The Last Ride

Ajabdeh woke up with a heavy head and still felt sleepy. She sat on the bed and drew the blanket over her bare shoulders as she remembered the night. A smile curved her lips as she looked out at the midday sun. She suddenly looked alarmed. It was midday. They were supposed to leave after breakfast. Why did nobody wake her up? Where was he? She quickly got dressed. Her mind was running. So many things were said and done the day before. She needed to talk to him.

She was greeted at the door by the packed luggage and Kasturi.

"I packed your luggage for you, ma'am. Sir said I should pack you some snacks, so I made sandwiches."

"Where is he?" She asked, looking around.

"He is yet to come downstairs."

"Why did you not wake me up, Kasturi? We were supposed to leave two hours ago." She narrowed her eyes at the clock.

"I am sorry, ma'am. Sir instructed us to let you sleep." She smiled, thanking her for her service and insisting she took a handsome tip before she turned at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Pratap had his aviator glasses on and walked past her towards the car.

"Put the luggage in Bahadur." He said to the guard, who did as he was told.

Ajabdeh silently went up to her side of the car and opened the door.

"Put her luggage on top." She heard him say, "She will be dropped off first." Ajabdeh inhaled. She glanced across at him, driving once they were on the highway.

"I sent Mrs Sekhawat a thank-you note and a bouquet." She spoke.

"I called Heer. She will be there when you arrive at the apartment. She will help you clean up and settle." He turned on the radio as she looked out of the window.

"We need to talk," Ajabdeh said almost in a murmur. The music was too loud. He didn't hear her. Or he pretended not to. He hadn't seen her eye to eye even once.

"Do you want sandwiches?" She asked a little louder.

"I am not hungry." He shook his head indifferently. Ajabdeh decided it was best to be quiet.

The car stopped at her old apartment. Ajabdeh could see Heer wave at her on the driveway.

"I will take the bags inside." Heer insisted, forcing a smile as her face looked pale. Ajabdeh nodded in silence and looked back at the man who handed the bags over to her sister.

"I…" Ajabdeh spoke as Pratap cleared his throat.

"I will see you around. Drop the papers by my office. I will sign them." Ajabdeh looked up at his words. He looked away. "Whatever makes you happy." He walked back to the car and drove off. Ajabdeh stood there watching his car leave.

Jaivanta's face looked pale as she exchanged glances with her worried husband. Her son was home. Alone. Shakti was about to follow Pratap up to his room as Udai gestured to him to stop.

"Leave him alone." His words were firm.

"I should talk to Ajabdeh first thing tomorrow," Jaivanta spoke, concerned.

"Don't you dare do that! I will visit her in a few days. Leave it to me." Udai spoke. "Unlike you, I will support them if they are happier apart." Jaivanta looked away.

Pratap rushed into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. Then he sat down on the floor, hugging his knees close to his chest as tears flowed down his cheeks. He had lost her. He looked up at the pictures on the wall. The wedding day. The honeymoon selfie. The candid photo of her with animals at the rescue centre. His vision blurred. He held on to the nearest cushion he found close to his mouth and let out a silent scream. Ajabdeh was gone, and it was all his fault. He perhaps didn't ever find it important to say what he felt rather than show it. Now, in his desperate attempt to stop her, his words perhaps lacked value to her feelings. He was too late.

The moment Ajabdeh entered the apartment, the smell of fresh paint gave her a headache. Even lunch and a nap didn't help. When she woke up, it was raining outside. She popped a pill and stood on the balcony as Heer made tea.

"What would you like to have for dinner, Jija?"

"He said he loves me." She said almost in a murmur.

"What?" Heer looked clueless.

"He said he loves me." Ajabdeh smiled, a little surprised.

"And you thought he didn't?" Heer looked shocked. "Of course, he loves you."

"But… Heer." Ajabdeh looked out at the scene. "I didn't say it back." She looked alarmed. "That is why...that is why he left me."

"You are not making any sense, Jija. He didn't leave you. You told him to."

"You don't understand. " Ajabdeh shook her head. "He was there all along. He never said it. I missed the signs waiting for the words." Heer shook her head, clueless. "What did I do, Heer?"

Pratap sat staring at the wall. He was tired of crying and hungry because he skipped lunch and dinner and hadn't stepped out of his room since he arrived. Even Shakti couldn't get him to open the door. "Leave me alone, please." He had insisted. There he was. In the cold, dark room alone. His eyes dried up from all the tears. He couldn't close his eyes even for a second. Her face, her words, the feeling of her skin on his came haunting back. The previous night, for a very brief moment, he had thought that he had convinced her. That she was happy with him. She did make a move. She did hug him. But then she said she would never forget it. Their last night. What was he thinking? He banged his forehead against his hand in utter frustration.

Towards You

The Afghans, after Sher Shah Suri's untimely demise, were at loggerheads for power. Their troops near Mewar were now led by Mehmood Shah. They secretly captured territories in the forests and waited to attack Mewari camps when the time was right. Rawat Chundawat and his spies had confirmed the news, and Udai Singh sent a warning to Mehmood Shah to withdraw his troops from Mewar in vain. Now that it was out in the open, it was time they declared war. Mehmood Shah had limited resources in Mewar. His internal rebellion against his commander did not help his cause. His spies clearly suggested that in no way could he win, especially with Kunwar Pratap leading his troops. He was having second thoughts about the war. It was then that one of his aides suggested a perfect plan. Maharani Jaivanta Bai had decided to go to the Mahakaleshwar Temple near the outskirts of Chittorgarh, in the forestlands of Bhilwara. They had travelled a long way and across the Gambhiri river that meandered during...

My Everything

Kunwar Pratap stormed into the Mahal at Gogunda amidst uncertainty and chaos. Happy faces of the chieftains and soldiers welcomed him as Rawat Chundawat, and some other chieftains stopped the ongoing Raj Tilak. A visibly scared Kunwar Jagmal looked clueless at a visibly angry Kunwar Pratap. Rani Dheerbai Bhatiyani hadn't expected Kunwar Pratap to show up, that too, despite her conveying to him his father's last wish of crowning Kunwar Jagmal. Twenty-one days after Udai Singh's death, she was finally close to a dream she had dared to dream since Jagmal was born. He was not informed about the Raj Tilak as per Dheerbai's instructions. She eyed Rawat Ji. He must have assembled the chiefs to this revolt against her son, against the dead king. No one except them knew where Kunwar Pratap was staying. It was for the safety of his family. " What are you doing, Chotima?" A disappointed voice was directed at her. She could stoop down so low? For the first time, an anger...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Five

It took Trilochon half a day to figure out something was wrong at home. Since he was back, Somnath did not talk to him at all, and Aniruddha looked visibly upset. They avoided each other at the dining table and the living room. Trilochon was not comfortable with asking Ashalata anything. In the evening, as Kalindi poured tea from the pot, Trilochon groaned inwardly. “It’s not even six months since he got married, and she has started a war between brothers.” Kalindi stopped pouring the tea as she turned to him. “What?” She asked, a little cluelessly. “If I had chosen a bride…” Trilochon stopped at Kalindi’s disapproving stare. “What makes you say that?” She asked rather calmly. “Well, I never saw Som and Aniruddha fight until she came here.” Kalindi looked amused at his words. “You are the type for whom people hate in-laws.” “Pardon?” Trilochon narrowed his brows. “What do you mean?” “Bondita. Ask Bondita.” Kalindi shook her head. “I told her it was a bad idea to work with him.” “You ha...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty One

The morning after the Chief Minister of the state attended the reception party, Binoy wrapped the newspaper that had just arrived at their threshold, eyeing the picture of him and Trilochon with the chief minister smiling proudly, made a mental note of framing it for his office in Siliguri and stepped out to see the car waiting for him in the entrance to take him to the station. He glanced over his shoulder at the house, still asleep and watched Bihari put his luggage in the back seat. Bihari had been with the Roy Chowdhury House since he was a teenager. He eyed Binoy as he lit his pipe and straightened his jacket when Bihari approached him. “Boro Saheb, should I inform Kotta Moshai once?” Binoy eyed Bihari with a disapproving glance. “If I wanted to tell him, I would have done so myself, Bihari. Where is the driver?” He checked his watch. Bihari sighed as he ran to check on the driver. Bondita stopped on the gravelled path leading from the entrance to the main gate as she watched...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Four

Aniruddha let the shower run as his skin erupted into goosebumps under the cold water. He breathed out and removed the locks of wet hair from his face. He turned off the shower, wrapped the towel lowly around his waist and walked back to the room, not caring about the wet floor from the water dripping down his torso. He lay on the bed as his body soaked the blanket. He stared at the ceiling, stretching his arms over his head. Bondita’s promise played on his mind in a loop. “I will not leave… I will never leave.” He wanted to believe her. He wanted one person he could fall back on, trusting them to catch him when he stumbled. But his experiences proved him otherwise. He remembered that day as vividly as if it were yesterday. He had bought a scarf for Bondita from Palika Bazaar as a truce because he felt bad leaving home after fighting with her. He had tried to be patient with her and sat her down numerous times to make her understand why boarding school would benefit her. Aniruddha...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Two

The winter morning was pleasant, especially when the sunshine hit the dewy grass on the lawn, and Bihari set down the porcelain cups for Trilochon and Kalindi to start their day. Kalindi had just taken up some orders to knit sweaters and mittens for some of the neighbourhood kids as she wrapped the thick brown shawl tightly around herself, on the chilly morning as she sat down on the lawn chair with her needles, pin and colourful balls of wool, as she knit a pair of mittens while waiting for Trilochon to join her. Bondita hurried out of their place and stopped at the sight of her sitting alone, unsurely. “Do you need something?” Kalindi raised her eyes briefly from the wool and asked as she shook her head. “I was hoping to talk to Jyatha Moshai…” She shivered a little as Kalindi scolded her to find a sweater first. She rushed indoors as Kalindi spotted Trilochon in a thermal t-shirt, a pair of pants and a shawl walking towards her with the cane in hand. He stopped as he watched her kni...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty

Trilochon’s only desire for Som’s wedding was for it to be so grand that the entire Chandannagar remembered it for the longest time. He had also invited the leaders of the opposition, ministers and even the CM, and if rumours were to be believed, he would accept the invitation. That meant trying to impress him for a ticket to the next Lok Sabha elections. He knew the only way to do so was also to showcase Som as a prodigy. Their family name was enough to earn votes for the party in the area. “Perhaps you could tell him about Somnath Babu’s involvement in some of the projects here. Like the slum area where water was flooding the pathways…” Poritosh had suggested. “But it was done by…” Bapi Da had stopped as Trilochon shook his head, “How does it matter who did it? What matters is that we say Som did it.” They agreed. “Jyatha Moshai.” Bondita walked into his room, not expecting the elderly men from the Party office to be there. “ Bolo, Maa. ” “The Gaye Holud is here.” She smiled. “How a...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Three

“So the question is, do the slum dwellers get their dues to relocate, or do they protest on the road, grabbing media attention? If one of them mentions the sewage project where all this started, we can’t guarantee not dragging certain names then. It will be beyond our control.” Bondita breathed in as she eyed everyone at the table. The conference hall of ARC & Associates had an oval table with a whiteboard, projector and podium and sitting around the table were a stenographer, Bondita’s secondary attorney, Debashish Ghosal, the contractor and his attorney Biswas, the representative of the NGO with the Union leader of the slum, Trilochon, Somnath and Aniruddha. The people of the NGO appreciated her strategy with a nod. Ghoshal looked perplexed as his lawyer whispered something in his ear. Somnath did not look up from the table as Aniruddha passed a note to Trilochon in writing. “Now the decision is yours.” Bondita continued. “We are keen on out-of-court settlement if our basic ...

Purnota: Chapter Nineteen

“Wake up, wake up!” Bondita smiled, amused at Aniruddha and Batuk sleeping on his bed, hugging each other like children. She removed the curtains, and the room was flooded in daylight. “Urgh.” Batuk stirred as Aniruddha sat up. “What is wrong with you?” Batuk threw the pillow Bondita caught before it hit the floor. Her wet hair shone in the sunlight, with droplets of water lingering on its tips as she adjusted her well-pleated orange saree with a blue border and opened the window. A gust of cold breeze blew in from the Ganges, prompting Batuk to pull his blanket over his face. “Let me sleep, Daini !” He murmured. “Is it not enough that you all gave away my room to guests?” Aniruddha was stretching and yawning as Bondita chuckled, amused, pulling her wet hair to the side of her shoulder. “Why are you dressed up?” Aniruddha asked, suppressing a yawn. “Oh, you should be, too. Jyatha Moshai said We are going to Kalighat.” She raised her brows, amused. “Oh shit,” Aniruddha murmured, hitting...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Six

Bondita was surprised to find Binoy in the living room of the Roy Chowdhury house as she entered the premises early in the morning. Trilochon sat with his brother, looking serious as they discussed some paperwork, as Bihari walked out with tea. Noticing Bondita so early in the morning, Trilochon looked up questioningly. “I have some errands to run before the office.” Bondita smiled as Trilochon nodded. She had to pay some bills and deliver some of the orders Kalindi had finished because her ankle hurt in the morning. Trilochon enquired about her need for medicines as Bondita reassured him that she had made sure of it. Bondita briefly eyed Binoy, who did not take an interest in her or the conversation, as he did not look up from the papers. Bondita cleared her throat, informing Trilochon that she should be on her way. “I think you should show her the papers, Binoy.” Trilochon stopped her as he suggested to Binoy, who eyed Bondita briefly. He looked unsure as Bondita opened her mouth wit...

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