Destiny: Venturing Into The Unknown

Chapter 2: The unseen pain

A light sound broke Anirudh's dizziness. He moved the hand from over his eyes and put on the specs. He got up and opened the connecting door which linked the Study and his Bedroom. The bed is empty and the door is open. He went through the opened door and stood by the indoor balcony which looked over the courtyard (old traditional Bengali Architecture). From there he saw downstairs, a moving little figure sneaking into the kitchen. He slowly went downstairs.

The little figure looked up the dark shelves of the kitchen. He's too little to switch on the lights. And he's intelligent enough that if he switches on the light anyone will sense that he's there. He took a stool and pushed it near the shelf. He got up and tried to sense where is the cookie box. Suddenly he felt something. He slowly looked back. The moonlight coming through the window is making the silver colour of the silk housecoat and gold rims of the spectacles shine. He feels a light pull on his ears and pulls him down. The light switches on. The little cotton ball stoops his head low and gulped.
"What are you doing here Batuk?" Asks Anirudh in a deep tone.
"I was hungry" replied the 6-year-old.
"Hungry? Didn't you have your dinner?"
Batuk nodded his head in denial
"Why?"
"Som dada didn't have his dinner, you didn't have your dinner so I also didn't have mine"
Anirudh had no answer to this innocent reply.
"Sit here" Anirudh makes him sit on a chair and goes near the stove. He cuts some capsicum and onions and puts the stove on to prepare egg toast.

He puts the plate in front of Batuk. He looks at the toast, then looks at his Dada, then again looks at the toast. Anirudh sits on the chair beside him. Batuk again looks at him and opens his mouth wide towards him.
"When will you learn to eat yourself?"
Batuk gives a baby smile to his brother in reply.
Anirudh took the spoon and starts feeding him.
"Why did you punish Som da?" Batuk asked while chewing
"Because he did wrong"
"What wrong did he do?"
"He took money from my wallet without permission"
Batuk gulped. He recalled how once he was exploring his dada's pocket and found chocolate there. He ate it without his permission. If he comes to know it will he punish him too?!
Batuk looked slightly at him. How will he know? It's not possible for him to know.
"Taking things from elders pockets without permission is wrong be it money or chocolate"
Batuk stoops his head low in fright.
"Now open your mouth.. Take this.." Anirudh puts a small piece of Toast in his mouth.

**************

"Dada, how long will you be awake? I can't sleep without you.." Enquires Batuk sitting on the bed.
Anirudh sighs and goes inside the study to arrange his books. He returns and lies beside him. The little soul gets happy and starts to cuddle in his dada's lap. His little knees try to push inside Anirudh's stomach. No, it doesn't hurt him but this soft cuddle gives him peace after a long tiring day.

**************

More than a Brother Anirudh is like a Mother to this little child. This little innocent child has never experienced his mother's lap. From his birth his this stepbrother took him up, his mother hated him and so did Anirudh in return. He heard, himself his stepmother talking to his father that once her "son" is born his other two sons should be ousted. A day after Anirudh was sent to a hostel for "better quality of education".

Anirudh's mother died in an accident when Somnath was 3. His father, Binoy Roy Choudhury remarried years later to " take care of the children". Anirudh could never match the sum. Nevertheless, he took care of himself and his brother.

His stepbrother was born. And his mother soon died after giving birth. Anirudh knows he should not think like this but still, one thing only kept playing in his mind. She got the result of her karma. She sabotaged against him and his brother and now......

The baby was crying hard. No woman could handle him. Binoy started getting frustrated. Anirudh didn't bother. But at one time something stuck him. He went near the baby and took him up. And to everyone's surprise, he stopped crying. One lady told him to feed the baby. He took the feeder and the baby drank the milk peacefully in his lap. His lap became his home. Anirudh felt an amazing feeling with this child.

Suddenly his "quality education" became inessential and he was readmitted to the local school. Day-night he handled Batuk and his studies single-handedly.

After Anirudh was admitted to college his brothers were too sent with him. He silently agreed. In Calcutta, he's their Guardian. How will Binoy Roy Choudhury know what guardianship means.

************

Today is the first day of Bondita in College. She entered the room with her friends.
"This is our classroom Bondita" introduced Dalia
Bondita went inside and sat in a suitable place.
"Ohh really this place looks so nice.."
"It doesn't only look nice Bondita, there are many nice things to see and do here too"
"Like what?"
"Like that boy with specs" Dalia pointed at a thin-looking boy sitting on the first bench. "He's the topper"
"Topper?! How come? Session has just started na"
"R a he's good in studies"
"So what interesting lies in him?"
"He is very innocent"
"So?"
"So! So what! He's our soft target"

"Dalia, what's this?!" Ankita shows her disgust
"You study madam, Bondita is in our team, right na Bondita"
"Well" Bondita started speaking like a pro "to me my soft target is not the weaker one but the one targetting whom you can get some real fun"
"Real fun?" Enquired Dalia
"Yes real fun and my soft target will be revealed as I'll explore more"
"Ok we will wait to see your soft target, perhaps we too will get some fun"

The class got over.
"Bondita, now it's a free period, so let us go to the library" suggested Ankita
"Library?!" Interrupted Dalia "is that a place to go ?! Come on Bondita lets go to the common room"
"No library"
"No common room"

"WAIT" interrupts Bondita. "First I'll go to the library because I already am late and I have to cope with my studies then I'll go to the common room, Dalia you will wait outside the library we will go "

"This girl does amazing balance, I hope she'll not end up becoming our soft target." Whispered Dalia in the ears of her teammate

Bondita and Ankita entered the library and Ankita guided her through some books. At that time Anirudh entered the library and went past Bondita straight towards the commerce section. The light scent coming from his costly perfume made her look back a bit. This boy, no this doesn't look like a boy, a man, a gentleman it seems, is he a professor? Bondita stared at him till Ankita pulled her sleeves.
"What are you seeing?!"
"That man"
"What?!"
"Yes he looks cool"
"Cool?!"
"Yeah see"
"You need to explore more"
"What?"

"Hmm.. Silence this is the library" Anirudh scolded seeing the two whisperings.
That cold dull scolding stuck Bondita.
"Cool na?" Mocked Ankita
Bondita looked angrily at Ankita who was smiling at her.
"Is he a professor?"
"No, final year student of commerce department. Our college representative"
"Ohhh"
Ankita went towards the sitting place with the books.

"This Mr Humpty Dumpty is my soft target. What does he think of himself?! Does he dare to scold Bondita?! Wait I'll show you! What's the fun of targetting if the target is not hard enough" Bondita whispered, making a gun replica with her two fingers and blowing over them.