She Won't Reveal 50

          She Won’t Reveal (50)

                      Nidhu Bhusan Das

                Sujata’s at tea in the garden with her son, Prafullada and Angshu.It’s a cheerful Tea Party, a prelude to the inauguration of the Charity tomorrow morning preceded by a videoconference by Dr. Arindam.

“The morning’s going to be sunny, sure,”Prof Sanyal’s optimist.

“Yes, a new sun will rise,” hoped Sujata.

“I’m so happy, maa!”

“And that’s reflected in the entire house, son.”

“We’ve to arrange for the videoconference, the screens, etc.”

“That’ll be done after tea. I’ve already called a software provider. He’s expected anytime.”

“That’s like my maa,”the professor beamed.

“Son, meanwhile, I’ve something…important to share with you.”

“Please tell, anything serious?”

“May we go upstairs?”

“Well, let’s.”

They went up. Sujata asked Prafullada to take the operator to the drawing room when he comes.

“That bitch messaged,” Sujata whispered to the professor back in the room.

“Who!”Prof Sanyal parsed his lips in anguish.

“Anuradha, the serpent Anu pampered to her perils.”

“What’s the message?”

“She asked me to know about her parents after the temblor in North Bengal today.”

“What do you think, should you reply?”

“Think I shouldn’t.”

“Let’s forget. She could talk to them, or to friends back in the home town, couldn’t she?”

“Yes, this is none of our business.”

This is the moment, thought Sujata, to try to understand why girls, including she, behave in the way they do. She doesn’t know about Anuradha as much as she knows about Anu.She opted out of her relation with Arup and kept the reason to her. One can only guess the reason(s).”True, Anu played a role in Arup’s marriage with Mita, a common friend of both and the fact’s that she still believes and says Arup’s her true friend and well-wisher. Is it that she opted out because she knew she lived with a killer…? Okay, let me discuss it with my son,”Sujata decided.

She looked out into the garden through the window, thought a few moments and smiled at the beauty of the dusk over the green patch which could well be the arbour for Anu and Arup had they been in the bungalow in their honeymoon.Arup instead  had his honeymoon with Mita in Manali.

She turned back and said,” Son, one more thing I’d like to share.”

“Please, maa,”said the professor, entreatingly.

“Anu has the killer leukemia.”

“What! Who told you?” the professor blared out as if he couldn’t come to terms with what he’d just heard.

“It’s diagnosed when we were at college.”

“Are you sure the diagnosis was correct?”

“There’s a lot of moaning and wailing in their house after the diagnosis. Uncle and auntie were so upset. Her thammi was there to console and comfort them all.”

“Was it for this her affair with Arup terminated?”

“Not outrightly.It continued till Arup left for the USA for medical study. She told me he would remind her to take medicine at the appointed time twice a day.”

“Was it for this he left the country… say to forget, to be out of sight?”

“May be or mayn’t be. She still believes he’s her well-wisher.”

“Were they in communication, even then?”

“No, so far I know. She’s upset and determined to forget.”

“Then why’ve you said she played a role in his marriage?”

“Maybe, for a sweet revenge.”

“Revenge! How?”

“Mita carried while they married. Arup didn’t father the child. Also, Mita lost her right leg in an accident with her lover Sandeep who’s the architect of the child.”

“But you said Anu still believes Arup’s her well-wisher.”

“Perhaps she loves to phantasize. She’d two suicide attempts after the break-up, you know.”

“How the attempts failed?”

“Her Thammi saved her. The grand old lady who’s still her guide and saviour in absentia.”

“Why did she opt for the North-east?”

“For peace… peace of mind, son. Arup fondly called her Putul at school and college. At the university he changed into Pinky” said Sujata with a long sigh.

“This is significant, Maa, very significant!” Professor Sanyal pointed out.

“How! We never thought that way, not even Anu.”

“I don’t know about the preference of Arup.Anyhow it suits the behaviour of Anu.”

“Suits her behaviour!”

“Yes. When you carry the name it means you don't like to let others know your true feelings. We don’t know the true feelings of Anu, do we?”

“Perhaps not. Perhaps she’s a mystery. Yet she’s loveable.”

“Now, hopefully, she’s reunited with her parents and is set to play the guardian in the family. She repents she misunderstood them and will now on recompense.”

“Let it be so, son. Her parents are so good.”

Prafullada came and told them it’s time for dinner and said he’s awaiting the auspicious moment when the charity would be inaugurated and he would be able to see Anu and her parents speaking.” Auntie’s so good!” he exclaimed sincerely remembering her sojourn here.” She’s also so sad,” thought Sujata. “The video man came and said he would make everything ready by 9 in the morning,” informed the gardener.( continued on 19th June 2015)