Dawn at Midnight. Epilogue
“(In a scolding voice) Are you coming to bed or not?”
“Just ten minutes, Paree. This is a very good movie.”
“You and your movies will never end. You are a pain, a real pain.”
“Oh! Come on now don’t start in the middle of the night.”
“Who starts? It is you who instigate me. Tell me one instance when I started.”
“Ok, baba it is my entire fault, now will you keep quiet.”
“You have a list of things to do tomorrow.”
“Yeah I know”
“No, you don’t. You always forget.”
“No I don’t forget. I do everything.”
“Ok, tell me have you deposited the cheque in ChotoMa’s account?”
“Oh! Damn I forgot that. I am sorry Paree, please forgive. I will deposit that tomorrow.”
“See, I who was wrong and you tell me that I start?”
“Ok ok, I will surely deposit that cheque tomorrow.”
“There are other things to do tomorrow.”
“Now what?”
“First thing in the morning is that you have to take the car to the servicing centre, then goto deposit the electric bill and then ….”
“What electric bill? I thought you have already paid for that.”
“(in a high pitch voice) Do I have to pay all the bills? Don’t you have any responsibility of the house? What do you do?”
“Oh! Now don’t shout like that. What else?”
“What else? Telephone bill is also pending. Do you know that it is pending for three months now? The will disconnect the connection next month if you don’t pay.”
“Ok, I will go. Now will you let me finish this movie?”
“You and your movies. You will never get tired of watching the same movies a thousand times.”
“Oh! Paree this is a lovely movie, now don’t disturb.”
“Oh! Now you find me disturbing element.”
“I did not mean that, dear.”
“Then what, can you tell me what you did last weekend?”
“What?”
“Last weekend, you lay down in this couch for whole two days watching movies only. And same thing is happening with our son.”
“Oh I get tired of working the whole week so I take rest.”
“Can you tell me when I take rest?”
“Why, you stay at home for the whole day. You have rest for the whole day, dear.”
“Ok, Abhi. I am not going to cook tomorrow. I want an off day from kitchen, tomorrow.”
“Why do you have to nag every time? I said that I will complete those tomorrow, ok. Now peace.”
“Peace? Huh, I will get peace which is a distant dream.”
“Do you listen to what I say?”
“What you have asked me and I have not listened. Tell me one point, Abhi I will rub my nose on the floor.”
“I have been asking you to consult the doctor regarding your spine ache. Have you considered that yet?”
“I will not consult the doctor till you kick smoking.”
“Oh now don’t come to my smoking.”
“I sometimes think that you don’t love me at all. If you had then you would have kicked smoking. You promised me ten years ago and then…”
“Then what?”
“Then what? At that point of time just to impress me you kicked the butt for few months and then you started again.”
“That is the only thing I have.”
“Ok so you mean to say that cigarette is more close to you than me?”
“Now don’t change the subject. You started with the bills.”
“The main point is that you don’t love me anymore. See, I can give you a thousand of instances.”
“I don’t want to hear those, now enough.”
“What enough? I am not finished yet.”
“Ok continue then. But close the door behind you and then you can continue.”
“I feel like banging my head on the wall. I don’t want to nag if you had remembered everything I told to you.”
“Now what else I have forgot.”
“You forget everything. How many times you have called ChotoMa in past two months? Tell me. When Maithili calls, for how many times you have answered their call?”
“Oh! Now what should I talk to them?”
“That also I have to tell you what you have to say to them?”
“Those queries are universal like how are you, what are you doing. I don’t feel like talking.”
“OK, be with your TV. Sometimes I feel that I should take an iron rod and bang on that TV and then bang on your head.”
“You already banged my head ten years ago.”
“That was the biggest mistake in my entire life I had. (laughing sweetly) but that was a sweet mistake although. Now come to bed will you? It is already midnight.”
And thus how Mr. Abhimanyu Talukdar and Mrs. Suchismita Talukdar loved each other.
“(In a scolding voice) Are you coming to bed or not?”
“Just ten minutes, Paree. This is a very good movie.”
“You and your movies will never end. You are a pain, a real pain.”
“Oh! Come on now don’t start in the middle of the night.”
“Who starts? It is you who instigate me. Tell me one instance when I started.”
“Ok, baba it is my entire fault, now will you keep quiet.”
“You have a list of things to do tomorrow.”
“Yeah I know”
“No, you don’t. You always forget.”
“No I don’t forget. I do everything.”
“Ok, tell me have you deposited the cheque in ChotoMa’s account?”
“Oh! Damn I forgot that. I am sorry Paree, please forgive. I will deposit that tomorrow.”
“See, I who was wrong and you tell me that I start?”
“Ok ok, I will surely deposit that cheque tomorrow.”
“There are other things to do tomorrow.”
“Now what?”
“First thing in the morning is that you have to take the car to the servicing centre, then goto deposit the electric bill and then ….”
“What electric bill? I thought you have already paid for that.”
“(in a high pitch voice) Do I have to pay all the bills? Don’t you have any responsibility of the house? What do you do?”
“Oh! Now don’t shout like that. What else?”
“What else? Telephone bill is also pending. Do you know that it is pending for three months now? The will disconnect the connection next month if you don’t pay.”
“Ok, I will go. Now will you let me finish this movie?”
“You and your movies. You will never get tired of watching the same movies a thousand times.”
“Oh! Paree this is a lovely movie, now don’t disturb.”
“Oh! Now you find me disturbing element.”
“I did not mean that, dear.”
“Then what, can you tell me what you did last weekend?”
“What?”
“Last weekend, you lay down in this couch for whole two days watching movies only. And same thing is happening with our son.”
“Oh I get tired of working the whole week so I take rest.”
“Can you tell me when I take rest?”
“Why, you stay at home for the whole day. You have rest for the whole day, dear.”
“Ok, Abhi. I am not going to cook tomorrow. I want an off day from kitchen, tomorrow.”
“Why do you have to nag every time? I said that I will complete those tomorrow, ok. Now peace.”
“Peace? Huh, I will get peace which is a distant dream.”
“Do you listen to what I say?”
“What you have asked me and I have not listened. Tell me one point, Abhi I will rub my nose on the floor.”
“I have been asking you to consult the doctor regarding your spine ache. Have you considered that yet?”
“I will not consult the doctor till you kick smoking.”
“Oh now don’t come to my smoking.”
“I sometimes think that you don’t love me at all. If you had then you would have kicked smoking. You promised me ten years ago and then…”
“Then what?”
“Then what? At that point of time just to impress me you kicked the butt for few months and then you started again.”
“That is the only thing I have.”
“Ok so you mean to say that cigarette is more close to you than me?”
“Now don’t change the subject. You started with the bills.”
“The main point is that you don’t love me anymore. See, I can give you a thousand of instances.”
“I don’t want to hear those, now enough.”
“What enough? I am not finished yet.”
“Ok continue then. But close the door behind you and then you can continue.”
“I feel like banging my head on the wall. I don’t want to nag if you had remembered everything I told to you.”
“Now what else I have forgot.”
“You forget everything. How many times you have called ChotoMa in past two months? Tell me. When Maithili calls, for how many times you have answered their call?”
“Oh! Now what should I talk to them?”
“That also I have to tell you what you have to say to them?”
“Those queries are universal like how are you, what are you doing. I don’t feel like talking.”
“OK, be with your TV. Sometimes I feel that I should take an iron rod and bang on that TV and then bang on your head.”
“You already banged my head ten years ago.”
“That was the biggest mistake in my entire life I had. (laughing sweetly) but that was a sweet mistake although. Now come to bed will you? It is already midnight.”
And thus how Mr. Abhimanyu Talukdar and Mrs. Suchismita Talukdar loved each other.