Seize Her And....

Chapter : 5 Mrinalini.

"This..this..what.." He tries to talk but his laughter makes it hard for him.

"Ridhu da! Will you stop it?!" The girl says throwing the book at the man and glaring at him. Finally after a few minutes, Ridhu stops and tries to balance his breathing.

"You look beautiful, Mrinal. Trust me." He says, stifling another laugh.

"Yeah, I can see that from your expression." Mrinal responds.

"What on earth happened to Nalini Kakima? I bet her sense of humor has increased. " Ridhu says, getting back to his writing, while trying hard to control his smile.

"I don't know. Bring me one of Kakima's. I can't go out like this." Saying so she moves to the bed and plops down on it with the book in her hand. Supporting her lying figure on her elbows, she starts reading it. Her unkempt hair covering half of her body.

An hour passes by like this. Mrinal keeps asking questions whenever she faces difficulty through her reading and Ridhu keeps explaining to her and getting back to his work. This has become their daily routine for god knows how many years. Mrinal spends most of her times here, even when Ridhu goes out for his work. Ridhu never took her as an outsider, from the very day he found her climbing a tree inside their garden and stealing the fruits for a sickly girl from the village. She was only eight years old then, he was ten, but she didn't have the heart to say no to that girl when she asked for food. He still remembers how his uncle, who passed away that same year, scolded the village girl out of their property, even after seeing her cry.

Mrinal is a free spirit. You can't keep her caged, she knows how to free herself. That's why even when it was a strict no on education for girls under their Maharaja's rule, she bravely asked for it at the age of twelve. No not to her parents, she was smart enough to not pull that on them but she came to him. He was scared, extremely scared, but he couldn't say no to her the moment his eyes fell on her gleaming hopeful eyes.

He never knew then, he never knew what weapon he was unknowingly creating. But now when he looks at her he feels proud on her for becoming what she is now. For being brave enough to part the education she gathered within these years, to the willing female kids. He feels happy to see her successfully imparting her knowledge to the kids, all the while keeping it hidden from everyone's eyes.
She is taking a huge risk, he knows, but he also knows he will never stop her. Because she is right, she has always been.

"I'll be leaving within fifteen minutes. Are you done?" Mrinal asks, closing her book.

"Just a minute." Ridhu says finishing up his writing.
"Done." He says, standing up and placing the book back in its place.

"Here." Mrinal gets down from the bed and brings out a comb from the drawer. She drags one chair and places it right infront of the bed while handing him the comb. Ridhu takes it and settles on the bed, as if this is the most natural part of his life. Mrinal takes her seat on the chair as he begins combing her unkempt hair, parting the hairs from the very middle.

"Oh, I just remembered. You beat up Shubhro again? Why?" Ridhu asks braiding her hairs.

"He was disturbing Malini, again. You want me to hug him?" Mrinal asks, sarcastically. But the image somehow doesn't settle well with him.

"No, why would I want that? If he was being a jerk, I am totally okay with it. Just be careful next time and don't beat him publicly. They come to my father with the huge list of complaints against you." He says, leaving one braid and starting with the other.

"Deal." She says and he shakes his head, smiling at her antics.

She stands up and walks to the drawer once again placing the comb back to its place and bringing out a square shaped wooden box. She opens it and takes out some coins from it. Closing it she places it back into the drawer and turns back to leave.

"Back to home by 2.00 PM." Ridhu says to her, while moving the chair back to its place.

"I wont." Mrinal teases.

"Mrinal.." Ridhu warns, turning his face and looking at her retreating figure.

"Yes yes, I'll be back. Promise." With that Mrinal leaves for Abha. She sincerely wants a comfortable saree before going to the woods.

¤¤¤¤¤

"Individual Vakeels (advocates) have no future in our country Aniruddha. How many times do I have to explain it to you?" Aswini Deb Barman utters.

"You want me to become someone like you? An advocate who will be controlled by the puppet Advocate General? That's not me baba. I want to fight for what I feel as truth, what I see as truth. I want to find out the truth, not tamper it." Ridhu aka Aniruddha says.

"Think before you talk boy! I tamper the truth?!" His father shouts.

"Can you deny it? I would be proud if my assumption fails baba. But I know you can't." Aniruddha says.

"How much will you make from being an individual advocate? You won't have a backup. People will mostly treat you as a trash, because that's what they do with individual advocates in this country Aniruddha. Do you think I never tried to fight for the truth? I did son, but when you have a backup you sometimes get to fight for what's right as well and sustain at the same time." Aswini explains.

"I respect your hardwork baba but I'll never be satisfied with the 'sometimes get to fight for what's right' concept. Because I am not you." Saying so Aniruddha gets out of the house.

¤¤¤¤¤

"No, Nalini. This isn't correct. Our Mrinal is a gem of a woman. Her complexion can't decide her fate." Abha says, sitting on her bed.

"What fate are you talking about? Did my complexion not decide my fate? What am I to my husband, probably a mere servant. Even servants get better treatment in my house, Abha. I just don't want her to have the same fate like me." Nalini says, looking out of the window.

"Time has changed Nalini. I believe she will get someone who won't only love her but respect her as well." Abha tries to comfort the other woman who turns her teary eyes towards her.

"All of them rejected my Mrinal due to her complexion, Abha. My daughter is barely a girl, she still doesn't know how to cook, how to wear a saree properly, she runs away from home without telling me, she fights with boys. At the age of being a mother to some grown up kids, she is still unmarried and is still climbing a tree somewhere and stealing fruits from people's personal gardens and to top it she is rude. Who is going to marry her?" Nalini asks, looking truly worried.

Abha smiles at her words.

"Mrinal doesn't need to become a woman if that changes such a strong and beautiful personality of hers. Mark my words Nalini, there has to be someone who would do anything for her and that person would love her for how she is. He would love her without changing her personality. I have full confidence."

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Love, Puja. 💜