Tasherghar

Daman aur Kante (N/N)

Ajnabi kept looking at her fainted face and then he looked at his surroundings, he knew she would marry him only because he has paid for her. For her paying back for any kindness was important... but he didn't know how it will hit her.

But she needed an anchor to hold on, he felt she had been floating from one problem to another for too long. She might think that she is strong enough to try to hold on everything on her shoulder and might but the suicide talks a lot about what she has been going through. But he has the one gift she has asked for from him....

After sometime in the mandap...

Anondo heard her husbands name for the first time Robindro Haldar... And she looked up at him again and smiled a sad smile.

Robindro: Kya huya? Aap hasi, kuchh huya kya?

Anondo: I was a fan of Robindronath Tagore and his works, so my friends used to tease me that... that

Robindro: (smiled) they will find you a Robindro to marry?

Anondo: Haa ...

And then she looked down, her colour rising and Robindro couldn't take his eyes off her. This had been his dream to see her beside him tied in the strings of forever. The shy tiny friend who used to dress her dolls in handmade clothes, whose doll house was made up of shoe boxes and some cello tape and she had showed it to her friends proudly. Who sobbed through many nights trying to hide herself from the lecherous cohorts of her Father and yet has managed to complete assignments and projects for her best friend without even telling him. Who sang only to butterflies and loved to play with dew drops. Read about all sorts of unique topics... including horticulture, or study of oldest forts and their history. Books those were her passion... and she still could sit with kids like Prithu through the afternoon hours patiently discussing which colours to use for his colouring book.

The basics of the marriage rituals were done. And when Robindro smeared her parting with Sindoor Anondo promised herself that never again will she think of Tupak Ganguly, that she will submit herself totally to this good man and his wishes, that she will be the wife.... Rather a better wife than she had been a daughter or sister or even a friend. Her husband won't feel ashamed of her... he won't feel cheated in his choice of wife....

And just then a group of dacoits entered the hall. Screamed Robindro Haldar's name and took him hostage. And some of them took her too in a different Buggy.... And the last of what she saw of her husband... still behind the mask looking at her as if he had known that this will happen....

Anondo screamed his name, raised her hand towards him... and then he was gone with the dacoits.