The Unventured Passions

Come Home Safe ❤️

A pool of congratulations were showered on Barrister Anirudh Roy Chowdhury, the lobby outside the courtroom filled with mesmerized eyes and praising tongues. Anirudh, however, was silent, his mind contemplating the next course of action that would lead the case towards the desired destination.
The evidence was of primary importance!

He smiled cordially as one from the crowd approached with a garland, it's color a little dull, probably from the long wait since morning... the long wait to witness that very moment, the first step of a collective triumph.
Anirudh smiled and hugged the man with the garland.
"I'm... I'm Ramakanto's elder brother, Babu..." His eyes had tears in them.

Anirudh smiled.
"I had promised justice. Remember?"

"Babu... That's what kept us going... My mother... She... She has sent her blessings to you... May you live a thousand years Barrister Babu... A thousand years."

The man fell down at Anirudh's feet, as he jumped back a few steps.

"Please get up Dada... Please..."
He tried to bend down as his leather suitcase bag slid from his shoulder.

"Sir, here... Let me hold it."
A junior lawyer from his team approached as Anirudh accepted his help happily.

"Thank you Prabir." He nodded at him and stooped down to pick up the crying man from the ground.

The night was overwhelming... Tears in eyes and pride in heart... But, what everyone missed was the soft click noise, as Prabir opened the Barrister's bag, breaking his trust, and hopes of those odd fifty men who stood there in unison that night.

............................................................

"Bahu... Come inside Bahu... It's cold out there... Batuk is long asleep... You too, should sleep now." Zamindar Trilochan Roy Chowdhury walked slowly, out of the threshold of the main door of the Roy Chowdhury haveli with his walking stick in hand, hoping to coax his little nine years old daughter-in-law to sleep.

"No, KakaSasurji, I won't sleep until he comes home." Little Bondita sat on the porch, her leg crossed and her arms folded to her small chest.
"I'm worried." She puffed her cheeks and spoke like a grown up making the old man smile.

"I understand you are worried Bahu... But Anirudh already told me that he would be late tonight... He had gone to Calcutta... Far from here..." He paused and looked at the little girl.
"You should sleep... He won't like it if he sees you waiting."

"And, I'm not liking it too... He being late!"
Bondita continued to pout her lips, her eyes fixated at the darkness of the night, outside the main gate, in hope of a honk from Anirudh's car.

Trilochan sighed.
"When I'm not worried, why are you worried so much?" He asked her in a little grave tone, hoping to make her obey his wishes this time, but to his surprise he saw the little munchkin turn around and roll her large eyes at him.

"Whose husband is he? Yours or mine?" She widened her eyes at him.
"Mine right... So who should be worried more? You or me?"

Her words had stupified Trilochan for a moment, as his face curved into a happy smile.
"Suit yourself Bahu... And, ask your husband not to come home late from now on. I don't like to baby sit."
He turned around to leave.

"That I will." Bondita murmured.
"But what is baby sit KakaSasurji?"

"Ask your husband." Trilochan walked back inside the mansion, a little faster than he had came. Her questions had always scared him, and what was scarier were the rebuttals that she would give after he had answered her.