AniDita One-Shot

Difficult Times Ahead

             It was a bright sunny Monday morning. The Roy Chowdhury Haveli was mostly empty, except for five occupants. 

           "Bondita, have you seen the documents of the property we bought for building the school?", Anirudh Roy Chowdhury asked his wife as he rummaged through the drawers of his table, trying to locate the documents. 

           "Pati Babu, it's in the uppermost drawer. Look properly", Bondita Roy Chowdhury replied. 

           "But Bondita, I can't find it. Help me, please", Anirudh whined.

           She turned around to look at him sharply. "And Pati Babu, what if I find it there? What then?", she asked, now, grinning cheekily. 

           Bondita's mischievous grin didn't go unnoticed by Anirudh. And he would never even in his dreams, underestimate that grin. It was the calm before a storm. He identified each and every expression and emotion of Bondita and he knew the meaning behind each one of them. And this particular grin of hers was dangerous. Very dangerous, indeed.

           So, once again, Anirudh hunted through the drawer, only to come up with a document, which was most certainly, not the one that he was looking for. 

           "I bet you can't find the document too", Anirudh stated, and stepped aside to let Bondita look for the document herself. 

           And in about a minute, she was waving the document in front of him, while Anirudh gaped at her. 

           "Now give me my reward", Bondita demanded. 

           "Reward for finding a document? What do you want, then?", Anirudh asked chuckling. 

           "A cup of coffee! For us! Made by you", she chirped. 

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           As they sat in their bedroom, having their cups of coffee, made by Anirudh, a comfortable silence prevailed. That was another aspect of the beauty of their relation. Even a silence seemed comfortable, when they were in each other's company. 

           Breaking the silence, Bondita said, "Times have changed so much, Pati Babu. There's been so much development in these few years. Just imagine! Our country is on the cusp of independence!".

           "Yes. But with freedom, come responsibilities. There's a lot, people have to do, even after independence. And Bondita, we will try our level best, to contribute in stabilizing our country's position after independence. Won't we?", Anirudh asked, smiling.

           "Of course, we will! So, Pati Babu, does that mean, that difficult times are ahead?", Bondita asked.

           Sighing deeply, he replied, "Yes, Bondita. Difficult times are ahead. But we have each other. And doesn't everything become easier and worthy, when we are together?".

           Bondita merely nodded in affirmation, smiling positively. Her Pati Babu always filled her with hopes and positivity.

           "My Positivity Babu", she claimed.

           Anirudh smiled affectionately at her, hearing her new name for him. 

           They sat silently, gazing at each other, their hands clasped together. 

           "Give me some Kaapi too!"

           Bondita and Anirudh turned to look at their nearly five years old son. 

           Anirban Roy Chowdhury stood at his parents' bedroom door, looking at them. Well, looking more at the coffee mugs in their hands. 

           "So, my baby's awake?", Bondita asked her son. 

           "Maa, I'm not a baby! I am a big boy now!", Anirban protested.

           "Yes. A four year old big boy", Anirudh chuckled.

           "I'm nearly five, Baba!", Anirban corrected his Baba, horrified by the idea, that his own father was mistaking his age.

           "Is Anindita awake?", Bondita asked her son. 

           "Let me go and check", he said, leaving his Maa-Baba's room.

           "Anindita Roy Chowdhury!! Are you awake?!", they heard Anirban yell, as he marched towards his and his sister's room.

           His parents shared amused looks.

           "If she wasn't awake yet, she will be, now", Anirudh commented.

           "Pati Babu!", Bondita suddenly gasped out. "Don't you remember? We have to head out for Calcutta! We have Gandhiji's prayer meet to attend!".

           "Oh yes! I remember. We should probably get ready soon".

           "Then go and get ready, Pati Babu!"

           "Sure", he replied.

           But when he made no effort to get up and get ready, Bondita looked at him, quzzically. When he noticed her look, he asked , "Oh, you mean, right now?"

           "Yes. Right now", Bondita said, exasperated.

           "Ji Bondita Malkin!", Anirudh said, in a high pitch voice, modulating it in perfect imitation of his Roopa personification. Bondita giggled madly, clutching her stomach.

           "Bondita, you go and prepare the breakfast. I'll just finish off the rest of the packing. Kaka and Bihari will be back by afternoon anyways. And others, will probably be back by evening. So we don't have to worry about the kids", Anirudh suggested. 

           Bondita nodded in agreement.

           "Look! Here's Anindita Roy Chowdhury!", Anirban announced, dragging his twin sister with him, into his parents' bedroom. 

           Anirudh and Bondita smiled at the pair and looked at Anindita, who was tiredly rubbing her still sleepy eyes with one hand and clutching her stuffed doll with another. It was obvious, that Anirban had woken up his sister.

           "Good morning Anindita sweetheart!", Anirudh and Bondita chorused.

           She smiled a crooked smile in return. "G'morning, Maa-Baba".

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           Finally ready to head out, Anirudh and Bondita sat on the living hall couch. 

           "Anindita, why are you staring at that box?", Anirudh asked his daughter, who had been intently staring at a lidded box, kept on the table, since about three hours.

           "Shhh... Don't disturb me, Baba", Anindita admonished, pointing her finger at her Baba, though her eyes remained glued to the box.

           "But, what's there in that box, sweetheart?", Bondita asked, utterly confused at her daughter's strange antics.

           Anindita sighed. "Maa, there's something valuable in this box. That's why Som chacha has asked me to look after it. And he's said that he'll give me one paisa per hour", she excitedly told her parents, still not looking at them, her eyes fixed at the box. 

           Anirudh and Bondita exchanged confused glances.

           "Dada, Boudi, are you two ready?", Somnath asked his brother and sister-in-law, coming into hall.

           "Yes, Som, we are ready. But, what is this, that you have asked Anindita to look after?", Anirudh asked.

           Somnath laughed slightly and glanced at Anindita who was keenly listening to everything, but her eyes didn't move away from the box, for even a second.

           "There's just some of Tapur's herbal and ayurvedic medicines and some of my medicines in it. Anindita was getting bored, so I asked her to look after it, and she can have one paisa per hour, then", Somnath said, grinning.

           "Som Dada, when's Tapur coming back home, from Krishnanagar?", Bondita asked.

           "Whenever Thakuma lets her, Boudi", Som chuckled and went off to pick up the telephone, which just now rang.

           "Tapur! How are you? When are you coming back, dear?", they could hear him ask on the telephone.

           "When is Tapur maasi coming back?" Anindita and Anirban asked in chorus.

           "Soon, dear, soon", Bondita replied.

           "And when are you both coming back? Please come back soon", Anirban said in a small pleading voice, his eyes watery.

           For the first time in three hours, Anindita looked away from the box and climbed into her mother's lap, burying her face in the crook of her neck. 

           "Don't go, please. Stay with me", Anindita pleaded, her voice muffled.

           "Yes! Maa, Baba, that's an even better idea. Don't go!", Anirban exclaimed. And then added in a small voice, "Please, don't".

           "We'd love to stay with you two. But we have a very important work. It's our duty. Remember what your Baba told you? Whatever be the situation, never ignore your duties and responsibilities", Bondita said, trying to soothe the children.

           "Very important work?", Anindita asked, finally looking up at her parents. 

           "Yes, dear, a very very important work", Anirudh replied.

           "Okay. But please come soon", the children chorused.

           Even at such a very young and tender age, the kids were understanding and insightful. They weren't Anirudh and Bondita's children for nothing. They were a beautiful combination of their parents' mindsets and thoughts. 

           "And when you come back, we'll play together!", Anirban announced.

           "Yes! And you will tell me a story, won't you, Baba?", Anindita asked.

           "Yes, of course! We'll play, read stories, and have lots of fun!", Bondita said, smiling brightly.

           "And study too!", Anirudh added. The smiles dropped off the kids' faces and they looked at their parents miserably. Bondita glared at Anirudh, while he smiled guiltily.

           "We'll study a little bit, after having lots of fun", he amended, which made the kids as well as Bondita smile at him.

           "I love seeing my three babies smile", he said.

           Bondita gasped. "Pati Babu! I'm not your kid!", she said, puffing out her cheeks.

           Anirudh laughed, and popping in her cheeks, said, "Yes, you are! You are a kid, and you are my kid. My grown up kid", he firmly stated.

           Bondita shook her head at him, but smiled nonetheless. 

           And much too soon, it was time to bid their goodbyes, and leave for Gandhiji's prayer meet. To proceed with their duty of contributing to the welfare of their motherland. Difficult times were ahead. But they had each other to help them get through this phase. Had each other, to help them get through this life.