# 2: He Will Miss Her.
Anirudh furiously stormed towards the kitchen as soon as Bihari showed up in the study with a glass of badam doodh set on a serving tray.
Why, you ask?
Because he knew that badam doodh was made by only one person in the Roy Choudhary mansion. His wife, Bondita. The exact reason behind Barristra Babu’s anger was that Bondita’s exams were closing in and as per the time-table, Mrs. Bondita Roy Choudhary was supposed to revise a few chapters before she went to sleep.
But he stopped at the doorway when he heard the voices of Bondita and Som as she scrubbed the soiled utensils in the corner and his brother sat on the counter, sipping on his hot coco milk while Bondita orally answered the questions he was throwing at her.
He was impressed.
Kaam bhi aur padhai bhi.
“The only difference between the different types of electromagnetic radiation is the amount of energy. The wavelengths we can see…” Bondita ranted off an answer.
Anirudh leaned against the door frame and watched the dada-boudi pair indulge in a rapid fire session, with his hands buried deep inside the pockets and clutching onto a gift he had brought down for his wife. He waited patiently for the duo to finish and finally she wiped her hands on a towel and looked at him wide eyed making Som rush out of the kitchen as soon as he was spotted standing right behind him.
“Pati babu, aapko kuch kaam tha? Bohot intezaar kiya aapne? ” Bondita knew he would never interrupt her studies at any cost and would wait until she wasn’t occupied anymore.
“Intezaar toh kiya hai, Bondita.” Anirudh walked in, “Paanch saal se intezaar kiya hai iss din ka. Kal tumhare saath-saath meri bhi pariksha hai, Bondita. Toh socha jaise tum apna stress kam karti ho, waise aaj mai bhi apna stress kam kar loon.” He smiled gently.
“Aapko bhi roshogulla khana hai, Pati Babu?” She giggled, but pulled out a pot of the said sweet from a cabinet, “Aapko sirf ek hi milega! Mai sab kuch baant sakti hoon-”
“Lekin roshogulla nahi!” Anirudh completed for her, “Pata hai mujhe.” He chuckled and yet saw her placing three of them in his bowl and accompanied him to sit at the dinning table.
“Dar lag raha hai?” Anirudh asked after she swallowed her share of the sweets in a hurry, an indicator of her nervousness. She sighed wordlessly, “Tum kar logi, Bondita. Mujhe tumpe vishwas hai.”
“Pata hai. Maine padhai toh bohot acche se ki hai aur mai janti hoon ki mai safal ho hi jaungi. Lekin dar iss baat ka lag raha hai ki safal hone ke baad ghar aur parivaar chod kar vilayat jana padega…” She mangled her fingers together, another nervous habit.
“Hmm… Woh toh hai. Jab mai vilayat jane wala tha, mujhe bhi dar lag raha tha. Kabhi ghar se dur raha hi nahi aur achanak sab ko chod ke jana mushkil bhi tha.” He folded his arms and relaxed in his chair, “Jab bhi ghar se letter aata mai yeh soch ke khush ho jata ki koi bhi mujhe bhula nahi hai.”
Bondita smiled wishfully, “Mujhe bhi letters bhejenge naa? Bhul toh nahi jayenge?”
“Tumhe koi bhul sakta hai bhala? ” Anirudh teased, “Tumhare jaane ke baad toh ghar mei shanti chha jayegi. Jiske marzi ke bina ghar ka ek kaam nahi hota, uske bina toh ghar, ghar jaisa lagega hi nahi. Mujhe lagta hai tumhare liye ghar se roz koi na koi letter bhejega. Everyone will miss you, Bondita.”
“Will you miss me?” Their eyes locked for a long moment, “Will you send letters for me, Pati Babu?”
It may sound like an innocent question to anyone else, but fr the two of them, it meant so much more. Anirudh was aware of the insecurities rising inside Bondita's mind ever since she learnt the truth about their marriage. He knew she feared for the future of their marriage.
Sometimes, he did too.
He was sure that he did not love her.
Will he ever love her the way a husband loves his wife? He wasn’t sure. Yet.
One day, they would be expected to assume the duties of a married couple and the eldest of the household, but uncertainty always plagued his mind every time he sat down to think about them as a pair. As lovers and soulmates. He could see her as child, a prodigy, a smart student, a great daughter-in-law, an amazing sister, an undeterred revolutionary and every other role she had donned in the tender age of sixteen. But to be able to see her as his rightful wife was a difficult task, he hasn’t been able to achieve.
But he was sure he will miss her.
Her constant chatter, her ability to silence him with her arguments, her silly jokes that make him laugh, the delicious food she cooks, her tender affection, her sensitivity and devotion to their relationship. He was going to miss it all.
“I will.” Anirudh confessed honestly. “I think, I might just end up following you all the way till London.”
She laughed at this, “You should! You cannot manage a thing without me. Chahe woh ghar ho ya adaalat.” She teased.
Eventually when they reached their rooms to sleep, he showed her the gift he had dug out from his precious collection. An old fountain pen.
“This belonged to my Maa, Bondita.” He explained emotionally, “She was a poet. Maa was my first teacher and is solely the reason why I am deeply inclined towards literature. Kaka gave me this pen when I was going to answer my entrance exam. These are her blessings, Bondita. Jaise unhone mera saath diya hai, vaise hi who hamesha tumhara bhi saath dengi, Bondita. Kal tum exam mei bohot accha karogi aur phir ek din Barristra Bondita Roy Choudhary ka naam iss ghar ke bahar wale diwar par laga hoga.”
“Thik aapke naam ke bagal mei.”
“Thik mere naam ke bagal mei.” He promised with a smile and tried to calm his racing heart.
She can always leave me speechless, he thought to himself.
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Edited by AK_2010 - 3 years ago
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