The Anklet's Lost Rhythm #Wattys2017

CHAPTER 2

RUPSHA

By the time I got into the car I'm sure my blood pressure had shot up quite high. I was heavily breathing. Not out of physical exertion but of the terrible mental agony of seeing him after 5 whole years and getting hurled into a pool of nostalgia and flashbacks. And there I was in my car on my way back home repeatedly trying to convince myself that it had been him. Yes, it had been him. I found myself whispering his name-Siddhartha only to feel my ears sting and eyes moisten. I tried to explain to my restless obstinate self that just because he didn't exist in my life anymore didn't imply that he didn't exist at all. I tried to block him out of my mind and mustered a fake smile as I rang the doorbell.

I shakily walked up to my mother's room trying to be as normal as I could and hugged her from behind.
"Happy Birthday Maa!"
My mother turned around with a smile and kissed my forehead and as she did so I felt a huge burden drop down dead on the floor. I still wonder how she manages to do that-not know about my problem at all and yet make me feel relieved just through a flash of her teeth.

Shimantinee Ghosh, my mother. One of the strongest ladies I've known. She's always been like a pillar of support I could lean on whenever there has been a problem. Being an excellent singer by profession she has given me her beautiful voice and I shall never forget how caringly she taught me how to sing when I was young.

Ever since I learnt how to think and remember I've known one thing about my mum. That is her love for perfume bottles. It's rather strange how one can be so attracted towards containers without being so tremendously attracted to the beautiful substance inside it. Every time she finishes a bottle of perfume she will never forget to keep the bottle away safely in a display rack. There were different coloured bottles, of different shapes, of different sizes, of different price rates and from different parts of the world.

I took out the butterfly shaped Eu de toilette from the packet and gave it to her- the 169th to her collection I suppose.
"It's lovely Shona. Thank you so much," said she and smiled a smile I was waiting to see.
* "Tor ki mon kharap?" (Are you upset?)

I shook my head and smiled not willing to spoil her special day by telling her what had happened.
As I walked out of the room I noticed the bill which had fallen out of the packet and picked it up to throw it into the bin, when suddenly a very familiar handwriting caught my eye. I turned the bill over only to break down crying on reading what he had written. The urge to call him up ran wild through my veins and all I could do is clutch my red wedding benarasi saree and drain out emotionally. After all every time I tried to contact him all that I could hear on the other end of the phone was, "The number you have called doesn't exist." He must have changed his number.

I rummaged through my drawer and took out a framed photograph of him and brushed my moist fingertips over it.
He hadn't changed much. Just a few barely visible wrinkles and dark circles below his eyes. The memory of him when I first saw him 16 years back came flashing into my mind.
He is a tall man-nearly around 6ft. Tall enough to keep me sheltered below his chin. Fair; fairer than the heart he contained within himself. He isn't broad-built having six packs but fit and strong enough to carry me in his arms and walk a mile or so. There is only a thin covering of beard on his sculpted square jaws and deep mystic brown eyes that could remind you of Robert Frost's line, "The woods are lovely dark and deep..." And you could just tell that every time he would run his fingers down his ruffled up hair he would make you fall for him. And when he would flash his Godly charming smile I would find myself fleeting up to the heavenly clouds and then falling back into his arms due to the effect of his gravity.

My iPhone reminded me of its presence as it started ringing; pulling me out of my thoughts. I received the call quite normally even though his thoughts kept on pinching me at the back of my mind and as I looked around the room there was not one thing that didn't remind me of him.

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