YOURS TRULY

Part 19

"It was a minor stroke." Said the doctor coming out of the checking room. "He is fine for now, but we would suggest running some tests."
"Do whatever you need to do." Tuli's voice broke coming through tears. She sat on the opposite chairs of the doctor in the cold hospital room, holding herself up and straight with every power that she could master, he lips fumbled as she asked, "He is going to be fine right?" Sitting beside her Ipshita's hand quickly grabbed her mother's hand but Tuli brushed off her daughter's hand instantly.
"Yes, he will. But he needs to be under medication." The doctor stated unknown of the hand fight between the mother-daughter, that was going on behind his desk.
Heaving a sigh Ipshita sat up straight, "so when will baba be discharged?"
"You can take him now." Clearing his throat Dr Lahiri looked up at her. "But as I said, if he gets some tests done, it would be beneficial." The lights that were reflecting on his glass created shining in his black eyes. "So it would be better if he stays for some days, in that way he would be under our supervision - you know just to get some precautions for the future. Also, we need to diagnose the cause of this stroke. 'Cause you see stroke in this time and age is turning into a pretty powerful life-threatening thing -"
Lahiri's sentence got interfered by the loud sobs of Shuvro's wife. The young doctor being flabbergasted by the welling woman looked at Tuli and then Ipshita hopelessly. Ipshita, as she held her arm around her mother tightly threw an annoyed glance at the doctor.
"Maa, baba is gonna be fine. You heard what he just said." Tuli's daughter gave her torso a shake holding her closely.
"Oh! This is all because of you Ipshita! Oh! We are getting older now and you just don't understand!"
"Mother!"
"No! Look at your father! Have we not been through enough now? Five years Ipshita! Five years it took for us to have you. You know how much we have been through, how much we love you! You are the best thing that happened to us! We are so proud of you. But now! What are you doing? Look at your father! He had a stroke because of your this no sense, impulsive decision! What will the people say! Your father and I will have to explain to many people - oh!" Tuli slammed her face on her palms.
So many things that were going at the back of Ipshita's mind, so many things that were lashing at the back of her head, but again she swallowed every bit of the accusation by biting his jaw. She looked back at the doctor who was looking every bit of shocked by this surprising paroxysm of Tuli.

"If you think it would be beneficial for baba to stay, he will stay here. Do all that you think is best." Heaving a sigh Ipshita spoke to the doctor.

***

Getting out of the doctor's office the mother and daughter were approaching the room where Shuvro was resting and had been taken care of.
Abhijit and his father who were waiting at the waiting area rushed towards them to ask what the doctor had to say. As Ipshita stopped to talk to them Tulika being in a trance went ahead.

Before she was about to go inside the room, looking through the glass door at Shuvro smiling weekly at something Rubel was saying to him, a scenario from twenty-nine years ago came flashed in front of Tulika's eyes like lightning. Sobs of cry pipped up from her chest and she quickly scooted away from the glass.
Her daughter hurried behind her to hold her in her arms.
"Ipshita, just think about it!" Tuli begged her daughter through the hiccups of sobs. Once she had almost snatched Shuvro from the death. She was not ready yet to give him up again.
"Maa, enough! Stop saying things like these." Her daughter hissed withdrawing her hands, with a scowl on her face, "Baba needs medical treatment, which he is being given, not me getting married." And strode into the room.

*

After knowing he had to stay at the Hospital for some days, Shuvro threw some tantrums which got vehemently ignored and denied by everyone.
"Oh, I am fine! You all are overreacting!"
"How will you two be doing everything alone?"
"I am my own person, I have the right to decide, I am not staying here!"
He made such well thought out points to get him out of the hospital, that got a reply from Tuli.
"Certainly, how will we get by without you sitting on the couch all day long with the newspaper or TV remote in your hand asking for tea in every ten minutes and yelling at the politicians through the TV screen and pointing out that neighbours are being loud or the maid is being lazy again and following the poor girl the whole time she is working- because you think she is stealing..."
"You know she took my black pen!" Shuvro growled with a scowling face in his defence, interrupting his wife.
"While all these are very useful, you did need to stay here for now!" Retorted his wife with a glare.


***

"Uncle will be fine."
Clearing his voice Abhijit said standing outside at the parking lot of the Hospital. The former betrothed couple walked throughout the distance from the visitor's area to the parking lot in silence, having the whole day playing in their heads.
"Hm," Ipshita could not find anything else to reply.
"I should leave now. But please call me if you need anything Ippu."
"Abhi, " not giving him an answer Ipshita looked up at Abhijit with a grave face but having twinkle of determination in her eyes. "It's for best, you know that. I know that the suddenness of this decision of mine must have hurt you, confused you, but know one thing, I never meant to hurt you. Ever." The genuine tone in her voice bore into Abhijit's mind. A part of him was trying to believe everything she was saying but the other side that was firing inside being confused, angered, mad, had turned deaf ears to her words. But his exterior stayed clam, invincible as ever unaffected by the storm of dilemma inside.
"Maybe!" Shrugging his shoulders he looked down.
"just know that I did love you. But it's just not us anymore Abhi. We will not be happy together. You will understand someday if not now..."
"That might be right Ipshita, " Abhijit looked up into her eyes, "you might be right about not being the same anymore. For I am sure as heck that this you right here, I have never met this girl ever before." He lashed out before walking towards his car.


Looking at Abhijit's car whirling away, Ipshita heaved a sigh with a stern face and then pulled out her mobile phone. She dialled the first number of the relative she could find in the contacts. She needed to do it herself. The decision if calling the wedding off was her idea, she needed to be the one to break news and do the explanations. She was decided...

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