The Unventured Passions

Terrifying Traumas

"Bondita... Bahu..."
Bondita had turned her neck to look up. Her hands were busy rubbing a small rectangular piece of sandalwood on a round wet stone slab, gathering sandalwood paste for the next day ceremony. She was sitting inside their in-house temple, infront of the life-sized idol of goddess Durga. Her head was loosely covered with the end of her red Jamdani saree.

"Yes, KakaSasurji?" She smiled at once, the same pristine smile, unblemished, and Trilochan couldn't help but feel a sharp sting in his heart.

"Bahu... Your PishiMaa would want to see you..."

"PishiMaa? Now? But I'm not done with this yet." She pointed at the small half-filled bowl of sandalwood paste.

"Yes girl... Now..." Trilochan forced a smile, as Bondita got up immediately and wiped her hands in her saree.
"And Bondita... "

Bondita had turned around, with that same heartwarming smile plastered to her lips.
"Be safe."

Bondita had narrowed her eyes.
"I'll be safe KakaSasurji... And, even if I'm not... I know you'll keep me safe."

Her innocent trust felt like a hard thrash on his cheek, as Trilochan swallowed hard and called her once again.
"Bahu... Umm... just don't eat anything... Alright?"

Bondita had been fasting the entire day, she had fasted the day before as well, with only a glass of milk and semolina once at dawn... and only this morning when she had complained about the hunger pangs, when PishiMaa had pulled her aside and made her understand the grave responsibilities of being born as a woman... Women were not meant to be distracted by these trivial bodily discomforts such as hunger, and although Bondita felt a thousands of rats waging war inside her stomach, her strong sense of reverence towards this old woman had made her smile in agreement.

"I know KakaSasurji... I'm fasting!"
She let out a sigh and pouted her lips.
Trilochan sighed too, as he saw her in a heartbroken gaze, walking slowly towards Nanibala's room, pulling her saree up below her eye-level.

"Stay safe Bondita." He murmured again.

A few land feuds and some pending legal petitions had kept Barrister Anirudh Roy Chowdhury busy the entire week, barring the few times when he had seen her during their regular evening lessons, Anirudh hadn't really had the time to speak to either his brother, or Bondita in the last one week. And along with this, with his PishiMaa at home, he was trying to keep his interactions inside the household to a minimum, so as to avoid any unpleasant conflict of ideologies with the old lady. PishiMaa was his kin, and Anirudh had respected her as an elder, but revolutionizing her age-old ideas was the last thing he would have wished to do.

Anirudh had seen Bondita that afternoon too, standing beside the dining table, pale faced, licking her lips repeatedly at the sight of the freshly baked balls of luchi on Batuk's plate.

"Bondita, would you eat some? Come, sit with me... Here..." Anirudh had raised a hot luchi at her, as he heard her exhale sharply and then nod her head sideways.
It was a custom that the four of them would always eat together, but PishiMaa had opposed the idea of a woman eating along with the men in the house vehemently.
"It's only a few days Anirudh... Please!" Trilochan had pacified him with assurance.

Bondita had quietly stood beside him, serving him with piping hot food, luchi, aloordum, fulkopi, chatni...
And, Anirudh felt a sad undertone inside his heart whenever he would see her slightly trembling hands raising the ladle to serve food.
"Are you alright?" He had hushed, pulling her a little down by her arms.