On an Evening in Roma

The game of cat and mouse

Bondita watched Batuk and Mrs. Di Costa's whole interaction from her 1st floor balcony.

The entire front wall and the balcony railings of the two stores grayish building was covered by purple bougainvillea.The colorful flowers were swaying in the gentle breeze.

Her hands were lightly resting on the railing on top of the vines. Her open hair flowing down her back was drying in the air. The itchy dryness in her nose forewarned her that today is going to be another one of those hot days.

Things...went a little out of hand with Batuk. This isn't how she was expecting things to go.

She have to admit the initial shock of seeing him for the first time... correction, seeing him face to face for the first time was ...staggering.

It was like every contour of his face was shaped on the same mould as her Sakh-...as Mr Roy Choudhary's. She has seen twins looked less similar than these two brothers did who had twelve years of age gap between them.

So without actually meaning to she had spend the whole night counting the differences between their facial features. There were scarcely any, except for the changes Batuk has made himself...the long massy hair, the pierced ear, the light stubble around his face...also, he was yet to open his eyes but Bondita knew he has amber colored eyes like the Roy Choudhary brothers maternal grandmother, Bhabani Debi's. She has never met her Dida saas but she has heard that she was a very beautiful and authoritative woman.

"Toh...tum sach me mitha nahi khaogi...jab tak yeh sab kuch thik nahi ho jata?" A voice spoke from behind her.

"Jase ki aapko nahi pata?!" She replied still looking down where her neighbor was lecturing Batuk and Batuk's expression said he was stuck somewhere between guilt and irritation.

It was the truth.With him, there's no need for her to voice her thoughts...he knew her every thought...he was her thought...

"True! But you do know that it could take years,right?" Her imaginary Sakha Babu walked up to her and stand beside her on the same pose she was standing.

"I know! Lekin apno se jhut bolne ka kuch toh saja hona chahiye na?" She turned her head to look at him, "Wase bhi jab Bondita apke bina jina sikh sakti he toh mitha kya cheez he?"

He snickered then it snow balled into a full belly laugh. That's another difference between the brothers. There laugh. When Mr. Roy Choudhary laughed with his slightly crooked canine full on view...he looked serene and  it sounds like wing chimes to her ears...while Batuk laughs sounds like Hyenas.

"Meri pyari Bondita! If you have truly learned to live without me then tell me this...why am I still here?"

"I don't know!" She looked away,down at the street only to see Batuk's taxi drove away.

She doesn't want to acknowledge the reason behind his presence even to herself...she wasn't ready to face that fact yet.

"Accha choro jane do! Yeh batao Batuk ko kase handle karogi tum? He isn't as malleable as you previously thought, is he?"  Turning back toward the balcony door, he inquired. He leaned against the railing and crossed his arms over his chest...his posture suggested this questioning session won't be a short one.

Bondita bend down to put her elbows on the parapet and covered her face with her hands.

"I'm so sorryyy!!" She replied, shamefully looking down, "...the situation got completely out of hand."

"Bondita, you have to learn to control your anger and irritation otherwise forget about doing anything!" Even in her imagination he was losing his patients.