It Wasn't Supposed To Happen

99

Bondita was a school going girl. The only one. And though she was way late in joining, she made up for it by her hardwork and ability to grasp the depth. Reading history books had been fascinating but today she understood the real meaning of what lay between the pages.

Learn from history. Take a lesson from it. Don't... repeat it.

Hiding something from her Pati Babu in the past had led to a destruction that would haunt them both for life. She had hidden the night from him to save him some mental trauma. But had it ? It just added betrayal from her side in the list of the feelings he went through.

She had just thought her pain hurts him more and so she hid it from him. But had she told him, she would have been saved from a pregnancy, if not then miscarriage. But she had not known of such things and had taken things in her own hands.

Today what her mother said...scared her.  She didn't quite get much as she was sure Thakuma must have asked her maa to not tell her anything. Or else why would she have said it in a hurry while parting ? Thakuma too didn't say anything infront of others about Chandrachur wanting her. It must have really  scared her mother to go against Thakuma, if that actually was the case.

But telling her Pati Babu... How would he react ? After his accident or so it was shown, he had started carrying a gun. It was not a shock when he and Som Dada took Batuk to practice shooting. Kaka Sasurji said every Zamindar should know how to fight, how to shoot. Batuk was now finally the age when his brothers had first picked up the gun. It was fine. But she was surprised to find a hand gun, or whatever it was called, in his drawer, which always was locked, in the study. She still was not that scared. He must have always had it. Right ? Somewhere else maybe. She wanted to ask about it but it had not bothered her that much. Why would it ? Her Kaka Sasurji didn't talk without his talwar, her Pati Babu was apt in fighting with fists and talwar, guards had guns roaming around the gates and premise of the haveli and her Thakuma had no other friend like her rifle.

It was unlike her Pati Babu to have such a thing in his drawer but acceptable. But something struck her. One day when he went out to his court, she tried to open his drawer. It opened. No gun. She tried it on a few more occasions. When he was in the haveli, the drawer used to be locked. When he left...the drawer open and empty. Not always but enough times to know he had started keeping the company of his gun.

If she told him and he did something irrational ? He already went overboard with the men who targeted him instead of giving them to the police first. He was a barrister. But Bondita had started seeing the subtle change in him from her Birristira Babu to the Barrister Babu she had started getting scared for.

Sitting among the rolling glass bottles in his so called haveli, Chandrachur cursed taking in a swig. " Bondita..." He whispered. What had she done to him ? Not a very good man to begin with, he knew that about himself. But she had made him into something else. He felt powerful and vulnerable at the same time. What would he have done to get her ? What could he even do now ?

He had been counting on that morally inclined Barrister Babu to part ways with her. How would she have spent her life alone ? A woman left by her husband. Slept with her husband. Educated. Strong headed. Then he would have offered to take her hand and knowing Thakuma, she would have said yes. Thakuma would even have forced Bondita to marry him. Husband to two of her daughters, the property would have been his ending his family's financial problems. And Bondita would have never left his site again.

But none of that happened. Aniruddh Roy Chowdhury was living his life to the fullest where he had to sit and sulk. After being thrown out, he still used to go there. To Das haveli. Hidden from everyone else to meet Tupur. Das sisters were all beautiful and so was his wife. But she was no Bondita. Just like any other woman. But she had something those women didn't. Money. And sindoor on her forehead making his claim on her money. Once or twice he went there to say sorry to her so she would ask Thakuma to take him back. But it didn't work. So the next time he visited, he asked for money. Whatever was left of their wealth, his family didn't allow him to use on alcohol and women so he asked her for money. Twice she gave him her jewellery but after that she told him she didn't have anymore, that Thakuma had taken everything from her. Clear lies. So he hit her like he used to. In all his turmoil, this single thing was what he had control over. His scared wife. Having Bondita slip through his hands and no money to afford the lifestyle he had gotten used to in Das haveli, this only thing made him feel like a man. Dominating his wife. For her money or her body.