three moments

the most beautiful girl I've ever seen

On the first day after the exam, as I returned home, I had wiped away my tears, but somehow my mother sensed that I was shattered from within. She asked, "Son, Rajat, what happened to you? Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying," I replied.

"Will you lie to your own mother?"

"Why should I lie?"

"Son, Rajat, what happened? Tell me."

I responded with frustration, "I told you, nothing happened to me! I'm fine."

She didn't press further for details. The day the exams ended, my cousin from Bengal came to pick me up. He had come for some work and was insisting on taking me with him.

As we reached the train station, I thought my mother might have informed him about my condition. Otherwise, he wouldn't have suddenly appeared and then disappeared just as abruptly. He lived in Durgapur, and my condition worsened as we headed towards his house. I had never traveled in a general compartment before, and I realized that I also suffered from motion sickness in trains. One day, I even threw up on his bed. My cousin's wife washed the soiled clothes for me. The next morning, I noticed that my cousin-in-law had planted a vegetable garden himself. I spent a couple of enjoyable days there before my aunt came to take me back.

During the return journey, we crossed a river over a bridge. My aunt told me that when I had come to their house as a child, we had crossed the same river on a boat before the bridge was built. This triggered memories of that day, although I couldn't recall if I had actually boarded the boat or not.

I asked my aunt, "So, where did that boat go?"

She smiled and said, "Rajat, who needs a boat now? What's this bridge for?"

Her response brought a faint smile to my face, and I began to recall that day from my childhood when I had visited my aunt's house along with my parents. As we reached my aunt's house, the memories of that day began to flood back.

Later, I went out to explore the area, and as I stood near a small market, I saw a group of people shooting something. Amidst them was a girl with long, thick hair, blue eyes, and wearing a green Bengali saree. She caught my attention, and I couldn't take my eyes off her. Suddenly, she approached me and said, "Hello? Can you move aside a bit, please?"

I continued to stare at her, and she repeated, "Hey, I'm talking to you. Can you move aside a bit? You're coming in the frame of our camera."

I shifted to the side. The shooting concluded, and as I started walking back, I saw her running. She stumbled and fell on the road, injuring herself. I was surprised to see that no one went to help her. Everyone just stood there watching. Eventually, a boy arrived on his bike, helped her up, and rode away with her. I returned to my aunt's place and found her cooking.

I told her, "Aunt, just a while ago, a girl fell near the market, and no one came forward to help her."

Aunt chuckled and said, "That girl might be the one."

"Who?"

"The one who, you know, they say, makes short films these days."

"But there was no camera there."

"Oh, really? Did you see her shooting just before she fell?"

"Yes, she was shooting on the bridge before that."

"Oh, I see... Have you seen a big tree on the side of the road in that market area? Someone might have set up a camera on that tree beforehand."

"I see... Aunt, do you know that girl?"

"Not completely, but your cousin Jyanta might know her. Her house is near his."

"I see... What's the girl's name, by the way?"

"Kajal."

"Which class does she study in?"

"I don't know... Oh well, go and sit down, I'll start cooking."

"Alright."

I went and took a seat. Uncle (Phufa) arrived from somewhere and asked, "Hey, when did you arrive?"

"Uncle, I came in the morning."

"Oh, I see... How are your parents?"

"They were fine when I left, but I don't know how they are now."

He chuckled and asked, "So, which class are you studying in?"

I knew where Uncle was heading with his questions, so I quickly responded, "I'm pursuing B.Sc. in Physics." Then I asked, "Uncle, where is Shekhar these days?"

(Shekhar is Aunt's son)

He became a bit sad and a bit annoyed, and then he said, "He must be having a great time in Gujarat."

Aunt brought the food. Uncle left to wash up. After he was gone, I asked Aunt, "Aunt, what happened to him? Why did he react that way when he heard Shekhar's name?"

"Oh, my child, ever since Shekhar ran away and got married, they had a falling out. If only Shekhar had come home once and apologized after getting married, they might have forgiven him. But both father and son are alike in their stubbornness and pride. Neither came forward."

"I see... Did you try to bring Shekhar back?"

"I did try, but you know how things work here. Anyway, have your meal now."

The next morning, my cousin Jayanta came to pick me up...