Anirudh had turned 29 years and Bondhita is 19. Anirudh made a deal with his father that Bondhita be allowed to go to University of Calcutta and Bombay for higher studies and his father in turn asked him to go and practice as a barrister in London for a few years for experience and then come back if he wants to because he was pretty sure that once Anirudh goes back to London, he would not want to come back.
So when Bondhita had turned thirteen, he shifted to London whereas Bondhita continued to study in their village school. All the responsibility of her education was taken up by her father in law who had grown to be fond of her after Anirudh shifted to London. He would come twice in a year for one year andthen as he grew busy with work, coming to India became scarce.
As Bondhita turned 18 years, it was time for her to go to university and she got admitted in both Calcutta as well as Bombay university. She chose University of Calcutta because that way, she could stay near to her family.
She was doing her grad in economics and used to live in Calcutta. Her late father had a house there which he had passed on to Bondhita in his will about which they came to know just a year back when Bondhita’s grandparents from her father’s side passed away. Her mother used to visit her often.
The last time Bondhita had seen Anirudh was when she was fourteen years old, because after that he did not visit in three years. They had no means to communicate and Bondhita was too shy to write a letter to him to ask about him.It just didn’t feel comfortable.
Her first year was already done and her exams were just finished when she received her father in law’s letter in which he had asked her to come to Tulsipur soon because it had been over six months that she had been in Calcutta and not visited her village once.
Delighted, she took the first train to Tulsipur. It was just last year when Tulsipur have had its first railway station.
The journey lasted for ten hours and she reached Tulsipur by midnight. Not wanting to disturb anyone at night at her in law’s place, she decided to go to her maama’s house.
As she started walking towards her maama’s house, she found all theroads to be deserted. Not a single soul was to be seen there and she was happy about it.
Reaching Tulsipur, she was feeling a little different. She didn’t know why, but there were butterflies in her stomach.
“ Maybe because I’ve come here after six months.” She muttered to herself.
Midway, she found her Somnath dada and Batuk riding a car.
“ Baudi…we were coming to pick you up to the station, why did you walk?”Som asked her.
“ Dada I has no idea that you were coming. That’s why I decided to go to maama’s house. I didn’t want to disturb you all.” She said, honestly.
“ What baudi….you are family and also, baba is going to kill us if hecomes to know that we did not reach on time to pick you up. Now come and sit inthe car.” Batuk replied and Bondhita obliged.
“ How were exams Baudi?” Som asked.
“ They were good dada. Just one paper was tough.” She replied and thenthe three of them talked about events happened at home. In that ride of twenty minutes, her brother in laws told her everything just except for one fact that their beloved dada had come back from London yesterday morning.
They wanted to give her a surprise but it was more of a shock on Bondhita. Anirudh knew that she was coming back had was about to go to the station to pick her up when Soham and Batuk told them that he won’t be able torecognize their baudi.
“ Baba.” Bondhita said and went to touch her father in law’s feet.
“ How were your exams beta?” He asked.
“ Good baba. How are you all?” She asked him.
“ We have been good beta, we all missed you but for now, you should go and take some rest. We will talk tomorrow.” He said, walking away to his room.
“ Som dada….where is Saudamini didi?” Bondhita asked her brother in law who was more like just a brother.
“ Don’t worry about her baudi….she is in her husband’s house. Went there yesterday after spending a week at kaka’s place.” Soham answered.
Bondhita was very happy to know this. She was secretly praying for Saudamini di to not be there because she had something against her.
“ I know I shouldn’t day this….but thank god.” Bondhita let out a sigh of relief.
“ I know Baudi….she is such a drama queen!” Batuk replied and the three of them enjoyed a few rounds of laughter.
As she walked to her room….which was once Anirudh’s room she started making a list in her mind about the things she had to do the next day. It was an old habit of her’s.
“ Subah uth ke maa se milne jaana hai, unke saath dher saari baateinkarni hain, maami ko thoda tang karna hai prashn puch puch ke, maama koroshogulle laane ke liye behelana hai, Sampu di ke ghar bhi jaana hai, Amal (Sampoorna’s son) ke liye khilone bhi kharidne honge usse pehele, phir ghar aakebaba ke saath bathke kaarkhane ka hisaab bhi dekhna hai……” She went on and on and did not realize that she had reached the room. She was just standing at the door, murmuring to herself.
“ Apne itne vyast din mein mujhe kuch pal milenge?” A deep, husky voice interrupted her chain of thoughts and she shivered because of the voice.
Looking up, she found…….Pati babu?
“ Aap?” She asked, confused.
“ Haan main.” He said.
“ Aap yaha kya kar rahein hain?” She asked, very shocked. She was seeing him after five years and he was just the same, maybe put up some muscles but definitely, in these years, her view of looking at him had changed in her mind.
He was not just a mentor to her anymore. He was her husband.
“ Kyu? Main yahan nahi aa sakta?” He asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his hands in front of his chest.
“ Nahi nahi….mera matlab hai…aa sakte hain na…Aapka hi toh ghar hai.”She stammered, tucking a loose strand of her behind her hair.
“ Toh kya matlab hai Bondhita?” He asked, still looking at her.
The way he took her name got the butterflies to return in her stomach which were irritating her as she was walking on the street.
“ Kahan khoyi hui ho?” He asked, snapping his fingers in front of her.
“ K….kahin nahi.” She replied back and then looked at him.
“ Thak gayi hogi, so jao.” He said as he moved away from the door to let her come in.
“ Haan…shubhratri.” She replied and started walking towards one of the many guest rooms in the haweli.
“ Kahan jaa rahi ho?” Anirudh asked her.
“ Sone.” She replied innocently.
“ Par kamra idhar hai.” He said pointing towards the room.
“ Haan…par aapka hai.” She said, looking at him with her doe shaped eyes.
“ Bondhita, humara kamra hai.” He said but she did not move.
She didn’t know what to say. It would be so awkward of them to share a room together!
“ Pareshan mat ho…..sofa hai.” He said, reading her thoughts.
She walked inside.
“ Aap wapis kab aaye?” She asked.
“ Kal subah.” He replied to her.
“ Tumhari pareeksha kaisi thi?” It was his turn to ask a question.
“ Acchi thi. Aap wapis kab jaa rahe hain?” She asked but then it sounded so weird to her own ears and then tried to clarify the question.
“ Are wah! Main aaya nahi ki waapis bhejne ki tayyari?” He asked,raising his eyebrows at her.
“ Mera who matlab nahi tha.” She did try to clarify.
“ Pata hai….apna chehra dekho, kitna dara hua lag raha hai!” And he started laughing and glared at him.
“ Aaj mazaak uda rahe hain mera Pati babu?” She asked, offended.
“ Chalo, thoda toh Khulna shuru hui yeh.” He muttered to himself.
“ Aapne kuch kaha?” She asked, folding her hands in front of her chest.
“ Yahi ki ab main London nahi, tumhare saath Calcutta chalunga. Wahan barristery karunga.” He told her and her eyes went wide open.
Before she could react, the window of the room got opened because of thestrong winds, making Bondhita’s hair all open which were held together by a pen till now. The pen fell down and her long hair started falling on her face. She bent down to pick the pen.
She tried to tie her hair back in a bun when Anirudh took the pen from her hand.
“ Baal khule hi acche lagte hain.” He said, tucking the strand back to her ear which were covering her face and she blushed into a deepest shade of red.
Just a little something from me🙈
Please please let me know what you think about it! Motivates a lot to write more! ❤️
I wrote it last year....😂
Shiv Shakti
