It Wasn't Supposed To Happen

76

Aniruddh had his hand on one of his culprit and watching him shiver made one of the two unknown villager start into a sprint, which so obviously was a wrong move. He was easily tackled by Aniruddh as he put one foot forward and the man fell on his face.

" Where exactly do you think you are going ?"

" Malik !" The man turned on his back on the floor and joined hands. " Forgive me."

" Forgive ?" Aniruddh sat on his heels in front of him. " Why? Did you do something wrong ?" He saw the man's eyes go round realising his blunder. He must be the foolish one who thought he was dead when the motor got stuck in the tree.

" Somnath will you please send them there ? I will see to them in the evening."

" Ji Dada..."

" Thank you Somnath." Aniruddh said walking out of the hall.

" Send us where ?! Where ?!!!" Was what he heard them saying.

" Pati Babu !!" Aniruddh heard her voice as he was done changing his dirty clothes and on his way to the study. He didn't want her to see all that blood on his shirt. She must have panicked not finding him there. " Pati Babu...!!!!!"

" Pati Babu !!!!" Bondita had felt peace blanket her as she stood in the aangan in his arms listening to him calling her name. He was here. He was alive and well and was holding her. She felt her eyes droop but she wasn't scared at all. He was holding her close. If she died this moment, she would leave in peace.

But she opened her eyes to find herself covered in blankets not his arms and all her happiness vanished. Was it a dream ? Was he not here ?  " Pati Babu !" She screamed but he didn't come. Tears started forming as she tried to get up . " Pati Babu !!!" She was on her feet and a sharp sting made her almost fall but she still tried to walk only wanting to see him . " Pati Babu !!!" She was about to fall as she took her first step when the doors blasted open and he came in running catching her just in time.

" Bondita..." Aniruddh felt he was seeing some other girl. Not his Bondita. She felt like her but she didn't look like her.

" Pati Babu !!!" She cried his name and flung her self on him and he covered her in his embrace. She was crying hard, he had never seen her this broken. He took her face in his hands while trying to wipe those tears.

" It's ok Bondita...it's ok..."

But she just cried harder digging her face in his chest making him loose his resolve to stand strong in front of her. He let cry while silently holding in his tears oblivious to Sampoorna who stood at the gate as she too had come running on her sister's voice. She closed the door with a smile and few tears thanking Durga maa for saving the man who had saved her life once. The man she owed her life to and left. After a while when Bondita seemed to get tired of all the crying, she looked up at him again.

Aniruddh just could not look away from the mess she was in. Her saree was just a pallu over her chest covering her hardly modestly as it was now hardly wrapped, her hair looked even more tangled as her face was tear stricken. He tried to wipe them off with his handkerchief as tenderly as he could. His hand halted as it reached her forehead. He was reminded of the day she stood surrounded by his books and his merry laugh was turned into a cry from his soul when he had taken in her sindoor which he had put on her. He had cried because the people had left him with no choice but to destroy her life and his own to let her live. He had cried how they felt she had no right to live if she didn't have sindoor. He had hated it then because they had made him put it on a girl who still clung to her mother.
And now he hated them for trying to destroy her once again by removing it.

They had forcefully had it put on an eight year old child who didn't even know the meaning of it and had so easily rubbed off a fifteen year old girl's forehead who had made it her world.