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BONDITA
It had been two weeks—two excruciating weeks of isolation, locked inside these four walls. No outings, no college, no meetings with friends, no phone calls, no messages.
Fine. Fine. Fine. FINE! I told myself, trying to suppress the pain. I could tolerate all this. But not seeing Ani for two fucking weeks? That hurt the most.
I knew he had tried to reach out to me. I overheard him arguing with Baba at our doorstep, Baba's voice rising in anger. And me? I was helplessly locked in my room. I had pleaded with Baba numerous times to let me talk to Ani, but his answer was always a stern, unyielding No. No. No. No... just NO.
Still, I refused to lose hope. One day, I would be free from this room, and the first thing I would do was meet Ani.
I knew loving him would be difficult. I was his student, he was my professor. I was 21, and he was 32. We were different, and we both knew it. But still, we had chosen to be together. This togetherness was forever, I was sure of it. I believed Kanha ji did everything for our good, and this distance was also for our future good.
Lost in my thoughts, I was jolted back to reality when the door to my room creaked open. I lifted my gaze to see Maa entering. I stood up from the bed as she walked toward me, saying, "Bondita, woh... woh Binoy Babu tujhse milne aaye hai."
My eyes narrowed in confusion. Why was Binoy uncle here? Was Ani okay? A flood of questions swirled in my mind as I stammered, "Ky..kyu?"
Maa shook her head, her eyes conveying she didn't know the reason. A voice came from the doorway, "Kyuki mujhe tumse kuch baat karni hai, Bondita beta." I looked up, and there stood Binoy uncle.
He walked inside, and with a nod, Maa left the room. I fixed my eyes on him, my anxiety mounting. "Kya baat karni hai aapko?" I asked, my voice firmer than I felt inside.
He sighed deeply, his face showing the strain of the situation. "No here and there talks Bondita, I'm coming straight to the point. I know these past weeks have been hard for you. And for Ani. But there are things you need to understand."
I crossed my arms, trying to appear composed. "Like what?"
His eyes were earnest. "You are not a worthy person to be my daughter-in-law or Anirudh's wife! Both of you were young and a mistake happened. Forgiveness is okay because I'm a good person!"
I could feel the anger bubbling up. "So, you're saying I should just give up on Ani because of what you think? No way, Binoy uncle, my love is not that weak!"
He smirked, his eyes cold. "Everyone has a price, Bondita. Just name yours, and let's end this charade."
I closed my eyes, controlling my anger. I didn’t want to disrespect him. "Uncle, please just leave. My love is priceless! Not even millions can buy it... I love him truly!"
