Barrister Babu

Chapter 8

Titli was standing outside Bondita's room,every morning it's her job to ensure that the Malkin has warm water in her bath, Malkin and Bare Malik always gets up early in the morning unlike the rest of the family members.Usually she comes and knock on the door and Malkin Opens the door.

"Malkin, I have brought water for your bath," Titli called, rapping lightly on the door.The door swung open,revealing Bondita perched by the window.She was staring outside, seemingly lost in thought.

Titli:Malkin,I have brought water for your bath.
Titli called again but Bondita didn't move.
Titli: Malkin.
She said without moving,"keep it in the washroom."
Titli got in,the bed didn't even looked like someone slept on it,did she didn't sleep the whole night?titli never understood these rich people.

Titli:I will come later to fetch the bucket.
Bondita didn't say anything, titli excused herself.

Bondita still didn't come out of the trench she was in.She felt light,as if a mere gust of wind will blow her away.

Whenever the sounds of her mind went overboard,she would end up sitting in front of the window,just like today.
"It was nothing,It means nothing."

She took her bath,but she didn't use the warm water, infact she was so out of it she didn't even pour the warm water in the bathtub,she bathed with cold water,she was adorning herself absent-mindedly in front of the mirror when titli knocked the door.

Titli went to the washroom and saw the bucket was still full with the warm water she brought,she wasn't attached to Bondita but bondita had a charm to attract people towards her,even titli bended a bit.

Titli: Malkin,you didn't use the warm water?
Bondita:oh....I didn't.....I felt like taking a bath with cold water.
Bondita turned towards titli who was standing in front of the washroom,titli gasped seeing her and looked down muttering her famous 'shiv shiv' chant.
Bondita looked at her puzzled,"what's wrong titli?"

She turned to look at herself in the mirror properly,she didn't pay attention to her surrounding till now,and she was finally paying attention to her reflection in the mirror,she didn't notice anything different except her exceptionally glowing face that had a hint of redness.Her eyes travelled to her neck and her breath stopped.She had unknowingly wore a deep neck blouse today as she wasn't in her right mind when she was chosing a saree,she usually wear this kinds of blouse in the nights,it was too indecent to wear in the morning especially in front of others,but that's not what stopped her breathing,It was the red marks on her neck and collarbone.

Titli bowed and ran towards the door, Bondita was out of it but the sudden running figure caught her attention,"don't tell this to anyone,and if I see anyone......"
Titli understood the indication,"I won't Malkin"
She ran out leaving behind a bondita who didn't know how to react for the first time in her life.
She quickly got up and closed the door tightly.She went in front of the mirror in slow steps as if she wanted to delay the revelation a bit more.

The image of her neck was still vivid in her mind but she still gasped and looked away when she saw it again.
Her white neck was filled with multiple red spots,and her collarbone had few too,but the left side of her neck really looked pitiful.

Bondita slowly with shaking hands opened her saree and dropped it on the floor,she was standing in front of the mirror with just her blouse and petticoat. She opened the first buttons of the blouse and let out her shoulders,she didn't wear any jewelry yet,this time she looked at her reflection properly.
He slender arms had multiple red finger spot,so did her waist,and so did her shoulder.

Bondita's hand flew to her neck, tracing reddish black bruises with trembling fingers.The teeth marks looked painful but she wasn't feeling that much pain,she was feeling something else entirely.The memory of her patibabu's teeth pressing into her flesh was so vivid, it was as if she could still feel the sting of his bite. Her cheeks burned.
Bondita's hand hovered over her neck, her thumb brushing against the marks.The sharpness of the bite now replaced with a throbbing ache that was both painful and oddly comforting.