Chanda Ki Doli

It was getting dark. Dusk was falling fast. The birds were returning to their safe shelters in the banyan tree just outside the courtyard of the small two-roomed house. Koel had left the door open. There was a mild breeze blowing. The wooden door was shaking slightly under it. A gust of air found its way into the room. It ruffled Sumon's hair, playing with it just as Diti used to do, caressing it just as Koel had been doing a few minutes back. A narrow ray of light from the window lighted the wooden age-old desk in front of which Sumon was sitting on a chair. But he couldn't see it. His face was buried in his hands.

The door had almost got closed under the wind which has by now died away. One look at the reddish sky could tell you that it was going to rain. Any other person would have felt relieved at the very thought of rain. It had been very hot indeed for the last few days. Summer hadn't been this long for quite a few years.

The door opened with a creek and Koel entered. She was carried a dish with a banana, curd and some rice.

"Sumon Da, kheye nao."

Sumon looked up. One look at his face would tell you that he wasn't in the pink of health. He hadn't shaved for a few days, his eyes were red, and there was a certain expression in his face that was difficult to describe. There was pain in it, there was a sheer lack of hope. It was as if his eyes were wandering off to some far away land.

Koel sat down on the chair beside him. For a moment their eyes met. There was a jarring pain in his chest. He looked out of the window. The last ray of light from the setting sun fell on his face. But he didn't turn away from it. Images flashed past his eyes. Diti was his best friend. They used to play with each other in the childhood. She was a year younger than him but she used to always beat him in carom. Koel was much younger. She was quieter than her maternal sister. She used to sit beside them and watch them play. But whenever Sumon was about to lose she used to pick up the striker from the board and run away with it followed by Diti at her heels. More often than not, Diti used to catch her before she could even enter their house but by that time Sumon had gently improved his position in the game. Diti used to call him a cheater. Now it was she who had cheated all of them.

Sumon couldn't remember his father. He had died when he was just two years old. His mother died when he was just 15.He used to live with his uncle in the house beside Koel's. How he has now built up a company of his own is a story of a fairytale struggle. But Sumon didn't feel like thinking about it. Diti's father was an alcoholic. He had left her mother for another woman. Sumon felt that Diti's mother was the most wonderful woman in this world. She was in no way related to him but a major part of his childhood was spent in her lap. She looked upon him as her own son. He owed a lot of his success to her.

It was Koel's father who gave Sumon his first job-that of a medical representative. It was with his help that he even went abroad. It was when he was in the U.S. that Diti's mother died. He couldn't get a leave then. It was after two more years that he could come back to India. Diti was now a school teacher. He could still remember how Diti had reacted when one fine day, on opening the front door, she found a neatly dressed Sumon standing in front of her, his suitcase in one hand, a bunch of flowers in the other, and a big smile on his face. She just couldn't recognize him at first. Sumon didn't tell anyone that he was coming back. He had meant to surprise her.

It was then that Diti had told her, "Just wait, dekhbi toke ami ekdin kirokom surprise debo."
He had then said, "We'll see."

If only he would have known that it would be something like this...

Meanwhile, Koel's thoughts had also drifted away. Perhaps,she was also thinking of their early days. A clap of thunder startled both of them. She got up, switched on a small bulb and started closing the windows.

"Looks like its finally going to rain today."

Sumon looked at her. He tried to speak. But he couldn't. Koel sat down on her chair and looked at him. He had again buried his face in his hands. Koel could never have guessed that Sumon would react in this way to the news. It was she who had first told him about it. She knew that they were the best of friends, but she could never have imagined that this would affect him so badly. She started to peel the banana.

"Sumon Da, kheye nao. Its getting late."
Sumon looked up. He couldn't refuse Koel. He took the banana from her hand and started to eat slowly. There was that lost feeling again in his eyes.
"Koel, you remember her wedding?"
Koel was mixing the curd and the rice with a spoon. She didn't reply. A smile from her part was enough.
"You used to love her, didn't you?"
Sumon smiled back. Was it that obvious? He smiled to himself and fixed his gaze at the fan above.

There was a strange feeling in Sumon when Koel first told him that Diti's wedding has been finalized. He hadn't realized when this childhood friendship had blossomed into love. He didn't know what love was. The only girl he had really known since his childhood was Diti. Yes, Koel was there all along but she was far too young to be even a good friend of his. When he realized what love is, it was too late. He didn't express his feelings to Diti. He had never known if she shared the same feelings for him too. He would never know.

In spite of everything going on in his mind, he had arranged the entire wedding ceremony. Not once did he let Diti get even a glimpse of his mind. The groom had turned out to be a friend of his in the US. Rahul was a very nice guy. Soft-spoken and mild, he would be a perfect complement for Diti, he felt.

The sound of the spoon against the plate stirred him up. Koel was holding the plate towards him. He took it from her and stared at her for sometime. She said,
"Just got the post-mortem report. Accident", she sighed.

A drop of tear rolled down Sumon's cheek. He started to eat. Koel looked fixedly at him. It was she who had told him the news the day before. It was Tinni's second birthday. Rahul and Diti had gone to buy the cake. While returning, the car sped out of control and fell off the Dhakuria Flyover. Both of them were spot-dead. Their bodies couldn't be recognised. It was horrible!

Sumon finished the plate. He handed it over to Koel and drank some water. Then he again fixed his gaze on the fan.
"What'll happen to Tinni?", he asked.
"I don't know. Rahul's parents are saying that they are too old to take care of her. Even his sister doesn't want her."
"What about kaku?"
"Even he's saying that he has got too old for this."
"Why don't you take care of her?"
"If only I...I..." For the first time Koel's voice shook. Sumon looked at her. She was crying.
"Koel..." He couldn't complete it. She had picked up the empty plate and had stood up.
"Sumon Da, I've to leave now. Its getting late. Take care and close the door after me."

She went out of the house in a hurry. All she left behind was a strange emptiness and hundreds of questions, unanswered. What will happen to Tinni now that both her parents are dead? Who will bring her up? Who will love her? Who will care of her? Who will look after her everyday needs?

Sumon couldn't take it any longer. He got up, dressed, took his umbrella and went out of the house. The two houses-Sumon's and Diti's, stood silently together, possibly pondering over the fate of the child left all alone in this cruel world. We never know what the future has in store for us.

Eight years later...

Sumon was sitting in front of that same desk, on the same chair. One look at the insides of the room would be enough to tell you that this house has got a mistress after a long time. The walls have been painted, the clothes are washed and neatly ironed, even Sumon had gained quite a few inches in his waistline in these eight years. In short, everywhere there were signs of some feminine contribution.

Two children, one of them still a toddler, burst into the room shouting "Baba, baba" and promptly got under Sumon's desk. Within a few minutes Koel entered. You wouldn't recognize her now. These eight years have made her the perfect, sometimes almost annoying, housewife.

"Tinni...Titli...Kothay gelo?", spotting the two children, "So there you are. Come on, the school-bus will be here any moment."
Laughing, the two children ran out of the room. Koel went near Sumon and bent over his desk.
"Still haven't finished with the accounts?"
"Hmmm", was the brief reply.

Koel turned to leave when she found Sumon's hands holding her's. She looked at him and smiled. He smiled back and uttered only one word-"Thanks". Kal kisne dekha?