Anidita : Broken Strings

Bondita's Decision

Bondita's PoV

As soon as I woke up, my eyes fell on the clock. I was sleeping till 7 today! Maybe because I have had insufficient sleep these days because of.. huh.
I got up and started folding the blanket. I then noticed the turmeric paste on my hand. I sat down on the bed again. Confused. As my eyes fell on the ground, I saw yellow imprints of my feet. I found turmeric paste on soles as well. Where did this come from? I did not apply this. And I don't remember when did it happen!
Last night.. Somnath Dada had come to feed me. I went to bed after that. I remember... I saw something. I had a dream. A Nightmare! Thakur...
I was scared, someone came here. That song... Was it Pat.. Barrister Babu? No. How can he be here!
But the song.. It was the one he sang to me that day. And the voice.. the warmth. It was him! But... yesterday in front of the whole village he said that his wife is Manorama and not me. I am a.. burden. What is he up to? I got up from the bed still thinking about it. Just then, I felt something under my foot. I bent down to see what it was. It was Pati Babu's pocket watch! I was busy processing the incident, just when Som Dada approached me. He wanted to tell me something. "Woh main pehle aaya tha, tab tum so rahi thi. Boudi, kuch batana hai tumhe. Kal raat..." He took a pause as his eyes fell on the pocket watch in my hand. "Ab mujhe nahi lagta kuch batane ki zarurat hai." He smirked. That means he was here. It was him! I don't understand what he really feels. A moment, he gives the gift he had given to me, to Manorama, calls me a burden; and the next moment, applies medicine to my wounds, calms me down and sings to me so I can sleep?
Pati Babu still cares for me? Then why did he marry Manorama? And if he doesn't care for me anymore, why did he come here!?
Pati Babu! You need to answer me today! That day you didn't, but today, I won't leave you until you tell me what the truth is! You can't keep your Bondita in dark.

"Anirudh tumhe woh Raat ko Bondita ke paas nahi jaana chahiye tha. Usey pata chal jayega haldi dekhkar, ki tum hi the. Aur agar kisine dekh liya hoga toh?" Manorama said.
"Bondita itni dari hui thi! Usey zaroorat thi meri! Aur tum keh rahi ho mujhe nahi jaana chahiye tha." Anirudh replied.
"Anirudh, main toh bas isliye keh rahi thi ki yeh tumhare iss doosri shadi ke natak ke liye kabhi bhi khatra ban sakta hai. Tumhe jo theek lage waisa karo. Main Bondita aur Tumhare beech nahi bolungi."
"Are they fighting?" Bondita thought as she heard faint mumbling heading towards their room. Somehow, this thought brought a little smile on her face as she thought "See Pati Babu, your compatibility with her is zero. Fight on the very first day."
She finally reached at the door and pressed her ear against it to further investigate before she goes in to interrogate Anirudh.

"Humein sabse humdardi rakhni chahiye. Koi bhi kasht mein jo, toh uski madad karni chahiye." He said. Bondita smiled at this as she remembered, these were her mother's words which she once told to Anirudh as well. All the fury and sadness seemed to be fading slowly. Just then she heard him say "Bondita kya, koi bhi hota toh main usey dawa lagane jata hi na. Keh dunga Bondita se zyada na soche. Jaanti hai woh mujhe. Aur agli baar koshish karunga,.jaisa tumne kaha; Bondita ke paas naa jaane ki." Bondita's smile faded and once again, she landed into the pain of being betrayed from someone who was closest to her.
"Par Anirudh, ab jab Bondita uthegi tab prashn puchhegi. Chup toh nahi rahegi. Usse kya kahoge?" Manorama asked.
"Aur Somnath.. Kal rasmon ke baad tum nahi the toh Somnath ne Bondita ka bahut khayal rakha. Woh mujhe Boudi bilkul nahi maanega. Aur jawab mangega. Tumhe satark rehna hoga Anirudh." She added.
"Mujhse jhooth aur nahi bola jaa raha Manorama. Abhi se hi toot raha hoon. Ek jhooth ko bachane ke liye na jaane kitne aur jhooth kehne honge. Kitni aur kadwi kadwi baatein karni hongi. Bas jald se jald Bondita ko sabse alag karke hostel bhej du.." He said walking towards the door.
Bondita, who was eavesdropping them, did not realise that someone was coming.
Anirudh opened the door and found Bondita losing her balance coming in to the room with the swing of the door.
His heart skipped a beat. Did she hear it all?
"Aap apni Ghadi bhool gaye the mere kamre mein." She said without thinking anything. For a moment there was silence. Bondita did not move. Even after the scandal, the betray, after all, she was innocent and emotional. She was just a kid. She hoped Anirudh would stop her once. And apologise. She would forgive him at once. But he did not. She concluded that Anirudh feels nothing for her; the way he used to. But what could she do? No matter what, her Pati Babu had always been everything for her and she couldn't live in his betrayal. She explained herself how she shouldn't be so weak and wait for him. But at the end she was a kid. And Anirudh was her everything. How can she come over the betrayal of the person whom she considered her everything? How can she live without her Pati Babu; who has been her Shikshak, Rakshak and even the one to care for her like a mother when she was away from her? "You should stop considering him as your sansaar Bondita!" She thought to herself. "But how? He has fought for me always! He got me my right to study and because of him I am literate today."

"Does that give him the right to marry twice? If you can't stop, then keep being hurt by him again and again." The thoughts in his mind engaged in the conflict of their own.
"Stop thinking about this now!" She said it aloud. Anirudh and Manorama were shocked at her sudden reaction.
"Tumhein kuch aur kehna hai Bondita?" Anirudh asked.
"Aayi toh yahan jawab maangne thi aapse. Pata nahi kyun, itna sab hone ke baad bhi, mann nahi maan raha tha ki aap mere saath kuch galat kar sakte hain. Aur jab aapki ghadi mere kamre mein dikhi, mujhe pata chal gaya ki aap aaye the. Aapse baat karne aa rahi thi. Lekin ab zarurat nahi hai." She said not making an eye-contact.

"Chhoti Bahuran..." Bihari who had come to call Manorama stopped halfway. He knew he shouldn't call her that. He didn't want to either. For him, his only BahuRani is Bondita. Bondita looked at him and smiled. "Aapko.. Pehli Rasoi ki rasmein karni hongi isliye.." Bihari aid with his eyes fixed on the ground. This was his way of expressing grief or disagreement with someone's decision he thought he had no right to question.
Manorama served the breakfast to everyone. Somnath whispered to Bondita who sitting next to him "Boudi, tumhein koi takleef nahi hai? Inn saari rasmon se?"
"Kya farak padta hai Dada. Main toh jaane wali hoon."
"Tumne... Faisla kar liya? Matlab.. tum sachmuch chali jaogi? Achhe se socha hai na tumne?" Somnath asked.
"Haan Dada. Aaj subah tak nahi laga tha jaana hoga, lekin ab koi kaaran nahi hai ki main yahan ruk kar dukhi rahu. Kal saare gaanv ke saamne Barrister Babu ne kya kya nahi kaha. Har roz agar woh yahi karne wale hain, toh isse behtar hai main chali jau." Bondita replied wearing a fake smile wiping her wet lashes.
She instantly realised that there were chances that Manorama would get scolded. For the food.
"Yeh kya banaya hai?! Kha kar humare munh se aag nikalne lagegi! Itni mirchi?! Aur yeh luchi itni jali hui? Aur yeh.. luchi mein namak? Itna saara namak? Aur yeh kheer... Itni zyada meethi! Rasoi mein shakkar bacha kar rakhi ya saara dabba daal diya?" Trilochan shouted.
"Maaf kijiyega. Main doosri banakar laati hoon." Manorama apologised instantly.
"Koi zarurat nahi hai. Pehli rasoi hai, jaisi bhi bani hai, thodi thodo khani padegi sabko."
Afterwards, Trilochan asked Manorama to touch Bondita's feet to take blessings as she was Anirudh's first wife and was elder to her in the means of relationship. He knew Bondita was not saying anything and took it as a sign that she has accepted the fact, indeed half-heartedly like him, but she has. Manorama bent down towards her while Bondita moved back. "Maine Barrister Babu ke faisle ko sweekar nahi kiya hai. Main aashirwad nahi de sakti. Badi Patni Chhoti Patni.. Naa hi aap mujhe badi patni kahengi, aur naa main aapko chhoti Patni. Main abhi bhi apna swabhiman apne haathon se nahi gawaungi." She started moving towards her room when she turned back and said "Aur mujhe aap sabse kehna tha ki.. maine faisla kar liya hai. Main hostel jaane ke liye taiyyar hoon. Barrister Babu, Hostel se Sakshatkar lene ke liye aap jin mahoday ko bulana chahte the. Unhein bula lijiye. Main interview dekar jald se jald yahan se jana chahti hoon."
Trilochan looked at his little daughter climbing the stairs, going straight into her room. She didn't look back even once. She acted fierce and strong but they could make out she was wiping her tears. She shut the door of the room and sat down crying.
Anirudh smiled at her decision. His eyes were filled with tears. Bondita would leave him soon. But it was for her better future; as he thought of it, he would not stop her. In spite of knowing that he can't stay away from her.