"Did you steal mangoes from Sujoy Kaka's garden?" Anirudh asked sternly, trying to keep his calm as he looked at his thirteen-years-old wife. "Jawaab do, Bondita!"
Bondita lowered her gaze, not having the courage to face her patibabu who turned Rakshas babu at that moment.
"Why are you looking away?" he said aloud, clenching his fist in anger. "Why did you do this, Bondita? You could've just told Bihari and he would've brought mangoes for you. Why did y—" before he could even continue with his scoldings, Bondita finally met his gaze — and that melted him instantly — her teary eyes.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment and let out a deep breath. "Look, Bondi—"
"Anirudh," Keth knocked on the study all of a sudden. "Can I come in?"
"Yes, Dada," came his reply.
Keth stepped inside with a file. "I need your opinion on this and..." he stopped midway as his eyes fell on Bondita. "Bondita, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Did Anirudh scold you again?"
Bondita just had a cute pout on her lips and stayed silent.
Keth instantly glared at his brother. "What is this, Anirudh? Why are you scolding this innocent girl?"
"Innocent girl?" Anirudh let out a humorless chuckle. "She is not innocent at all, Dada. She is still a natkhat Bondita."
"It's fine, she is still a small girl. She might have done something mischievous, but no need to make her cry over this," Keth defended her, while Bondita stayed quiet.
"Oh, really?" He crossed her arms against his chest and glared at his wife. "Then why don't you ask her what she did? Come on, Bondita, tell your Keth Dada about your karname. Let's see if he still defends you after that."
Keth turned to Bondita and bent down to her level. "What did you do, meri behen?"
"Woh..." she finally started speaking, "I... I stole mangoes from Sujoy Kaka's garden and he complained to my patibabu."
As soon as she said that, Keth's lips twitched in amusement. "You climbed up the trees all alone for mangoes?" he asked to be sure and the moment she nodded, Anirudh sighed.
"See, Dada? Just for mangoes! She could've just told Bihari that she was craving for mangoes. But no! She decided to go rogue!"
"But what's wrong with that, Patibabu? For once, I just wanted to do what I usually used to do at my village," this time, she let out softly.
"What's wrong with that? Are you kidding me now?" Anirudh literally shouted, making her flinch. "You know what? Your punishment is you are not allowed to talk to me until you realize your mistake."
A tear slid through her eyes at that. "Bu—"
"And your punishment starts from now, Bondita," he concluded. "Go to your room."
Bondita nodded and with tear-stricken face, walked to her room, leaving Keth and Anirudh alone.
Anirudh groaned in frustration and sat on the couch, covering his face with his hands.
"Don't you think that punishment was too harsh, Anirudh?" Keth said as he sat next to his brother.
"What could I have done, Dada?" he glanced at Keth, his eyes getting watery. "I can't see tears in her eyes. I have made her cry. But I had nothing to do. She has to realize her mistake!"
A small smile appeared on Keth's lips. "This is not about the complaint Sujoy Kaka gave to you, is it?"
"Sujoy Kaka said that she climbed those trees on her own and even was about to lose her balance. What if she fell down, Dada? She would have been severely injured. She has no freaking clue what she did," he closed his eyes and sighed again. "Dada, if something had happened to her... I would have gone crazy. She has to understand that she cannot put her life at stake at any cost."
"I understand that, Anirudh. But you could have made her understand that nicely, instead of behaving so harshly," he told Anirudh and got up. "I want to see the house filled with her giggles again before the night ends, got it, Anirudh?" with that, Keth patted Anirudh's shoulder and left the study.
"Yeah, of course, now that her kakasasurji isn't here, her Keth Dada is here to rescue her, as if I am the only villain in her life making her life a hell!" Anirudh grumbled under his breath and got up, already making his way to his natkhat Bondita.
A/N: Hey! So this is a flashback. Every time the chapter is titled as 'Natkhat Bondita' means it's a trip to the past, like a glimpse of how their lives were before Bondita went to London. I hope you will enjoy these small glimpses. If you are, let me know and I will make sure to add more of these!
Translation:
"Jawaab do": answer me
"Rakshas": devil
"natkhat": mischievous
"karname": activities or deeds
"meri behen": my sister
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Barrister Babu
FanfictionBondita grew up to be a fine woman and returned to Tulsipur after getting her degree. Now, she has achieved her and Anirudh's dream-being the first female barrister. However, things are now crazier as Bondita has to focus on her career, manage the...
