It Wasn't Supposed To Happen

130

Aniruddh knew he had to do something. It had been two days since he saw Bondita running away after promising him that she won't come near him. And till now, she was keeping it. He was on his way back from her school. He had received a letter from her principal regarding all the days she was missing. The principal was understanding enough but he too had his limitations. Bondita was a special student. A very few girls who took admission after her, she was their role model and her absence was raising questions. Not to mention people who didn't want her in the school were pointing out how it was wrong of Aniruddh to send her to school if in the end she was going to skip it. That if Aniruddh wanted Bondita to compete with boys, she could not just sit at home after every inconvenience. The principal had shown him a way to compensate. A lot of pending homework and a lot of extra books, essays and tests for her to come back to the level of her class. It was fair enough.

Bondita needed to go back to school.

The only problem was it was a place filled with boys. Men. Bondita was not going to be comfortable. His hands tightened around the steering thinking of it. She would be scared. How was he going to ask her to go to school ? He was again going to ask too much of her. First making her stand in a court room in presence of strangers for the matter of her honour and now sending her to a place filled with men as far as the sight permitted. All was for her good. He knew. But...she was suffering so much...

" Bondita..."

Bondita was expecting him. He had not visited her for a long time. Turning away from him in shame, she answered him.

" I wanted to talk to you Bondita."

" Ji..."

" Your principal is concerned about you." This troubled Bondita. She knew it was just a matter of time that her not going to school was going to be discussed.

" What for ?" She asked holding the back of a chair, still ignoring to look at him.

" You have been absent for long."

" I had my reasons."

" I know. You are right. Your school understands this too. You will just have to do a few extra books, etc, you will receive a list. It will be alright. Bondita ?"

" I don't want to go."

Aniruddh would be lying if he said he didn't know she might say this but it still was gut wrenching for him. " Bondita, we have come so far..."

" No." She turned to him. Looking at him made her feel weak. Made her want to say yes to everything he asked for. And she would. " Pati Babu, I am in your debt... I know..."

" You are not..." Aniruddh didn't know how to wipe this off her mind. She felt burdened by everything he did after she found out about brothels.

" I am. You yourself kept on saying since the day you brought me here that I am your responsibility. It is just another way of saying I am a burden, specially when I give you nothing in return." Aniruddh wanted to correct her but she cut him off. " I can and will do anything you ask of me but not this. I can't... I won't go to school."

" Bondita, I know..."

" You don't !!!" She finally raised her voice. " You don't ! We haven't come this far, only you have." She closed hers eyes for a moment. "Look at me !! I can't go out without people whispering about me. I can't look in eyes of Batuk, my only friend or Som Dada, my only brother. I can't accept the blessings of my Sasurji or Kaka Sasurji. Even servants won't look at me. And my Pati Babu...my Pati Babu who came to my room every night just to look at me, won't even enter my room !"

Aniruddh looked down at his feet, still outside of her bedroom door.

" After everything, I am still here. In a room, trapped and alone. You said education would help me and yet I was tricked and was made to sleep with you, had to go through abortion and now I was about to be..." Bondita was breathing heavily. " Your education didn't help me Pati Babu."