't have the time to drop me off, moreover even if he had come there he wouldn't have stayed with me. He would have left after dropping me off. It was my battle and I would have to fight it alone.

Sitting in the car my eyes lingered on his face till purab drove me off. Why did I feel bad? I supposed I was expecting a little too much from him.

It was late in the evening when we reached the campus area. The hostel building was adjacent to the college building. I picked up my bag and gave purab a faint smile.

I turned around to leave when he stopped me, he came and stood in front of me then took out some money from his pocket and said," abhi has given this for you ."

Seeing me give him a blank look he continued," you might need them." I guess now after spending so many months with him, he must have come to know that I always accepted money from him reluctantly, may be that's why this time he asked purab to give it to me.

I shook my head indicating I didn't need the money. I didn't feel comfortable taking money from him not because he'd literally thrown bundle of notes on my face on the first day of our marriage but also because I couldn't ignore the actual reality of our relationship. Where I was his wife just for the family and the society, where I had no rights over him thus I hardly discharged any duties of a wife, so without discharging any of my responsibilities how could I claim my right over his things? With rights came responsibilities and vice versa. Only if I had right over him could I think of exercising my right over his things as well.

Noticing me not budge, he persuaded me one more time," take it bhabhi, you know abhi will be really angry if I return him." Not wanting him to get into trouble because of me, I took the money and dropped it in my purse along with the cell phone. He smiled and waved at me before leaving.

Pushing the campus gates I walked in slowly, I had spent a major chunk of the last three years of my life here. Both good and bad memories came rushing back. My gaze fell on the small tea stall where I had shared not only several of cups of tea with him but also my every small little feeling with him. We used to talk for hours there sometimes discussing about the assignments or upcoming examinations while other times chatting over any irrelevant topic ignoring my other batch mates who didn't appreciate my spending time with him.

Taking a deep breath I started walking again and crossed the huge library where I had met him for the first time. He was a complete book worm, ridiculed by his fellow mates for his oily hair, big and heavy spectacles, improper dressing etc, etc, the list could go on. Basically he was looked down as a nerd, who spoke less, lacked self confidence, kept to himself and someone who was fiercely possessive about his books. How he looked or behaved or how he was perceived by others really never mattered to me, what had made us connect was our deep interest toward reading about Indian History, no wonder we both had chosen history to graduate in.

I remembered the day we had bumped into each other, he was carrying a huge pile of books, one of which caught my attention because it was the same one which I had been looking for a very long time. Knowing very well that he hated sharing his books, I still took a chance and asked if I could borrow it for the weekend. He had given me this intent look before agreeing to lend the book but only if I too lent him the only book that was in my hands. I had smiled inwardly before exchanging the book with him. From then on borrowing books from each other became a regular habit and it just didn't limit to books but soon we began exchanging our notes, assignments and also started helping each other out in various class projects. With the passage of time we had become really close friends, my eyes moistened as I recalled those days.

The reception of the girl's dorm wasn't crowded, I took my keys and began walking in the empty corridor searching for her. I inserted the key in the hole when I felt a hand on my shoulder, turning around I found her standing in front of me, Balbir daadi, our warden, in her late fifties dressed in her trademark crisp cotton sari with a long gold chain adorning her neck. A strict disciplinarian who did not tolerate any nuisance created by the girls but deep within possessed a heart full of motherly love for us. After completing my schooling I began staying in the hostel because baba often moved to different places for better job opportunities, tanu had finished her graduation so she too stayed with maa and baba. With time balbir daadi had grown really fond of me and With her around I rarely missed maa.

She asked me with concerned filled eyes," what took you so long to return?" before I could reply, her gaze fell on my forehead and she noticed the vermillion in my parting. Her knotted brows ironed out and a surprised smile displayed on her lips," oh pragya, you're married?" I gave out a thin smile and nodded my head, she took me in her embrace and said," I'm so so happy for you." She moved apart and kept her hand on my head blessing and congratulating me at the same time," so how is..." she couldn't complete her sentence as the peon came and interrupted her," there is a phone call for you at the reception." She glared at him for disturbing her conversation, warden and teachers hate to be interrupted, nevertheless she shook her head and turned to look at me," you rest. I'll speak to you later." Then left to attend the call at the reception.

I stood under the shower, hoping that the hot water would relax my nerves but it wasn't working. The close to three years that I had spent with him in the college weren't leaving my mind. He changed a lot during those years, for instance he became more friendly and confident, even his dressing sense improved tremendously and without being modest I should take the credit for all of it but one thing that I couldn't change about him was his smoking habit, which used to annoy me and people around us a lot. Well that was not the only thing about him that used to disturb my friends, his over protective nature towards me also annoyed them which I ignored completely thinking that they were simply jealous of him because I spent most of my time with him. And what was wrong in that? He had an amazing sense of humor which they failed to notice also they didn't realize how happy and cheerful I used to be with him. With him around a broad smile always lingered on my lips.

I turned off the shower and looked myself in the mirror. The ever so optimistic and full of life pragya, had gone lost somewhere.

Opening the bag I began unpacking and started keeping my suits in the small wooden cupboard. I frowned as a shawl came in my hands, I didn't remember keeping it.

He must have packed it.

Shaking my head I wrapped it around myself. The door knocked, it was balbir daadi, we sat on the bed, her inquisitive eyes hovered around my face, "tell me, is everything going well?" she asked, I put up a brave face and replied without meeting her eyes," yeah all is fine."

She held my hand which was busy playing with the bells of my dupatta to gain her attention, "you're happy?" I lifted my downcast gaze, second time in the day the same question was asked from me. My lips quivered as they stretched to form a fake smile. Her sharp eyes looked at me, I parted my lips to lie once again but my throat went dry. I closed my eyes in defeat, I couldn't lie to her, I had told her everything about my past, she knew him and all that had happened between us. Gulping the lump in my throat I dropped my head on her lap as silent tears escaped my closed eyes. She brushed her fingers through my hair and said," he was your past. Forget him and look ahead." she was right, past was past, it couldn't be changed but moving on was not so easy as she was sounding it to be. She stroked my arm for a long time as I calmed myself down.

"your husband loves you, right?" she asked

"he cares for me a lot." I said immediately sitting up. He didn't love me.

"so he's a nice man?" she smiled and said. I shook my head in agreement, he's nice in fact very nice.

" then why don't you accept what is nice?" she said, winning her in words was never easy. I kept quiet and thought over what she had said, accepting each other was not that simple.

The silence in the room broke by an unfamiliar sound, I looked around and realized that it came from my new cell phone. I extended my hand and picked it up, he had sent a message which said," I've eaten." I smiled softly after reading it, he knew that I didn't eat before him.

"who's it?" daadi asked.

I glanced at her and replied, "it was him." She frowned at me in confusion, "I mean my." I paused and completed myself hesitantly," husband."

"you call him suniye ?"

"hmm. It suits him." I replied shyly.

I lifted my gaze and found her smiling back at me, "come daadi let's go and eat." I wrapped myself closely in his shawl and glanced at his name in the cell phone. i had edited it from 'Abhishekh' to 'suniye' earlier in the day.

********************

I rustled through the comforter in search of my wrist watch but failed to find it. Went to the bathroom thinking I might have left it there, but no, it wasn't there as well. Coming out I began picking up the cushions on the couch hurriedly then dropped them in frustration, I was getting late for an important meeting with the builders. Wondering where she had kept it, I screamed, "PRAGYA.." then realized she wasn't around, pursing my lips I thought of leaving for the meeting without it just then my cell phone rang. I walked up to the bed and picked up the pillow, it was lying underneath it, I had called and messaged her sometime back.

"hello" I said after picking it up.

"I have reached the examination hall." She informed.

"hmm" I replied and then she disconnected the call, my gaze fell on the bed where the wrist watch was also lying, good she called up otherwise I would have forgotten to carry my cell phone. I wore the watch it was quarter to ten, calling out for Purab I left for the meeting.

On the way I briefed him up about our terms and conditions, we wouldn't invest in the project unless the builders guaranteed that they would employ people from our area for construction purposes and not hire labour from outside.

I twirled in the huge chair as purab discussed about the project with them. I could vaguely hear him speak about the initial amount of investment, the proposed gestation period etc. nothing really was registering in my mind. My eyes shifted from my watch which showed 1'o clock to the cell phone from time to time as I played with the paper weight on the table. At last it rang, her name flashed on the screen, I picked it up.

"yeah"

"suniye, the exam went fine." She said.

"okay" I said and once again she disconnected the call. I turned my neck and looked at everybody sitting, they were all quiet.

"so purab what were you saying?" I asked him bringing my wavering thoughts back to the meeting. He clearly seemed surprised and replied," abhi I said everything. Didn't you hear me?"

I stood up from my seat and glared at him.

"No , I heard you. But I'd like to hear you again. So repeat."

He shook his head and started rattling one more time, I slid my hands in my pockets and began listening to him intently, walking up and down slowly. My fingers felt something sharp in the pocket, I took them out.

They were pieces of her glass bangles that stayed with me ever since I had found them in the bathroom.