"Being Male is a matter of birth.
Being Man is a matter of age.
Being a Gentleman is a matter of choice!"
Anirudh walked down the stairs and sat on the dining table with his daughter in his arms.
"Mishti's hungry, right?" He asked as Shubra Maa walked out of the kitchen with a smile.
"You too?" She asked, preparing her son's plate.
"I'm starving, Maa!" Anirudh told, holding her hand lovingly.
"My sweet son!" Shubra Maa touched his hair softly and started serving his plate.
"What will Rudhi eat?!" She bent down, placing a kiss on her granddaughter's cheek as the baby played with the spoon she had just picked up from the table.
"Duddu!" Rudhi looked up at her grandmother.
"You want milk?!" Shubra Maa laughed and asked her.
"No you aren't getting it right now! It's time for fruits." She told and picked up an apple from the fruit basket and started to peel it.
"Anirudh you eat peacefully, I'll feed her!" Shubra Maa smiled at him, taking Rudhi into her lap and started to feed her small pieces of the peeled Apple.
Anirudh smiled and started to eat his own food.
"Anirudh!" That was when Trilochan Babu walked in the dining Hall with a stern look.
"Yes Kaka!" Anirudh replied, stuffing his mouth with a morsel. He was about to stand up when his Kaka stopped him.
"Keep sitting! Have your food and then meet me in my room!" Trilochan Babu told and walked away giving a look to Shubra Maa.
"Yes Kaka!" Anirudh replied confusedly as he saw his Kaka walk away.
He turned to look at his mother for an answer, but she just shrugged her shoulders, not knowing anything.
After he was done with his meal, Anirudh walked to Trilochan Babu's room.
He knocked at the half opened door and entered with a smile.
"Kaka!" He called as he saw his Kaka standing by the window.
"Yes, Anirudh! Come here beta!" Kaka said with a small smile, gesturing him to sit on the chair.
"Where's Bahu?!" Trilochan Kaka snapped at him before he could even make himself comfortable on the chair.
"She's in the study, finishing some of her work." Anirudh smiled as he told it in the most causal way.
Trilochan Babu just sighed deeply and looked down for a moment.
"Anirudh this isn't happening the right way." He breathed out the words, trying to sound genuine.
"What Kaka?" Anirudh asked with a confused smile.
"This whole thing of Bahu surpassing you. I'm clearly not liking it!" Kaka snapped at him as Anirudh looked up at him surprised.
"Kaka?! What happened all of a sudden? Where did this even come from?" Anirudh asked, standing up and walking to him.
"Not suddenly, Beta! I've been noticing this for a long time now. Bahu is going ahead of you. I promise, I'm proud of her and I want to see her grow, but not at the cost of my Son!" Kaka said, feeling sad for his son.
"What cost, Kaka?!" Anirudh asked.
"There isn't any cost I'm paying! I've always wished to see her as a great Barrister, even greater than me! And that's what's happening! Why would you even think that?" He hissed, trying to keep himself calm.
"Anirudh please!" Trilochan Babu raised his hand.
"Stop faking your happiness in front of me! I've seen and known the world better than you. I know how a man's ego works and how it gets hurt!"
"Kaka you're...."
"Don't even dare to disagree, Anirudh! I know you get hurt when Bondita gets all the praise over you! Afterall YOU are the one who gave her these wings! And it's a rule, The Guru always stays above his student! You're her Guru and so she needs to stay in her limits and follow YOU!" Kaka said and Anirudh looked down for a moment, trying to find the right words against his Kaka.
But he couldn't! His Kaka sounded so right at his own place, that he didn't have any way to argue him!
Anirudh closed his eyes for a moment before looking at his Kaka again.
"Maybe.... Maybe you're right!" He said, making Kaka look at him with a surprised smile.
"I... I do feel bad when Bondita gets all the attention that I should have gotten! I mean I.... I do praise her and do feel happy! But there's always a pain deep inside my heart!"
Kaka's eyes moistened as he saw his son's pain. He was happy that he successfully understood Anirudh's pain.
"But... But Kaka! I never was able to name this feeling of mine. I never knew what it was or how to deal with it!" Anirudh looked at Trilochan Babu sadly. He really looked sad and frustrated.
"You only show me the right path now! Tell me, how must I deal with this? I don't want to make her feel sad either!" Anirudh pleaded.
"Don't! Dont worry my son!" Kaka hugged him.
"I'll help you. What else am I here for?!"
"BE A MAN, ANIRUDH!" Kaka hissed.
"You need have a bit of control on your wife and that's it! Just... Just make her feel that no matter how high she flies, her place will always be below you." He told.
"I know this is against what you think. But just remind her how incomplete she is without you! Afterall that's the eternal truth, my son. Bondita is nothing with Anirudh Roy Chowdhary!"
Kaka said proudly and Anirudh just nodded with a small smile on his lips.
"You don't worry Kaka! I'll not disappoint you!" He said and walked away, thinking deeply about his Kaka's words.
Kaka murmured some inaudible prayers as he saw his son walking out.
.....
It was late evening when Bondita's work was finally done. She stretched her arms, sitting on Anirudh's study chair and sighed.
"Finally, it's all done!" She murmured to herself and stood up to walk out of the study.
As Bondita walked out of the study, she saw Batuk playing with Rudhi in the hall.
"What's happening here?!" Bondita walked to them excitedly and Batuk and Rudhi turned to her happily.
"We're playing!" Batuk replied, laughing.
"Can I also join Puchki and her Super Chaachu?!" Bondita pleaded with a laugh and Rudhi just jumped into her mother's arms.
"Mm... Maaa!" Rudhi squeaked and hugged her mother tightly.
"Awle my Babyy!" Bondita kissed her cheeks lovingly.
Bondita looked around and not finding anyone there, whispered to Rudhi.
"I heard you met your Chachi to be, Shona?!" She laughed.
"Did you like her?!"
"Boudiii!" Batuk whined shyly and blushed hard.
"Stop blushing, Puchki's Super Chachu!" She teased him.
"Oh forget it! It's always you who blushes harder than a tomato even at my Dada's thought!" Batuk rolled his eyes and teased her back.
"So what?" She blushed.
"I accept it happily!"
"Boudi you're too much!" Batuk hissed, trying to supress his blush.
"Come on! Let's teach Kaaju something new!"
"Your nieve can't always protect you, Mr. BRC!" Bondita smirked at him as she had made Rudhi stand on her lap happily.
"Whatever! Let's teach her colours!" Batuk laughed.
"Oh yeah! Let's do this!" Bondita agreed happily and picked up her long pallu that lied on the sofa.
"Puchki see!" She showed her yellow pallu to her.
"This is Yellow!"
Rudhi looked up at her curiously.
"Yes Puchki! What's it? Yellow!" Bondita taught her.
"Say yellow!"
Rudhi read her mother's lips carefully and tried to imitate her words.
"Ello!" She repeated and Batuk and Bondita just looked at each other with happiness!
"Yayyy!!!" Batuk almost screamed, jumping on the sofa.
"Careful!" Bondita told him as Rudhi laughed happily seeing her Chachu.
"Aahh! She's so smart!" Batuk exclaimed taking Rudhi in his arms and twirling her happily.
Bondita just laughed happily, staring at the two with love and murmured some prayers to her Goddess.
.....
After the dinner when Bondita entered her room, she found Anirudh lying on the bed with Rudhi happily. They both seemed to be having a relaxing time together, playing with each other's fingers happily.
She smiled at them with love and went to sit beside them.
"Pati Babu I finished all of today's work." She told, taking a deep breath.
"It was so tiring!" She sighed.
"Hmm." Anirudh replied, patting Rudhi to sleep.
She ignored and continued to talk to him with the same happiness.
"Pati Babu! There are a few cases lined up." She told.
"What if there hearing date clashes with the event in Calcutta?" She asked thoughtfully.
Anirudh sighed deeply.
"We won't go then!" He replied as if it didn't really affect him at all.
"Bondita, don't you have to change, first?!" He asked, lying Rudhi on his chest as his daughter felt sleepy.
"Mishti's sleepy and I too am really tired." He told, pulling the blanket over him and Rudhi.
"Let us sleep, please!"
Bondita felt her heart flinch on his ignorance. She had always felt bad if he ignored her, even with a reason and had always made it clear to him. But today, her Pati Babu was ignoring her and that too without any possible reason she could think of!
"He really must be tired!" She thought and shrugged off her ideas quickly, smiling at him.
She stood up and walked to the washroom, only to be called out by him again.
"Bondita!" He called and she turned back happily, thinking that he finally might have realised and called her with love.
"Please switch off the light behind you!" He murmured in his sleep and her heart dropped all over again.
Smiling sadly, she switched off the lights and walked to the washroom. Quickly changing into her night saree, she came out and lied on the bed, holding his hand as he slept.
Her eyes had already moistened, but she didn't cry. She didn't want to let this idea reside in her mind at any cost.
......
What was this happening?
Why was Anirudh behaving like this? Did he really change?
CAN he really change?
Do tell me what you think???!!!😘😘💕💕
That's all for this part!❤️ Hope you like this!❤️
Pls don't forget to Comment and Vote!❤️💕
Love you all!❤️..
Love, Author!❤️
......