Reflection👥

14. Phoenix

"A mirror can only reflect what you look from outside; your conscience reflects what you are from within."

-Elegiac_Damsel

________

20th June

Third person's point of view:

"Anindita Auntie, who is that woman?" Agamani's voice interrupted Anindita and Satyaki's conversation. Anindita knew then that the little girl had gone inside her room while roaming about the entire house. 

Satyaki cursed under his breath about his daughter's uncontrolled behavior and went to get her from there. He did not go inside the room as it would be inappropriate and a breach of privacy. Standing at the door, he beckoned to his daughter sternly,

"Dugga! Come out of the room! Now."

Agamani shook her head defiantly, "No Papa! Come here and see. Tell me who this woman is. Please!"

Anindita sighed hearing her words. She went to where Satyaki was standing, "It is fine. Let her be. And you can go in if she insists. Trust me I have nothing to hide."

He shook his head. It would be unethical to enter a woman's room. Chivalry wasn't dead, at least in this case.

 He had a vague idea as to which 'woman' Agamani was referring to. The entire house had quite a few pictures. In the living room, he had seen a picture probably taken during her brother's wedding wherein Anindita's parents, her brother, her sister in-law and her cousin sister were posing. There were a few black and white pictures from her parents' youth and a recent picture of her nephews. Aparajita's bridal look had also been captured and framed. Strangely, none of the frames outside had Anindita's picture, neither from her past nor from her present.

Agamani started feeling annoyed when no one bothered to answer her question. She heard Anindita telling her father that it's fine for him to enter. Why wasn't he? The poor soul was obviously not old or mature enough to understand the complex rules of etiquette, decency and conduct that grown ups follow so efficiently!

Anindita entered her own room and went to where Agamani was.

"Yes sweetheart? Which woman are you talking about?" she asked her

Agamani pointed to the picture frame that was hung on the wall right above Anindita's bed. The woman smiled warmly. 

"That is my picture, baby. The woman in the frame is me." she told her gently

The girl gasped and her eyes widened. She ran to fetch her father to show him what she had just seen. Satyaki pulled his arm away from his daughter's grasp when she tried to drag him inside.

"Dugga! This is the last time I am asking you to go back to the living room. You must not enter someone's bedroom like this! What kind of shameful behavior is this? Why are you defying me?" he asked her visibly aghast

"Why are you so upset, Papa? Anindita Auntie told me to consider this my own home."

"I am not arguing with you and I am not asking you to defend your actions. I am asking you to behave like a disciplined and well mannered girl!" he replied seething

Anindita could hear the words were being exchanged between the father and daughter. She chose to not comment and proceeded to rearrange the pillows and duvet on the bed. Satyaki's action and stand was fair but what would his daughter understand anyways! It seemed highly unlikely that the kid would even know the spelling and meaning of the word 'etiquette'. 

Finally, after a few minutes of hearing the two of them, she chose to interrupt, "Agamani, I told you whose picture it is. Why are you insistent on getting the fact verified by your father?"