18-12-2019, 06:42 PM
Chapter 11: Surprise waits
-------------------------------
At the roof, I looked out to the horizon, over the green paddy fields. The sun had tilted westward, began his journey to retire. Paree had not yet arrived. I felt a writhing pain inside my heart as I thought that I had to part today. Those three days, went very event full. I could not ask for more from God, but I only wanted to spend some time alone with Paree; which was surely not going to happen. After sometime, everyone would get busy dressing themselves up, getting ready for reception. Guests would arrive. There would be crowd all over the place. We would not be able to spend any time alone with each other, and somewhat in the late-night we would leave this house. I sat alone on the railing, annoyed with myself that why I went to bath. I cursed myself for having my bath and drinking the other night. With both my hands I was gently banging my forehead, cursing myself. Corner of my eyes got little bit wet. My ears rumbled with the sound of thousands of glass shattering down into pieces.
I felt someone calling my name from a great distant. I regained my senses as I heard my mom calling me. I wiped my eyes before turning back. I found my mom was standing with Paree. Both were looking inquisitively at me. Mom came near me patted on my shoulder and asked me what has happened. I could not answer her. I just looked blankly at Paree who was standing little behind mom. From my blank expression less eyes, Paree sensed everything. She sensed the storm that my heart was having. She bit her lower lips to control her. Mom said to me that everyone in the house was enquiring about me as they could not find me as usual. Paree slowly walked towards mom and said to her that she would take care of me. Mom asked me to come down with her. I asked mom that why they did not wait for me or asked me to go for shopping with them. Paree understood that the query was actually thrown to her and not mom.
Mom said ---“Actually, I wanted to buy Paree a new dress and as you are not fond of shopping so we did not ask you. By the way Paree has bought something which will go well with your dress to night. Why don’t you check that up?”
As Mom turned to climb downstairs, she asked me that whether I would like to wear the suit that I had bought or the same Dhuti Punjabi as the wedding day.
Paree whispered in my ears that she has bought a tie for me and I should wear my Raymond Suit. I told mom that I would be wearing my suit. Mom walked down leaving me and Paree on the roof.
Paree took my face between her palms ---“I know, what all the pain that you bore in your heart. I am sorry.”
She kissed my forehead ---“Don’t be an emotional fool. You need to be a gentleman. If you breakdown like this, then to whom I will go? Have you ever thought of that?”
______________________________
She pulled me by my hand ---“Come, you are still a little baby as you were years ago. Wipe your face properly, get dressed and then I have a big surprise for you.”
I took out her handkerchief which she gave me the other day and wiped my face and then asked her about the surprise. She smiled and me and answered that if she tells then it would not be a surprise.
We came down from the roof. Everyone was busy getting dressed up, ladies mainly. Paree and I went to Mom’s room. My grey coloured Raymond Suit was there on the bed and there was a beautiful blue striped tie. I looked at Paree. She smiled at me and asked whether I liked the present or not. I felt like hugging her right away but somehow controlled me as I saw my mom coming inside from the door. Mom asked Paree to go to Maithili’s room as the makeup lady has arrived. Paree looked at me with a sly look, she meant to say ‘wait for me’ and she ran out. Mom asked me to get dressed.
I came out of the room, looked around. I found that the sun had already set. Lights were glowing all over the place. Several heads turned towards me, I again felt that there was something different in me probably my dress. Subroto came to me; he looked dashing in his black Punjabi with golden embroidery.
“Dude, you again beat me. You look dashing in this dress.” He told to me patting on my shoulders.
“So” I put my arms around his shoulders “You have a big night tonight, and then you are going to Goa for honeymoon. I am very glad and honoured that we were invited to your wedding.”
He looked at me, staring blankly for few seconds ---“Hey don’t say that. Honour was always mine.”
---“Any ways, I found many things in these three days, more than I bargained. My lost childhood, my lost mango tree and those fishes you used to catch with me and let them swim free in the pond again.”
---“You are poet, a technical scientific dreamer.”
Just then Arunima came to me ---“Hi, dashing gentleman. You are going to give a spin to lot of ladies.” She whispered to me.
I laughed at her. She was looking radiant baby pink saree. A beautiful bun adorned over her head, sleek eyes, and long eyelashes. Subroto winked at me and left the place.
“I searched you after lunch, you were nowhere in the scene. Where were you?” She asked me.
Great God, I thought, this girl was not going to leave me. “Why were you searching for me?” I asked her.
--- “Just like that. No one was here of my age so I felt boring”
---“Hmmm… Wanna take a stroll with me?”
“Sure” She nodded her head.
“Sometimes the crowd can be boring. Is not so?” I asked her while strolling towards the courtyard. Many relatives looked at us as we walked past. I saw a sly smile on Indrani Mashi’s face.
“You are bit quiet. Are you like this always?” She asked me.
----“Yes, I tend to talk less with people. I think my frequencies don’t actually match with people.”
She smiled at me ---“Same with me. I don’t feel babbling all time except with few persons.”
---“I feel honoured that I am among those few persons you feel like talking.”
We both laughed at each other. Our conversation went on. Sharing several things. I came to know that she was the eldest daughter of two siblings. She has a little brother who was studying in class eight. Her dad was a government servant, works in the Writer’s Building. I felt I need to turn back to the house.
“Let us walk towards the house.” --- I told Arunima.
---“Can we walk a little more? Just like that.”
For few more paces we walked silently. Arunima stopped and looked at me.
---“Can I ask you a very personal question?”
---“Sure, throw away.”
“You don’t have any girlfriends? Do you?” She asked to me. I anticipated that the query would be somewhere near to this one.
---“What makes you feel so?”
---“You are very quiet and reserve type of person, that is why I thought that”
“Well, the thing is that, I don’t have time for having a fulltime girlfriend” I laughed at her.
She slyly smiled at me ---“Ohh… only small time affairs.”
---“No no, nothing of that sort; I have lots of friends and many of them are girls, but no one special.”
I heard a long breath released from her chest. I was smiling profusely inside my head.
______________________________
Arunima told me that we should now return that we have come bit far from the house. I looked around, she was right. I was also in a deep fear that what if Paree finds us together.
While returning, most of the time we both were silent. As we were about to enter the house, Arunima stopped and asked me ---“We both live in Kolkata, why don’t you visit our house sometime?”
I smiled at her and nodded, giving her assurance that I would visit their house sometime. She pushed a piece of paper into my hand and walked away. She gestured that the paper contains her telephone number and I can call her. I just brushed my hair with my fingers looking at the piece of paper and smiling deep.
I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked back to find Paree standing behind me.
With a sly smile on her face, she asked me ---“What all is going, hmmm…. Do I smell something fishy?”
I looked at Paree, from head to toe. Big surprise for me really. She was dressed in an expensive turquoise coloured Lehenga. As usual her skin was shining. Dimple on her cheeks as she smiled at me. Dupatta around her shoulders. Her belly was exposed. I felt a strong urge to go down on my knees to kiss her soft round belly all around her deep navel. Her big black eyes looking at me, smiling all the time, I was speechless, totally smitten by her beauty.
She swirled around to show me her dress ---“How do I look?”
My jaw literally dropped. “Ummm…… I am going to have a heart attack now.”
She whispered to me ---“Better than Arunima?”
“Uh….. Do I smell some ones heart burning?” I tapped on her dimpled cheek.
She pushed me playfully ---“Don’t you dare to?” pointing her index finger to me. I suddenly kissed her index finger.
---“Oh, come on you naughty boy, everyone is watching us.”
---“Sorry.”
---“I need to talk to ChotoMa, come with me.”
My mom was there somewhere, talking to her relatives. Paree ran towards my mom and hugged her from behind. I stood at bit distant from the pack of ladies. Mom kissed her forehead.
Indrani Mashi came to me and asked that when will we be leaving. I told her that, I had no idea, my mom knows all. She looked at them, wiped the corner of her eyes with her fingers. In a hush tone she said to me ---“It will be very hard to console Paree today. I don’t know what is going to happen.”
I took away Indrani mashi from there, took her to a room. I sat by her feet and took her hands in mine.
---“Indrani Mashi, you are her eldest sister; if she sees you crying she won’t be able to control herself from now.”
She started sobbing, big drops of tears rolled down her cheeks.
“All these years, I have cursed her a lot.” Saying that; she started crying profusely. I tried to console her.
---“Wipe your face, Mashi. Please for my sake. Smile; see it is your brother’s reception. You should be happy. You should look happy.”
Indrani Mashi wiped her tears, kissed my forehead ---“You are a true gem.”
Meghna entered our room. She yelled at us ---“What is happening in this house? There in that room Ulupi di, Paree and mother-in-law are sobbing and here you two are crying. I will go mad. Get up, and don’t go into that room.”
I assured Indrani Mashi that I would take care of Paree, she need not worry.
Time was running very fast. Relatives have arrived and the reception house was bumbling with crowd.
I saw Arunima coming towards me. She asked me that where was I, her brother-in-law, mean Subroto was looking for me to have a family photo.
People have started their dinner already. I saw Paree with a bunch of ladies. I saw smile back on her face. I thanked to God that she has come out of all the emotional tears. Paree gestured me to come to her. She introduced with some of her friends. Two of them were already married. I asked Paree whether she was ok or not. She said nothing.
I told her that I should be calling mom and dad for dinner. She looked at me.
---“Why so early? Don’t you want to have dinner with me?”
Subroto called both of us to the reception, where Maithili was seated, to have a family photograph. I complied him.
________________________________________________________________
-------------------------------
At the roof, I looked out to the horizon, over the green paddy fields. The sun had tilted westward, began his journey to retire. Paree had not yet arrived. I felt a writhing pain inside my heart as I thought that I had to part today. Those three days, went very event full. I could not ask for more from God, but I only wanted to spend some time alone with Paree; which was surely not going to happen. After sometime, everyone would get busy dressing themselves up, getting ready for reception. Guests would arrive. There would be crowd all over the place. We would not be able to spend any time alone with each other, and somewhat in the late-night we would leave this house. I sat alone on the railing, annoyed with myself that why I went to bath. I cursed myself for having my bath and drinking the other night. With both my hands I was gently banging my forehead, cursing myself. Corner of my eyes got little bit wet. My ears rumbled with the sound of thousands of glass shattering down into pieces.
I felt someone calling my name from a great distant. I regained my senses as I heard my mom calling me. I wiped my eyes before turning back. I found my mom was standing with Paree. Both were looking inquisitively at me. Mom came near me patted on my shoulder and asked me what has happened. I could not answer her. I just looked blankly at Paree who was standing little behind mom. From my blank expression less eyes, Paree sensed everything. She sensed the storm that my heart was having. She bit her lower lips to control her. Mom said to me that everyone in the house was enquiring about me as they could not find me as usual. Paree slowly walked towards mom and said to her that she would take care of me. Mom asked me to come down with her. I asked mom that why they did not wait for me or asked me to go for shopping with them. Paree understood that the query was actually thrown to her and not mom.
Mom said ---“Actually, I wanted to buy Paree a new dress and as you are not fond of shopping so we did not ask you. By the way Paree has bought something which will go well with your dress to night. Why don’t you check that up?”
As Mom turned to climb downstairs, she asked me that whether I would like to wear the suit that I had bought or the same Dhuti Punjabi as the wedding day.
Paree whispered in my ears that she has bought a tie for me and I should wear my Raymond Suit. I told mom that I would be wearing my suit. Mom walked down leaving me and Paree on the roof.
Paree took my face between her palms ---“I know, what all the pain that you bore in your heart. I am sorry.”
She kissed my forehead ---“Don’t be an emotional fool. You need to be a gentleman. If you breakdown like this, then to whom I will go? Have you ever thought of that?”
______________________________
She pulled me by my hand ---“Come, you are still a little baby as you were years ago. Wipe your face properly, get dressed and then I have a big surprise for you.”
I took out her handkerchief which she gave me the other day and wiped my face and then asked her about the surprise. She smiled and me and answered that if she tells then it would not be a surprise.
We came down from the roof. Everyone was busy getting dressed up, ladies mainly. Paree and I went to Mom’s room. My grey coloured Raymond Suit was there on the bed and there was a beautiful blue striped tie. I looked at Paree. She smiled at me and asked whether I liked the present or not. I felt like hugging her right away but somehow controlled me as I saw my mom coming inside from the door. Mom asked Paree to go to Maithili’s room as the makeup lady has arrived. Paree looked at me with a sly look, she meant to say ‘wait for me’ and she ran out. Mom asked me to get dressed.
I came out of the room, looked around. I found that the sun had already set. Lights were glowing all over the place. Several heads turned towards me, I again felt that there was something different in me probably my dress. Subroto came to me; he looked dashing in his black Punjabi with golden embroidery.
“Dude, you again beat me. You look dashing in this dress.” He told to me patting on my shoulders.
“So” I put my arms around his shoulders “You have a big night tonight, and then you are going to Goa for honeymoon. I am very glad and honoured that we were invited to your wedding.”
He looked at me, staring blankly for few seconds ---“Hey don’t say that. Honour was always mine.”
---“Any ways, I found many things in these three days, more than I bargained. My lost childhood, my lost mango tree and those fishes you used to catch with me and let them swim free in the pond again.”
---“You are poet, a technical scientific dreamer.”
Just then Arunima came to me ---“Hi, dashing gentleman. You are going to give a spin to lot of ladies.” She whispered to me.
I laughed at her. She was looking radiant baby pink saree. A beautiful bun adorned over her head, sleek eyes, and long eyelashes. Subroto winked at me and left the place.
“I searched you after lunch, you were nowhere in the scene. Where were you?” She asked me.
Great God, I thought, this girl was not going to leave me. “Why were you searching for me?” I asked her.
--- “Just like that. No one was here of my age so I felt boring”
---“Hmmm… Wanna take a stroll with me?”
“Sure” She nodded her head.
“Sometimes the crowd can be boring. Is not so?” I asked her while strolling towards the courtyard. Many relatives looked at us as we walked past. I saw a sly smile on Indrani Mashi’s face.
“You are bit quiet. Are you like this always?” She asked me.
----“Yes, I tend to talk less with people. I think my frequencies don’t actually match with people.”
She smiled at me ---“Same with me. I don’t feel babbling all time except with few persons.”
---“I feel honoured that I am among those few persons you feel like talking.”
We both laughed at each other. Our conversation went on. Sharing several things. I came to know that she was the eldest daughter of two siblings. She has a little brother who was studying in class eight. Her dad was a government servant, works in the Writer’s Building. I felt I need to turn back to the house.
“Let us walk towards the house.” --- I told Arunima.
---“Can we walk a little more? Just like that.”
For few more paces we walked silently. Arunima stopped and looked at me.
---“Can I ask you a very personal question?”
---“Sure, throw away.”
“You don’t have any girlfriends? Do you?” She asked to me. I anticipated that the query would be somewhere near to this one.
---“What makes you feel so?”
---“You are very quiet and reserve type of person, that is why I thought that”
“Well, the thing is that, I don’t have time for having a fulltime girlfriend” I laughed at her.
She slyly smiled at me ---“Ohh… only small time affairs.”
---“No no, nothing of that sort; I have lots of friends and many of them are girls, but no one special.”
I heard a long breath released from her chest. I was smiling profusely inside my head.
______________________________
Arunima told me that we should now return that we have come bit far from the house. I looked around, she was right. I was also in a deep fear that what if Paree finds us together.
While returning, most of the time we both were silent. As we were about to enter the house, Arunima stopped and asked me ---“We both live in Kolkata, why don’t you visit our house sometime?”
I smiled at her and nodded, giving her assurance that I would visit their house sometime. She pushed a piece of paper into my hand and walked away. She gestured that the paper contains her telephone number and I can call her. I just brushed my hair with my fingers looking at the piece of paper and smiling deep.
I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked back to find Paree standing behind me.
With a sly smile on her face, she asked me ---“What all is going, hmmm…. Do I smell something fishy?”
I looked at Paree, from head to toe. Big surprise for me really. She was dressed in an expensive turquoise coloured Lehenga. As usual her skin was shining. Dimple on her cheeks as she smiled at me. Dupatta around her shoulders. Her belly was exposed. I felt a strong urge to go down on my knees to kiss her soft round belly all around her deep navel. Her big black eyes looking at me, smiling all the time, I was speechless, totally smitten by her beauty.
She swirled around to show me her dress ---“How do I look?”
My jaw literally dropped. “Ummm…… I am going to have a heart attack now.”
She whispered to me ---“Better than Arunima?”
“Uh….. Do I smell some ones heart burning?” I tapped on her dimpled cheek.
She pushed me playfully ---“Don’t you dare to?” pointing her index finger to me. I suddenly kissed her index finger.
---“Oh, come on you naughty boy, everyone is watching us.”
---“Sorry.”
---“I need to talk to ChotoMa, come with me.”
My mom was there somewhere, talking to her relatives. Paree ran towards my mom and hugged her from behind. I stood at bit distant from the pack of ladies. Mom kissed her forehead.
Indrani Mashi came to me and asked that when will we be leaving. I told her that, I had no idea, my mom knows all. She looked at them, wiped the corner of her eyes with her fingers. In a hush tone she said to me ---“It will be very hard to console Paree today. I don’t know what is going to happen.”
I took away Indrani mashi from there, took her to a room. I sat by her feet and took her hands in mine.
---“Indrani Mashi, you are her eldest sister; if she sees you crying she won’t be able to control herself from now.”
She started sobbing, big drops of tears rolled down her cheeks.
“All these years, I have cursed her a lot.” Saying that; she started crying profusely. I tried to console her.
---“Wipe your face, Mashi. Please for my sake. Smile; see it is your brother’s reception. You should be happy. You should look happy.”
Indrani Mashi wiped her tears, kissed my forehead ---“You are a true gem.”
Meghna entered our room. She yelled at us ---“What is happening in this house? There in that room Ulupi di, Paree and mother-in-law are sobbing and here you two are crying. I will go mad. Get up, and don’t go into that room.”
I assured Indrani Mashi that I would take care of Paree, she need not worry.
Time was running very fast. Relatives have arrived and the reception house was bumbling with crowd.
I saw Arunima coming towards me. She asked me that where was I, her brother-in-law, mean Subroto was looking for me to have a family photo.
People have started their dinner already. I saw Paree with a bunch of ladies. I saw smile back on her face. I thanked to God that she has come out of all the emotional tears. Paree gestured me to come to her. She introduced with some of her friends. Two of them were already married. I asked Paree whether she was ok or not. She said nothing.
I told her that I should be calling mom and dad for dinner. She looked at me.
---“Why so early? Don’t you want to have dinner with me?”
Subroto called both of us to the reception, where Maithili was seated, to have a family photograph. I complied him.
________________________________________________________________
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