Chapter 14: Blemish Pieta II



In one week, everything around me changed. Titli was not with me. I was unable to think of anything. I used to pacify myself by muttering every night that only the war has been lost but not the battle. I had to wait for the opportune moment to arrive and have patience. I kept the flame burning inside my heart that Titli would give me a call. I remember that her mother said that Titli would be sent to Delhi. I was desperately looking for a change in job in Delhi.

The sky was overcast and so was my mind and soul. I rode to my apartment after office. I observed that a Mercedes stood in front of my building. I thought that it might be of some guest. I crossed the car to park my bike. I suddenly heard a female voice calling my name.

“Hi, Budhaditya.” I turned to the see as who was calling me. I was surprised to find Nilanjana Madam, coming down from the Mercedes with her son in her lap. I looked at her from head to toe. Dressed elegantly sporting a soothing smile on her lips she was looking at me. I stood there perplexed unable to believe my eyes. My brain flooded with thoughts as what she was doing in front of my apartment, what she wants, what about my father, does he knows that she was there. I returned a courtesy smile to her and walked towards the car.

I asked her, “You? Here? Why?”

She was surprised to hear my question, “Why? You should be knowing why I am here?”

I was unable to understand as what she meant to say, “Means, what I should know?”

She gave me a perplexed look, “I received a call from your fiancé, Anoushka two weeks ago. She requested me to come here and meet her. So I have come.”

The day Titli asked for the contact number I was sure that she would be calling them. But I was not prepared that she would call them so early. I feigned my ignorance, “Oh yes I forgot, she told me.”

She gave an inquisitive look and then smiled at me, “I am standing here since noon. I didn’t have your office number so I was unable to call you.”

“What?” I exclaimed, “You are waiting for me since noon?” I was surprised to hear that, “Come inside.” I took her naughty foal from her lap and he giggled at me.

I asked his name, he answered in his baby babbling, “Pappatitto..” I looked at Nilanjana Madam inquisitively and asked what his name was. She answered, “Bappaditya.” She patted her son on his cheek and said to him, “See I told you that we are going to your brother’s house?”

Bappa gave an inquisitive look and asked, “Are you my brother?”

I nodded and smiled at him, “Yes my dear, I am.” However, Bappa was unable to come to terms that brother can be that old. He kept looking at my face.

She gestured her driver to bring her luggage. I looked at her inquisitively and asked, “Are you going to stay? Does my father know about this? You are rich lady you won’t be able to stay in my dingy house.”

She nodded, “If you can stay why can’t I? At least I want to see where you stay.” Once inside my flat, she looked around and asked, “So you live here? Quiet cosy home.” I was perplexed as what all was happening. She smiled at me and said, “Anoushka is very intelligent and must be an elegant lady.” I nodded, yes she was. She kept on, “Hmm... she has got good taste of household things, I can see.” She then looked at me and said, “She has not come to the house for quiet sometime? Is not that?”

My jaws dropped, is she a detective? On beholding the perplexed look on my face, she answered, “I can feel her touch all around the this room, the curtains and wall hangings are quiet beautiful and the way the kitchen has been kept. But the way the newspapers are scattered and from the colour of bed sheet I can assume that she has not stepped in for quite some time.” I was amazed by her observation power. She gave a soft smile at me and said, “So I am right. Has anything happened between you two?”

I shook my head. I hid the truth from her, “No.” I was unable to come to terms as what she was doing at my place. I asked her, “You came all the way from Dhanbad to meet me?”

She laughed at me, “Nah... Actually not you, I came to meet Anoushka. Since she is not here so I hope that you are the person.”

I walked into the kitchen to prepare tea, “So you must be tired after a long journey, right?”

She smiled at me and said, “Nahh... I am not tired much. You must be tired after a long day of work. Let me prepare the tea while you go and freshen up.”


She called her son and asked him whether he was hungry or not.

I looked at the naughty fellow, who was busy in playing with his toy aeroplane. Bappaditya nodded his cute head and gestured that he is not at all hungry. He then again ran to the balcony with his toy aeroplane.

I sat in the drawing room expecting for some unforeseen to happen. I heard that she was pacifying my dad about something, on the phone. After about half an hour, she entered with cup of tea and some snacks. I looked at her graceful figure draped in a rich kimono.

I asked her, “What did Titli said to you?”

She answered, “Anoushka is very intelligent girl. She knows in and out about you. The way she was asking about our wellbeing, made me feel that I knew her for long. We talked for long as what I love to do, what she loves to do. At last, she asked about Bappa and that made me go weak at heart. She said that she wanted to meet me. She asked me to come. I knew that if you see me then you would be furious. She assured me that she would manage that.”
She sat on the couch opposite of mine and asked me, “So you are furious on me?” I gave a piercing look at her. She handed me one cup and looked at the balcony to her son, “His name is given by me in accordance to you.”

“I am not angry. Truly speaking I don’t know you at all. Why should I bear any type of feelings for you?” I answered her but it was a lie.

She kept on, “So you are angry with your dad.”

I clenched my jaws, “Should I be happy for what happened with me.”

She looked at me with her brows squint, “Do you know your Dad well?”

I was taken aback by her query, “Are you going to tell me about my dad?” my blood started boiling. I have to know my dad from a third person, maybe she was his wife. I chewed my words, “The only thing I know that he was not there when I needed him and ....”

She nodded, “And you might be thinking that I stole your dad from you.” I was not prepared for that sentence although I wanted that answer. She kept on telling, “How much do you know about Mr. Ghosh? Answer me, Budhaditya. I am not here to fight with you. I am here to clear myself.” Her last words were sinking in her throat.

I gave an inquisitive look, “I do not miss him actually, as I never found him. Whenever I was home during my vacations, his works and alcohol out there drove him. All I got my mother’s soothing palm. I can still hear her lament when I close my eyes. I still remember that we came back to my grandparent’s house.” I paused for a moment and looked directly in her eyes to fire up, “Truly speaking, the moment I saw you, I had the impression that you stole my dad from my mother.”

Her eyes were full of tears on hearing that. She gave a painful smile and looked away to wipe her eyes. Her voice fluttered a bit, “Want to hear then?”

She started her tale, “I met Mr. Ghosh ten years ago, two years after your mother, Manjusha Di’s demise. Then I was a nurse at Dhanbad railway hospital. I was twenty-five a beautiful girl full of dreams of having a life of my own. I used to live at Chittaranjan and my father worked in the locomotive factory. I was the youngest of four siblings.”

“One day, during inspection of one mines; Mr. Ghosh had a heart attack. He fell down from the mines entrance and broke his left leg. He was admitted to the hospital. I looked after him and there we met. At that time, I had no fancy on any older person as I had a boyfriend by then. One doctor was very close to Mr. Ghosh, he requested me to attend him at his house. I obliged his words and every evening I used to go to Mr. Ghosh’s house for his medicines and bandages.”

“Mr. Ghosh was very rich and wanted a house nurse. I resigned from my nursing job and attended him for whole day since he was paying me more than what I used to get in hospital. I was beautiful so there were several prying eyes hovering over me raping me with their lewd gaze. At least I felt secure in that house. He had several servants yet he looked for me to have his medicine and nursing. Gradually he recovered and then I was again in turmoil that now I had to find a new job. After recovery, he started a new business in heavy earthmovers equipments. Mr. Ghosh insisted me to stay at his house as his secretary and to manage his new business. I was sceptical at first to stay with him but I had no place to go or no place to stay. That was a new opportunity and a lease of life for me, I obliged then also. I used to stay in a room downstairs and his room was upstairs.”

“Mr. Ghosh never talked about his past but I have heard from that doctor about his wife and his son. Whenever he was not at home, I used to look around to find something about his family about his past. I found no sign of Manjusha Di’s reminiscences or your signs in that huge house. I never talked to him regarding those.”

I was hurt to know that my dad did not preserve any of my childhood memoirs with him.

Nilanjana Madam continued, “After he recovered fully, he went back to his old lifestyle, drinking most of the evenings with his colleagues. Days passed; his real nature came out of the sheepskin he wore all time. He had a high libido and always was looking for female flesh. He had several females to satisfy his carnal hunger. I even saw some manager’s wife in his bed.