The hard banging on the door made it evident to Bondita that it's definitely not Anirudh but someone else. With the increase of bangs on the door her heart raced faster. But using her presence of mind, she decided to remain silent. Walking up to the telephone with injured feet, she tried to dial the numbers, her fingers were frozen and shivering at the same time but realisation hits hard sometimes. Someone has already disconnected their phone line but who would do that? That could be done by people residing inside the house.

She wondered what the guard is doing? Why wasn't he coming? Why did he let this person enter?

The door could break anytime. She knew its not good for her and her baby's health to panic so much.

"Arrey bhabi mein hu mein hu Zafar!"

She got relieved hearing this. He was none other than their trusted guard Zafar. She quickly opened the door and scolded him, "bhaiya ap itne zor se kyu dhakka de rahe the? Pata hain mein kitni daar gyi thi".

"Maaf karna Bhabi par pyas lagi thi aur ap darwaza khol hi nehi rahe the" he said gesturing towards the scorching sun outside.

Bondita asked him to sit inside and gave him a glass of water to drink. "Ap thak gye honge bahar dhup mein khare rehkar, mein kuch thanda le ayi" said Bondita with her most pleasant smile. Seeing her, nobody would ever know what has happened this morning because she knew what happens between a husband and a wife should not be known by anyone else but them.

"Jante hain bhabi" said Zafar after taking a sip of water, "Binoy Malik ne ye dak Bungalow badi Malkin k liye banaya tha vaadiyo k beech. Jab Anirudh Babu chote the, aate the yaha. Mere abbu rakhwali karte the is ghar ki, yahi rehte the hum, mere bare bhai aur Baba".

"Ap pati babu ko bachpan se jaante ho?"

"Aur nehi to kya, jab Badi Malkin zinda thi to wo sab aksaar yaha aatein the, Anirudh aur Anirudh ka dost Saurav bhi ata tha, bachpan se jante hain hum, bhai hain wo mera. Ekbar khel khel mein Anirudh ne mera gudiya kho diya tha fir mera jo bada bhai tha usne...."

"Bare bhai?" Questioned Bondita, "kaha hain wo?"

"Behen darwaze ka tala to toot gaya" he changed the topic immediately, "issey thik karne k liye majdoor bhi to chahiye aur us taale ka chabi bhi to...."

"Pati babu to mujhe andar band karke khud chabi leke chale jaate hain" she untied a key from the end of her saree, "par dusra mere pass hain".

Thanking her, Zafar left with the keys.

Bondita immediately locked the door from inside since the outer lock was broken.

Bondita had not eaten anything since morning because eating needs a happy mood and she was definitely not happy. Anirudh was late and if it was some other day, she would have searched for him but today she simply layed on the bed while tears rolled down sidewards. She expected an apology from him for what he did.

She was still thinking and Anirudh might have deceived her because not that he has not fallen for some other girl earlier. It was just her fear that has to reach such a stage that opened the door for ego to come between them.

"Sorry" is a very small word because love wants to say but the same "sorry" becomes a big word because the ego wants to hear.

Once she thought of calling him from a nearby booth but then retreated. She thought of calling the viceroy office to inform Anirudh that she had called him to inform him about the broken lock and that he should come back home. But her ego stopped her from doing so.

She heard a sound at the door, hearing which she turned the other side thinking it to be her pati babu.

She was ready to not surrender because what he did was wrong. But Bondita can feel Anirudh and this time she was unable to feel his presence. Before she could turn back, a firm manly hand covered her mouth from behind and locked her hand behind her. She tried to shout but the man's grip became more tighter. Few more unknown faces entered.

She tried hard to shout but failed. One of them passed the man who was holding Bondita some ropes and a piece of cloth.

That man who was holding her threw her on the bed with all her might and that is when she saw the face.

"Bhaiya!"

Zafar immediately pressed her tiny frame to the bed and covered her mouth while the other men started to search for something in her room. Bondita tried to shout and move. She tried to push him away but he pressed her more to the bed and held her more tightly, "mila kya?" He asked his companions.

"Ghar pe nehi hain, lagta hain apne sath le gaya" answered back the other. "Ye Anirudh humesha se hi shatir hain" he said while tying her up and finally stuffed the cloth in her mouth.

"Abh?" Another man rubbed his jaw, "jo chahiye tha wo mila to nehi."

Zafar looked at her, "isne hummey dekh liya hain, isko le chalte hain aur waise bhi saalon purana dushmani nibhana jo hain".

"Sahi kaha" added the other, "aur isko le gaya to Anirudh Roy Chowdhury humare hath ka putla ban jayga, jo humme chahiye wo mil bhi jayega".

One of them held her elbow and tried to pull her out of the bed but Bondita was stubborn to not go with them. Although tied up, she made her body stiff making it hard for them to pull her out. Hence that man pulled her by her hair and pushed her to the ground mercilessly. Her long braided hair opened and fell on her face. Bondita was still in shock at what just happened. The one she called Bhaiya did this to her and what revenge was he talking about and what were they trying to find?

He again pulled her up by her hair and this time she winced in pain.

They dragged her out of the bungalow by her hair. Tears rushed down her eyes when they were stopped by Mir Chacha, the other guard, "ye kya kar raha hain tu Zafar" he stooped then, spreading his hand wide open, "tuney inke ghar ka namak khaya hain, tere abbu aur mein yaha k bawadaar lathel the aur tu aisa karke apne janatnasheen abbu ko thes pohocha raha hain".

"Nehi Chacha!" He shouted and grabbed Bondita tightly, "humare sath huya anyai ka badla hain ye aur..."

"Hum apne mazhab bacha rahe hain" another man completed the sentence, "pagal krantikari hain wo Anirudh aur uske is Fitoor k karan abh tak to Hindu o ne maar maar k bura halat kar diya hoga".

Hearing this Bondita's eyes widened and cries escaped through her gagged mouth.

"Zafar beta maat kar aisa"

But Zafar pushed away from the old man with all his might. He hit a rock and started to bleed before becoming unconscious or maybe dead. The other house helps were made unconscious beforehand. Seemed like a well-executed plan.

It was some kind of Basement perhaps where she was been locked. While she was tied up, Zafar took out the cloth from her mouth. She started to cough.

"Dekho Bondita" said Zafar, "humme tumse koi dushmani nehi par tumhare pati se hain" zafar revolved around her.

He now sat in front of her and cupped her face, "Tumhe yaha tabh tak rehna hain jab rak Anirudh yaha nehi a jata."

"Wo pagal Bangali" said Iqbal, one of them, "kyu vidyalaya banane pe tule hain dono dharm k liye pata nehi. Humme bass wo kagaz Chahiye".

"Aur mujhe uska jaan" Zafar completed the sentence which irked Bondita, "mere pati babu kuch galat nehi kar sakte".

"Accha?" Chuckled Zadar, "subha to tum chilla rahi thi ki usne tumhare sath kuch galat kiya hain'.

This made her go quiet and she closed her eyes to let her tears flow down after recalling the morning incident.

"Wo aisa dikhata hain ki wo galat nehi karta par akhir mein karta hain"

He turned towards her and leaned close to her face, "sach kehena, kya tumhare sath usne kuch galat nehi kiya?"

"NEHI!!!" shouted Bondita although she knew what he was talking about.

"Kisine sach kaha hain pyar andha hota hain" Zafar mocked her, "un Roy Chowdhury o k karan mein apne apno se dur raha abh mein bhi Anirudh ko bataunga apne ko khona kaisa hota hain, tarpa tarpa k maarunga ussey fir tum jaa sakti ho, hummey tumse koi lena dena nehi kyuki kai saal pehele jab wo sab huya tha tum to paida bhi nehi hui hogi ".

"Sahi naam hain tumhara Zafar!!! Vishwas ghatak Mir Zafar ho tum" as soon as she uttered the word a slap heated her cheeks and she fell down. It was another man, "chup bilkul!"

"Arrey arrey" saying this Zafar held Bondita and made her sit properly, "kya hain Nasser yeh, bechari pet se hain" his tone was not out of concern but sarcastic, "mera bhai Anirudh bachpan se aisa hain, fitoor k nashe mein galti kare wo aur saaza bhukte koi aur".

When he said those words, his face clearly depicted some personal issues of his related to this particular line.

"Tumse hummey koi dushmani nehi par tum yaha ho kyuki tumhe dhundte huye wo yaha ayega aur..."

"Nehi!" Cried Bondita and covered her ears.

"Kisne kaha tha ussey hum do mazhab k larai k bich aane ko, bohot shok hain na desh badal ne ka, abh dekhna, yaha nehi aya to Hindu maar denge ussey aur yaha aya to hum" they started to laugh.

Bondita closed her eyes and prayed to Durgaa maa, "hey Dugga maa chahe kuch bhi ho jay bas pati babu ko kisi bhi tarha pata maat chalne dena ki mein yaha hu. Mein puri zindagi yaha kaat lungi par unhe yaha aane maat dena. Yaha aye to ye sab unhe maar denge".

"Ap kis baat ka badla le rahe hain" Bondita asked in faintly low voice since she was really tired and weak. Zafar laughed like a maniac, "arrey tum se kaha tha na usne mera gudiya kho diya tha isiliye hum tumhe le aye".

I again meet Priyam and for no reason, we started to talk and chit chat for a long time. She also told me that she knows Dada and admires him a lot.

Something is special about her because all these years I was bearing an invisible pain of not getting Bondita, the pain of one-sided love but when I talk to her, she tends me to forget all of that.

"Ye tumhari personal diary hain" she asked suddenly while we took a sip from the cup at her house. I went to meet her father sir Francis for our factory's work.

"Nehi isme kisi aur ki kahani hain"

"Kaun?"

"Hain ek" I said, "choti si, pyari si sharati si tark karne wali ladki".

"Girlfriend?" She asked me back to which I nodded in no, "friend".

"Bohot khas hain na ye diary?" She asked me, "kisiko parna to dur chune tak nehi dete".

"Aur parne dunga bhi nehi" I said immediately while holding it back, "ye diary mere liye bohot khas hain aur aj tak koi itna khas koi zindagi mein aya nehi ki mein apni diary parke sunao ussey aur na hi kabhi koi ayega".

...................•...................

In ship to India from Berlin

The little girl woke up and went to the deck to get some fresh sea breeze while other passengers were asleep.

She gazed at the vast sea. The wind had become the orchestral conductor of the sea, sending waves into their crescendos.

She recalled the moment, that very day 26th March...at health camp

She eyes remained fixed outside. Not that the scenario was really soothing one rather a dreadful one. How deceptive life could be?

Nothing new scenario she was watching. The same and monotonous actions of people carrying injured ones in stretchers. Someone coughed from the bed right next to hers and he Mr Mellows although not mentally stable, gives her hopes of finding the light. This man is a concentration camp survivor, and one who survives that us like reborn again or getting a new life...and ragged as God's favourites because very few can survive that.

While she was busy in her thoughts, the diary was still in her hand, a diary that she wanted to read since her childhood but never could due to the linguistic barrier. When everyone left her, she was left with this. "Lily there is someone to meet you" said the nurse of the health camp which surprised her because her father died when she was 5 and her Mother and Grandpa also left her recently.

Entered a brown lad who looked rich and well furnished in cream coloured shirt and brown pants with brown suspenders. He simply handed her the paper,....she knows this letter and the traumatized girl looked at him with hopes. "You....? " And gestured at her diary. There was no need for each other's introduction although they meet for the first time.

He sat beside her and took the diary from her hand, "this is a story of a little girl, whose life was just like you, full of hardships unless she found her guiding angel and they both fought all odds....ready to be on this journey".

Finally someone was here who would read ut for her.

He looked at the nurse and smiled. His main motive was to divert her from the trauma through the story...the story with which she will be able to relate, from which she will learn something, a story of a strong girl by listening to which she will try to mould herself like her...

Because the doctors clearly said to him all she needed was an inspiration... A perfect idol...and children are best-paved through stories and this will teach her different struggles and how to face them

He opened the diary and read the first page

"HER NAME HAS HIM"

I teased Som dada, "wah dada abh choti Boudi ayegi ghar pe" while he blushed.

"Shadi se zyada buisness deal hain ye" said Binoy, "unse rishta karne se humare factory ko fayda hoga".

"ha par isa k ghar me" kaka made faces at this. "Da ladki to Bangali Bramhin hi hain" baba assured him.

"Baba naam kya hain unki" I asked excitedly.

"Priyam"

This name, hearing which I choke the water that I was drinking and spat it all over. I started to cough hearing this...

Priyan??? That chorni??

Why my life is revolving around all the girls who in turn becomes my boudi...

I was determined that last time Boudi dost bani isbar mujhe dost ko boudi nehi bana na.

"Wo acchi ladki nehi hain kaka" I said immediately.