Barrister Babu: The Journey Ahead

A Distant Pregnancy?

When they came home from the hospital that day and announced the news to the family, Kaka of course, was the one who was the happiest. 

"I knew it!" Kaka said, his smile beaming of happiness. "I knew that I would get my grandchild by the end of the year! I have been waiting for so long for this moment, and finally, Durga Maa has fulfilled my wish!" 

Both Anirudh and Bondita looked at each other and smiled at his excitement. 

Kaka had been waiting for them to have a child even before she had gone to London. Anirudh recalled how those moments where Kaka had put this pressure on him had been some of the most traumatizing and scariest moments of his life as Bondita had still been a child at the time, but they got through it together, and now here they were, having a child when the time and situation were both right.  

That night, Anirudh was sleeping very carefully beside Bondita. He had put a lot of distance between them on the bed, afraid to hurt her. 

Bondita inched closer to him, but he edged further away until he was against a corner of the bed. 

Bondita edged even closer to him, and he tried to move away again. A loud thud indicated that Anirudh Roy Choudhary had fallen off the bed. 

Bondita sat up and glared at him. 

"Pati Babu, what are you doing?" she demanded. 

"I'm - I'm protecting you!" he told her adamantly, rubbing his lower back in pain. 

She slid off the bed and bent down to help him get up but he shook his head and got up himself. 

"Don't bend Bondita!" he ordered. 

"Pati Babu please come in bed and be normal," she told him, frowning. "How can you be like this?" 

"I'm your Rakshak Babu, I have to protect you at any cost!" Anirudh told her defensively. 

Bondita sighed and said, "This situation doesn't require those services!" 

She took his hand and pulled him. 

He sat down on the bed nervously. 

"Pati Babu, nothing will happen to me if you hug me and sleep!" Bondita told him.

He touched her cheek gently and said, "Bondita I just want to be extra careful." 

"You aren't being careful, you're being ridiculous!" she said, tears glistening in her eyes. 

When he saw that Bondita had tears in her eyes, he grew alarmed. 

"Bondita don't cry!" he told her, cupping her face. "You have to be happy!" 

"How can I be happy if my Pati Babu won't hug me for the next eight months?" she sobbed. "Because he thinks it'll somehow hurt me!" 

Anirudh gently wrapped his arms around her, making sure to keep some distance between them. He patted her shoulder nervously.

"There you go, I'm hugging you right? Now don't cry," he told her softly.

Bondita irritably closed the distance between them and hugged him tightly. 

"Do you know anything about pregnancy?" Bondita asked, holding him close.

"This is one subject I have not researched," he admitted, trying to loosen her grip on him, but she just held on more tightly. 

"Then tomorrow we will research it together," she told him. "Then we will know what we can and can't do. Then you won't worry right?" 

Anirudh stroked her hair lovingly and whispered, "Yes that's a good idea."