Chandrama

“I know she has changed. I have seen her. Her innocence has been replaced by bitterness. Her trusting nature has changed; her behaviour has changed…..” Torsha said. “You should think twice before approaching her.”

“From whichever angle I study, I blame only myself. I should have proposed to her.” Debdeep said.

“I thought Rakesh was a better match for her, he was rich, bachelor and good looking. Whereas I was middle class and widower with a child. So I walked away from her even though I knew it very well that she loved me. Was just waiting for me to propose, she even hinted me.”

“But I had to play her well wisher, the sacrificial type and I succeeded in ruining her.”

Torsha softly patted his hands, noticing the deep pain in his eyes. She has wanted him to marry Chandrama. They were classmates and she has known Chandrama very well. She was the perfect match for Debdeep and vice versa. They both were soft natured and loving.

Rakesh walked in just a few steps before Debdeep was going to pop the question and Debdeep’s inferiority complex overpowered his love. Rakesh seemed obsessed with Chandrama. They made a cute couple there was no doubt about it but appearance hardly holds any ground in long run.

Slowly Debdeep started to step back, initially Chandrama tried to pull him back but then she misunderstood him. She thought that her love was absolutely one-sided so she sealed her lips and hoped that her loved one will be happy.

Her love for him was too deep, so she kept on refusing Rakesh. Who took it very badly and made her life miserable.

He mistreated her, scandalized her and in the process ruined her position in the society absolutely. He chased her for five years and married some one else. Leaving behind a bitter and angry Chandrama.

Debdeep lived in Mumbai and Chandrama was too reserved to share her problems with him. She thought that Rakesh and he were very good friends. So she kept her anger to herself during their occasional interactions.

Debdeep was shocked to see her when he came to attend Rakesh’s marriage. He instantly contacted Torsha and the truth came out.

“I want to see if my love can bring back my lover. I won’t walk away this time.” Debdeep softly said.

Miss Bittermouth

Sneha entered the office and noted Seema moving around with a sulky expression. She took in a deep breath, and thanked God that Seema never had the guts of messing with her. Most probably because Sneha knew very well the process of handling her. She has long noticed that Sneha had a way of snapping at each and every junior, or soft speaking persons whenever she had some problem in her personal life.

So many times Sneha had to choke an irresistible impulse to give her a piece of mind, but resisted herself because Seema always avoided confronting her. She did not had the guts to show her tantrums to her superiors, it was reserved for person holding similar ranking or juniors.

There was a knock on her cabin door within a few minutes of her entering, after getting her permission four of her junior staffs entered the cabin together. For a second she thought that they have come to complain against Seema and she cursed her in her mind. Because these four young girls have won her wrath ever since their joining the office, they joined under her, they were very sincere and intelligent girls. But they had a very big vice, all four were extremely pretty and immensely popular in the office. So Seema always watched them like a hawk and made it her duty to ruin their days whenever she will see any of them.

The girls were extremely frustrated but could not do any thing because their upbringing did not allowed them to make scenes, even though they knew that they were right and she was absolutely wrong. So they bunched together and used to giggle behind her back.

They beamed at Sneha and announced that they are transferred to the company’s Mumbai branch after promotion. Sneha shaked their hands and wished them luck. Then they asked her permission for a small party on the Saturday for two hours in the evening. They wanted to thank everyone individually and offer some snacks and gifts. Sneha said that she will take care that no problem arises.

The party was held, the girls managed it very well, every one received a gift with one of the girls explaining the reason behind the gift. One by one every one’s name was spelled out but Seema’s. Everyone was sure that they have no gift for her, and every one knew that she deserved that. The way she used to insult those girls even though no one protested but every one hated her for that.

Finally when all the gifts were given away two of the girls left the room, they came back with a huge gift. Then the girl announcing said, “This gift is for the person who all of us will remember for the rest of our life, our very own Miss Bitter Mouth, on our parting day we are gifting you a cauldron of honey with the hope that its sweetness will save the girls who will replace us.”

There was a stunned silence in the room, Seema sat staring at four giggling girls.

Duties

“You too have some duties towards him Tandra.” Her sister glared at her.

“I knew that, you too will take his side. He must have been telling you all types of stories with eyes full of tear. How mean I am. How querulous I am. How I treat him badly.” Tandra sniffed.

“You know very well that I care about your welfare first, then of someone else.” Chandra said. “Now wipe your face and sit near me, listen to what I have to say.”

“He is a boy born and brought up in a large town. He has not married you to have children or look after his home. For the second thing he could have appointed a maid.”

“For the first, as per Indian tradition, he of course needs a wife.”

“If you skulk in the home looking and acting like a witch, for how long can he suffer you?”

“He comes home tired after all day. You meet him with a huge list of complains and problems.”

“You don’t understand his passions, his tastes, his hobbies. Forget about sharing them. To add up you don’t let him go out with his friends. You want him at home all the time. When he is not in office of course.”

“In that case my kid sister, you will have to become his best friend. Can you become that?”

“If yes then all problem will be solved. If no, then let him have some friends of his own. Give him some independence and when he is with you treat him with love and understanding. With sweetness and compassion. After that, see the change.”

“Tell me if he does not change.”

“It’s not your fault; you have seen your mom busy with only you guys and household chores. Your father busy in fields, so you have grown up without the concept of soulmate.”

“If you can’t be his soulmate, be his best friend, if you can’t, be that either be his friend and lover.”

“I know you can do that. Now smile and go back to home. He is waiting for you eagerly.”

Creeps ruling

“What did you thought? She has transformed into a rabbit from a tigress?”

 

“If she had the courage of walking out of your den on her own legs why will she whine now?”

 

“You should have left her alone. But how could you do that? You had to prove that you are mightiest scoundrel in the whole world.”

 

“Now suffer the consequences.”

 

“You have tried to hit her from all sides, just like a pack of dirty ghouls. Hoping that she will die out of repulsion for you. But she did not. Ha ha!”

 

“You have turned a soft, demure, decent girl into a well of strength. Though you tried to do exactly the otherwise. But nothing worked.”

 

“You created a citadel outside her home. Spent years discussing all sorts’ unsavoury canards about her. So that each and every neighbour hears them. It was not necessary for her to listen, was it? Listening of neighbours was enough. Right Dasmoshai? It’s so easy to ruin the reputation of a woman if dirty creeps like you are furious at her. Tch tch… ”

 

“You made her stepping out of the house, even staying in there, impossible using your filthy nature and filthy camaraderie. But… “

 

“You followed her around using your strong networks. Creeps like you get produced in some factory? I see too many of them these days. It’s a shame for any society.”

 

“Where was I? Oh yes, you followed her around like a pack of flees. So decent people distanced themselves from her and only creeps like you hovered around her.”

 

“You thought she will succumb to loneliness. Ha ha!!”

 

“You did believe that evil rules the world, did not you?”

 

“Now, that you have seen the last glories of evil say goodbye to the world.”

 

Next morning the villagers saw the dead bodies of three nice young men of the village. They all have been missing since last few days. There was a label stuck on chest of one of them “You reap what you sow.”

The old man

“Dada, you remember Suhas?” Ratri asked her, Madhav could see she was visibly disturbed.

 

A pang shot through his heart, “Of course, why not?”

 

“Why are you talking about her after so many years?” he asked.

 

“You remember how ruthlessly dad rejected her when you wanted to marry her? Even though every one wanted it?

 

“I think I have discovered the truth behind it and its disgusting, absolutely repulsive.”

 

Madhav and Ratri were siblings, their father Mr. Jaiswal was a man of easy morale. His wife has separated from him because of that and lived in a separate house. Ratri lived with her and Madhav with his father till they both attained their maturity. Mrs. Jaiswal has passed away a few years ago. Ratri is married with one kid and Madhav lives in USA, he has snapped all terms with his father since the episode of Suhas.

 

Madhav has seen Suhas for the first time in his cousin’s marriage. She was his cousin’s sister in law. It was love at first sight and there was no problem in marriage. His father went to see her and refused any further talks.

 

Madhav tried for a few years to make his father change his mind then he discovered from his father’s mails and phones that he was having an affair with Suhas. He left the country without telling the truth to anyone. His heart was filled with disgust for Suhas and his father.

 

“Anubhav works with Suhas. He told me every thing, and believe me, I felt like killing myself.” Ratri said with utter disgust.

 

“It seems dad had his eyes on her from the day he went to fix your marriage with her. He was even planning to marry her. So he befriended her pretending as you.”

 

“All these years she has been refusing every amorous advances thinking that you love her and will marry her.”

 

“He even calls her up and smses her using your name.”

 

“When mom passed away he befriended her as himself and packed up your identity, that is, he pretended that you are done with her and want it over.”

 

“In one hand he kept on insulting her as you, on the other hand he applied balms on those wounds as himself, hoping she will fall for him.”

 

“He is still keeping her hanging on to you so she does not marries any one else. May be he is waiting for her to grow old so he could again propose to her.”

 

“Very frankly speaking I don’t know what’s in his dirty mind and why he is playing this game but he is ruining my life.” She almost sobbed.

 

“Just wait for a while. Will you?” was Madhav’s only answer.

 

A month later he entered his sister’s flat with Suhas. “Can we have some tea sweetie? Meet your future sister in law.” He said smiling hugely at her.

 

The fool

“You did not expect her to prove her innocence to you! Did you?” Dinant asked Dwaipayan.

 

“A person with integrity does not cares what some one thinks about him or her. She did told you every thing once, but you did not believed her. So she decided to not share her problems with you again. I don’t see any thing wrong with that.” Dinant looked at him with a serious expression on his face.

 

“Any way, I don’t think you deserved her, which is why you lost her. I wish she was in love with me.”

 

“Can I suggest you one thing? If you have realized how dumb you are you can simply go and tell her all the truth, apologize and propose her. She may forgive you if you are sincere.”

 

“When you are dealing with a person of substance you either believe that person or forget him. Truthful people don’t mingle with people who don’t trust them. She loved you that is why she tried to bare her heart to you, and you openly showed your mistrust for her and went after Ishani.”

 

“You did not had enough brain to distinguish between a coquette like Ishani and a decent girl like Asmita.” Dinant laughed out loudly. “You should have asked our opinion before messing up the thing. Even a ten year old child would have told you to go for Asmita.”

 

“Still I will suggest you to go and apologize to Asmita and tell her that you were an idiot to act like that. She is an intelligent woman, She can forgive you. Because every intelligent woman knows men are easily fooled by coquettes.”

 

They all were college-mates. Dwaipayan and Dinant were very good friends of Asmita. She was a sober girl with a very sharp brain. Ishani was a gorgeous girl with average brain, funny but she was jealous of Asmita. Jealousy does not have much reasoning behind it, does it?

 

Asmita was quite irritated by her nature because she loved a life out of glares, she would have loved it if she could be invisible but as that was not possible all she wanted was anonymity. Ishani’s jealousy was making it impossible, she was forever dragging her in dramas, blaming all sort of things on her. Her friends blindly believed her and bothered Asmita.

 

Then Ishani got her eyes on Dwaipayan and Dinant. They were the closest friends of Asmita. Dinant shooed her off at the very beginning but Dwaipayan fell in her trap. Ishani wanted to trap him even more because she knew that Asmita had a soft spot for him. She brainwashed him and ruined that relationship and moved over.

 

A love story

“Korak! Hey!! Wait!!!” she heard her shouting her name and turned.

 

She was panting; she was a little overweight and awfully cute. Every one in the office loved her. She liked Korak a lot. Korak was a little grateful for that because she was a very shy and demure girl.

 

“Let’s go to Mouchak and have some coffee. We will split the bill ok?” she smiled sweetly.

 

“Where were you when I was coming out of office?” Ruchi asked. “I was looking for you all day; I wanted to tell you that we will leave office together. I wanted to talk with you. My tummy is aching since last night.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Mayank, that silly boy punched me so hard in my tummy last evening!” she said giggling.

 

“Don’t bluff. Mayank can never hit you.” Korak smiled. Just like Ruchi Mayank too was one of the sweetest beings in the office.

 

“He did!! That mean boy did hit me Ruchi, how could you think I will lie to you?” she looked at her innocently, though Korak could see mischief sparkling in her eyes.

 

“Then you must have done something awfully naughty.” She smiled.

 

“That I did. He begged me to give you a message three months back, have been asking me again and again but I  have not given it to you.” she was very grave now.

 

“Why?” Korak was surprised. She has never seen Ruchi serious like this.

 

 

 

“He is in love with you.” Ruchi said solemnly, has been so since you joined the office.”

 

“I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that it would have been better if he told it himself, right?”

 

“I have been his best friend since last ten years. He is gay. That is after seeing you he has realized that he was gay.”

 

“He just can’t think about any one but you any more.”

 

“He is not asking you to decide any thing. He is just hoping that you will mix with him and decide yourself.”

 

For a few minutes she was at loss of words. Then she shrugged her shoulders. “I really don’t know Ruchi.”

 

They both left the café and went their ways.

 

She spent the night thinking about him. How wonderful he was and how caring he was to her.

 

As if by some telepathic connection her phone beeped, it was a sms from Mayank. “Are you free tomorrow?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Will you spend the day with me?”

 

“Yes.”

The beast

His wife was mentally unstable. Not crazy, just amply disturbed. Too disturbed to drive him against wall yet not enough to be sent to asylum.

 

 

He had two sons. One of them gay the other social outcast. Has been caught too many times stealing. So even though he was old and retired none of his sons had any say against him. They knew he can ruin them forever if he wished.

 

He forced his older son, the gay to marry. He did not have guts enough to speak against his father. He married a normal, healthy girl. An orphan from a remote village, who was being brought up on leftovers of her uncle.

 

The girl was shocked to notice that her husband refused to touch her. She tried to woo him to her but he stayed as cold as ice and left for Mumbai after a fortnight of their marriage.

 

“Stay here and take care of my family. I will be back in durgapuja.”  These were his last words before leaving her, writhing in agony.

 

 

 

Her father in law soon had his way with her. It did not took him long to overpower that timid girl. Corruption seeped in. To the outside world they were father in law and daughter in law, inside the home they were lovers. His mentally unstable wife guessed it but was intimidated by them.

 

“Open your mouth, and you will be sent to some asylum. I know a lot of medicines, a single drop of them will drive you insane.”

 

“As for accusing me, no one will believe you, because every one knows you are as crazy as one can be.” He laughed shamelessly.

 

 

 

Her husband received a telegram telling him that he was about to become a father. He returned home after the baby was born.

 

They were alone in the night; the baby was sleeping in the bed, “Whose child is this? Dad’s or sujoy’s?” he asked in an amused tone.

 

“I guess I know. He must have had his plans from the beginning. “He said. “I am leaving tomorrow morning, don’t expect me to be back. Don’t have the second issue. In that case you will be in mess.”

 

He turned his back on her and went to sleep.

Spark of love

“Love does have its time span Tapesh.” She said with a pang of sadness.  “I can’t bare my soul to show you how much I loved you then, but I know it is true and I don’t have to prove myself.”

 

“If you had held my hand once and asked me to wait for you, I would have never moved on. I would have waited for you.”

 

“But you could not decide whether you love me or not. So you walked away without telling me any thing. You just vanished one fine day. Knowing I truly loved you.”

 

“I waited for you first few months, tried to contact you but you were silent.”

 

“Then I was shattered to pieces, thinking I have lost every thing in life. Then the next stage came. I slowly gave in to God’s will.”

 

“Just like any person who has faith in God I started to believe that whatever happens happens for the very best.”

 

“I started to search for the incompatibilities in our relationships and soon they started to heap up.”

 

“Things which we would have brushed away, if we were together. But as we were not together, my love was a one sided show those incompatibilities soon took over the love, and it was gone.”

 

“Love is like fire, it needs tending, a regular dose of fuel to keep it burning. No matter how strong the flame is if it not tended properly it will die with time.”

 

“Next time when you love someone, give her some reason to keep the fire burning in her heart.”

 

After finishing her words she took her leave and left him alone in the park bench. He sat there watching her walk away. A tall, graceful figure slowly disappearing in the settling dusk.

 

The park was filled with chirping birds, settling down on branches for the night. He too got up after a while, took a cab to station and left the town forever.

Monsters

“We have been on the trail of this gang for years. It’s a disgrace to the whole Police Department.”

 

“It won’t be possible to punish the insiders because their escape plan is too foolproof. But we will be able to caution the society, even at the cost of our own jobs.” Chandraneel said.

 

“It was a human trafficking gang working through out the country. It worked under the active cooperation of local powers.”

 

“Their girls and boys prowled in colleges. Mostly as students, who just did not succeeded in clearing their exams.”

 

 

“They picked up the most attractive ones and started their action. If the girl was of a weak mind preying her was an apple pie. But if she turned out to be strong minded they laid the bait of marriage.”

 

“They took care about two things; first that the victim was completely overpowered in the first hit and her path to return to society was burnt to ashes.”

 

“They had a lot of power working behind their back. But over confidence is really a sick thing. It makes you see flowers in desert. Or worse, it shows you oasis to make you wander in the desert to perish.”

 

“These girls and boys never worked in their own states, and were never visible before their joining the college. Once after joining the college they made a strong net with the help of their preys. Who vowed that they have known them from years. No one goes to snoop on authenticity of their lover’s words, does one?”

 

“In case of weak girls and boys they were easy to handle, intimidated absolutely by fear. They never caused any problem.”

 

“Danger lurked from the strong minded ones, they usually tested the strength of character of their victims, to confirm if the risk was worth it.”

 

“If they realized before entrapment that the person was too strong willed they just slipped him. If they realized after entrapment that the man was strong willed they drove him either to suicide or insanity, using their power in every sphere.”

 

“We simply believe any thing which two people say to us, don’t we? We never even try to apply our own brain to judge the person they are backwashing. We just follow them like lambs follow the shepherd.”

 

“Then they made the mistake of their life. They thought she was as soft as flower. She turned out to be fire. Soft, velvety, dazzling and deadly.”

 

“The rate on her head was so high that they decided to apply force, the girl became mum for a few years, and then she contacted a detective agency, and submitted the report to me.”

 

Chandraneel had a reputation of extremely honest officer.

 

“Though they have destroyed her life, completely, beyond repair, but if I flash this story in all the news papers at-least other parents and girls will be saved.”

 

“These people should be informed of the truth that you just can’t ruin a person’s reputation and life and walk away scot-free to do it again and again. It’s not a jungle and we are not sheep.”

Delilah

“Just do as I say and we both will be benefited.” She said calmly. “I will manage every thing smoothly.”

 

Her husband was a millionaire; he fell for a girl half his age. Both were equally clumsy so he kept swaying like a pendulum. In between commitment and freedom. He has lived alone for fifty one years. Free as a bird flying in blue sky.

 

Then he fell in love with a young woman of thirty years. Was thinking whether or not to marry him when she interfered, trapped him and married him. She convinced him he was too old and she was too immature for her age. They decided that they will get her married to his nephew. Ha!! That’s what she made him believe.

 

She knew very well that his nephew was in love with her niece. So she plotted a plan. To use the stick in a way that the snake dies without snapping the stick.

 

She did not had much problem in giving her niece a little bit of money but the amount of money which her hubby was planning to shower on his ex flame was outrageous. After all, it was her money too now.

 

She asked her niece to change her name, take the same name as her husband’s lover. Then she weaved the net.

 

She squeezed out a huge sum of money from her husband; it was distributed 3:1, her nephew shifted to Denmark with his share of money. Married the girl of his choice and he thought that his ex flame is happy and safe.

 

 

 

A few years passed by. He happened to visit India on a business trip, alone. His Indian manager met him. She was a striking young woman with great records.

 

He was surprised by her similarity with his ex flame. He prodded and her side of the story came out.

 

She has moved on ever since he vanished a few years ago. Why should she wait for a non-committal person? A man who has not even said “I love you.” after knowing her for years.

 

She never married; she is too busy with her career. May be she will marry later but not now. She never realized who he was because he used fake name and description while mixing with her.

 

 

He returned to USA after the trip was over. His wife was waiting for him in airport. She gave him a big, tight hug.

 

“Darling, there is a surprise for you.” he smiled.

 

“What?” she smiled happily, looking at the envelope.

 

“Two tickets for Denmark in the next flight, we are going to meet Tamal and Tanaya.”

 

“The flight will take off an hour later. We will buy necessary things there and call up Tamal from the airport.” He smiled sweetly.

 

“Lets have some thing to eat and we will have to immediately check in.” he held his hand warmly and firmly.

Father

“I know what you have done.” He said. “I know all your deeds till date.”

 

“I will try to help you out of it if you help me out of a little problem.”

 

She was sitting there; her cheeks were burning with embarrassment.

 

She was no saint. Her father was a greedy wolf, who abused his wife to no end and spent all his earning on himself. His wife worked as a school teacher and took care of the four daughters with whom he has blessed her.

 

She, Sumitra was the elder most. When she reached her adolescence she realized what money is and soon she followed her father, she befriended a lot of boys and used them for her pocket money.

 

She was usually very cautious, but as sometimes it just happens, she slipped and now she is carrying a baby. It’s quite late to abort.

 

She doesn’t know how her father found it out. But here he was standing in front of her, with her darkest secrets on his lips.

 

“I will introduce you to my boss. All you will have to do is trap him. I will arrange your marriage within this month.” He said.

 

“You’re a smart girl, you will manage the rest.” He smirked.

 

“Don’t be afraid, he is too old to resist you. I owe him a lot of money. I will never be able to pay him back his debts, but if he marries you that will save my neck. And you can live like a queen with his money.” He winked at her shamelessly.

 

She listened to him with a mixture of hatred and greed in her heart.

 

“When do you want me to meet him?” she asked avoiding his eyes.

The admirer

“Will you be impressed if the beggar who sits in the street corner falls in love with you and hounds you for your attention?” Mohan asked him.

 

Suresh was silent. He did not have any explanations. He knew his friend was right. It was his own blunder and he will have to pay for it.

 

Last year he took a new connection, a beautiful sms came from a number, and he answered it. Then some one called him up and they realized it was a wrong number. But they became friends.

 

He worked in a small factory; his friend was a young girl that much he could assess from her voice and way of communication. So he started to boast about his financial conditions to impress her. Soon their friendship turned into attraction. She started to nag him to meet.

 

They met last month; she came down from a luxury car to meet him. She was a gorgeous young girl in her early twenties. But she realized his façade within a few minutes. She was not unkind to him but he felt that her love has vanished then and there. She took leave after a while and went away.

 

Her smses became almost nil since and she stopped picking up his phone calls.

 

He poured out his frustrations to his brother. But he too took the side of the girl. He was ruthless but he was right.

 

Slowly the sense started to seep in his brain. Mohan was true. If he had told Nila in the very beginning that he was poor she might not have advanced the friendship. Or if she did, she might have stuck to simple friendship.

 

There relationship has no future at all. He can’t become a parasite on her father’s money.  He can’t expect her to live in the slum with him.

 

Not only poverty, he was barely educated whereas she was a student of one of the best colleges of Kolkata. She is kind that is why she has forgiven him or else she had full rights to insult him.

 

He picked up the phone and sent her a sms apologizing for his stupidity.

Greed

He really liked her a lot. Have seen her quite a lot but not from close proximities. In the street, in public places, and sometimes in revelries of the housing. She was a very warm girl, from a cultured but very poor family.

 

He has lost his wife when his only daughter sumi was one year old, he loved Mohini so much that he decided to never marry again. Then Sumi started to grow up and by the time she celebrated her tenth birthday he realized why little girls need a mother.

 

Still he was scared to go for arranged marriages. He loved Sumi too much. He did what he thought was right, he asked his mother and sister to see if Shobha liked Sumi. He had confidence on himself because he has often seen her blush at him. He was a very handsome and nice man, that’s what his friends told him again and again. Specially the girlfriends.

 

 

The verdict was passed a few months later; both his mother and sister unanimously said that she was not the right type of girl. He never doubted their decision.  

 

They found out someone else for him, and he got married. Sikta was his sister’s sister in law.

 

He was returning from office that night when he suddenly stumbled into Shobha. She was coming out of a small orphanage situated near his office.

 

“Hi! Visiting?” he asked.

 

“No, I spend every weekend here. I come here after office on Friday and leave on Saturday night. I love children and I love to spend some time with them.” She said softly. “How is Sumi? She asks me a lot about Matrikror (mother’s lap), she was insisting a lot on Thursday when we met, to bring her here.” She laughed a little.

 

“Sumi knows you?” he was surprised.

 

“Yes, of course, she is the cutest child of the housing. She comes to my home every day at-least once. My family dotes on her. You are blessed to have an angel like her in your life.” She beamed.

 

 

“Ma, do you remember Shobha?” he asked his mother the next day, “The girl you rejected?”

 

“Yes, of course. Why not?” his mother replied.

 

“Why did you reject her?” he asked sounding casual.

 

“She was extremely rude and cold to Sumi.” Was her reply, “Why are you asking these questions now?”

 

“Nothing…” he got up and left the room to sleep.

 

“Sumi, do you know Shobha aunty?” he asked his daughter, they were out for a small trip to the local zoo. Only father and daughter. He was about to have his second child, so Sikta was at her mother’s place.

 

“Shobha aunty loves us a lot. We all go to her home to play, learn dance, recitation and songs.” Sumi said. Then she started to speak about Shobha endlessly, it did not took him long to realize that all the children of the housing doted after Shobha.

 

He realized why his mother and sister has rejected Shobha, not because of her nature but because of money. Sikta has brought a huge lump of dowry with her.

 

It was true that Sikta was not unkind to Sumi, but she did not love her either. He wondered what will happen after his mother dies or her own child is born.

Child of lust

“Mrigank, are you going to leave the office or planning to work on Sunday after working through the weekend?” Shashi teased him.

 

“You go, I will leave after a while. Just a little is left to finish the project.” Mrigank answered, brushing away a lock of hair which fell on his forehead.

 

He was the cutest guy in the office but he strictly maintained a distance from colleagues. He was soft, polished and as handsome as cupid but there was an invisible wall around him. No matter how much one tried there was no scaling that wall. Shashi has heard that even her boss’s daughter had a crush on him but married someone else after trying to woo him for years.

 

He always spoke softly and kindly whenever he opened his mouth, even his fury had a little kindness and lot of softness in it. But he rarely opened his mouth. No one has heard him laughing out loud. His smiles too were a rare phenomenon.

 

Shashi has fallen in love with him. He was irresistible. Every one has warned her of the dire consequences but she could not help it. She was struggling but the more she struggled the deeper the love became.

 

She was standing in the bus stand when she felt someone else approaching her. She turned, it was Mrigank.

 

“Are you going home? I would love it if you can come with me for a cup of coffee. I am starving.” He said.

 

She felt as if the earth tilted a little under her feet. In her two years in the office she has never heard about Mrigank taking out any woman to any place, forget about a restaurant.

 

The cup of coffee ended with a movie and she returned home intoxicated by his closeness. He was a decent man in and out.

 

They were standing on the door of her home, “Please come inside and meet my family.” Shashi requested.

 

“Not today. Are you free tomorrow? There is a painting exhibition going on in Fine Arts Academy. I have two tickets and I really will love it if you can spend the day with me.” He looked at her and she consented so instantly that her cheeks became red.

 

 

She left the bed very early after tossing in the bed whole night. It was a beautiful morning. Winter has just settled in and every thing was pleasant.

 

She took a long time in deciding what she will wear. Then she started to wait for him. Her phone rang, it was Mrigank. “Come downstairs, I am waiting in the taxi.”

 

“Please come upstairs for a while, for a cup of tea.” She insisted.

 

“Later, please.” He insisted.

 

She took her leave from her parents and went downstairs. He was waiting in the taxi.

 

The exhibition was wonderful; it became even more charming because he was with her. She was not an expert in the field of art but loved beautiful things, but he was quite an expert and she was impressed by his depth of knowledge.

 

They sat down in the banks of Ganges to relax after the exhibition was over. They selected a place where they were the only one at that time.

 

“I want to tell you a story. Will you listen?” he looked at her with his beautiful, deep eyes.

 

He started the story after her consent.

 

A young woman reached Kolkata with sky high ambition. She was gorgeous. Her boss was a married man, very happy with his family life. She trapped him. She conceived his child and blackmailed him till she got settled. Then she left the child and disappeared with her lover.

 

The man who has already admitted his folly has been forgiven by his wife. They brought up the child.

 

The child grew up and fell in love, the girl’s family came to know about his past and the girl refused him, married someone else.

 

“That man has again fallen in love with a woman after restraining his feelings for years. What do you think he should do?”

 

Shashi looked at him and then lowered her eyes. “My parents don’t treat a human being unjustly just because his parents did not control themselves.”

 

She felt his hands firmly gripping her hands. When she looked up she saw his eyes were sparkling with unshed drops of tears. She gently laid her head on his shoulders and closed her eyes. Feeling his presence with her whole being.

The shark

“Listen, we don’t have any thing special against you. you are just one of those who have reaped benefit from our organization.”

 

“Just like any other organization, we too have some rules and regulations. Every person who has worked for us is free to go, but, he or she will have to recruit two persons for us.”

 

She sat there, grimly. Listening to his words and left his room after he has finished. He was a very egoistic and vindictive man, who didn’t tolerated a flicker of disobedience. The last thing she wanted was a problem at the last stage of her slavery.

 

She landed in his claws because she did not had any other choice. Her father had a serious accident, he ended up paralyzed. There were four siblings looking up at her. Her mother was an illiterate housewife. To add up to that, a huge amount of money was borrowed from others to pay her father’s medical bills.

 

Shantamasi walked in with a proposal. Her invisibility was assured, all she will have to do is go to Mr. Singh’s den in a remote town and tell every one at her home-town that she has found a job in Shimla.

 

She will work there as long as she wants. Of course the minimum span being the time she will take to settle her dues. This will be paid by Mr. Singh now.

 

She left because she did not had any other choice. Her refusal would have meant killing her family. So she risked her life. But as she was promised, she realized soon that her identity was completely safe. Because her clients were very rich who did not wanted any kind of trouble. She was a gorgeous looking woman so she soon paid her debt and made a little money for herself. Then she asked Mr. Singh for leave….

 

She returned to her hometown for a few days. She was sitting in the drawing room when a distant relative of hers came.

 

“Tapasi, how are you? shantadi was telling me you have found a good job in Shimla and paid all the debts of your family?”

 

“Your uncle has ruined us, he has wasted all his savings in gambling and have incurred a huge debt. Can you search for a good job for Mita in your school?”

 

“The debtors are driving us insane. We wont be able to stay alive for long if they hound us every day like this. Soon they will throw us out in the streets.” Her aunt begged with tears in her eyes.

 

She too had a huge family and an incapable husband.