. AWESOME BLOSSOM 💕Originally posted by: mahiii12
Part 1
“ Sunle Bondita, aaj kachehri se chutti leni hogi tujhe kyuki humein sah-parivaar vaarshik talwaarbaazi pratyogita mein jaana hai. Dugga maa ki kripa se iss baar humaare Chandrachur jamai babu hi vijeyta honge aur Tulsipur waale muh ke bal girenge.” Thakumaa put her far-fetched dreams into words.
“ Haan haan….sapne dekhne par kaunsa tax lagta hai.” Bondita muttered to herself, trying to hide her giggle.
“ Kuch kaha tumne Bondita?” Thakumaa asked her, giving her a hard look and she just nodded her head in a no.
“ Mai aap logon ke saath hi mandir chalungi Thakumaa. Bas jaldi se tayyaar hokar wahan pahunchti hoon. Aap log nikaliye warna deri ho jayegi.” She said and Thakumaa nodded. Everyone else left for the temple and Bondita went to her room to get ready.
“ Heyy Dugga maa, aaj aap mujhe Sakha Babu se milaa hi dijiyega itne shubh avsar par. Ek baar woh mujhse baat kar lein, mera taraf bas ek baar dekh lein toh mai unki iss naraazgi ko samajh jaungi. Please Dugga maa, bas aap hi madad kar sakti hain ab meri.” She muttered while looking around her closet to decide what to wear.
“ Yeh safed waali ya yeh hari waali? Kaunsi saree pehenu main?” Bondita kept both the sarees on her shoulders.
“ Sakha Babu ka favorite color white hai tu yahi waali pehenti hoon.” She kept on talking to herself and started wrapping the white saree with red border onto her in traditional Bengali style. She then put bindi, some kajal in her eyes and a subtle pink lip tint.
“ Chal Bondita warna tu yahaan tayyaar hi hoti reh jaayegi aur wahaan Sakha Babu haraa bhi chuke honge Jamai babu ko, who drishya toh dekhne laayak hoga.” She giggled to herself and then started to leave with the chaalak babu.
“ Dada, mandir pahunchne mein aur kitna samay lagega?” She asked him enthusiastically.
“ Bas kuch 5 minute aur Choti Maalkin.” He replied and Bondita sat in silence for the rest of the time.
“ Ji pahunch gaye Choti Maalkin.” The driver said and Bondita jumped out of the car.
“ Dhanyawaad chaalak babu.” She thanked him and walked towards the verandah of the temple where the talwaarbaazi pratyogita was supposed to happen.
“ Are Bondita, aa gayi tu? Chal idhar aaja.” Sumati said as she spotted her daughter walking in.
“ Haan maa, bas abhi aayi.” She replied and started to go inside the temple to take her Dugga maa’s blessings and failed to notice Chandrachur walking towards her.
“ Bondita hum mein se koi bhi mandir ke andar darshan karne nahi jaa sakta. Iska haq filhaal Tulsipur waalon pe paas hai par bas kuch pal aur. Talwaarbaazi jeetne ke upraant, mai swayam tumjhe darshan karwaane le jaunga.” He said, stopping her from going any further.
Bondita found his words uncomfortable for some reason but she gave him an uninterested look.
“ Aap chinta mat kariye Jamai Babu, main jitni Krishnanagar ki hoon utni hi main Tulsipur ki hoon. Mujhe andar jaane se kuch nahi hoga.” She replied, giving him the fakest smile possible and started to walk towards the entrance of the mandir once again.
As she was walking, a little girl, perhaps aged somewhere around 7 or 8 bumped into her while she was running.
“ Are are…..aaraam se. Gir jaogi.” Bondita steadied her and the little girl gave her a smile.
“ Dhanyawaad didi. Aap toh kitni sundar lag rahi ho. Aapka naam kya hai?” The little girl, Shashwati asked Bondita.
“ Mera naam Bondita hai, aur tumhara?” She asked, bending down to Shashwati’s level.
“ Aap….Aap Bondita ho?” She asked and a huge smile spread across her face.
“ Haan, par tum mujhe kaise janti ho?” Bondita was slightly confused with the little girl’s enthusiasm.
But instead of replying, Shashwati threw her arms across Bondita’s neck and tightly hugged her. Bondita, a little shocked hugged her back.
“ Mai Shashwati hoon. Aapki Sampoorna didi maa hain meri.” She replied as she then looked at Bondita once again.
“ Shashwati!” Bondita got extremely excited once again and pulled her into a hug once again.
“ Bondita maasi, aapke baare mein maa ne mujhe sab bataya hai. Aapko pataa hai, mujhe bhi kacchi kairiyan khana bahut pasand hai!” Shashwati told Bondita and she just chuckled.
“ Accha Sashwati, Sampoorna didi kahaan hai?” Bondita asked her and the little girl fell in a deep thought.
“ Oh haan….maa toh kaka aur dada ke saath mandir mein hain. Chaliye mere saath, aree…..chaliye naa.” Bondita got up on her feet once again and Shashwati started to drag her inside the temple.
“ Maasi, aap na iss khambe ke peeche chup jao. Hum maa ko surprise denge!” She said and Bondita nodded her head a little and did as her little niece instructed her.
“ Maa….maa main na aapke liye ek tohfa laayi hoon. Mujhe pata hai mera tohfa dekhte hi aap kitna khush ho jaogi!” Shashwati said, running towards where Sampoorna, Kaka and Anirudh were standing.
“ Are bhai, humein bhi toh pata chale ki Shashwati aisaa kya laayi hai?” Kaka asked in his signature tone.
“ Uske liye aap sab ko apni aankhein band karni hongi, tabhi mai dikhaungi.” She demanded and Sampoorna and Kaka immediately obliged, Anirudh on the other hand was still looking at Shashwati trying to figure out what exactly was going on in her mind. Afterall, he was the one who understood her mischiefs the best.
“ Dada, sab mein aap bhi shaamil hain. Chaliye apni aankhein band kariye tabhi mai dikhaungi.” She bossed Anirudh around while he narrowed his eyes at her and opened his mouth to ask her.
“ Aree Anirudh jaisa bol rahi hai kar lo na. Phir talwaarbaazi ki pratiyogita mein bhi jaana hai.” Sampoorna said Anirudh had no option but to oblige.
Shashwati giggled and then ran towards where Bondita was hiding. Bondita was a little skeptical about going in front of her Sakha babu because the last time she tried it, he threatened to kill himself and this time, he has a sword in his hand.
“ Chalo na maasi. Soch kya rahi ho?” Shashwati dragged Bondita once again to where the three adults were standing with their eyes closed. Bondita was extremely nervous to come in front of their eyes now. Shashwati was going to ask them to open their eyes but Bondita covered her mouth to stop her from speaking as she wanted to look at her Sakha babu once before he got extremely angry. She just wanted to capture his image in her eyes and heart like she did 8 years back through the mirror. He had grown even more handsome in the span of these 8 years, had put on some muscle, his expressions were hard unfortunately, something that wasn’t sitting well with Bondita and that was one thing she was planning to change. All she wanted to do was hug him tightly and never let go, just once feel and hear his heart beating once again by keeping her ear on his chest, just once feel his arms around her again and never let go of that feeling.
Bondita was so lost that she didn’t realize that Shashwati had managed to remove her hand and her voice broke her trance.
“ Ab aap sab apni aankhein khol sakte hain.” Bondita heard her enthusiastic little niece and that when she clutched her eyes shut immediately. It was not fear, it was something else, something Bondita had failed to understand and name. It felt like as if millions of butterflies were let loose in her stomach.
" Aap bhi toh apni aankhein kholiye naa." Sashwati forced Bondita to open hwr eyes too.
The moment their eyes met, Anirudh exactly knew who it was. He could never forget those eyes. Those eyes which had a million questions in them, those eyes which had adoration for him in them, they had admiration in them towards him, it were those eyes that told him everything even when her lips failed.
" Yeh kaun hain Shashwati?" It was Sampoorna who decided to break the silence.
" Kya maa, aise toh aap mujhe inki baatein batati reheti ho aur jab yeh saamne khadi hain to pehechaan bhi nahi paa rahi ho!
" Bonditaaa....." Sampoorna said in realisation and tears escaped through her eyes.
" Didi!" She immediately threw herself in Sampoorna’s arms. Yes, there were differences between the two sisters but at the end of the day, that's who they were.....sisters! Sampoorna was a changed woman who has has her realization of mistakes and Bondita was well, Bondita. Forgiving her own people was her second name.
" Kitni badi ho gayi hai tu!" Sampoorna exclaimed and kissed Bondita’s forehead.
" Par aap toh aaj bhi vaisi hi ho didi, ekdum. Shotti." Bondita said, wiping the tears on Sampoorna’s cheeks.
" Mere aansoon toh poch rahi hai, khud ke kaun pochega?" Sampoorna asked as she took one end of her pallu and wiped Bondita’s cheeks.
" Bas ab ek pal aise hi khadi reh. Tujhe aankhon mein ek baar bhar toh loon. Na jaane iss dushmani ke chalte agli baar tujhe kab dekh paungi." Sampoorna got emotional once again.
" Nahi didi. Tu jab chahe mujhse mil sakti hai. Hum behene hain, duniya ki koi shakti humein milne se nahi rok sakti. Jab bhi man ho, Deenpur ki kachehri aa jaana, hum wahi mil lenge." Bondita suggested and Sampoorna nodded lovingly at her.
" Pishi (Bondita’s mother) kaisi hai?" She asked. It had been a long time since Sampoorna had talked to her.
" Maa acchi hai, bas Thakumaa ke saath rehkar badal gayi hai aur yeh badlaav mujhe bilkul pasand nahi hai. Krishnanagar mein ab sab paraaye-paraaye lagte hain." Bondita muttered the last line, highly disappointed.
" Aree Bahu.....humara matlab hai Bondita, apni didi se hi milna hai kya bas? Kaka se nahi?" Bhool gayi kya humein?" KSJ asked her and Bondita took two steps towards him.
" Aapko main bhool jayun, aisa ho sakta hai kya kaka?" She asked, keeping both her hands on her waist and kaka gave her a laugh.
" Bas kad mein hi badi hui ho tum, harkatein aur tark karne ki aadal bilkul vaisi hi hai tumhaari jaise pehele thi." He remarked and Bondita bent down to take his blessings.
" Humesha khush raho." He said and kept his hand on her head lovingly.
" Aapne mere peeche apna dhyaan toh rakha nahi hoga kaka. Bilkul galat baat hai yeh toh." She complained about him to him and he chucked.
" Bilkul dhyaan rakha. Tabhi toh dekho tumhaare saamne durust khade hain." He replied.
" Haan haan....mujhe pataa hai kaka. Bhaari babu ne rakha hoga aapka khayal varna toh ekdum kamzor ho gaye hote aap." She taunted her kaka.
This is the kind of relationship that they shared. Just like father-daughter.
All this while, Anirudh was just looking at Bondita, all he wanted to do was take her hand in his and run away somewhere aloof where there would be no one, no enemity and no hesitation. He could talk to her, listen to her when she would tell him about her time in London, about her studies and friends and life and he would tell her about his, about how he missed her daily. How he missed her tarks, her advice and her laughter. He wanted to make her eat ek badaam wale roshugulle by his own hands, and just relish time with her. But none of this could happen because of one lady currently shouting at his Bondita.
" Bondita.....dushmano se baat karne ki teri himmat kaise hui? Jaanti nahi yeh Tulsipur waale hain?" Thakumaa shouted at her from the entrance of the mandir and she turned.
" Dushman? Kaun dushman Thakumaa? Yeh log? Yeh log mere dushman kaise ho sakte hain? Are inse zyaada apnaa toh mera koi hai hi nahi. Koi bhi nahi." She replied in her no-nonsense tone.
" Abhi ke abhi idhar aa Bondita warna mujhse bura koi nahi hoga." She screamed at her once again.
" Aapse bura koi hai bhi nahi. Bas bolti reheti hain ki aurat jaat yeh aurat jaat woh. Khud aurat jaat pe sabse badaa kalank hain." She muttered rolling her eyes and that's when Bondita heard that melody just like a million wind-chimes singing the same tune to the wind, that's how that laughter sounded.
Bondita turned around too look at that sight. Her Sakha Babu was laughing and she was seeing him laugh for the first time in 8 years. All Bondita could do was look at him lovingly. He looked so young, so free like he had no care in the world about anything.
" Yeh humara Anirudh hans raha hai na Sampoorna?" Yeh Anirudh hi hai na?" KSJ wanted to confirm that he was not hallucinating and his son was actually laughing.
" Ji jeth ji, yeh Anirudh hi hai par mujhse toh vishwaas hi nahi ho raha hai. Bas ek Bondita hi hai jo humaare Anirudh ko khush rahne ki taakat rakhti hai." Sampoorna whispered.
" Yeh Barrister Babu ka dimaag kharab ho gaya hai kya? Aise kyun hans rahe hain yeh?" Chandrachur asked, standing next to Thakumaa and that's when Anirudh realized what he was doing and stopped laughing all of a sudden.
Bondita had a sudden urge to kick Chandrachur and then cut him into pieces and fry him because he was the one because of whom her Sakha Babu stopped laughing.
" Are Bondita idhar aao. Wahan dushmano ke saath kya kar rahi ho?" Chandrachur asked another question and this time Bondita gave him a sharp look.
" Jamai babu aap jaake apni talwaarbaazi pe dhyaan dijiye warna har saal ki tarah iss saal bhi haar jayenge." She taunted him, stiffening her giggle.
" Bondita idhar aao." He was not polite this time.
" Aap hote kaun hain mujhe batane waale ki mujhe kya karna hai aur kya nahi?" She had started to lose her temper now.
But before CC could reply, panditji made his way towards Anirudh.
" Barrister Babu, talwaarbaazi ki pratyogita aarambh karein." He said.
" Ji panditji. Chaliye." He said and giving one last look to Bondita, made his exit towards the verandah.
" Jamai babu, aapko kya alag se nyota bhijwana padega? Suna nahi panditji ne kya kaha? Pratyogita aarambh karni hai. Chalte baniye." Bondita roasted him once again and she followed her Sakha babu.
Anirudh chuckled very lightly this time. His Bondita did not tolerate anyone's nonsense attitude. She was not one of those who would not keep her point of view and do things without questioning them, she never has been one of them.
" Tum mere paas toh ho Bondita, tum humesha mere paas hi reheti ho par kaash tum mere saath hoti. Kaash ki tum Krishnanagar se nahi hoti, kaash humara rishta aaj bhi....." Anirudh thought but then he stopped. He cannot let thoughts like these come to him right now. He needed to focus.
" Aap hi jitenge Sakha babu, sirf aap." Bondita whispered really low in his ears when no one was looking and ran to the seating area and thus the competition begun.
It took Anirudh a total of fifteen minutes to win, that's all and Chandrachur was defeated real bad and right after it was declared that Anirudh and Tulsipur had won yet again, Anirudh found his eyes finding Bondita immediately who was looking towards him, a huge smile plastered on her face.
Once again, Anirudh Roy Choudhary surprised himself by giving her a smile back and this time, he was lost in her. The enthusiasm on her face, those orbs which did the taking when she decided to stay silent and everything about her screamed attention from him. That's how his Bondita was.
Bondita on the other hand was completely shocked because her Sakha Babu who was hell bent on avoiding the daylights of her was not only looking at her but was returning her smile. She even pinched herself to actually believe the sight.
Their eye contact did not break. Both were equally captivated by each other's eyes, not giving one flying worry to the surroundings around them, just lost into one another.
Two set of eyes did not like the sight they were seeing. Thakumaa was burning in anger and Chandrachur in jealousy. So much so that he decided to open his big stupid mouth.
" Agle varsh ki pratiyogita mein Krishnanagar ki jeeth zaroor hogi. Par iss samay ek aisi khushkhabri hai jo main yahan sab se baantna chahta hoon." Chandrachur announced, resulting in Bondita and Anirudh looking at him.
Bondita looked confused while Anirudh was irritated, mostly because Chandrachur's stupid self had to speak up at the wrong time but what he was about to say might as well just be the lasr words he ever spoke.
" Bondita aur mera vivah hoga. Aaj se ek saptah baad. Aap sab logon ka humaari khushiyon mein haardik swaagat hai." He said, a smirk placed on his lips and Bondita lost it. She was taken aback for a moment and thought that she must have heard wrong and hence confirmed with Tapur who told her exactly what she had heard and made her way to the fighting arena but before she could go and punch jamai babu in his face, someone had already done her work for her, Anirudh Roy Choudhary had punched Chandrachur so hard that his nose was all bloody and jaw unhinged.
" Sakha babu." She spoke very softly but loud enough for Anirudh to hear it.
" Iski himmat kaise hui Bondita? Iski himmat kaise hui?" Anirudh screamed in rage, bloodshot eyes and bloody knuckles.
Bondita would have to pacify her Sakha babu first and then deal with Chandrachur.
Guys, this is part one of this two shot!
A lot of Bondita-Anirudh scenes coming up in the last part.
I hope y'all like it. Please please please do comment in the section below. Really means a lot to me and motivates me to write more.
Love you all!!💞