Romance The End of Restless Sleep- By Pinuram

[ddey333]

Chapter 4: Time extortion. (#1)

For first few days, I confined myself in my solitary cell. I avoided talking much with any
friends, even Titli. After the computer classes, I used to make lame excuses to her. I was
afraid that she might fathom my wanderer life style and dark past. Anirban noticed that
and asked me the reason. Somehow, I avoided him also. Grandma asked me to gather
myself up.

Titli caught me one day before the class started, “Are you avoiding me for some reason?
No, no, tell me directly, I won’t mind.”

Her angry eyes melted away all those dark clouds. I laughed at her, “Why on earth
should I avoid you? I am grateful to have such a beautiful friend.

She sat beside me, “Then why are you not talking to me?”

I put up a big grin on my face, “See, I am showing my teeth, now you are happy?”
“So giving me a lift after the class?” she asked. I bowed my head and said, “Sure
Madam.”

On the way return, she told me that her final exams were coming near. The dates are
before the Durga Puja. I assured her that since she was a good student, she would fair
well in her exams. She asked me whether I would be able to help her in her studies. I
said to her that, I do not have much time for myself so how come I could help her. I used
to return home late after my job and the classes. On every weekend I had visit my
grandma also.

She feigned angst, “You don’t have time for me.”

“I don’t have time for myself, Titli, try to understand. Moreover, do joint study with your
friends rather than me. That will help you a lot.” I tried to dissuade her. I knew that my
words hurt her.

Our semester was ending and the days of her exams were near. She asked me a favour
to wait for before joining the next final semester of the course. I assured her that I
would wait for her. She was happy after I gave her my word.

After the semester was over, there was no more nagging Titli. I felt a void in my daily
routine but that waned away as I persuaded my heart that she was just a friend and I
should not encourage any advances from either side.

The rain clouds were dissipating slowly. One night it was drizzling, I was alone in my two
room flat, watching television. Late was the hour and the phone rang. She made an
unexpected call.

“Slept already? Had your dinner? What did you had? Are you alone in the room? What
are you doing?” she started showering rapid-fire queries.

“Titli, titli, will you let me talk or you will babble alone. You have not slept until now?
And how come you found time to call me?” I asked her.

“No, no. I am all ears for you. Today, dad is not at home, so I found time to call you. So
what are you doing?” she asked.

“Preparing to goto bed.” I answered.

“It is raining outside.” She giggled, “I would love to dance in the rain but my exams are
from next week. You don’t love rain I suppose. How can a rugged person like you knows
what is rain?” I knew that she was teasing me.

“You have completed your studies?” I scolded her “Study girl, study hard.”

“You are a real boring person. Keep the phone.” She got annoyed and cut the line.

I could not sleep properly that night. Whenever I closed my eyes, I dreamt her smiling
face in front of me. I sat on the bed and told to myself, “Do not encourage any advance,
Budhaditya. You are not a match for her. She is beautiful, suave, rich and her parents
will not allow you to come near her. She is of higher caste than yours and her parents
will not allow their daughter’s unwanted hankers.”

For a whole month, there was no nagging of Titli around me. At times, when I used to
return home after office, I felt the void on my pillion. I smiled and thwarted away those
dreamy thoughts.

Spring thwarted monsoon clouds. There were tufts of white clouds floating under the
curtain of navy blue sky. The fresh air smelt of Puja approaching. The ambience of the
streets of Kolkata was gaining momentum with each passing day. People were busy in
shopping. While returning from office, every day I had to face huge jams in the streets. I
looked up the sky; my mom’s beautiful eyes were showering her blessings on me.

Grandma requested me to take her to Haridwar and Hrishikesh during that Durga Puja.
Every weekend grandma pestered for my marriage and in some pretext or another, I
avoided confronting her queries.

One day she asked me, “Are you in love with some one?”

“Not at all, Grandma. No one will marry such a rugged heartless fellow. You know very
well that I don’t have those inside me.” I tried to make excuses.

Her prying eyes sensed that something was wrong; she kept on pestering me with her
queries. At last I had to break the ice that, I had a very good friend, Anoushka Bannerjee.

Grandma asked me the problems. I explained the problems at her end and I told her
that I would rather remain unmarried for the rest of my life. I did not want to bind any
person’s fate with my ill fate.

She listened to me and then said, “Adi, I don’t know about afterlife, I don’t even believe
in rebirth also. Make the most of your life; be clear in your heart, all that I can say.”
I assured her that I would tread cautiously in the murky waters of the river.

On that day, I just returned from office. As soon as I entered my house, the phone rang.
It was Titli’s voice on the other end, “What are you doing? Can you come at Hathibagan,
I am in a problem.”

I was about to ask her regarding her problems, but she disconnected the phone. I was
afraid and without thinking of anything, I started for the place. For whole time, I was
praying that some worst should not happen with her.

The place was a market place and even she did not tell me as where she would wait. I
thought it would be best to wait near the crossing. I parked my bike and stood there
anxiously. My eager eyes were trying to find her in the midst of the huge crowd; Durga
Puja was coming near.

I got startled as I heard a giggle from backside. I looked only to find that Titli was
standing there along with three girls, they were her college friends. She was laughing on
beholding my anxious face.

“What happened? I knew that you would wait here. This is the only place that is bit less
crowded.” She said to me.

“What is your problem?” I asked her.

“Who told you I have problem.” She was sporting a naughty smile on her lips.

After a long time I was meeting her. She was looking very beautiful in her silhouette
hugging sleeveless kurta and salwar. A small blue dot graced between her brows. Her
red lips was glistening, seemed to be soaked in honey. Her rosy cheeks seem to beckon
me for a tiny peck. Her hair was weaved in a long braid. I felt a hypnotic halo
surrounding her. The night-lights felt slippery on her creamy complexion. In the yellow
streetlights, she appeared like a nymph. My vision was riveted on her enchanting
beauty; I forgot time.

She gently nudged me by my arm “What happened? Can we go?

I looked around; all her friends were staring at me. I asked her again “Why have you
called me?”

She whispered, “For shopping, what else? Come on, start walking we are getting late.”
She looked at her friends and asked them to walk. “You know all of them. You met them
at Newmarket.”

I could not speak for a moment; I could not find words as to explain the feelings in my
heart. I was trying to get away from her yet I kept on bouncing on her frequently.

I asked her, “Your parents know that you have come for shopping?”

She nodded her head, “Yes Adi, I am not a liar. I told them that I was going out for
shopping with my friends.” She was walking very close to me; her arms were brushing
on mine. Due to the huge crowd, I held her by her upper arm to guard her. She looked
at me and whispered, “That’s the reason I called you. I feel safe when you are around
me.” Her eyes sparkled as she said those words to me.

I lowered my voice to ask her, “Titli, you did shopping before with your friends even
when I was not present.”

She got bit annoyed, “You don’t want to come with me, then just let me go.”

I felt that the sweet damsel could get angry; I did not want to mar her Puja shopping. I
nodded my head and assured her that everything was ok she could carry on her
shopping. Shopping with ladies during Puja is real tough situation for me. I rather refrain
myself from going out in the crowd but I had to. At times, I looked at her, I wanted to go
away from her but I was unable to do so. Some force was attracting me towards her
relentlessly.

“Why didn’t you contact me for a month?” she asked.

“You asked me not to call you, remember?” I answered.

“Oh! Do you know that where there is a will there is a way.” She looked deeply in my
eyes “Basically you did not had that will to call me. Tell me frankly.” That was the actual
reason for not calling her. I was perplexed on hearing that from her. She gave me a
naughty smile, “I told you that I will wring out your time for me.

Her last words made me laugh. “What are you going to buy?” I asked her.

“What do you like?” She asked me.

“Every kind of dress suits you. I would rather love traditional attire for you.” I said to
her.

“You did not call me for your shopping?” She pinched me.

I laughed at her, “I don’t like shopping in huge crowd. Whatever I had to buy, I prepare
that advance. I don’t barge into shops like you and rummage the whole shop for a small
scarf.”

“So you don’t like. You are such a boring person.” She hissed at me. She entered in a
huge garment store “Ok now choose something for me.”

I scratched my head, which was an uphill task for me. Never in my whole life I had the
experience of going out for shopping with any girl. I looked at her perplexed.

“What?” she exclaimed at me “Aren’t you going to present me something for the Puja?”
“Titli, you choose, I will pay.” I pleaded her.

She kept on imploring me, “Please, please, please.” I looked at her and assured her that
I would buy her some dress. She and her other two friends went to the counter for
choosing dress. I stood behind watching her.

“Hi” One of her friend named Parineeta came near me and asked me, “What do you
do?”

She was a dusky in complexion; her build was voluptuous she possessed a striking
feature of oozing sensuality in her small yet inviting eyes. I answered her that I was in a
job. I asked her about her exams and so and so forth our conversation went on.
With the corner of my eye, I kept a careful watch on Titli. She was an apt danseuse
during her college days and was attached with a renowned dancing troupe of Kolkata.

Her regular dancing practice keeps her in well-proportioned frame in a perfect shape
possessing a figure to die for.

She asked me, “Do you like Anoushka?” the query came as a jolt to me. My brows
constricted on hearing her words, I gave a sharp look at her. She laughed at me, “Don’t
give me that look, I just want to know, that’s all. I asked Anoushka about you but she did
not say anything.”

I was even not clear about our relation, all I wanted to have a good friend nothing more.
I looked at Titli; she was busy in choosing her dress. She was glancing at me at-times,
checking on me. I nodded my head, “We are good friends.”

She smiled on hearing my answer, “Hmmm.... Her father is very strict about her having
any boyfriend. None of our male classmates ever tread near her house. Her father is in a
good position in a Calcutta port trust.”

I nodded my head to convey that I was well aware of those facts and then I asked her,
“By the way who is Samudra?”

She gave an inquisitive look, “Do you know him?” I nodded my head to say that I didn’t.

She explained me that Samudra was their batch mate in college. Anoushka was not at all
interested as Samudra’s nature made her angry. I preferred not to ask further about
that.

“Come here” Titli shouted at me. I walked by her side, she showed a violet coloured
dress she has chosen for her “How is this?”

I nodded my head to express my acknowledgement.

“Just like that? Say something, good or bad.” She almost barked at me.

I laughed and closed my eyes, tried to imagine Titli in that dress, violet sleeveless kurta
and tight salwar. The colour would suit very well against her skin, “Yes it will be a good
one. Take that.” I asked the person at the counter regarding the price of the dress.

“Are you going to pay?” she asked.

“Yes definitely, how can I make my best friend sad?” I smiled and paid for that dress.

Time was flowing very fast, I asked Titli whether there would be any problem at her
house or not. She assured me that her parents know that she was out with her friends.

She has the permission to reach home late. I asked her to give a look at her watch, as it
was half-past nine.

She exclaimed on hearing the time, “Oh! No I have to return.” She looked at her friends
had some farewell girly chitchat. I stood at a distance and watched her chirping like
sparrow.

I shouted at her, “Titli, it is getting late, come on we have to go.”

She looked at me, “Coming, just wait” and then waved at her friends, bidding them
farewell.

She jumped on the pillion of my bike, held me by my waist tightly, and rested her chin
on my right shoulder. I felt her delicate frame melting on my back. Previously whenever
she used to sit on the pillion, she used to hold by shoulder just to support her from
falling. I clenched my teeth to suppress my feelings but at the same time enjoyed her
touch on me. I felt her warm breath on my nape. The temperature of my nape rose as
her soft cheek brushing on my nape. Her embrace tightened around my waist as I
slapped the accelerator. She was quiet for long time, probably enjoying her freedom.

We reached the entrance of the lane that lead to her house. She asked me after getting
down from the bike, “What are you doing during Puja?”

I answered her, “I have to take my Grandma for a trip to Haridwar and Hrishikesh.”

A gloom shadow overcast her beautiful face, “The next semester is going to start on first
of November, be there at the centre on that date.”

“Ok, don’t worry about that, I will be there.” I answered. I was unable to stand her
gloomy expression on her face. I felt a huge wave to culminate near my throat, I love
you Anoushka. But those words never came to my lips, I blankly stared to the dark
Prussian blue sky studded with millions of stars. Time flew; each passing second seemed
to be a year to me. She still stood near my bike waiting to say something.

After sometime she coughed and spoke in a bit shaky tone, “Ok, good night.”

I felt like crying my heart out, Don’t go Titli, I love you. I smiled at her and nodded my
head.

Still she stood there. I looked deeply in her big eyes and was about to say something. I
felt her eager expression to hear those unspoken words, from me.

“Do you want to say something?” she asked me.

“No, Go home, your parents might be waiting for you.” I started the bike.

Her voice shook a little, “Good night” those beautiful eyes were glistening. She stood
there as I rode into darkness.

I knew that it was better not to commit anything. Probably we both knew that our
relation could not take the next step due to her family pressure and my dark past. I was
unable to sleep that night. For the whole night, I kept on thinking about my poor fate,
her barrier. I knew she would not cross that barrier, as she was a timid and lovely
person. She would not go against her parents in any case.