Adultery The Possession

[Henry]

Today is the busy day for Santu's first exam. Mom's tension is higher than son's since morning. Soma took today off from college. After getting Antu ready in the college bus, she entered the bath herself.
The bell rang just after Soma entered the bath. Soma said from the bathroom---Santu, let's see who came.
Santu opened the door and saw Dawa Sherpa. He said---Mom Dawa Uncle is asking for the car key.
Soma said from the bathroom---It is in the bedroom drawer, give him.

Exams start at twelve o'clock. On the first day, need to go a little earlier. They left right around 10:30. Soma is wearing a light pink color tant saree with orange blouse. She doesn't like to a lot of makeup when she goes to college or when she goes out. Even at the age of 40, her fair face still has a lot of charm. Yet she loves Simply Dress forever, not just at this age. She use always only a light cream or just face powder on her face. Soft lipstick on the lips. On her left hand she wears a black strap wristwatch on with sankha-pola. She always has a gold noa in her right hand, a thin gold chain around her neck and two thin gold rings in her ears.

Dawa drove the car. Soma and Santu are sitting on the back seat. Santu is reading the book inside the car. Sometimes Soma is busily looking at her watch, sometimes opening a water bottle and feeding Santu. Dawa glanced at Soma through the car mirror. He saw and said---Madam, you are very tensed for your son's exam. Don't stress, Babu is very intelligent boy. His exam will be good.
Soma smiled softly. Dawa reiterated----When my daughter Keshavi was giving her exam, her dadi was very tensed. I am an uneducated person, her grandmother is also uneducated. However, her dadi was very tensed. But my Keshavi was also good at studies.

Soma said---then why did you gave marry her? You could teach him more in college.

---Didn't i wished that, madam. But what to do. We are poor people. How long could I send her to college? I got a good groom fir her. So I gave her marriege. But what do you know, madam, my son-in-law is a very good person.
Soma could see that even the rough-faced arrogant Dawa Sherpa had a fatherly heart. Which she liked. So she said---your daughter is very good. When we got stuck at night, we saw her.
---Yes madam. She is motherless daughter. Tell me what else to do. I am out of work. Her dadi is to old. Then tell me what will happen next. So I gave marriege.

Talking they reached the exam center. Soma sat near down and waited till the test started. She came out from exam center to start the exam. She saw Daba standing in front of the car not far away and pulling bidis. Soma waited for a while and went ahead.
Daba threw the burnt bidi and said---Madam, You have to wait three hours now. What do you do so long? I know this place. I have been to this Jadavpur place in Kolkata before. There is near pond in. The place is nice and quiet. Sitting there will pass your time. Soma felt uncomfortable, she didn't think it was right to spend three hours in a quiet place with a stranger, a man who he thought was dangerous Until a few times ago.

Dawa seems to understand Soma's mind. He said---don't be afraid madam. I'm not a bad person.
Soma was startled. She said---No, no. I don't think so.

Talking to Dawa now, Soma seems to be changing her thinking towards the man a little. This man's tall muscular body, rough and husky face and heavy masculine voice made it seem like she thought the man was hideous. Soma felt that the man was actually not so bad.

Soma didn't know there was such a place in Kolkata. A largel pond. Trees around. The ghat of the pond is tied with cement. Very quiet place. Very far away, two people are sitting and talking. The sound of vehicles is coming from far away.
Soma sat down on the cement chair next to the cement ghat. Dawa Sherpa sat on the cement chair on the opposite side. He sat down and said---Madam, your Kolkata is in
crowded area. I am a mountain man. I don't like so much crowd. This place is pretty good, isn't it?
Soma smiled. She said---But I didn't know about this place before. I came to Jadavpur several times with Santu's dad. But I was not familiar with this place.

Soma is still uncomfortable. She is a lady from educated upper middle class bengali family. Also she is a college teacher. It does not suit her to sit in such a secluded place with a low class watchman, who looks like a goon types and dressed in filthy clothes. If a familiar person has seen her, what to say!

Dawa took out a khaini's box from his pocket. He crushed the khaini several times in his hand and stuffed it into his mouth. Then he said---Madam, are you always feel good living in this crowded city?

Soma smiled and Said---why not? how many people are there Working, living.
---Madam I am working in your flat for just one week. But No one socializes here with anybody. Master Sabji on third floor, Marwari Aggarwal Sabji speaks when they required, otherwise no one speaks.
Soma said---Everyone here is busy with everyone's work. Everyone has very little free time. To each his own.
Dawa glanced at the pond for a while, looked and said----I too, madam, I am a lonely person. But I am friends with the mountains. There are no mountains here.

Soma smiled and said---I also like mountains too. It's not always that we like living in this city. We therefore traveling once a year. I really liked your hill area.
Dawa started thinking about something silently.
Soma noticed that there was a wildness in Dawa's face. His face is carved in stone. Just as he said that being a man of the lonely forest he loves the mountains, just as he sometimes sinks into solitary thoughts.

Soma broke the silence and said----You live very well in mountain area, Dawa ji. Your own small family, small home in the bosom of beautiful nature.

Dawa laughed now. His smile was very hoarse but Soma felt that there was some pain in this smile. Dawa said---Madam, where is my family?
---Why? You have a daughter, a mother.
---How long will my mother alive? And daughter is married.

At the first time, Soma suddenly think that the man seemed to be a real person of flesh and blood. Until tomorrow she thought he was a goon types man or a cruel bad guy. Soma knew that the man's huge masculine body was the reason she felt this way. She knew that, although appearance could not be the hallmark of one's character, it could not be reasonable. She said softly---Your daughter Keshvi is a really good girl.

Dawa said again---My motherless poor child. When she was two years old, her mother died.
----What happened to your wife?
Dawa was silent now with a serious face. Suddenly, a hawker shouted loudly "Badam..."(nut).
Dawa said---Madam, will you eat nut?
Soma said---No no. Thank you. If you want to eat, you can eat. Soma went to take out the money from the bag.
Dawa said---No, madam. I am not to eat alone.

Just one day can change a person's life. Soma thought who was a bad man just twenty-four hours ago now she feels the man is not bad. She does not feel bad for the man.
After the exam of Santu, She asked her son-----How did the exam?
Santu smiled. Soma glanced at her question paper. They returned home before afternoon.
Soma's mind is quite good since evening. A dark cloud of wrong thinking has been removed from her mind. Feeling calm now. Now she is confident that Dawa ji will be able to deliver Santu safely to the exam center in the upcoming exams.

At night Subir called just before going to sleep. Their both sons are sleeping. Soma picked up the phone and Subir said---I didn't have time today. How was the exam of Santu?
----He says it's good.
Subir said---are they both asleep now?
---Yes. did you eat?
---Yes. A colleague's son got married today. Marathi marriage, so their food is different.
Soma worriedly said---you have a problems of eating outside food. So take the medicine of acidity before going to bed at night.
----Dhat! Nothing will happen. Did the Dawa sherpa drive properly?
Soma said with anxiety---You know We have mistakenly recognized the man. Dawa ji is very gentleman. Talking to him, I realized that he is a human being like us.

Subir was a bit surprised to see Soma addressing the man as "Dawa ji". He laughed and said---is not that person is a bad man! You said about him like a villian!

Soma blushed, said with a smile---ish! I thought the man was bad. It is not right to judge someone by their appearance.
---Will you go tomorrow?
---No no. Where did I get the leave? Dawa ji can be trusted. He goes to deliver Santu to the examination center.

Subir realizes that Soma has not only changed her opinion about that Gorkha watchman, but has also developed a trust in the man. After short-spoken, Subir left the phone.

To be continued...


Mrs. Soma Mukherjee
Age: 40