The autumn change gave way to a foggy winter, much different from what Bondita was used to in Kolkata and Dehradun. She missed the Dehradun chill in Kolkata, but Kolkata winter was filled with book fairs, festivals, art, and culture, of which she loved to be a part. With the coming of winter, Bondita realised she had almost forgotten about winters in Chandannagar. Although the temperature barely dipped below 12 degrees, the chilly wind from the Ganges made the mornings and nights cold enough for a shiver. The largest trees around the neighbourhood wore a barren look, and one could feel the crunching of dry leaves beneath their feet while strolling by the Strand. It was also a significant winter for Bondita, who had her first case where she was the second chair to Aniruddha. The moment she told Kalindi about this important step in her career, she insisted that she visit the temple with her early in the morning.
“And when you visit Kolkata, go to Kalighat once, thank Maa.” Bondita nodded.
They were at the temple premises early in the morning, when the fog still lingered on the Ganges, making the other bank barely visible. Kalindi met Dalia Mashi, who used to live in the neighbourhood.
“Babah!” She caught Bondita’s hand in her cold ones, “You have grown so much, and so beautiful…” She turned to Kalindi and asked, “Are you looking for a groom?” Kalindi nodded. “Yes, if you find any…”
“I have a sister in Balurghat, her son works in the Railways…” Her eyes shone.
“Thamma, we are getting late.” Bondita interrupted. The lady eyed her and laughed. “She must be shy. I will come by later.” Kalindi agreed as Bondita frowned. “What was that?”
“What was what?” Kalindi shrugged. “The boy seemed good.”
“I told you I am not ready…” Bondita protested, pulling the cardigan close to her.
“Who is telling you to get married right now?” Kalindi rebuked. “Such things take time. We will just see where it goes.” Bondita inhaled.
“And you planned never to tell me?” She asked. Kalindi eyed her.
“I told your Jethu, and we decided that we would tell you if we found someone …” Bondita took the basket of flowers from Kalindi’s hand, helping her onto a rickshaw as she frowned.
“And you both seem oblivious to the fact that I refused.” Kalindi frowned at her in return.
“Why would you refuse if the man is good? You can work after marriage.”
“Right now, focus on Som Dada’s wedding, please.” Bondita shook her head as Kalindi eyed her.
“Tell me.” She cleared her throat. “Did Aniruddha Babu teach you all this?” Bondita narrowed her brows cluelessly at her grandmother.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… this whole career over marriage thing he preaches…” Kalindi looked displeased.
“Oh, please. This has nothing to do with him, I am just twenty-five.” She shook her head.
“Yes, the perfect age to get married.” Kalindi smiled. “At your age, your mother was a wife and mother to a five-year-old.” Kalindi shook her head. Bondita decided not to indulge in the topic as they approached home.
“Please, I have a big day at work. I don’t want this right now.” She murmured, pressing her lips together. As Bondita got ready for work, putting the black coat over her white blouse top and straightening it, she took the Advocate’s gown and ran her fingers lingeringly on the satin with a smile. It was a dream to wear it in a courtroom. A culmination of her journey from Alamethi to here, at that moment. A manifestation of her dreams every time she saw Aniruddha in that attire, and aspired to be like him, even when she was ten and had no idea what he did. He helped people, he helped her; he was righteous; it was everything Bondita aspired to be. Today was about that dream. She would not let anything distract her.
Aniruddha greeted her by the car as she looked alarmed at her watch.
“Am I late?” She sounded unsure as Aniruddha shook his head. “I figured you need to be in a mind space at court, so I…” Bondita touched his feet.
“What are you doing? I have shoes on.”
“It's an important day.” She shrugged and opened the door of the car.
Bondita had placed her bag on her desk and taken the gown to get ready to leave for court. She untangled the wrapped gown and straightened it behind her as Aniruddha watched her.
“May I?” He offered as she smiled. Aniruddha tied the end of the gown at her neck lightly and straightened her shoulders. “There, you look the part.” Bondita’s heart raced as they left for the courtroom. She had watched him from the other side of the room all this time; it was time she was by his side, learning.
“You did well.” He had appreciated her before picking up his paperwork and leaving for another courtroom. Bondita undid her gown and smiled, pleased, while folding it when she heard someone call her name. It was her classmate Shweta.
“What are you doing here?” Bondita greeted her as Shweta shrugged. “I got married a few weeks ago. My husband practices here.” They walked out of the courtroom together.
“Oh, I live here.” Bondita nodded. “What’s his name?” Shweta said her husband’s name, with a slight blush common to newlyweds, and Bondita congratulated her. She had not imagined her classmates not pursuing a career after they passed their LLB examinations. Shweta said her sick father wanted her married, and her in-laws did not like the odd timings of the profession, so she is looking for a job, unable to find a suitable one in Chandannagar. Bondita narrowed her brows and thought for a while before saying that she should come by her senior’s firm and that she could recommend Shweta.
“Who is your senior?” Bondita looked around the crowded corridor at the question and pointed at Aniruddha talking to another junior from the firm.
“He is. Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury…” She spelt out his name. “He can help you find a job at the firm. It may be an office job, but at least you will be in touch with the legal world.”
“Looks handsome…” Shweta smiled, interrupting her. Bondita’s eyes widened at her choice of words.
“He is a damn good lawyer.” Bondita conferred. Shweta nodded, promising to call her on her number when she felt like she needed a job at the firm.
“All the best. I'd better go.” Shweta went on her way as she glanced back at Aniruddha. She wondered if she should talk about Shweta, but something told her that she was saying things Bondita wanted to hear. She was not looking for a job. The way she commented on Aniruddha bothered her, too. She looked up at him, smiling at a senior’s words and shaking his hand before heading to another courtroom. “He is not that handsome.” She murmured to herself.
When Bondita arrived at the Roy Chowdhury house in the evening, there was a commotion. She walked up the stairs to see that Binoy Roy Chowdhury had arrived for his son’s wedding and was touching his brother’s feet and getting scolded for arriving at the last minute.
“Kalindi and I have done everything. Now, you take charge.” Trilochon patted his brother’s back as Binoy murmured thanks to Kalindi, who smiled politely.
“And look who is here…” Trilochon spotted Bondita at the threshold. “Binoy, can you tell who this is?” Bondita walked up to him and touched his feet as Binoy narrowed his brows a little behind his huge spectacles, observing. “I can guess…” He smiled faintly. Bondita noticed he did not bless her. “Bondita, right?” He asked as she nodded. “What do you do now?” She was about to answer when Trilochon spoke, “She practises law with Aniruddha.” Binoy eyed her with a smile on the edge of his lip. Something in his demeanour made Bondita feel that he thought she was taking advantage of knowing them.
“I was going to practice in Kolkata, but everyone insisted…” She added. Binoy nodded and turned to Trilochon “When is Batuk coming? Where is Som?”
“Batuk is coming soon. Som will be home soon. Don’t start with business talk; the boy is getting married,” Trilochon warned.
“Thamma, we should go.” Bondita turned to Kalindi, who was about to leave with her.
“Oh no, I almost forgot. Bondita, come to my room.” Trilochon walked upstairs with Binoy, who checked if all his luggage was put into his room and decided to change for the evening.
“Aniruddha comes home late…” Trilochon found no reaction from Binoy and exchanged a puzzled look with Bondita. Bondita followed him to his room, and Trilochon opened a drawer to find a bunch of keys.
“Guests will start arriving soon…” He spoke as he counted the keys. “And I am old now. I can barely remember things…” Bondita looked a little taken aback as he offered her the keys. “Keep the duplicates with you.”
“What?” Bondita was a little unsure. “I… You should give it to someone else…” She looked reluctant as Trilochon smiled. “Who else? Aniruddha will be missing for most of the rituals, either in his study or away with an excuse of work. Som is getting married, and Batuk can’t even keep his things… You want me to trust servants or outsiders?”
“But…” Bondita eyed the keys. She knew everything from the keys to the storeroom to every locker in the house was in that bunch. She had seen it being used on numerous occasions. “Who else will be more responsible than my daughter?” Trilochon pushed the keys into her palms as she eyed them,
“You have a lot of responsibilities in this house. I know you never asked for these…” Trilochon sighed, “But such big events can never happen without the touch of femininity this house has lacked for so many years…”
“Now that Asha Didi will be here, you will find someone to…” Bondita tried to sound cheerful.
“We have the responsibility of teaching her the ways of this house as well. Then, I will be relieved of my duties.” Bondita frowned at his words. “I will leave for Kashi one day.”
“Why will you? Who will look after you there?” Bondita frowned as Trilochon smiled faintly. “I can take care of myself. Bihari will come along.”
“Who will look after all of us?” Bondita shook her head as she narrowed her eyes at him. “I know what you and Thamma are trying to do, I am not meeting any grooms…” She shook her head as Trilochon smiled, placing his hand on her head.
“We will see…” He did not let her resist the idea. “ Come by tomorrow and go through the list of things we need with Aniruddha, then he will take Bihari to Kolkata to buy them. Especially the Dashakarma things need to be brought from Kalighat, it will be auspicious.” Bondita nodded at his words. “Can I go with them too? I need to go to the temple.”
“That will be the best if you can.” Trilochon agreed. “You can see the things, especially the Shakha Pola, Sindoor and things they would not have a clue about.” She nodded. “I will let Aniruddha know.”
Bondita walked away from the room with a bunch of keys in her hand as Binoy walked out of the room and spotted her. She went home, thinking skeptical about telling Kalindi about the keys. She knew Kalindi would tell her to return them to Trilochon. Although the entire idea made Bondita uncomfortable for her reasons, she did not want to break his heart.
Bondita’s phone rang around midnight, startling her as she sleepily found it inside her handbag in the darkness.
“Hello?” Her voice sounded groggy.
“Were you asleep?” Aniruddha’s voice made her sit up and stare at the clock. “Umm… no?” She suppressed a yawn. “Do you need anything?”
“Open the door.” Bondita was alarmed, first at his words and then by the fact that she was wearing faded, comfortable lounge pants and a t-shirt under the blanket.
She hurried to put a cardigan over her t-shirt and stepped out noiselessly towards the main door. She eyed Kalindi’s closed door and opened the lock as carefully as possible as the light from the living room flooded his face. He was still in his formal attire as he walked in past her and sat down on the couch.
“What happened?” Bondita asked, a little scared.
“Did you know he is here?” Bondita looked a little clueless as he looked up at her. “Baba?”
“Oh. Yes, I met him in the evening…” Before she could say anything else, Kalindi opened her door and was startled to see Aniruddha, who stood up.
“I am sorry, I woke you…” He apologised.
“Is everything alright?” She exchanged a confused glance with Bondita, who shrugged.
“I… can I stay here for a few days?” Both Kalindi and Bondita looked taken aback by his words. “ I don’t want to create any scene in front of the guests. It would be unavoidable if he and I were under the same roof.” His jaws tightened.
“So you will run away from yet another situation?” Bondita’s scolding tone made Kalindi observe Aniruddha, who looked away.
“I am not…” He shook his head.
“She is right. I don’t want to get into your family issues, but it's been years…” Kalindi nodded. “Everyone will ask questions if you are not home. It will upset your Jethu more…”
“There is nothing a calm conversation can’t solve. You can talk to him in the morning.” Bondita insisted. “Be the bigger person, hear what he has to say, his grievances and everything…”
“Yes, you are his eldest son. Binoy Babu loves you, he will forgive and forget…” Kalindi agreed.
“I will not seek forgiveness when I am not wrong.” Aniruddha shook his head.
“Fine.” Bondita nodded, “Just don’t argue, be calm and talk it out.” She made him nod. “You will know you tried.” Kalindi offered him tea, which he refused, as she walked back to her room, leaving the door open as Bondita led him to the main door.
“I doubt what you said will work.” He made her shake her head.
“It will work out. It's such a happy occasion, and both of you want to be there for Som Dada, isn’t it?” He agreed to her words and was about to leave when she stopped him.
“There is something else… Thamma doesn’t know yet.” He narrowed his brows as she looked unsure. “Jyatha Moshai wants me to have the spare keys to the house and lockers…”
“So?” Aniruddha shrugged.
“He thinks that will help in the wedding.” Bondita sighed. “I am not sure… I mean…” She eyed him, standing at the threshold, his brows knitted, hands across his chest. “ A lot of your relatives will come. What if they don’t like my interference? I mean, I am not…” Aniruddha’s glare made her stop as she bit her lip and looked away.
“You are more family than they are. It doesn’t matter what they think; it matters what Jethu believes.” He reassured her to tell Kalindi before he left.
Early in the morning, Trilochon had just finished his morning prayers when he heard Binoy come down the stairs and ask Koeli to make the special Darjeeling tea he had brought.
“Today, we will have tea together. Before all the guests come…” he smiled at Trilochon, who nodded and told Koeli to tell Kalindi to come to the house for tea. Binoy shook his head, asking, “How long are they going to stay here?”
“Who?” Trilochon sat down, unfolding the newspaper, asking.
“Bondita and her grandmother.” Trilochon frowned at his words. “Have you not helped them enough?”
“Where else will they go?” Trilochon asked as Binoy inhaled. “I don’t know, somewhere they belong to.” Trilochon ignored the taunt in his brother’s voice as he shook his head. “Bondita came first in class; she has just started working…”
“You believe people too much, and they take advantage of you.” Trilochon eyed Binoy, lighting his pipe.
“What makes you think I am some kind of fool?” Trilochon sounded irked. “We have had this conversation before.”
“Yes, we have, and I have told you before, tell them to leave once she finds work or whatever… they can’t be your responsibility forever. You have helped them enough.” Binoy puffed on the pipe, putting it to the edge of his lip as he eyed Som come downstairs for breakfast.
“You are not going to teach me my responsibilities, Binoy.” Trilochon said firmly, “I am your older brother. I don’t stay in your house or eat your food for free.”
“But they do…” Binoy shrugged. “I am not telling you to not help people. I know about the image you need to maintain as a politician; she is from our native village. I understand…” Binoy eyed his brother and continued.
“With so many guests at home, jewellery and everything, you gave that girl the keys. What kind of blind trust is this? It will doom you.”
“Are you implying that Bondita will steal from us?” Trilochon was about to ask the same thing Aniruddha did. He was at the threshold of the living room, ready for the day, with a displeased look on his face. The first thing he noticed was that Binoy had aged since the last time he remembered seeing him. He was bald and thinner, and wrinkles had appeared under his eyes.
“That girl never saw even one ounce of this kind of thing…” Binoy stood up as Aniruddha walked in.
“Enough.” Trilochon tried to stop him in vain. “I don’t want to hear…”
“Then you should stop looking at the world like that, Baba. Not everything is about money and status. Bondita is family.”
“Family?” Binoy taunted. “Do you even know what that means? All you care about is yourself. You are the most selfish person I have ever seen.”
“Of course, I learnt from you.” Aniruddha made Som gasp as Binoy threw his pipe, irked.
“This is why I don’t come here. Say anything, and everyone here starts attacking me. I live in the real world, unlike all of you. There, you don’t just bring random people home and call them family.” Aniruddha smiled sarcastically as he stopped.
“Right? There, you try to force your son to marry someone you chose because you promised them without asking first?” Aniruddha’s words made Trilochon eye Binoy.
“For God’s sake, Mini was perfect for this house!” Binoy shook his head. “Perfect for you.”
“Why can’t either of you let this go?” Trilochon sounded irked. “It's been years…”
“I would have loved to see who he chooses who would be better fitted for the house.” Binoy had a smile on the edge of his lips. “But then he seems to have some issue with commitment.”
“I know better than to lead a miserable life with someone who doesn’t understand you and stay because of your children. My mother did that.” Aniruddha could feel Binoy shake in uncontrollable rage as Trilochon tried in vain to stop Binoy.
“I have heard enough blame from you. You know nothing about marriages and compromises.” Binoy raised his voice. “It's been a pain raising you without her.”
“Oh, really? Why did you care? Jethu raised us. You were always busy.” Aniruddha retorted.
“Yes, I was, so that you have a better life, so that you can get your London education, to support your impulsiveness and your dreams.” Binoy trembled. “And you ungrateful brat, you came here to defend that penniless beggar you rescued from somewhere? She is going to steal everything and escape with that grandmother of hers.”
Aniruddha was about to open his mouth when his eyes followed Trilochon to the threshold behind him as Kalindi and Bondita stood there, shocked. Binoy eyed them and walked away upstairs as Trilochon spoke first, “Shono, Kalindi… Listen to me.”
“Bondita, give the keys back.” Kalindi turned to Bondita, who eyed Trilochon, shaking his head, and Kalindi, who looked hurt. She was too numb to react as Kalindi snatched the keys from her and walked up to Trilochon.
“Listen, I can…”
“I told her to return the keys the very moment she told me about them.” Kalindi placed the keys on the coffee table as Trilochon protested feebly. “We did not ask for any of this…”
“He doesn’t know what he says…” Trilochon shook his head as Som intervened. “Yes, Thamma, I apologise on his behalf. Baba is always like this…”
“No, he is not wrong. We are… here at your mercy.” Kalindi tried hard so that her voice would not tremble. “We should always remember that.” Trilochon shook his head firmly.
“No, Kalindi. You know better than that how everyone here treats you.” Som agreed. “Yes, Thamma, Dadabhai rightly said you are family. It doesn’t matter…”
“It matters, Som; it always matters.” Kalindi inhaled as she looked up at Trilochon, teary-eyed. “Did it not, Trilochon Babu?”
Trilochon was about to protest when Aniruddha turned to see Bondita take two steps back and turn to leave in a hurry. Som went upstairs to knock on his father’s door in vain. Bondita was on the portico when Aniruddha followed her there.
“Stop, Bondita.” She did not, as he increased his pace and held her by her wrist to make her stop at the edge of the lawn. “I told you to stop.”
“I told you…” She sobbed as Aniruddha looked pale, “I told you I should not have taken the keys.”
“And I told you…” He tried to hold her shoulders, but she shrugged his hand off.
“No. I never saw Thamma cry. I promised her to remember… I promised her our self-respect was before anything else…” Aniruddha put his hand firmly on her head as she sobbed agitatedly. “I failed.”
“No, you kept your promise, Bondita; you always do.” He reassured her. “I have never seen anyone as self-esteemed as you or her. She inspires that in you.”
“It is because of me…” Bondita sobbed, “Because of me that she had to hear all that.”
“No,” Aniruddha said firmly, holding her face in his palms. “It is not.”
“It is…” She sobbed as she shook her head. “I will leave as soon as I can… I will take her to Kolkata.” Her words made Aniruddha skip a heartbeat as he let go of her.
“Are you mad?” He shook his head. “You are not going anywhere. Not after what we learnt about Thamma and Jethu. You can’t…”
“It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters.” She shook her head. “It's true. No matter what I do, if something goes missing, people will think I stole something…”
“Bondita,” Aniruddha said in a firm tone. “Look at me. And listen.” He wiped the teardrops from her cheek. “Nobody will ever blame you for anything as long as I am here. Understood?” Bondita inhaled. “But…”
“No buts. I told you I can never talk to him; he is like that. You did not believe me.” Aniruddha shook his head. “And about everything else…” Aniruddha inhaled. “You will never feel the way you felt today, I promise you.” Bondita looked away, unsurely, stepping out of his clasp as he asked. “Do you trust me?” Bondita looked up and nodded unsurely.
“That’s all I want to know.”
“I will tell Bondita to find a place. We will leave.” Trilochon looked scared at Kalindi’s words. “I will not let your nephew convince her otherwise. This is your doing and his.” Kalindi turned around when Trilochon stopped her.
“What do you mean?” He asked, looking puzzled.
“You know what I mean. Who told you to hand her the keys without asking everyone? Who told him to tell her it was okay? She did not ask for any of it. He is a bad influence on her… have you not seen him around her lately?” Trilochon opened his mouth to protest, but he had no idea what she was implying.
“Nobody will tell me to whom I give the responsibilities of my home.” He sounded firm. “And Aniruddha is the reason she is a lawyer today. How can you blame him?” Trilochon shook his head. “Yes, I thought so too, until I started feeling he had ulterior motives. I am not going to let him…”
“What are you talking about?” Trilochon interrupted.
“Don’t play dumb, you saw the way he acted when we talked of her marriage. Why is he so overprotective of her? Even when we are not?” Kalindi inhaled. “I don’t want her to end up alone and miserable like me.” Kalindi stopped, alarmed as she realised what she had said. Trilochon inhaled as he smiled faintly.
“You mean alone and miserable like us.” He corrected her as she looked away. “I know you are stubborn, Kalindi, and no, I did not see what you saw. What I saw was him caring for her; that was all.”
“If you care too much, it's also a problem.” Kalindi snapped. “That’s beside the point…”
“You are right, it is.” Trilochon faced her firmly. “And I promise you, she will not end up alone and miserable like us.” He stopped at Kalindi’s sarcastic smile.
“I don’t believe in you or your words anymore. It's been four and a half decades since I did. So please…” Kalindi folded her hands as Trilochon shook his head. “Let us go.”
“If you think I will let you or Bondita leave because of Binoy’s words, you are mistaken. You have not seen me being stubborn as well.” Trilochon’s words made her look scared.
“All I want is a good life for Bondita.” She reminded him.
“Then I can agree, we are on the same page, and you taking her away will not help it.” Trilochon spoke firmly, “And as for Binoy, I will make him apologise to you and…”
“It doesn’t matter if you force an apology out of him; it will not change what he feels…” Kalindi interrupted.
“Then it doesn’t matter what he feels. You should not leave because of him. He comes and goes as a guest in this house. What matters is what is real. And the truth is, Bondita is my daughter. I have raised her like one, and if there is anyone I trust more than my life, it's not Aniruddha or you but her.” Trilochon picked the keys up and pushed them into Kalindi’s reluctant palm.
“And you are right, she might not be fit for the keys yet, but you are…” Kalindi opened her mouth to protest as Trilochon shook his head. “ I should have done this before…” Kalindi stood there, a little flabbergasted as she stared at the keys in her palms. “And before you refuse, all this belongs to me, not Binoy. And after me, the inheritance goes to Aniruddha. So take the keys and make this house a home again, I beg you.” Trilochon’s voice trembled as Kalindi looked alarmed at him. She had never seen him so vulnerable.
“My family is falling apart, Kalindi. I need you.” Trilochon spoke with all his strength. “I am a tired old man trying to tie broken strings together and keep reminding myself things will improve when they don't. They keep drifting apart. I am alone in this battle, and I am beginning to lose hope. So do me a favour; I am begging you to not abandon me. You always say you are a better person than I was, then prove it.” Kalindi inhaled as she eyed the keys and spoke calmly. “Only on one condition: once Somnath’s bride comes home, I will hand it over to her.” Trilochon nodded at her gratefully.
Ashalata eyed Somnath as she sat on the deserted Ghat of the Ganges in the afternoon. He was standing by the water, looking perplexed. She was a little scared when he wanted to meet her urgently. Not even a month was left for the wedding, and they were forbidden by the families to meet, especially since Som’s little support on Trilochon’s rallies made him a known face around the area. She knew how people talked. The guardians of the students at her school seemed more eager in her personal life than in their children’s marks. She had relatives coming from around the country whose eager question was how she, an ordinary, quiet kind of woman, whose appropriate age of marriage was long gone according to society as she hit thirty, ended up with the Roy Chowdhury heir. But of course, Som’s voice sounded troubled, and she knew him well enough in these few years to know when he needed to talk to her.
“Baba reacts too much.” He said with a sigh. “It's not like Thamma or Bondita are new here.”
“Then does something bother him?” Asha’s question made Som frown.
“What do you mean?” Som asked, with his hands in his pockets. The sun was moving westward on the winter horizon as Asha stood up and brushed some dry leaves off her saree.
“I mean… You said they belong to your native place, right?” Som nodded. “Then could it be that he had some issue with Thamma or her family while they lived there?” Som shook off the idea. “How can that be possible? Baba was barely ten when they left, and he did not go back to stay there at all… besides…” Som contemplated. “They are all villagers, and we were landlords. I don’t think they knew each other.”
“Then I am sorry to say, your father seems prejudiced about poor people.” Asha shook her head.
“Jethu giving her the keys triggered him. Maybe because my mother had the keys before…” Som sounded unsure.
“Did he love your mother that much?” Asha’s words made him remember Aniruddha’s words.
“I don’t know… I mean, I only remember her with us. Never them as a couple. Dadabhai remembers better, but he…” Som eyed Asha and stayed quiet. She was not part of the family yet.
“Do you feel what Baba said is right?” Asha asked. Som shook his head.
“Absolutely not. Bondita is like a sister to me. Thamma never behaved like a stranger… She had always been there for us for the past decade, as much as Jethu has been. Baba barely comes home.”
“Then you maintain your relationships with them without affecting the one with your father. He is also getting old. He might be stubborn, but he also needs his children. He might never say so to Dadabhai, but you… He can rely on you.” Asha made Som stare at her admiringly.
“What?” She blushed a little, looking away.
“You are sounding like you are ready to be the Bouma my Jethu always wanted.” Som smiled as she shook her head.
“Are you done? I need to go home before anyone finds out that I came to see you.” She made him nod as he hugged her.
“What are you doing?” She sounded alarmed. “Someone might see us.”
“So?” Som shook his head as she jolted out of his grip. “You are my would-be wife.”
“And this is not one of your American movies; this is India.” She shook her head. “Bye.” Som watched her walk away as he sighed and made his way back home.
