One More Time

23

Ria climbed out of the cab, and stood on the pavement while Koustav was paying the driver. The whole time inside the cab, Koustav was stealing glances of Ria. She was wiping the tears with the handkerchief he gave her a while ago. He could not find the reason behind her tears, the emotions beyond her eyes were too new for him to understand.

Everyone was up when they entered the house. Seeing them, Koustav's mother told them to sit and eat breakfast. She had made Luchis. Koustav sat casually, Mita was cooking while arguing with Sumit, Titli was blabbering something to her...seeing them behaving so casually, Ria's head spinned. She had a strong urge to ask her mother-in-law about everything.

Finishing her food, she went upstairs to grab her purse and then came out of the house for buying some flowers.Everyone watched her when she left the home without telling anything to anyone. She was feeling guilty for some unknown reasons. Ria had no hard feelings for Nikita when the news of Koustav's first marriage reached her.....last few years she even consoled herself by thinking that ,"He is not with me cause he was not meant to be with me ever.....my love was not wrong...wrong was my time" she never thought about Nikita till the marriage.

Reaching the stall of a local garland maker, she bought a garland of jasmines and returned after that.

This time, entering home Ria found Koustav nowhere. Her in-laws were also inside their room , their voices indicated someone had called them. Every action of them till now proved one thing that they had forgotten about today. She straight went upstairs . The door of Koustav's room was partly closed.

When she opened it without knocking, her eyes found him sitting on a chair looking at a photograph inside his wallet. Noticing her presence , he looked towards her. "Should I keep the flowers here? Or put it along with the photograph downstairs ?"

"Downstairs please" , came his meek reply.

"Where is the photograph?", she asked while watching him opening the wallet again.

" Inside my almirah! Left side, top shelf" ,said Koustav lighting a cigarette.

"You want me to open your almirah?"

" Yeah.....Jus....just don't touch anything in the right side.....please."

Ria could feel the pain in his voice. He left to the roof after saying. She did as she was told. It was her first time ,opening the almirah. The left side was way more jumbled up than the last time she had seen. The frame was kept at the back . Ria closed the almirah after taking out the photograph.

Sumit was reading some magazine when Ria came in front of him.
Seeing her holding the photograph, he helped her in making space for keeping it. Mita came for giving him tea. She was shocked at this time, the view of Ria putting a garland on the photograph, hammered her memory. She stood there silently.

"Is it okay Ma,if I keep the photograph here?" Ria's voice broke the rail of her thoughts.

"Koustav will get upset!" she said, passing the cup to her husband.

"We all forgot. You could remind me Mita.", came Sumit's voice while sipping the tea.

Mita sat there staring at  daughter-in-law, "I forgot too. Who told you Ria?"

"Koustav himself took me to meet his son.....then he told me about her death anniversary", Ria replied in a low voice. She saw tears welling up in Mita's eyes.

Ria gathered her courage and finally asked," You told me so many things about Koustav.Why didn't you ever mentioned about the baby?"

"He hardly talked about him. We didn't even get to see him at first place , not till he was buried.....what could I tell you ? And besides, no girl would have accepted my Koustav if I told them the whole story!". Sumit now came and sat closer to Mita. Sumit was pledging Ria silently to stop her discussing that topic while holding a crying Mita now.

Before leaving the sofa, Ria replied in a soft voice," I would have accepted him  then too....just like now. No truth or fact can make me hate your son Ma."

After half an hour later, Ria finished cooking the sunday lunch. She did not disturb her in-laws, they were inside their room.

She came back to her room , Titli was studying. Ria sat with her notes too.....it was harder to concentrate today....but slowly she succeeded. She didn't notice how lunch time arrived, until a knock on the door earned her attention. Koustav was standing at her door.
"Titli! Go downstairs, Baba is calling you". Titli ran hearing his voice.

"Thanks for the flowers! She loved the fragrance of jasmines. ",said Koustav only to earn a nod from her. His eyes didn't miss the tear drop rolling down her cheeks.

"For whom are you crying now? Why do you cry so much?", asked Koustav closing her books and arranging the notes....

Removing her glasses, she looked at his face. She could not understand the reason herself, what could she tell him!

"For you!"

The words rolled out of her tongue unknowingly.

"Lets go downstairs...its getting late! Ma is calling for lunch",said Koustav not looking at her directly.

"You go....I'm coming after", came her reply before entering the washroom.

" I'll wait for you",insisted Koustav sitting on the bed.

They came downstairs together. Binni served lunch to everyone. Ria had her lunch while chatting with Titli.

As a sunday ritual, Misti doi was served after lunch. Ria waited for Koustav to have it too. But he had gone upstairs to answer his phone saying it was important. She was wondering what important call could come on Sunday.

Her own phone started to buzz, it was her mother calling. She called for asking about Pujo shopping. Ria gave excuses of several new clothes she shopped  and the gifts she got during her marriage, without nagging much Soma ended the call.

Half an hour had already passed, there was no sign of Koustav. So she went upstairs with both the bowls.

He was still on the call,when she reached his room. He gestured her to sit. Ria kept the bowls on the table. His clothes were thrown on the bed, his almirah open. Scrunching up her eyebrows, Ria folded them all, and arranged all of those properly inside.

She piled the clothes that had to be washed when he ended the call.

"It was my Boss. He wants us...you and me to join a success party...will you come?" , Koustav asked picking up a bowl.

"Do you want me to come along?",Koustav heard her voice while she cleared her bed to tuck the bed sheet properly.

"Yes.....and thanks for doing all these....You don't really have to do these....When are your exams? Will you get time to go with me!"

" My exams are starting in 3-4 days....When is the party?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow". He said passing her another bowl." Now, eat it."

"Baba told me...Namit uncle will be  coming here after pujo to live for a few days as their house will be under some repair works.....Niloy can not live there.", Koustav said and looked at her face to see her reaction.

"Your aunty?", she almost chocked saying.

"I don't know surely...she may come or may not."

Ria found nothing else to say....the news  Koustav bombarded made her irritated. She left the room with his pile of clothes.....she put them for washing...later sat for studying herself....she knew her papers were more important any other thing.

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