Chapter 3: Moist Curtains.
Usually I reach my maternal uncle’s house by Friday night, however on that Saturday I had some office work so I arrived late evening. I was sure that my grandma was in her puja room offering puja. My maternal aunt, Sudha Mami, greeted me. I asked her that whether grandma was furious or not. She laughed at me and said that she was waiting for me since afternoon. I pleaded her and told her the reason of my late coming. I knew that my maternal uncle, Narendra Mama, was at his shop. He has a big shop of clothes in the market near the highway. I sat beside her and asked her about Debadideb, my cousin brother, who got married last year and was staying in Durgapur.
I walked upstairs to my grandma’s puja room. She was reading some religious books. I looked at my octogenarian beauty, bedecked in milky white cotton sari, head full of white locks tied in a neat bun behind. In the light of the earthen lamp, she was looking like a peaceful angel. My eyes were moistened by a sudden flow of devotion. I was a corpse; she breathed her soul into me. Cautiously I crept and sat beside her side.
She got startled held by my ears and scolded, “So you now got time to visit me? What on earth happened to you yesterday?” I pleaded her to leave my ears. I embraced her and said her reason. She looked at my face and ruffled my hair. She asked about my well-beings. Although I have to give her the same answers every weekend but I never felt tired of that.
We walked in her room. I looked at the picture of my mother on the wall. Her smiling face brought me in tears; she left me for the heavenly abode when I was a year short of my school-final exams. She was very beautiful and caring. She was vocal when I was sent to hostel at a very tender age. After the demise of my beloved mother, I never had a permanent address to live in.
Grandma asked me to sit beside her. She looked at the hanging picture of my mother and said to me “I have a news for you. I don’t know whether it is good or bad.”
I felt a long silence engulfing my mind and soul was she having some health problem, was she going to leave me like my mother? I knew that humans are mortal but the mere thought shook every tentacles of my brain. I gave a frightening look at her.
“Biswajeet wants to meet you. He called your uncle last Wednesday and was asking about your whereabouts. He did not give your address to him, so Biswajeet left his telephone number and his address with your uncle.” Her words felt like molten lava being poured in my ears. I clenched my teeth while hearing the mere name of my father. He evaded his duty for long; he was never there when I wanted him the most. He left me at my Grandma’s place and never looked back. He washed his hands from taking my responsibility by handing over some amount. What on earth, does he want from me after a decade? Grandma ruffled my hair, “You have grown up and now you are doing a job. For long, I have guarded you with every ounce of my flesh. My bones are cracking, let me go now.”
Tears were flowing from her eyes. I felt a burning sensation in my eyes my vision was deluged. I embraced her with all my might so as not leave her ever, “Don’t dare to leave me Grandma.”
She wiped her eyes and said, “Next year you will be twenty seven, I want to see my grand-daughter-in-laws face before I sleep.”
I gave her a naughty smile, “How do you expect someone to take my heart when there is already a beautiful angel like you.” I took her hand in mine and kissed.
The very next evening when I was returning to Kolkata, grandma asked me whether I would meet my father or not. I looked up the dark evening sky, nodded my head that I would like to confront him.
I was hesitant in the beginning whether I should make a call or not. The address was of Dhanbad, ICL colony. One night my mother’s smiling face appeared before my eyes, I got the courage to face the person who evaded from his responsibility. I picked up the receiver and dialled the number.
There was a female voice on the other end “Hello, who is this?”
I took a deep breath; I felt a lull before the approaching tempest. In an ice-cold voice I answered, “I want to speak to Mr. Biswajeet Gosh.”
The voice on the other end again asked for the reason. I kept quiet for some time and then asked her, “May I know with whom am I talking to?”
The voice on the other end sounded perturbed, “Is this a joke at this point of night?”
“Tell him, Mr. Bappaditya Gosh wants to speak with him.” I answered in an ice-cold tone.
There was a long silence on the both the ends. After some time I heard my father’s voice after a decade. I forgot my vocabulary as what to answer. I tried to gather myself and asked him about his health. I sensed a shadow of pain in his voice. He requested me to visit him. I was practically lost and was very much perturbed by his invitation. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the forthcoming encounter.
After that day, I was very much disturbed. I was unable to concentrate in my work properly. Titli sensed my agitation and asked the reason of that. Very aptly, I dodged her inquisitions and presented her some excuse. Her facial expression told me that she was not satisfied by my answer. Since she was an intelligent woman, she refrained herself from putting further queries on me.
On an early Saturday morning, I boarded the train to Dhanbad. With each passing minute, I felt an agonising pain inside me parallel to that pain I felt a tinge of disgust as why I was going to meet him. By noon, I was in-front of the door of the said address.
A lady in her early thirties opened the door. From her suave dressing sense and graceful physique, I tried to muster up her relation with my father. She smiled at me and ushered me in. She asked me to sit down. I looked around the huge palatial house. My father was in a senior position in ICL. I looked on the walls bedecked with some beautiful paintings.
The moment I saw him entering the drawing room, I turned into a stone effigy. We both lost our vocabulary for some time. My throat went dry, ears burned and eyes were pouring fiery lava. I gained my senses when he touched my shoulder and asked me as how I was doing.
I gave a painful smile at him and answered in mocking tone, “It took a decade for you to ask this question to me, isn’t it.”
Father answered, “I am sorry for whatever happened in the past. After your mother’s demise, the work pressure took a heavy toll on me. I was afraid of taking any responsibility other than my work. Speaking from the bottom of my heart, I desperately wanted to climb the ladder of success.” He paused for a moment for a breath, “I came to know that you are doing a job.”
“By the grace of Almighty and my grandma I am doing fine.” I looked at him and then asked “May I know the reason what made you remember me after such a long period?”
He looked behind; I saw that the lady was standing there with a tray full of edibles and tea. He gestured her to come. After she kept the tray on the centre-table, she stood behind my father.
Father introduced her, “She is Nilanjana, she is .....” The image in front of me explained everything. I stopped him in the mid sentence and gently bowed my head in courtesy.
He smiled at me, “A naughty ghost is also there.” He looked towards Nilanjana and then said to me “Probably he is playing in the backyard.” The psychedelic canvas of his happy family burnt my soul to the core.
On the dining table, I came to know the main reason of his remembrance. He had a stroke few months back. He wanted to see me and refurbish the waned away bridge between us. He wanted to give a part of his property to me. Without any words, I listened all his pleas and requests. I felt that my hunger was gone.
I observed that Nilanjana did not joined us on the table, rather was serving the food, instead of the servants.
He asked me stopover for the night. I denied his request politely. I felt his pain, dripping from his eyes. He asked for my telephone number and address. I felt that I should at least provide him with that. I sensed that my presence would strike a bashful stroke on his beautiful canvas. It would have been better to step aside.
“My car will drop you. I will also come along with you.” My father stammered.
I looked at my watch said, “No need, the train leaves in few hours. This much path, I can also walk alone.”
For the first time, I heard Nilanjana to speak to me, “I would have been glad if you could stay tonight.”
I smiled at her and said, “Actually Madam, I can’t sleep without my favourite pillow and I forgot to bring that.”
After finishing that sentence, I walked away without looking back. For the whole return journey, I felt lost and dejected once again. For a whole decade, I consoled and pulled up myself that I had no father and then all of a sudden he arrives and create ripples in my life.
I closed my moist eyes, my beloved mom consoled me and said, “Keep faith in me, I am here.”
