Rohit's order had morphed the cool air into a chilling cold air that was hard to breathe in. His command had forced her mind to reel of nothing but negativity. And once negativity sprouts it's first, it's naturally a habit of the heart to start hyperventilating and make the human more and more stressful with it's constant drumming. The bad thoughts with all sleazy weasy vibes come up next. And knowing her past, Renuka's body started going into overdrive. With her eyes glued to her now cold fingers on her lap, she now was a nervous wreck. Never been a talkative woman for men. She could feel the air shift when he changed the gear and speed up, passing the huge crowd of uniformed girls behind.
Was she in danger? Has he done mad? Was this the end?
It took nanoseconds, for Renuka's mind to slip out of control and go on it's own merry walk to a place called FEAR CENTRE. Just like the Earth has it's epicentres, our mind too has places to visit during this long journey called Life. And as soon as Renuka's grey matters began sloping down in this dreadful place, uglier it became as hundreds of bad thoughts start to attack her.
But her lips could only tremble and she clutched her bag tightly in reaction to the mental jumping jacks her brain is doing inside. He held the steering wheel and then took a swift U-turn. The car was approaching the school now making Renuka release the breath but Rohit wasn't even close to what he had conjured. Seeing her again getting ready for the location he smirked darkly. And woom! He changed the gear and sped off to a few more kilometers, crossing the Swan Park and then stopping the car in front of the huge marbled Sri Krishna Temple. He kept the engines and her eyes both busy with his ministrations. Her tension rose to new peaks for the second time. She caught a glimpse of his face with his normal self checking the traffic lights often.
Should she attempt to scream ? But will her scream even reach any ears? All the other vehicles have equally closed their windows for this prickly weather.
So, no use of screaming her lungs out when these very windows are sound proof.
He kept pushing her buttons and slowly her level of patience and understanding now stood at the edge and waiting to jump down the cliff. As within a duration of half and hour, he U-turned his car for the fifth time that afternoon and each time he passed the last place by a few more kilometers. Sought a new stoppage like the third time it was Nanduram Sweets and Sons and the newly launched Nexa Store at the last. It was as if he was playing a nasty game with Renuka's mind by first baiting it to think that she would be dropped this time and then flying away in a second her destination appears near and her hands reach for the seatbelts. She looked forward to it each time. The shock of not stopping evident from her body language.
She was at the verge of crying now. Her courage was failing and so was her beliefs of him being an inspiration about him.
Rohit on the other hand was just testing his hands on games after a long time. Fun has lost it's way in his life. And today the urge of achieving that sickly satisfaction of teaching an unruly and disobedient student some hard but needed rules was stirring inside him. From the moment, his eyes had followed her stupid movement on that University Square, his mask of the modern and civilised man walking on this planet broke. He wanted to drag her and then beat her till she gets the message of her idiocy. He was striving to do just that. Just like that of a cave man.
But may be being educated has its own blessings due to which, it made him change his barbarian ideas of punishing her. With education, you don't stick to old-school thoughts, right? You innovate and invent new ones. One such was the breaking her tiny hope of doing pretty much everything in a hurry. Crossing the traffing signal in a hurry. Submittng her assignments with several mistakes, probably of completing it in hurry. He had noticed it innumerable times and asked her to improve but till now, no improvement there. Unclasping of the car belt before it halts completely, she is hurrying to leave the safety behind. Always in a hurry, isn't she? His brain whispered wickedly.
"Always in a hurry, huh?" He quipped softly in a deadly voice facing the windshield as if again trying to check the normal traffic signal and not taunting her. Renuka maintained the silence. Darting her eyes around the familiar lanes and shops, she could figure out that a walk of about 15 minutes would land her to her safe abode away from his intimidating presence and suffocating environment. Only and only if he mercifully unlocks the car and ends this torture.
"Can't wait to walk over the road with an empty head less than a donkey. Can't wait to unlock the seatbelt till the car comes into a fully stops." He fired his questions by punching the steering wheel with his right hand.
Gasping, Renuka jumped with each of his punches and slowly her eyes shoe with tears.
Again smiling without any mirth, he answered his own question." Oh well! There seems to be no risk of getting injured due to the jerking in this awful road." He listed out her crimes still not believing the outcome of her careless action this afternoon. His head was throbbing with irritation.
"Sir kindly open the door lock." She timidly requested though those words took up a lot of bravery on her part, Renuka had strung the arrow. She was just out of her wits to tackle this type of encounter which would surely end badly. Nope, terribly. She needs to be out of this elegant car and equally elegant owner of the car.
No answer to his question enraged Rohit but he tried being calm and cool. Losing his head in a topic which will only result into more futile arguments is just not Rohit's way of living.
Sighing he began playing his fingers on the steering wheel. This seemed to calm his nerves down a notch. His accountable part began spiking it's head and soon his human side observed the wrist watch striking 3'o clock. She was late. She was very very late because of his charades.
Slowly turning his head as if testing Renuka's patience he replied in a devilishly smooth voice with a smirk on his lips, "Why don't I drop you to your doorstep?"
As if just now he didn't grill her enough with his car theatrics and those sarcastic questions!! Now he remembers about her home? Is it finally the time ?? But then again why would he be so nice as to drop her in her doorstep?
"Door-doorstep?" She gaped at him from her long eyelashes.
His wide shoulders now diagonally aligned was watching her with falcon eyes. "I do think I said that only, Miss!" He remarked wryly.
He wasn't ready to leave her in her bus stop but now is planning to drop her directly at her door stop? Why ? What more is there in his cards?
"No-Nooo No! " She said a bit loudly and in a hurry.
When his eyebrows rose up with her answer, she remembered the stature of both of them. And calming herself she started again slowly, "You don't need to. Just stop the car this time in front of the Sevasadan School on the left and thats it. Nothing more. Already you have done enough for today Sir." She hardly had control over her mouth which had been shut close for a long and was struggling for a long time. She stared at his face for that added effect and specified the details of her bus stop once again so that this time no mistake on part of him and his car passing it is committed.
Soon she looked found herself entering her neighborhood and a foolish smile slowly flashed on her lips .
*******
It was long day back at the doctor's chamber. Both Niladri and Rupali along with a silent Sumita were coming back after 2 hours of counselling from Dr Biswas's chamber. He was a good friend of Niladri Ghosh and it was his decision to seek help for Sumita. Sumita had been a wonderful lady when she entered this neighborhood after marriage. Though her house was just a couple of blocks away from Saurabh's, still the residents of this locality had somewhat knowledge to Sumita's performance in exams, her vocabulary, her likings, her dislikings more or less something or the other from Saurabh's lips at some give time of conversation. Saurabh, that Golden child had been in love for a long time with this pretty woman. As a matter of fact, everybody knew the affection that young heart had stored for his bride. His death had been an unfortunate event for many. Many have been found to mourn his absence both in public places as well as their own homes behind doors. So it seemed normal to find Sumita in such a gloomy form for Dr. Biswas.
But for a few days, Niladri had been complaining of Sumita making a ruckus in Ghosh Bari of her interacting with Saurabh. Niladri's six months expired son! Niladri had been one of those friends in their circle, who would be the one listening and saying just a few words to express his feelings. Never a speaker. After Saurabh's passing, he seldom met his friends. He had a wife and a daughter in law to care for and support with all his willpower. His health gradually was declining. Worried about Niladri's mental and physical wellbeing, Dr. Sudhir Biswas visited the Ghosh Bari. A couple of meetings revealed a big state of the awfully quite Ghosh Bari. And he urged the Ghosh couple of taking Sumita with them to his chamber.
" This visit was long due." Niladri broke the silence while changing into his cotton Kurta and pajamas. His voice was tired and tensed with today's visit.
Rupali, took her saree to change and hummed in response. "We should have taken her before her University admission." She regretted.
"My mistake,you know." Her sorrowful voice and her eyes misted with worries of the future held for her daughter. That beautiful girl whom she welcomed wrapped in red and Maroon benarasi Saree is now ...... Her tears flow slowly rolling down the slope of her neck and soon she was crying like she cried on that fateful day.
Niladri sensing the inner turmoil his better half was going through took her in his chest. Patting her back, he murmured soothingly, "Sh sh!! Rupali, it isn't your mistake."
But his dear wife was inconsolable. "No! It was me! I was responsible for all this!! I should have taken more care. Observed her more carefully. That child doesn't deserve all this. She doesn-doesnot at all!!!!"
Wiping her nose off, she began " I-I cannot let anything happen to her. I have already lost my boy. I will die if she is no more. I can't live without any of my children. That girl needs to be alright. She needs to be!! I have promised Saurabh and her parents. She is the only one for which I wake up every morning. I take care of her from her waking up to getting ready for University till she is on the bed. Then how come such a big disease didn't come to my eyes? Was I blind? How come I miss those small pieces of this large picture? I should have paid more attention. I should have!" And she sobbed hard in his chest.
Sumita on the other hand after having a wonderful dinner, slept a peaceful sleep for the first time in weeks. Dr Biswas's medicine were like a boon for her mental peace. No headache at all. She wished to have visited his Chambers earlier. But then she wouldn't have met Saurabh. Hmm....She will again ask Saurabh to come tomorrow. Now a long night of sleep is what she really needs to have. How many days more can she be absent from University? Better she wakes up in time tomorrow for the first lecture.
Sumita thought all was well and she suffered from nothing but Migraine. Despite a doctor's code of conduct and against his strong desire to let Sumita know of her illness, due to the silent plea from the Rupali,Sudhir stopped discussing her problem and instead with a polite smile, the old man just brushed off all her pains by prescribing two medicines and has requested her to practice Yoga and meditation. It's a good thing, that her University has a set of daily class for Yoga and an instructor for that class too.
Otherwise how would she just post those yoga postures? Smiling she giggled remembering those out of her coverage area postures, she has seen on the booklet provided by Dr Biswas.
A soul needs time and a lot of care to heal.
It stops to feel pleasure and often questions it's existence when it's broken.
One cannot pressurise it by any means to speed up it's healing process.
The only way it will be back to facing this journey of life is by time and lots of care.
********
Hello!
I pray you all are safe inside your homes.
Amidst this outbreak, that is the only way for the time, to be away from the clutches of the unforseen circumstances.
I thank you all for your time and hope you all had a wonderful time reading this chapter.