AGENT 390

A Rainy July

West Bengal , 2006

The bell ringing at seven in the morning, woke Mr. Banerjee which followed with a deafening sound as he fell from the bed.
He rubbed his eyes and looked up at the clock.

7:03 a.m

Yet another gloomy Sunday of Mr. Kaustav Bannerjee's sad life.
The bell rang again.
With all his strength, he got himself off the floor and opened the door.
The empty can he left in the morning was filled with milk.

'A morning tea is all I need'

29 year old Kaustav Bannerjee, a  not so famous writer living in the city of Kolkata. Infamously known for not being a writer he always wanted to be. Unwed, only child and  his Mom's only worries.

As he sat in front of his typewriter with his tea, His mom called.

'Kaustav! have you woken up yet?'
'yes ma'
'so you see, I have a marriage proposal for you and it-'
'no ma! I told you I'm not planning to get married'
'Āmāra Kaustav! she is from Bangalore, She is an IITian. She is smart and very pretty.'
'Ma I'm working on my novel now and you know that, I'm working on my career...to be a well known writer'
'Thats what you said 9 years back and left home. If you don't get married now then nobody will marry you later.
Kaustav please come home, Dad is worried about you'
'and that is a joke....ma I have to go now. I'll call you later'
She sighed and he cut the call.

He sat on his typewriter and started writing.
The monsoon rains set him in a peaceful mood after the  conversation with his mom.

Soon it was time for breakfast and that's when the bell rang again.

'Kaustav baccha, I got you breakfast.'
Here was Mrs. Sushma, his neighbour. An old lady, a widow who lives alone.
It was a unsaid vow for Mrs. Sushma to get breakfast for Kaustav.

"What can I say! Ma got another proposal. This is the 5th time this month." Kaustav complained to Mrs.Sushma as they say near the table which overlooked the the gloomy streets of Kolkata.

"She is worried about my child, You haven't gone home in like 4 years. I understand that you don't want to get married but as a mom i understand the worries she faces."

Kaustav regretted bringing up this. Mrs. Sushma lost her son to a car accident when he was very little.

"I'm currently writing a sad romance fiction on a princess and a poet of the early ages "  He tried to change the topic

"Well is it one sided?"
"A romance that never got completed in the timespan of when they lived" He replied.

"Well Is it something from personal experience or?" Mrs. Sushma joked as she ate the luchi cholar daal from the box she got.

"What can I say? I was once the Heartbreak king in my school times
Girls loved me"

"if you say so" She couldn't help but laugh at the comment

She looked at the typewriter that stayed still on the teapoy adjacent.
"How long will use this? it's quite old
I have seen youngsters talk about these new things called computer"

"You think I'm  old? I definitely cannot afford a computer....to expensive.
I'm happy with little Bannerjee.

Mrs. Sushma after having breakfast left.

The thought still stuck to his mind.
How much would a computer cost?