Barrister Babu

Chapter 64: Six Months

Six months... It's been six months since Bondita has been in coma and every dynamic changed at the Roy Chawdhary haveli. 

"Anirudh beta," Trilochan stopped Anirudh, when he saw he was about to get out of the house early in the morning. "Where are you going?"

"Court," came his short, stern reply as he stood at the doorway. 

Anirudh changed completely. His disheveled hair betrayed restless nights. Dark circles underscored his eyes, making his once bright gaze seem weary and haunted. He now wore thin-rimmed glasses, which lent a scholarly air to his otherwise tired demeanor. His beard, unkempt and slightly overgrown, added to his uncharacteristic appearance of neglect.

Dressed in a dark waistcoat and crisp white shirt, his attire remained sharp, though it hung a bit looser on him. A leather holster strapped diagonally across his torso held a small pistol — a grim addition to his ensemble, reflecting the dangers he now anticipated daily. 

"Court?" Trilochan was shocked at his response. Anirudh barely went to the court after his wife went into a coma. He started focusing more on his baba's business, and also handling the zamindari. He did everything to be ruthless and keep himself busy. "Why court all of a sudden?"

"I need to sign some files," he said coldly. 

Trilochan nodded. "Okay, but at least have breakfast before you go." 

"Nahi, Kaka. I am not hungry," he grumbled.

"Anirudh... if bahu wakes up and sees you like this, she will be so much hurt. You have to focus on your health too and—" he was cut off roughly by Anirudh.

"Enough, Kaka. If she genuinely cares for me, then she will wake up and take care of me on her own. She knows me too well. Besides, I am eating at least once a day to survive, ain't I? I don't have the will to live, but I am surviving, with the hope that she will get up one day." He closed his eyes and let out a breath. He wasn't crying from outside, but his heart was broken into multiple pieces the day she slipped right out of his hands. 

"Bye, Kaka." With that, he left the house. 

"Hey Durga Maa, kiski nazar lag gayi mere ghar ko?" Trilochan muttered under his breath as a tear slid through his eyes. He hated seeing his family like this. 

That's when, the telephone started ringing and he went to pick it up, hoping it was his nephew, Batuk. 

"Hello, Batuk?" 

"Batuk nahi, Da. It's me, Binoy," came Binoy's voice. "How's the situation at the haveli? How is Anirudh?"

"The same as usual, Binoy," he replied to his brother.

"What did the doctor say about Bondita bahu?" asked a concerned Binoy. 

"It's still complicated, but we are not losing hope."

"Da... I made a mannat to Durga Maa..."

As soon as Trilochan heard that, he raised his eyebrows. "You and mannat... that too to Durga Maa? What mannat?"

Binoy sucked in a deep breath and let out, "I will come home the day our bahu gains consciousness." 

"What? Really?" That news felt like the only good news in the past six months to Trilochan. 

"Yes, Da. I just hope our Bondita gets well soon."

"I hope so too, Binoy. I really do."

###

Anirudh stepped out of his jeep, adjusting his glasses and briefly checking the pistol in his holster. 

"Barrister Babu, zindabaad! Barrister Babu, zindabaad!" 

The chants of the crowd filled the air, but he silenced them with a mere wave of his hand. As his eyes lifted to the imposing courthouse ahead, a wave of memories rushed over him, halting his steps for a fleeting moment.

He could almost see her — Bondita — walking beside him, her confidence lighting up the world around her. He remembered how she'd clutch her files, her determination firm, as they entered the court together. Her voice, sharp and full of purpose, would echo in the chambers as she fought fiercely for justice. The image of her vibrant smile as they celebrated victories filled his mind, bittersweet in its absence.

His throat tightened, but he forced the emotions aside, his fingers brushing against the edges of his spectacles, a habit he'd picked up since she was gone.

Joy's voice broke through his reverie, snapping him back to the present. "Barrister Babu, the petition filed by Barrister Bondita Roy Chawdhary is approved. Polygamy is officially banned."

For a brief moment, a flicker of pride softened Anirudh's tired eyes. He gave a curt nod, his face unreadable, but his heart swelled with a quiet ache. 'I wish you were here, Bondita, to see this change you brought to society,' he thought, his gaze lingering on the courthouse steps where they had once stood side by side. 'Tumne kaha tha hamesha mere saath kadam se kadam milake chaloge, toh phir aaj mujhe kyu akele chalna par raha hai?'

A/N: How was the chapter?

Translation:

"beta": son (sometimes can be referred as 'child' too)

"Nahi": no

"kiski nazar lag gayi mere ghar ko": who casted an evil eye on my house?

"mannat": prayer

"zamindar": feudal landlord

"zamindari": responsibilities of a feudal landlord

"Tumne kaha tha hamesha mere saath kadam se kadam milake chaloge, toh phir aaj mujhe kyu akele chalna par raha hai?": you said that you will always stay with me on every footstep I take — together, then why am I walking all alone today?