Barrister Babu

Chapter 35: I Failed

Bondita slowly stepped inside the study, only to find everything a mess. As expected.

Anirudh threw everything here and there in the study in anger. He took the vase and was about to throw it at the door, but froze seeing Bondita there.

"I told you to come here instantly. Why. Didn't. You?" he asked coldly, sending shivers down Bondita's spine.

Her eyes were still watery, but she was scared of everything. Especially her patibabu. What happened to him? Why was he behaving like that?

"Bolo, Bondita."

Bondita tried to take steps toward him by avoiding getting hurt due to the broken pieces of glasses on the floor.

"Keep the vase down, Pati-Patibabu..." she said hesitantly.

Anirudh sucked in a deep breath and kept the vase back on the table.

"Careful. Don't injure yourself," he reminded her once he noticed Bondita walking to him.

Bondita nodded and finally reached him. The moment she stood in front of Anirudh, he looked in her eyes and then pulled her into a tight hug.

"I tried, Bondita... I tried to stop. But my own brother did it. I couldn't stop. I watched two women's lives getting ruined right in front of my eyes," Anirudh rambled, his voice broken as he broke into tears. "I, Anirudh Roy Chawdhary, who is working on women empowerment, failed to explain what it meant to respect women to my brother."

Bondita cried along with him as she caressed his back, trying to comfort him.

"I should have listened to you and Kaka before and sent Mala away way long back. Then maybe things would've changed. But not much because maybe Keth Dada would have found another wife eventually. According to him, it is common because everyone here does that."

He further spoke as Bondita kept listening to him, "I tried to stop him, Bondita. I really did. But do you know what he said when I tried to stop him? That I was a fool to not enjoy more than one wife! How can he say that, Bondita? Are wives only regarded as a source of entertainment when required and other times, just someone who takes care of the household? Is that what being a wife means?"

Bondita pulled herself apart from the hug and cupped Anirudh's cheeks. She shook her head in response and wiped Anirudh's tears.

"Wives are supposed to be our equal life-partners. What change can I bring when my own brother objectifies women?" He pushed Bondita's hand away and groaned in frustration as he ran a hand through his hair. "I failed, Bondita. I failed. Change starts from the family, but I failed. I watched Chameli and Mala's lives getting ruined. I failed."

"Patibabu..." Bondita had no idea what to say. To say she was shocked was an understatement. The Keth Dada she adored so much, she always knew he was a bit backdated, but him saying things like that to her patibabu? She never expected that from him at all.

"Do you want to know why Keth Dada married Mala? Not only because he is okay with having more than one wife, it's also because Mala was..." He closed his eyes as he completed, "giving him physical pleasure."

A gasp escaped from Bondita's lips. "What? Patibabu... how can this be possible? When did this happen... Keth Dada only returned yesterday for the wedding, right? So when did this..."

Anirudh let out a humorless chuckle. "Last night, I was taking a stroll in the garden as a break from work from the study, and when I went to the gazebo, I saw Mala and Keth Dada in an... actually in a very inappropriate position."

- Flashback -

"What the hell is going on?!" Anirudh yelled at the two of them as he turned his face away.