Jamuna

Episode 3

Jamuna sat on the ground while her mother sat on the charpai. Her mother was oiling her silk mane with utmost affection and love. Jamuna admitted that behind these magnificent hair of her's, her mother was to be credited.

"Here all done." Her mother announced as she finished oiling her daughter's hair.

"Maa can you also do my hair." Jamuna requested her mother.

"Jamuna you're old enough to do things like that." Her mother told her with a smile.

"I know but please make my hair. Your hands feels like magic." Jamuna again pleaded. Knowing it wouldn't take long for her mother to melt with love.

"Okay okay just this once. Next time you do it yourself." Her mother clarified but deep down she too knew that even if her daughter asks her to make her hair a thousand time she wouldnt mind. She would do it without a second thought.

Jamuna also knowing that smiled.

It was a beautiful evening. The sun was just about to set while many troops of various birds was flying back to their nests. Where, there children waited patiently for them. Knowing fully well that their parents will never let them sleep on an empty stomach.

All in all, it created a magnificent scenery in the sky. If she was a painter, she would've immediately tried to capture it in a single canvas. Unfortunately, she wasn't.

The wooden doors of their small but lovely house opened up as Shaurya walked in. He sported a miserable look on his face. Immediately it told Jamuna everything that was required.

He had a fight with Saraswati.

Jamuna sighed inwardly. It was not new for both of them to fight. It had become a ritual from the past month.

Apparently Saraswati had informed Shaurya that her family was looking for a good family for her. And by this winter she was bound to get married.

Shaurya obviously had tried to ease her fears that he would talk to her father. But nothing worked. He was trying so hard from the past month to quickly learn all the aspects of being a priest. Doing the one thing that he disliked the most. For the love of his life was at the verge of being taken away from him.

He didn't know what to do. For his future with his beloved was looking so bleak, without any shining light of hope.

He had become hopeless.

How much Jamuna hoped to cease his hopelessness but she knew that she could do anything but that. For once she understood why the poets and writers had claimed love to be a disease.

It was a disease, wasn't it? For it eat out all of you and a person doesn't even realise this. People thinks love make them strong, and it does. Many lovers overcome several tests with the power of their love. But when the warmth of happiness and love is suddenly altered with the windy storms of doubtfulness than does a person realise that that he has become so weak that he doesn't even know if he's going to survive or not. He ' even realise that his heart has become so weak that he would die in a flash.

That is what love does.

She could understand her brother's pain, for she was feeling it too. She was dealing with the anguish of a supposed betrayal.

It had been three months since she had last seen Ripudaman. He had promised he would come back for her soon. And she believed his words too. She waited patiently for him for the first two weeks. Than the third week her faith had shaken a little. On the fourth week she tried to remind herself that he was a prince of a kingdom. He must be busy with numerous works. But as the weeks passed by her insecurities and fears slowly reared their ugly heads. Laughing at her as she waited and waited for him.