Hello peeps!

SURPRISE!!

You all had so many questions regarding this book and I was planning to answer them on a particular day.

So I just crossed 300 followers and I was waiting for this day to post this bonus chapter.

Remember: your writer is unpredictable ❤️

Now enjoy!

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This part takes place many years before Batuk was informed about Lolita

So finally it was the day, the day of my marriage. Urmila is Shantanu Uncle's daughter and Shantanu uncle is Baba's business partner so we knew each other's our college days. After Priyam left, I have seen rainfall, scorching sun, falling of leaves, dried up trees but not her. When I meet Urmila at our college reunion I shared everything with her and eventually became good friends, not love but a beautiful bond of friendship. Now that I have decided to give my life another chance, I will do it because one thing that I have learnt is never to keep your heart wounded or else you will bleed in others. I was seated on the pidhi and Bondita walked in with other ladies, holding a bowl of turmeric paste. She was draped in a beautiful yellow saree with a long braid decorated with flowers.

All the women danced to the soulful music that was being played. To be noted Urmila was sitting just beside me, separated by a wall of cloth sheet hung between us. Since Shantanu uncle had recently moved here from London, their house applications were not yet shifted so the marriage was happening from this house.

Bondita grooved and danced, and laughed while I watched everything with a smile. They were mostly addressing Urmila during the dance.

Boroloker bitilo lomba lomba chul

Emon matha bendhe debo laal genda phool.

Dekhechilm shorane, orey shoraney

Amar songe dekha hobe babur bagane

Boroloker bitilo lomba lomba chul

Emon matha bendhe debo laal genda phool.

Dipping the Beatle leaf in the turmeric, Bondita applied the paste on my cheeks and then my arms, "ekdum handsome dulha lagone tum" she giggled then in the same way the turmeric was applied on Urmila.

jaa kene kotha jabi, orey kotha ke jabi

Dudin porey amr chara ar kar baa hobi.

Boroloker bitilo lomba lomba chul

Emon matha bendhe debo laal genda phool.

Bondita and other women rolled out their tongues, making the sound of ullu dhavni while pouring the water on me. I looked to my right and could see Urmila through the translucent cloth. I applied some turmeric on Bondita's nose to tease her and she frowned. All the women applied haldi to each other. After the ritual, I moved back to my room and like every other day, once again I dialled the same number and like every other day, it was another failed attempt.

Someone suddenly pulled Bondita out of the crowd and dragged her upstairs.

"Pati babu kya hain? Niche kitna kaam hain jaane dijiye".

Taking her to the terrace, he pinned her to the wall, "sab k liye time hain bass mere liye nehi".

"Hatiye to ap" she gave him a slight pushed but he caged her, "nehi haatunga, kya karogi?"

"Kaka Sasurji app?" Bondita spoke suddenly at which he flinched away out of fear. Bondita busted out laughing making him realise that she was only joking. He again pulled her closer, "aj gaye holud hain na?"

"Haa to?"

He applied the haldi from the bowl that she was holding, on his own cheeks, leaving Bondita perplexed. The very next moment he leaned his face over her and applied the same handi by rubbing her cheeks with her. His hands roamed aimlessly on her waist thus applying haldi there as well. "k..k..koi a jayga" she spoke nervously. Anirudh pulled her more closer to himself, "koi nehi ayega".

"Aj kitna khushi ka din hain!" Kaka exclaimed to Bihari, "subha subha surya dev ka darshan karna accha hota hain samjha tu" he advised while both climbed up the stairs holding a pot of Ganga jal. Bihari was walking ahead of him when suddenly he stopped, "Malik choriye! Aj Surya dev nehi aya. Niche chalte hain"

"Ruk kyu gaya, pagal ho gaya hain kya tu?" Scolded kaka.

"Malik hummey daar hain Surya dev k badle kuch aur chiz ka darshan ho sakta hain".

"Ae chup!" Yelled kaka, "haat samne se". Without considering Bihari's red flags, he pushed him aside and went to the terrace. His eyes widened all of a sudden and he stood frozen.

"Kaka Sasurji" Bondita spoke out when she spotted him but Anirudh grinned like an idiot, "har bar mazak nehi chalega".

"Bihari, sach kahe to itna bara haveli hain aur kamre ki bhi kami nehi hain" kaka spoke out louder to Bihari in order to let Anirudh know his presence. Both of them moved apart with a jerk and Bondita's face was covered with shame and awkwardness. She first glared at Anirudh angrily and pulled down her veil, "mujhe kaam hain". Both kaka bhatija stood there awkward unless kaka broke the ice, "tera vivah nehi hain ki tu haldi laga ke ghum raha hain. Sabko teri tarha bar bar dulha banne ka bhagya nehi milta. Jaa saaf karke a apne ap ko". Anirudh nodded her head like an obedient child and escaped the situation.

"Tisri baar" Bihari said.

"Kya tisri bar?" groaned kaka

"Aisa apke sath tisri baar huya hain. Malik hum to kehete hain ap chat pe ana bandh kar dijiye kyuki ye log to bandh nehi karenge".

"Bihari! Jaake kaam kar apna" Kaka scolded him.

I was ready as a groom. Bondita was drawing the dost of chandan on my forehead, "aj to Urmila k ankh nehi hatenge mere devar k upar se" but I kept on gazing at the phone. It took no time for Bondita to understand my heart and my mind. She sat beside me and squeezed my hands, "you really want to do this?"

"Hmm"

All of a sudden she did something I never expected her to do. She took out a parchment and when I looked at it, it was a ticket to Berlin Port. I gave her a confused look.

"It very hard to get the ticket to Berlin due to the political issues par mujhe ye bare mushkil se mila" she took a deep breath and continued, "dil tootna, sehena, ye sab kya hota hain tum mujhse pucho. Bohot sataya hain tumhare buddhu dada ne mujhe" she chuckled softly. "Batuk, ek ghante mein shadi hain, ek ghante mein ship will leave the port. Zindagi tumhara hain, faisla bhi tumhara".

"Priyam is married" I choked

"Par tum jab bhi uske paas jaoge, wo sab kuch chor k ayegi na tumhare pass".

I thought for a while and took the ticket from her hand. Everything seemed so confusing but then I tore the ticket, "I want to move on" I replied with a positive smile, "ye sach hain past ko bhul nehi sakta iska matlab ye nehi future sawar nehi sakta. Apna dil jodne k liye kisika dil tod nehi sakta. Priyam ki ek alag zindagi hain jisme wo khush hain aur meri nayi zindagi hain ye aur mein khush rehna chahata hu. Tum hi to kehti ho na, pyar dosti hain aur dosti pyar hain. Urmila dost hain, I respect her and love her as a friend. Yes I am happy"

She raised her eyebrows, "sure?"

"Excited hu mein to start a new life!"

Bondita smiled at me with her glossy eyes, "pyar ka pehela parikhsha hota hain tyag, dusra jaane dena. If you want to get your love at cost of everything, it's an obsession and when you know how to let go, its love. Mujhe pata tha tum nehi jaoge, I was testing you"

It was time to move downstairs. Before leaving I asked her one last time, "did I pass?"

She smiled and nodded.

I stood at the chadna tola and Urmila was carried in a pidhi. She took seven rounds around me and finally she removed her Beatle leaves. She looked pretty as a bride. We both dud the yajna. Kaka tightened our knots, a knot of friendship, trust and understanding while we took the seven vows in front of Agni dev and swear to fulfil all the vows in our life. We will always stand by each other like a companion in any situation. And then I noticed something really sweet happening around me. Baba was talking to Sampoorna maa, Som Dada was secretly holding my Boudi's hand and My Anirudh Dada! Instead of showering petals on us, he was doing it on his beloved wife and in return Bondita was not even looking at him. She was busy watching our saptapadi. My poor kaka who was watching us alone without his match..well everybody comes with a different fate.

Seeing all of them I realised how beautiful and diverse married life could be. Baba's blackmailed marriage had turned into something like this. Som Dada's marriage of alliance was now a marriage of love and Anirudh dada's forced marriage was not only a change to society but the IMPERFECT marriage had turned into a Successful RELATIONSHIP.

This motivated me the most. I am sure our marriage of friendship will surely take a beautiful turn. Also I want Priyam to stay happy, always wherever she is, with his husband. If she is happy then I am happy.

My life also taught me another this

Jonmo mirtyu biye, tin vidhata niye.

(Birth, death, and marriage is all about three fate)

Nobody knows who is written in whose fate. When Baba married maa, he had no idea that Sampoorna is in his fate, when Dada returned from London and was about to marry Saudamini didi, he had no idea that Bondita is in his fate.

And well my kaka, he is a happy go lucky soul

"Abh sindoor daan"

I picked up the kunke(rice measuring utensil) and filled her hairline with vermillion and immediately her face was covered with lajja vastra(a new saree from groom's family)

"Vivah sampaan huya!" The priest called out the marriage.

Urmila and I looked at each other, "Mr Roy Chowdhury apko vivah mubarakho" she winked at me.

"Apko bhi" I replied back

And I started my new journey with hopes of leaving happily ever after.

Also, I thought of my diary. Hope my penned chronicles will never let her forget me, hope it stays in the right hands.