It Wasn't Supposed To Happen

47

Sumati begged and begged Thakuma to visit Roy Chowdhury haveli after Trilochan informed Thakuma of Bondita's pregnancy. But Thakuma refused again and again. She knew she was not welcome there anymore. It was just a few days ago Aniruddh had come and technically declared they were family no more. Going to someone's home when you clearly are not welcome there could be unpleasant for them and turn disrespectful to self. And Chandrachur's injuries, which she had been treating against her will only for Tupur, reminded her what could have happened to Bondita. How she could have been ruined. For that one part, only that, she felt guilty.

But she too wanted to meet her daughter and after constant pestering of Sumati they headed to the Roy Chowdhury haveli after taking permission from Trilochan and making sure Aniruddh was not home.

Bondita had been feeling really unwell since a little after her Pati Babu left. Her pain was back and she had bled a little again. She didn't know what to do. It had happened before but the pain was not that server. She changed her clothes and went to bed to rest and let it pass like it usually did because she was not sure if she could make it even downstairs to tell someone. And she was scared to tell her Kaka. She knew he would be reluctant to take her to a doctor or call one. And till the time her Pati Babu was informed and he made his way home, Kaka Sasurji would force feed her things that would just make her vomit.

She rested her head on the pillow and waited. For the pain to pass or someone to come check on her, whatever came first.
Her pain had significantly died down when Koyeli came in knocking with a smiling face.

" Bahu raniji, someone is here to see you "

Bondita couldn't help but jump off the bed when she saw her mother approaching her, pain forgotten.

" Maa...!" She hugged her tight, tears flowing down. Happiness, sadness, longing...she didn't know. " Why did you take so long to come to your Bondita...!" She cried in her maa's embrace.

" I am sorry meri bachchi. Please forgive your maa .." she too shed a few tears.

" Come maa sit...!"

Sumati sat there as Koyeli went away, closing the doors behind her.

" Bondita...how are you...?" She said caressing her face.

" Now that you are here maa... I am fine. I am good." Bondita laid down keeping her head on her lap.

" I got...the news..." Sumati didn't know what to say but she needed to know how her Bondita actually was.

" Maa..." Bondita said barely above a whisper. " I am scared maa. I am...not ready. This...baby, being a mother... I am not ready yet."

" Ofcourse you are scared Bondita. Every woman, no matter the age, is scared." But Sumati was scared for her daughter. Jamai babu was right to say Bondita was not ready for a married life. She didn't understand the age factor as her jamai babu did but she understood her daughter. She had hopes, dreams. A life unlike any to live. Her daughter was never an ordinary girl and now had bloomed into much more than a good wife material all thanks to the man who married her and never tried to supress her.
This all must be devastating for her children. Their little nest had been disrupted brutally. What was happening was not fair. Her Bondita didn't deserve to be shackled this early even if the shackles were a beautiful baby.

" How do you feel about all this Bondita...? For the future...?"

" I don't know maa... I don't know... What I want anymore. I just know I am scared... Of loosing my dreams." She got up and held her mother's hands. " Why now maa...? Why now...? I would have become a mother one day... Some day when my Pati Babu felt it right, when I would have actually wanted to hold a baby. But why now ? What was the rush ma...?!! I had my whole life to be a mother... Why now...!???! Why now...!??!" She cried hugging her mother again.
" You... know maa ? How...how worried Pati Babu is...? With what happened that night, with my pregnancy. I know... I feel that he restricts himself around me...so that I don't feel... And...and my health... He has not slept properly in days...He stays with me all he can manage, takes care of me, laughs with me. He doesn't say it...tells anyone... But he too is suffering maa... My... Pati Babu... My...my little beautiful world with him. All gone maa...!!! All gone...!!!"