The next morning Bondita tried testing my mood with a cup of coffee. Not keen enough whether to disturb me or not, she placed the cup on the study table and tiptoed out of the room. However, I, who had cursed myself throughout the night for getting mad at her, wanted to set things right at the earliest before guilt totally consumed me. Hence, before she disappeared into the chaos of the day, I called her to say, "Good morning Bondita".
She turned around to observe my face thoroughly before reciprocating the greeting. "Good morning", she uttered doubtfully, "Can I assume your morning is good?"
"Yes, it is. It will become even better with your coffee and the best with you beside me.", I told, earning a subtle smile from her. "I am sorry for being rude last night. The thing is, when it comes to protecting one's honour and dignity, men also face the same difficulty as much as women do."
The pleasantness on her face once again turned into perplexity as she reflected on my words. "Who threatened your decency, barrister babu?"
"I will tell you clearly in the evening if you give me some time to open my heart up after coming back from school. We are currently running short of time. I wish there was an express way to convey this beautiful feeling which has taken over me. The feeling is infinite but words are few. In fact, there isn't a language that could justify the intensity of this overwhelming sensation. Yet, this is what makes it precious. This is the reason I don't want to utter it in a hurry, as it is not merely words. Instead, savour each and every moment of communicating this divine feeling with you, gauge your happiness and compare it with mine. Will you allow me to speak today?" She said yes, making me excited.
We were stepping out of the house before Mrs. Kali stopped us. She gave my first salary along with some extra amount and asked us to buy a few things for janmashtami that evening after school. I sulked not knowing how to evade the unwanted work. I had planned to propose Bondita and this thakuma wants us to shop for the festival.
"Is it necessary for us to go? I mean, you can send someone else, can't you?", I asked desperately.
"Why can't you both go? This is your first janmashtami after marriage. You'll gain some good fortune with the God's blessings.", Mrs.Kali tried to convince. I thought it was of no use to beat around the bush and straight away shared my plan with her in a whisper, so that Bondita wouldn't listen.
"I have planned to propose her this evening and also with utmost difficulty convinced her to give me some time.", I said.
"Weren't you planning this for a long time now? Are you able to succeed?".
I sadly nodded in a no.
"That is why I am sending you for an outing on the pretext of festival shopping. Besides, I gave your salary in advance, so that you will buy her a gift before proposing. Since this is your first festival after wedding, it will be the best if you buy her a sari. Along with that, you buy the items given in the list too. In this way, you will get a lot of private time with her along with a good learning experience about how to organise a festival, which can help you in future."
"I apologise for not being able to think this far. Thank you so much, my love guru."She chuckled, patting on my cheek, asking me to go.
The sun illuminated the western sky when we found ourselves amidst a cluster of shops. The market place reverberated with the festive vibe. People were seen bargaining with the poor vendors, while the vendors tried to make the most of the festive occasion to boost up the value in their pockets. We first went to the corner shop where there were beautiful idols of Krishna. Bondita instantly selected one for the puja. Then, at a leisurely pace, we went from one stall to another picking up the items we need.
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Anirudh- The Story Of A Misread Barrister
FanfictionWhen Anirudh Roy Chowdhary, a twenty-one year old barrister, who is the eldest son of a rich family of landlords, returned to India abruptly after completing his graduation from London, for improving the conditions of women in India, to change the o...