She Won't Reveal 40

        She Won’t Reveal (40)

                 Nidhu Bhusan Das

             Anu’s released.Dr. Arindam’d be under observation till the next day. The visiting hours over, Dr. Anupama along with Sujata and Anu left for home.”Uff, how terrible!” Anu exclaimed as the car got stuck in a traffic jam.”Amlarem-Jowai road isn’t like this,” she remembered. “Sujata, do you like Kolkata or Amlarem?” she asked.Sujata apprehended the memory of the left-behind-relations might have revisited Anu.She appeared to be diffident again. Sujata replied,”Kolkata’s unique, and I like it more than any other city in India. Could you get such medical facilities at Amlarem or Jowai like in Kolkata?”Rebuffed, Anu kept silent. After a few minutes, Anupama began to talk about the terrible times they’d undergone following mishaps in the family. She recalled the loneliness and pains they had the couple of years.” I cannot dislike Kolkata. Where else can I go? I cannot leave the family I’m a part of. I’m proud of my family, mom-in-law, my husband and daughter, so nice a family,” she murmured. She wouldn’t like to hurt her return-of-the-native-daughter, and so included her in the list of favourite family members though she couldn’t forget how the split of Anu from the family caused their angst and anguish leading to the hospitalization of her husband.

          What if Anu couldn’t change her mind and return? They’d resigned to their fate. She visited Anu a couple of times, stayed with her for days together but never told the daughter to return. She didn’t tell the daughter how her papa had been suffering under the weight of anguish after she’d left. They wouldn’t like to win the pity of the estranged daughter. Her visits were out of love and affection for the daughter, not to elicit filial pity. But Anu couldn’t respond to the overture of the mother. True, this time she tried to share with Anu the information regarding the illness of her papa because she felt the daughter had the right to know about it. Now they’re really happy that Anu understood and her filial pity welled up. She wasn’t sure how long the pity would last. They’re ready for any eventuality.

          None of the three would discuss family matters in the presence of the chauffeur to protect the privacy. Or, Anu’d be involved in an emotional interaction with her mother.

“Maa, are you still angry with me?” she would say, mortified.

“Why should we, dear. We’re happy you’re back to us,” the mother would reply.

“Could you have forgiven my cruelty?”

“Have we ever said you’re cruel?”

“But I’ve been cruel.”

“That’s your feeling, Anu. We never thought that way,” Dr. Anupama would tell a white lie.

“Auntie, I’d go visit my parents today,” said Sujata to wipe out the diffidence, if any, of Anu.

“Not today, dear,”Anupama entreated.

“But …”

“Don’t be naughty. Let your uncle come home. Ring up your mom, I’ll talk to her.”

“Okay, let’s go home. Anu must be hungry for the home and her beautiful room. Aren’t you, dear?”

“How’s my room, maa? It must look abandoned.”

“Why Anu? We clean it everyday and keep it tidy.”

“Is it? You’re so loving.”

 “Your papa’s very particular about it.”

“Papa papa pity take, I’ll never sadden you again,” Anu versified with emotion gushing out.

             It took two hours for them to reach home because of the jam, one hour and a half more than the usual time. As she disembarked, her telephone rang. An unknown Delhi number. Anu took the phone and spoke into it “Hello!”

“Ma’am we’re in the flat of Arupda. How’re you?”

“Don’t disturb me, please,” Anu snarled.

“Ma’am, Arupda and Mita Ma’am are loving.”

Anu remained silent.

“We’re all in the flat- Maqbool, Jerry sir, Nilu ma’am.We’re invited for lunch,” continued Anuradha. Anu couldn’t but hear like one enchanted.

“Mita ma’am tells me how much Arupda loves her. Their son Ankush’s here on vacation.Mita ma’am has told you’re quite fond of Ankush. Would you talk to Ankush?” Anuradha teased.Anu’s face turned red and her speech organs paralysed.Sujata marked the change following the call which Anu attended almost silently. Her silence and facial change’s intriguing, thought Sujata.She didn’t say anything, waited to see if Anu’d break who called and what she heard. She said like a sleuth interrogating someone,” Are Angshu and Prafullada well? They must feel desolate in your absence, dear. Why didn’t give me the phone? I could talk to them.” Anu didn’t reply.Sujata smelt a rat. She didn’t proceed with the topic. They went upstairs and waddled into the drawing room.Anupama took them into the room of Anu.”See, how’s your room. Is there any change? Do you feel it’s left neglected?” she asked Anu who couldn’t utter a single word in response. She remembered it’s the room where she shut herself after attending the wedding ceremony of Arup and Mita in that fateful night. It’s the room where she planned to end her life. Only the timely intervention of Thammi saved the situation.” See the picture hung on the wall. This captures the moment you played the guitar in the Annual Fest at St.Xaviers’.Your papa hung it. Everyday in the morning and before going to bed at night he stands in front of the picture and broods over it for some time,” poured out Anupama.Now she led them to the next room on the wall of which was hung a large picture of Anu being fondled by thammi.A life size picture of Arunima Chatterjee adorns the room. It’s the custom of Arindam and Anupama to garland the picture every morning before breakfast, burn incense and paint the forehead of the mother-of-the-house-in-picture with sandal-paste applied with finger-tip.Anu saw everything in silence without showing any enthusiasm to the astonishment of her mother.”Well, let’s go have our bath. It’s time for lunch,” Anupama said, puzzled and went to her room.

           The chef’s asked to cook chicken curry, ilish, mung dal and pineapple chutney, keeping in mind what’s Anu’s favourite dish.Anupama went for bath. She didn’t take much time and wore the dress for lunch. The two girls were still in the bathrooms.Meanwhile, the cook put the dish and plates on the table. The girls took time to be at the table.Anupama said she’d feed her little Anu who was eager. She gave the first morsels to both the girls and took hers afterward.” How’s the chicken?” she asked.

“It’s fantastic, maa” Anu said, smiling.

“The lunch is prepared considering your taste.”

“I understand maa.”

“After a long time we’re together at this table,”Anupama remarked.

“Yes, maa.I’m so happy.”

“Auntie, Anu loves you and uncle so much,” broke in Sujata.

“That we feel, dear,” said the mother.

“Anu, how do you like Shakuntala?” Sujata asked to understand her mind following the phone call she received.

“Shakuntala’s so sad. I don’t like to be like her any more, fed up with sadness all these years,” Anu admitted.

“And Dusmanta?” Sujata enquired.

“He isn’t like my papa, dutiful, understanding and sensitive,” Anu’s unequivocal.

“Have you a Priyambada as friend,” Sujata wanted to know.

“Yes, it’s you, none else,” Anu’s candid.

“Anuradha?”Sujata’s specific.

“Forget and forgive them, Sujata. They made my life a hell. Am now out of it.”

“The last call’s from Delhi, wasn’t it?” Sujata’s eager.

“Yes, and it’s all rubbish. I misplaced my trust on the girl and the people she’s associated with now. I repent.”

          The dinner proceeded and as Anu looked back she tried to recall how the people ganged up against her in Delhi. Yet she still believed Arup’s innocent.” You see Arup’s being misled,” she said.Anupama became anxious and couldn’t be sure how long her daughter would continue to be deluded.(to be continued on 19 February 2015)