A/N: This chapter is dedicated to those brave hearts who are fighting the present situation from the frontline.
Second,
With everything that's going around the world, I was not in a space to update this before.
Anyway, I hope all of you are healthy and happy with your family and friends right now.
Stay in and stay healthy you guys.
Now coming to the chapter, many of you wanted to know what happened to Ratul and his family, we'll here's a glimpse of it.
I will post again tomorrow if I get enough votes on this, otherwise, it will come later. :P
Nevertheless, have this really long update while being in...
With the two screams of the alarm clock at 6 a.m, Rubel sat up on his bed. Rubbing his eyes he put his rimless glasses on and checked the notifications of his phone to see if there was any missed call or any emergency messages. Seeing nothing that sort he got up to head to the washroom.
After 5 laps around the nearby big joggers' park and 1 hour of freehand exercise, for it was his off day at his gym, Rubel returned home.
"Go have bath quickly, breakfast is ready." Renuka sitting at the living room with her cup of coffee and newspapers in her hand yelled at his son, upon seeing him rushing upstairs.
"Maa, stop sending pictures of those woman to me, I beg you!" Gorging on the pile of rice with the side dish of fish curry and daal, Rubel spoke up.
"Why not!" Renuka snapped up and his son sighed. "You are twenty-eight! Twenty-eight you are Bilu, if we don't start now, then when?"
"Mum! I don't want to get married now -"
"I mean! Even Ippu was getting married!"
"But she didn't -"
"It's not normal, I am telling you. If you like someone else, then tell me, I will be happy to meet her. Then we can even wait for two or three years, but you don't date, you don't want to find a bride of your own, you don't want me to find for you one either, you are not homosexual, what in lord's name is going on? I am your mother - tell me -"
Renuka continued with her ever-ready speech like always and Rubel kept eating in silence, sighing time to time at him mother. It was now an everyday conversation of the house.
After Ratul lost his life seven years ago after duelling with lung cancer for two years, twenty-three years old Rubel took up all the responsibilities of the household onto his own shoulder. The love story of his that had just started blooming at that time, couldn't survive the unforeseen withering change of his life losing his pillar. Hence after, he didn't visit that side of life again. Rubel plunged himself into a life of discipline, studying, job hunting and studying more. It took just one shot for him to crack the Civil service exam and got posted at high rank of the law an enforcement agency of the city.
After stuffing the breakfast and washing it down with a glass full of water, Rubel got up to wash his hands. The call from the driver of his official car informed that it was waiting outside and Rubel sighed in relief. His mother was still continuing with her argument about how the house needed a family, Rubel needed a wife and she herself needed grandchildren. Dodging her he rushed out of the house bidding her bye and rolling his eyes at the utter ridiculousness of all of her the logics.
The day Ratul died, Rubel didn't just lose his father. For him, Ratul was his everything, his best friend, his confidante, his guideline, his teacher, his coach - and the god damn pillar, and safety blanket for him and Renuka. Ratul was the huge umbrella upon him. After his death, very instinctively he slipped into his father's shoes very inherently as the man of the house. Taking care of his mother became his foremost priority which later turned in to his lifestyle. Renuka sometimes would wonder just when her little boy became the guardian of the house when it was supposed to be the other way around. Worries would haunt her thinking about the future. Her such a catch of a son was turning into hermit day by day. Parents of unmarried women were queuing for her jewel of a son. But every time she would bring up the topic herself or through someone else, asking them to make him understand - he would toss it down saying, "What if my wife doesn't get well with you maa?"
***
Sitting on the bench outside of the main building of Lalbazaar police station, which was the headquarters of the law enforcement department of the city, Ipshita was smoking a cigarette as she sipped on a teacup. The incidents of the past few weeks were flashing through her mind. Shuvro was now home, but was still weak, at least in her mind. Her father was under her watch all the time even when she was not home. Her battle with her mother was now at an interval as the sole purpose of both, the mother and the daughter became the recovery of her father.
Under the scorching care of two ladies, Shuvro's life had now become insufferable. He couldn't even move without their queries. Tears gathered in his eyes looking at his food chart. To see any colour other than off white, fading yellow and green of boiled food, daal and vegetables he craved like a Jacobin cuckoo bird. But every time he would open his mouth to say something, Tulika would shut it with a piece of fruit or some words describing how childish he was sounding.
Ipshita was halfway through the cigarette when the sound of his brother's voice came from afar talking to someone else. Quickly taking some small puff of smoke she inflicted it on the ground and putting it out with her shoes, tried to kick the cigarette's butt away. Fanning her hand in front of her mouth and washing it with gurgling water she tried to defuse the smell but as if smelling like a hound dog Rubel stood in front of her.
"Really? You're trying to hide the smell of cigarettes with water, from a police officer?" Rubel appeared with a scowling face and a grumpy voice.
"I -"
"It's a harmful habit Ipshita!"
"I have cut back. I promise davai! I just - lost control seeing everyone else here smoking." Ipshita explained in a small voice. Her dadavai yelling at her was not something she could take well. "I don't smoke otherwise, not even one a day. It's just -"
"Na, khabi keno? What is the need of smoking anyway? Get a patch! Don't you remember what happened to baba! It's an awful habit!" Rubel ran his fingers through his hair. The hideous frown on his forehead kept Ipshita from saying anything as she kept looking down. Running his eyes across her face Rubel sighed, "Anyway, kheyechis kichu? Let's go have some lunch. I heard some words about this new restaurant around the block, from some of my colleagues. What say?"
"Okay." Quickly the sister nodded sighing in relief at the diversion of the topic of the conversation.
"What brought you this way though? It's not your office area." Ratul asked hopping inside Ipshita's car.
"I - needed to buy some of the medicines for baba." Putting on the seat belt across her torso she chirped. "The medical shop in our locality doesn't have those in stock so, I came looking for them in Dhanwantary."
"Arey! You could have told me, I would have-"
"It's fine dadavai! I have a car, it's not that much of a situation."
"Yeah but - anyway, did you get them there?"
Ipshita nodded to Rubel's questions and pointed at the gloves compartment.
By the end of the discussion, Ipshita's car rolled in front of a newly formed urban looking traditionally decorated restaurant. After parking her car the brother and sister duo went inside.
*
"Artriya?" Rubel asked, flipping through the menus of restaurant, with a frown on his forehead.
"Yes, she had a shoot or something around here, so hearing me coming this way too, she asked if we could get lunch together. So..." Ipshita mumbled unmindfully typing on her phone screen informing the woman in the discussion about the location of the restaurant.
Artriya was Ipshita's school friend along with Riti. She got discovered at one of her college fests by a casting director who was an ex-student of the college. The girl became a household name after getting cast as the female lead of a Bengali soap opera and a few modelling assignments and now was trying to get into the film industries.
"Uhm - so will you be ordering after she comes or -?" Rubel asked again clearing his voice. The scowl that spread across his face was trying hard to overcome the rush inside him that had emerged just by the utterance of the name.
"Um - no-no," quickly Ipshita took up the food menu, putting her phone down - completely unaware of the change in her dadabhai. "Okay... um... moogdaal maybe and rice?"
"What about Biriyani?" Forcefully ignoring the excitement among his blood cells, Rubel spoke in a serious voice.
'As if getting the one, you have on your mind is that easy mum!' He scoffed at the back of his mind.
"Biriyani?" Ipshita made a face. "It's a Bengali restaurant davai, I really doubt Mughalai food would be their best dish!"
"We have a very delicious and wonderful variety of Biriyani ma'am I assure you," The server that was waiting near the table, standing cautiously and eyeing Rubel's uniform and the badges on it, spoke up.
"Really? Then bring a plate of Chicken Biriyani, a plate of mutton curry, and hey will you have the ilish paturi? Look at that Ipshita, isn't it your favourite? Take it with pulao! Say what?"
"Yes davai, those are my favourite, but I don't want to die of lose motion!" Ipshita hissed looking bewildered by the lavish ordering of her brother.
"Oh, pish-posh! You are young, your stomach can handle it, otherwise, you need to cut it off," Rubel fanned his hand dismissing Ipshita's words and continued ordering, " so for her, bring whatever she wants and also bring two plates of the fish, and a plate of pulao!"
*
"Oh my! IG-babu himself!"
With a smug smile, Artriya sat down pushing a chair of the square restaurant table, beside Ipshita and facing Rubel.
A fistful of crimson colour got spread on Rubel's face. With the smirk he inherited from his father, Rubel looked through his eyelashes at the woman across him. "You know I am not the IG yet Artriya. Does teasing me pleases you that much?" Inherited art of flirtatious tone effortlessly came out of his mouth.
"You know - I have never met a second person who, after being an IPS officer, stays wherever he has started." Artriya scoffed putting the linen napkin on her lap. "I mean who doesn't like being promoted? Look at your sister. She broke off her engagement because she is up for a big promotion at the office and marrying that idiot means turning that down, leaving jobs-"
"Excuse me!" Ipshita's feeble argument got overwhelmed by the laughter of her Davai.
"You know, taking promotions means leaving Kolkata -" smilingly he tried to reply.
"And you being a mamma's boy, can't sleep without his mommy!" Artriya made a mocking sad face still having twinkling of teasing in her eyes.
"Hey!" The third person, that till now was just a witness of the other two persons of her table engaging in a conversation with subtle coquetry, spoke up. The frown on Ipshita's forehead was being the testimony of clear annoyance towards the situation. It seemed like she had forcefully interjected herself into the conversation and was irritated that she had to do so keeping her manners aside.
Rubel still looking at Artriya's face that was pointed at him, just shook his head and looked down at his food, still having his smirk pasted on his lips.
"What?" Ipshita's school best friend averted her eyes on her with wit dancing in her eyes.
"Stop talking to my brother like that! Just eat your food." Ipshita hissed back glaring meaningfully at Artriya, with a look of 'Don't cross that line. We have had that discussion.'
"Oh have some sense of humour Ipu!" Whispering in Ipshita's ear Artriya shrugged. She was about to get some retort but that got interrupted as some waiters gathered around the table and one of them asked to Artriya for a picture.
**
"You know what you need? You need to get laid. When was the last time you get laid?" Ipshita's friend asked her after Rubel got off her car.
"And you need to learn to know that everyone, everyone is not for you to play with. Not davai Artriya!" Ipshita growled.
"Well, have you ever gave it a thought that maybe I genuinely like -"
"Nooo! Because you know that I know that you aren't serious!"
"You need sex!"
"I will grind this steering wheel inside you!"
"That's sexy!" Artriya rolled her eyes and looked away. For a moment none of the friends talked. Ipshita kept driving having her law locked until Artriya shot a sharp glance at Ipshita, "you know it's real classy of you to judge me and slut-shaming me, after kissing a stranger while being in a relationship."
"Oh my god! I am not having this discussion again! You know I am not judging you, I am just saying he is getting married soon so don't you mess up his mind!"
"Oh and that can't be me because I am an actor! I mean, that's discrimination against performing artists!"
"Quit making fun of this woman! I am serious. I told you masi is looking for brides for him seriously. Don't indulge yourself in this. I don't want anyone of you to get out of this with a broken heart!" Ipshita spoke in one breath. The humour in Artriya's face got wiped off completely as she kept looking at her best friend listening to her, but her gaze was not particularly on her.
"He is just twenty-seven though, isn't he? He's quite young for marriage!" It was a serious tone that came out of Artriya when she finally replied.
"Well, his mum wants to see grandson and someone to look after him before she dies."
"So a maid an adoption agency?" The both the friends chuckled up at Artriya's words. "Well, shouldn't you say something? I mean does he even wants to get married? Now?"
"I think I should steer clear of the business of matrimony for a long time now, of whoever that may be."
"You need sex! Where's your phone?" Saying Artriya started digging inside Ipshita's bag and fished out her phone. "It's been what two-three years of bad sex? And almost a month being broken up -"
"Artriya!!!"
"- you're not a nun! Baby needs some sugar!"
"Artriya!"
"I am downloading all the dating apps in it, well not the lame ones though-"
"Artriya!"
"Yeh baby take my name - ooh! There, Tinder is installed. Lem'me make your profile!"...
So, here is the chapter, I hope you liked it. Now please VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! and comment...