Destiny: Venturing Into The Unknown

Chapter 12: The sweet meeting

"Dada what is this??"
"It's a paperweight... keep it down" told Anirudh while checking the paper.
Sudarshan wandered how he is understanding what his brother is doing without even looking at him?!
"Sir what about the meeting..."
"Yes I'm comming.. tell someone to take care of Batuk"
Sudarshan kept Batuk in the ladies clan and the ladies were delighted to get a baby to take care (without doing their boring routine work).

In the meeting room
"So as you can see our sales statistics .. I hope you are understanding our...."
"No I couldn't understand"
Anirudh looked behind to see his little brother sitting on the sofa with a seemingly innocent face.
"What are you doing here?!"
"I'm hungry...."
Anirudh looked at Sudarshan. Sudarshan noticed one of the ladies standing outside the glass door.
"Sir.. I'm taking him back..." Sudarshan got up..
"Noo... I'll not go.. I don't trust big people... I'll stay here.. so that Dada can't leave me..."
"I'm not leaving you Batuk.." Anirudh tried to keep his head cool
"No... I'll not go..."
"Then how will you get the chocolate cake"
Batuk squeezes his eyebrows "Do you think I'm so timid? Batuk is not a baby.. he's 8 years old.."

The Businessman in the meeting was an elderly one, he giggled and suggested Anirudh
"Let him be here Mr. Roy Choudhury"
"You know Dadu he is the boss here... here everyone hears to him... if he tells Sudu kaku then he'll being me the cake.." complained Batuk in a cute tone
"Sudu kaku?!" Sudarshan was shocked
Anirudh tried to supress his laughter. The Businessman, Mr. Mitra and his associates giggled too.

**************
"Noo I'll not study..."
"Batukkk..... it's too much now..."
"Nooooooooo"

Anirudh's head is hot today. The servants at the place got a good amount of dose of his anger today. Their eyes are now on that little kid. If they can manage him they win their boss' heart.

***************
"Miss Golmes..."
"Yes Mr. Roy Choudhury"
"Did you find out the adress"
"Yess... as I told you before... I clarified... she lives with the Pradhan family... they had a daughter who died in an accident so they see their daughter in her..."
"Well ok... thank you..."

****************
Anirudh have finished the work quickly today. He literally forced Batuk to take up the after school co curricular classes. He returned and changed his dress to a casual shirt. Then went out saying he's going for a walk in fresh air.

He went uphill along the road. He checked the address Miss Golmes gave him. It's a bungalow type house. The view around is amazing. No doubt Bondita's choice is super. The bungalow had a lawn with a flower garden. There! A garden of pink and yellow roses.. Bondita's favourite.

Anirudh rang the door bell. A old man opened the door.
"Yess...."
"Is this the house of Mr. Pradhan?"
"Yes.. "
"Do Miss.. Bondita... Das live here??"
"Yes..."
"Can I meet her??"

The servant took him in to the living room. It's a small but well decorated one.
"Sir, what's your name... I mean what to tell to Bondita didi"
"Tell him... wait" Anirudh took a paper and wrote something on it. "Give her this... she'll understand"

After a minute a elderly yet strong man came in like a Commander. Anirudh automatically stood up by his appearance.
"Yes Gentleman... you wanted to meet Bondita"
"Yes Sir"
"Why?"
"Why..... we... we are acquaintances"
"How come? She have no connections outside what I know"
"But Sir.. I beg your pardon..she do have a life beyond what you know"
"But I don't think she's interested..."

"Uncle" a mild voice came from behind. "Let him in"
"But Bondita beti we don't know who is he"
"I know him..." Bondita gives a sweet smile at Anirudh. Anirudh never saw Bondita giving such a decent smile before.

Though Mr. Pradhan was not in for of letting this strangely dressed man inside. Mrs. Pradhan gave a strange look at her wife signing who is this strange man.
"Ramu kaka... some coffee and cake.." Bondita instructed in a sweet
"Yes Didi..."

Anirudh felt uncomfortable by the strange stares of the couple.
"From where did you dig out these strange clothes?" Enquired Bondita.
"No actually I asked Sudarshan so he said here common people wear loose fitting clothes... soo.. I took this old one from one of my clerk... who is a bit healthy"
"You wanted too look common or a person far below proverty line?!"
Anirudh had no answer.
"You Nawabzade lack common sense I must say.." giggled Bondita and went to take the plate from Ramu.

"Nawabzade?!" Exclaimed Anirudh

"Well Bondita beti.... I must know who is this strangely dressed man.. " said Mr. Pradhan
"Uncle he's Anirudh Roy Choudhury, the owner of the Roy Choudhury Estate"
"Not owner just a caretaker" Anirudh responded in a low tone.
"Why do you always keep your Devdas mode on?? You are the boss there.." replied Bondita

"Ohh so you meet him while submitting those complaint files.." inferred Mr. Pradhan. "But Mr. Roy Choudhury what was the need of these strange dressing?"
"You can call me by my name Uncle.."
"Alright.. Ani... Anirudh.. right?"
Anirudh nodded his head.
Bondita and Anirudh looked at each other.
"You seem to be friends from before?" Asked Mr. Pradhan
"Yess.. I mean... he was my senior in college..."
"I see......" Mr. Pradhan gave a sarcastic smile
"Uncle Aunty.. can you please" requested Bondita
"Yes of course"

Mr. And Mrs. Pradhan left.

Anirudh looked at the coffee mug, "You seemed to have changed"
"Maybe" Bondita replied with a smile "it's being long 3 years"
"A person can't change like this in only 3 years... that day in station Ankita came to tell something but the train had already started to leave the station"

Bondita became quiet.
"You waited?" Bondita replied after sometime.
"Yess... as if you don't know... you took all the letters from the hostel too... then when I contacted Saurav he told......"
"I told him to say so..."
"Why?!"
Bondita's eyes became teary.
"They killed my family... baba got to know of a girls trafficking agency going on there... he wanted to expose them and they lighted our house. I took didi's baby and ran to Saurav dada... I know I'll be killed if they get my whereabouts so I told him to declare me dead... and vanished from there..." Bondita's voice became heavy. Anirudh kept his hand on Bondita's. Bondita was shocked. She looked at him. He gave a smile.

"You returned to the hostel....."
"To take my marksheets..." Bondita suddenly changed to the jolly one "by the way... you wrote me those bunch of letters..."
"You read them?" Smiled Anirudh
"Yess... but... just think what people will think"
Anirudh thought something and giggled
"Why are you giggling??"
"If you agree can I see your garden?"
"Yes obviously..."

Bondita took Anirudh to her garden in the backyard. A gentle slope has gone uphill behind the backwall. There was a misty conifer wood behind.
"Will you like to go there??" Asked Bondita
"Ye.. yess" Anirudh was quiet facinated.

The went to the woods. The tall tress with the shady mists gave the place an mysterious essence.
"You didn't tell why you wrote me so many letters?? Were you too concerned for me??" Questioned Bondita in a soft tone.
"Ahh Bondita do you remember Devendra?" Anirudh seemed to avoid the question.
"Yes.. I do remember Dev da"
"And Rajeev?"
"Yes Raj da.. I used to call him..."
"And what do you used to call me??" Smiled Anirudh
Bondita lowered her head with a shy smile and ran hiding behind a tree.
"You got too shy.." Anirudh's voice came from inside the mists.
"Please it was long ago..."
"Well you haven't took my name after so long ago.."
"Well Anirudh babu... I took your name.." Bondita gave a jolly smile and moved forward.
"Bondita..."
Bondita halted and looked back. A thin curtain of mist came between them.
"You call Dev... Raj as da.. dada... but why not me?" Asked Anirudh
The question shocked Bondita. It embarassed her. Anirudh approached her and hold her hand lightly. Bondita couldn't see in his eyes. Her hair locks fell on her face. Her face became pink in shame and to Anirudh she looked wonderful like that. Bondita had no answer. Anirudh had no questions either. He understood her embarrassment and tried to comfort her by patting her head. She looked up at him. The curtain of mist covered them to provide them privacy.