YOURS TRULY

Part 22

Unblinking, Akash was looking at the white worksheet open on the desktop screen in front of him. The words from a few moments ago, that were thrown at him loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear kept burning in his ears. The heat of it spreading through his brain cells, was steering up a lashing rage of frustration inside him. Clenching his jaw Akash kept on seating on his chair as his breathing became frequent.

Sleep - eat - work - Raina - home - eat -sleep.
Sleep - eat - work - Raina -home - eat - sleep.

Akash's days were planned and scheduled, without leaving him a moment of confusion where he was supposed to be next. It's been almost over three years he was working in this newspaper, which a friend of his father had helped him to get in. With promotions as the pay cut increased by numbers, responsibilities increased equally and along with that increased the pressures from the superiors or the dependent heads.
Akash's mother was happy, with this routine lifestyle of her son. Poulee was happy now as her son was not a target of gossip for the relatives or worries for her husbands.
After the day-long work, when Akash would come home, his mother would run her fingers through his hair some days. Running her hands of affection on his back while dining Poulee would smile and say, "See, now no one can say that my son is a burden or good for nothing!"

The tiredness of a day-long job which was loved and cherished caused slumber of solace. The tiredness of the same day-long job if loathed and done reluctantly, with a conflicting mind - brought exhaustion and fatigue of frustration.

The subtle difference between these two got unnoticed by the mother and very naturally so. The overwhelming pride in her son and his seemingly soaring work made everything too dim to notice. The father just stayed mum with a scowl on his face being unable to read. Though after getting Akash the job, alone in room the father had said to the mother, "I thought Bubun would go for further studies. Anyway! This works too!"
"He is gonna do great I am telling you!" The mother replied putting her head on her husband's chest and wrapping her hand around his torso. He didn't reply anymore. Suppressing the emerging breath with the thoughts that were about to come out as words he entwined his fingers with his wife's. He didn't want to cause any more trouble.
Akash and Anindya's relationship was not normal, to say the least. The lack of an ideal father-son bond in his own life with his father made the situation worse for Butu. So every time he wanted to convey his thoughts, his hope about his son, every time he messed all up. His frustration had rained as hits and slaps on Akash's back. His lack of ability to make him understand his thoughts had created the wall between the father and son stronger and wider pushing them away more and more. Being his son Akash couldn't find it easier either to break the wall and with his father being a blood pressure patient, he was more cautious.
Nowadays, both of them knew even sharing a small word had the ability to transform the conversation into a verbal fight - yelling, screaming and Poulee's crying. After the only possible reffry, the daughter of the house, Paromita's marriage, both of the men were even more cautious to even start a conversation. They find it easier to avoid each other as much as possible.
So heaving a sigh and suppress all the words in him Anindya closed his eyes.

***

"Oma! Bhai! What brings you here at this hour?"

Opening the main door wide Paromita's eyebrows arched up in surprise seeing his brother at the doorstep unexpectedly.
Due to her lack of off days from work along with the hectic schedule of Akash's job nowadays, the brother and sister didn't meet each other for a long time. Now seeing her brother, even as surprise happiness fluttered through Paro's chest.
Smiling ear to ear she opened the door wider ushering her brother to step inside.
"Emnie! I didn't know it was your off day though. I was just roaming through the city though of coming and seeing Rivuda. Where's he?" Akash said matter of factly strolling inside the living room. "And everyone else?"
Heaving a sigh Paro sat down beside Akash fetching him a bottle of water and handing him it. "My in-laws are at some relative's and your Rivuda is in the study room." She made a face and her brother chuckled softly.