"To Barrister Babu, 1st case hain apki, study kar li" pati babu asked me.

"Ha ha karli, aur ye case mein hi jitungi ap dekhna" I said cheerfully.

"Opponent kaun hain?"

"Pata nehi, wo log keh rahe the koi gold medalist barrister hain, bara aya gold medalist, jeet ne dungi hi nehi" I said while combing my hair.

"Naam pata to karlo" he kept on insisting on me.

"Ap kyu itni excited ho rahe hain? Karti hu rukiye" saying she held the telephone to her ears and her eyes widened while she looked at me. I smirked at her while turning over the pages. She kept the phone and threw a cushion at me, "ap? Ap pehele nehi bata sakte the? Aur ap us Sanyal ka sath kyu de rahe hain, khoon usi ne kiya hain".

"Ji nehi tumhari client Gopi ne hi fasaya hain mere client ko" I said while catching the cushion.

"Apko kisne kaha? Ap galat ho? , ap apne client ki character ko whitewash karne ki koshish kar rahe hain samjhe" she frowned at me. "Haar ka swad abhtak chakha nehi na apne."

"Aur mein kabhi haarne wala bhi nehi hu, aur waise bhi result kuch bhi aye, dono time pe hi mein jitunga" I said.

She looked puzzled, "wo kaise?"

"Dekho Bondita agar mein jeet gaya to mein jitunga par...agar tum jeet agyi tabh bhi mein hi jitunga na"...as soon as I finished this out of nowhere she came and gave me a tight hug. She was so fast that I got no time to prepare myself for this. I slowly placed my hand on her head.

"Bihari" kaka said while opening his specs and rubbing his eyes and peeping inside the study, "chikoti kaat mujhe, hum sapna to nehi dekh rahe?"

"Nehi malik sapna nehi sach hain" said Bihari.

"Humne kya firse indono k khane mein nasha ki dawai mila diya hain, yaad to nehi a raha".

"Choriye na Malik accha hi hain,".

Mr Sanyal and his wife was Gopi. Mr Sanyal had affair with a woman called Riti. Mrs Riti was murdered and both Mr Sanyal and his wife was accused. Gopi approached Bondita stating the murder was not committed by her but her husband and Sanyal went to Anirudh stating the opposite.

Next morning

"Kaka mein to kehta hu jash ki taiyari kar lijiye kyuki jitunga to mein hi" Dada said intentionally to tease Bondita who was doing Arti. He knows very well that she won't talk while doing arti or else kaka will scold her. She only glared at him.

"Ha ha kyu nehi" said Kaka cheerfully but Bondita cleared her throat. "B..b..bahu nehi hum yo bas aise hi" kaka gave an excuse.

"Ha dada ap hi jitenge, apko itna experience jo hain" I teased her too and we all giggled secretly.

"Kaka sasur ji apko mein zyada pyari hu ya fir ye apka bagada billa" she said glaring at Dada.

"Tum bahu avashya tum, aur bahu pati ko billa nehi bolte" he said affectionately.

"Dekha, thori tameez sikho Bondita" Dada teased her again. Now her anger was reaching its peak.

"Ap log bohot burey ho!" She cried, "mein hi jitungi aur pati babu harenge dekhna " she stormed inside.

I followed her to her room. She sat on the bed blowing her cheeks. "Bon.." before I could say she threw a pillow at me, "nikliye ap yaha se".

As I came closer she started to hit me with a pillow.

I thought of teasing her more, "aaah!" I pretended to cry in pain. She panicked immediately, "sorry sorry, ap thik to hain".

I bursted out laughing. " Ap natak kar rahe the?" She frowned and pushed me. I fell on the ground but since she was holding my hand, she fell on me too.

Her hair fell on my face when she fell on me. Silence prevailed while a cool breeze touched us. I don't know what suddenly happened to me, I tugged her hair behind her ears slowly. Our eyes locked on each other. I could feel her breath, we were so close to each other for the first time.

Dhak dhak! Dhak dhak!

I could hear her heartbeat pounding faster.

I have never looked at her so closely so never noticed that she has such big round eyes with kajal, long lashes and pink lips. I never noticed.

"Beta Ani..." Kaka came suddenly out of nowhere but seeing us in such a position he turned away immediately.

Both of us got embarrassed and she immediately tried to get up but her hair was stuck to my shirt's button. "Aa" she groaned in pain and fell on me again.

Kaka, feeling uncomfortable, ran away. "Kaka jo ap samajh rahe hain wasa nehi hain" I tried to explain him but he ran away.

"Aaa" she again cried in pain as her hair was still stuck. The more she tried to entangle it the more it got tangled.

"Ruko!" I said and helped her out. After freeing ourselves we sat down. She was all red, her face was red. She ran outside the room.

Next morning

I had no idea how to face kaka. Also, today is Bondita's first day as a Barrister. I was ready and waiting for her when we all heard the sound of payel, "chan chan".

She walked down in black robes above her saree, hair tied neatly in a bun and my watch on her wrist. She was also holding a file.

I saw my dream walking down the stairs. My eyes turned moist as I became too emotional.

She came and stood in front of us. "Arrey Wah wah humari bahu kitni pyari lag rahi hain" said Kaka.

"Ye kya tumhari uniform to complete nehi hain, neck band kaha hai " Batuk said suddenly.

Bondita forwarded her closed fist to me. She opened it and there was her neck band of the lawyers. "Pati babu ye ap pehena dijiye" she smiled at me.

I made her wear the neckband.

I saw a dream and she fulfilled it for me.

We both touched kaka's feet.

"Vijay ho"

"Par kaka kun vijay hoga" questioned Som. Kaka glared at him.

"Mein aur kaun" Bondita spoke out.

"Nehi mein" I said too.

"Abh larna bandh karo aur court jao jaldi" said Baba.

Bondita stood, and walked up to the judge, where the curious crowd behind her could also listen in. “My client has been seen holding a knife over the dead body of Riti.” She paused to look at Gopi then continued even louder. “Although she is innocent.” The crowd behind her gasped. “Until proven guilty,” Bondita continued, with one finger high in the air, “Mr. Roy Chowdhury should know better.” With full force, she slammed her hands on the opposing attorney’s desk.

Bondita rose from her position and stood up straight, saying, “I call Sanyal to the stands.” A man with shaggy hair walked slowly over to the stand. An officer had to help him midway since he took too long.

“IS it true that on the night of February 20, you were in the house with Ms. Riti?”

“Y-yes I was,” the man said in a quiet voice; barely anyone could hear her. The crowd leaned in, scooting to the edge of their seats.

“And is it true,” Bondita continued, “that you were the only one in the house with her.”

The man lowered her head and nodded.

“I’m sorry, but can you speak up, please.”

“It’s true,” the man said and she began to cry. The room started to buzz with whispers.

“Order in my court,” the judge demanded.

“I have no further questions,” Bondita said, walking away from the stand with a huge smile on her face.

Anirudh, went up to the stand holding a piece of paper. “Can you please read what this says, Gopi. Loud enough so that the people in the back may hear you.”

Gopi sat up, wiped a few tears from her red eyes and read what was on the paper. “I will be back shortly, got to pick up some milk from the grocery store.”

Anirudh nodded and took back the paper. “This note was found in the kitchen, with the date February 20th written on the bottom. It is possible that Sanyal stepped outside the house BEFORE the murder occurred. Then, not realizing what happened, she came home, put the milk in the fridge and then went to bed, only to wake up the next day and find his girlfriend dead.”

Anirudh nodded and went back to her desk, this time he was smiling instead of Bondita.

With a brand new attitude, Bondita went back up to the stand and asked the poor Sanyal several questions. Such as, “Are you mentally ill, are you sure you wrote that note on the 20th and not the 19th? Why did you leave a note instead of just going out to get the milk?”

“Objection!” Aniruddh proclaimed. “What relevance does this really have to the case?”

“Agreed,” the judge said. “Mrs. Roy Chowdhury are you badgering the woman to confuse her?” asked Anirudh.

Bondita blinked her eyes innocently. “No, your Honor, I would never.”

“Then, carry on.”

"And so she did. Her beauty even had the highest judge in the county melting in her hands. Pathetic, I say, pathetic!" Thought Anirudh.