CHAPTER 2: ‘SORRY… WRONG NUMBER’
“WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?!”, Anirudh bellowed. “Is that a way to treat a young girl?! Is this how you treat a HUMAN?! WHAT IS THIS INHUMANITY?!”, he raged.
“Mister, you don’t know the deeds of this girl. She is characterless. This girl seduced my husband. Tried to get close to him. And then, she falsely accused him. And now, my husband is in jail on charges of inappropriate behaviour with a minor. For a whole freaking year!”, the woman shot back.
“Please! She’s literally a kid! Why would she do that?! And, suppose she even did… ‘seduce’ your husband, as you say, then isn’t it equally your husband’s fault that he let himself be seduced?! She wasn’t forcing herself upon him, was she?! Yeah?! Tell me?!”, Anirudh said, defending the girl.
“Hey! I didn’t do anything. Your first assumption was correct. Not the second one! I hadn’t even spared a look at that disgusting man! It was HE, who tried to touch me inappropriately. That too in a crowded marketplace! A crowded marketplace! Seriously? How can some people think about these things in the midst of such stuffy crowded places?! So should I not complain against him?”, said Bondita.
Anirudh looked at the girl. He could see that she had spirit. She was independent and fearless. Because many would ignore such kind of immoral actions, unless very serious. But she had resisted and acted quickly.
To be honest, he was very much impressed by that.
He watched her argue with the woman.
As the woman tried to slap Bondita, Anirudh’s booming voice interrupted her.
“STOP IT! You want to create a scene? Do that in your house! Don’t you know the consequences of physical abuse, that too on a minor?!”, he shouted.
The woman finally stopped. Yet, her eyes were filled with madness and anger.
“What are you people still doing here? Come to see a show? You want to watch drama?! Go buy cinema tickets! Get away from here! Get away!”, Anirudh yelled, addressing the crowd.
Slowly, the people dispersed away.
Only Bondita and Anirudh were left standing on the pavement. Bondita looked at the man standing beside her. He had defended her from the lady’s accusations. And while she didn’t need his help, his presence still gave her confidence. He was a saviour. He was Rakshak Babu.
“Though I didn’t need it, thank you very much for your help and for defending me”, she said to him.
“That was my duty. The humanity inside me, couldn’t just watch you getting painted red with tomatoes, could it?”, he laughed.
Bondita puffed up her cheeks angrily.
“Sorry. I’m joking! Here, take this handkerchief and wipe your face. Where do you live? Shall I drop you home?”, he asked.
Bondita accepted the handkerchief to wipe off the remnants of the squashed tomato off her face, and said to Anirudh, “I’m perfectly capable of going home on my own, thank you very much”.
As she went away from there, she threw the dirty handkerchief on his face.
“Hey!”, Anirudh shrieked indignantly.
“Revenge is sweet, Rakshak Babu!”, Bondita said and ran off.
“No! Revenge is a rotten tomato!”, he shouted after her, but she had already disappeared.
That’s when Anirudh did a double-take. What had she called him? Rakshak Babu?
For some time, he stood there, confused. And then he too went back into his car, and continued on his way to the tennis court.
——————–
“Why do you always have to go and get yourself hurt, Bondita? Why did you fight with the woman?”, Sumati asked her daughter as she tended to her ankle injury.
“Maa, it was that crazy woman, who started it. I am not deaf and dumb, that I would act as if I didn’t hear her wrong accusations and stay silent”, Bondita replied.
“Yes, of course! When can you stay silent, Bondita? Tell me one thing. Don’t you ever get tired after being a chatterbox for the whole day?”, Bondita’s aunt asked her.
“No Maami. Why would I? I am a simple, calm and quiet girl. You are blaming me without reason”, she said.
“Hey Kaali Ma! This girl! Why do you always have to quarrel and argue?”, her aunt said to her, glaring angrily.
“Maami, first and foremost, there’s a difference between quarreling and arguing. Quarreling is…”
“Stop! Just shut up, Bondita!”, her Maami shouted at her and Bondita merely shrugged her shoulders.
“I was just giving some useful information to fill into your empty brain. Why so hyper, Maami? Just chill down!”, Bondita said, smiling like an angel.
Her aunt gaped at her, open-mouthed.
“Uhh… Dear, shall we discuss what we wanted to?”, Bondita’s maternal uncle meekly asked his wife, trying to pacify her wrath.
“Oh, yes, of course! You discuss about it. I’m listening”, she said in reply.
“Yes. So Bondita, what have you thought of our offer of joining a hostel? I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to join it. You can continue your law studies there. Even mobile phones are allowed for a limited time period. You can be in contact with your mother. It’s a prestigious hostel. You yourself say that you are not a kid! You are responsible enough at sixteen, to take care of yourself. And its us, who are paying the fees. Where’s the problem then?”
“The problem is that I can’t leave my mother alone here”, Bondita said, stubbornly.
“Why are you still tied to your mother by the umbilical cord? We are here to take care of her, aren’t we?”, Bondita’s aunt asked her, trying hard to suppress her anger.
“Yes, exactly. That’s where the problem lies. I’m not going leave my mother in the care of two greedy wolves. And you were talking about paying for me at the hostel. I know how you are going to pay the fees. You will use a part of the money that my father left for me and Maa in his will. Nothing else!”, Bondita stated and rushed back into her room, slamming the door.
——————-
“Anirudh, I have changed my SIM card. Would you please note down the new number? When you reach home, just send me a message on WhatsApp. That’s ok with you?”, Saurav asked his childhood best friend, as they were coming out of the tennis court.
“Ok. I’ll just memorize the number. Call it out”, Anirudh replied, nodding his head.
“Ok then. But I doubt you’ll be able to memorize the number. After all, you don’t eat much almonds”, Saurav said, grinning cheekily.
“Saurav! I’m twenty-five, not seventy-five, that I won’t be able to memorize a simple phone number”, Anirudh replied, in mock anger.
And both then burst out in laughter.
When Anirudh reached home and went into his room, the first thinghe did, was, typing a message to Saurav.
‘Hey! What’s up, bro? See! I told you I can memorize a simple phone number.’
——————–
Today, her aunt and uncle’s words had hurt Bondita to the core. Was it wrong to care for your mother, whom you love so much? Why did they criticise her? Why did they want to separate her from her mother? Why did the whole world, except, of course, her mother, seem to be against her? Why her?
As she sat sulking in her room, and mulling over these things, she heard the sound of a notification pop up on her phone. She checked her phone. A message from an unknown number? And what on earth, did that message mean?
‘Hey! What’s up, bro? See! I told you I can memorize a simple phone number.’
This world was full of weirdos. Bondita rolled her eyes and started typing.
‘I really think you should start doubting your memorisation skills, since you really can’t remember a phone number. This is not your buddy. And I am a girl, sir. So… I guess it’s a wrong number.’
And she hit the send button.
‘Saurav, you joking?’, was the reply she got. What kind of a person was he?, Bondita thought, frowning.
Bondita texted back,
‘Look, I don’t know any Saurav. And I am not joking.’
‘Oops!… Wrong number. I’m really sorry ma’am. My humble apologies.’, came the reply.
Bondita smiled. This was actually a decent and humble man.
Author’s Notes (A/N): How was the chapter? Let me know your valuable suggestions and opinions in comments☺️…
So now, Anirudh and Bondita have got each other’s mobile numbers and contacted each other…. accidentally.😁… What’s going to happen next?
And by the way, the part where Bondita was sulking in her room, was something that represents teenage angst. Bondita represents a typical teenager. All teenagers go through this angsty phase. Which is why, whenever something goes wrong, they think that the whole world is against them… 😐…
512 Comments
Hiiii! Saki baby
How are you?😘😘💓💓
சகீன(sakeena)😘
Everyone forgot me or what?🌚
Heyy
Chur chur
How are you bash man ?
And u got bulb for cutie babu that day😂😂😂
*from
Where is saki di 💞?
Shut up you idiot Moon light!!😤😤😤
Who Iam
U shut up bash man
Always blah!blah!😏
You shut up!! You stupid insolent mannerless moron!!😠… How dare you talk to my sister like that?🤨… You want me to whack you?!🙂
Correct ans cutie
Blah!blah! Chur chur
How is it?😂😂
💯😉
🙏😃
Ok
Bye babes
Iam going to study 😊💓💓
Byeee sis!!🥰… See you soon 😇💕
Am fine darling Moon sis…. How are u dear.
Iam good baby🥰💓
Am here Padma sis 😊
Helloooooooo fam 💜 how z ur day at school?
Chaandni choti….in tamil my name is very lengthy 😄🥰
Very nice to see our names in tamil….
My day went super duper sis😘😘💓
How are you?🥰
And thanks for showing me the spelling of my name in Tamil 🤗🤗🤗🤗.
It’s my pleasure 🙏😊
M good chaandni choti….I m making rava vada now 😋
I heard that name for the first time becaz I didn’t know about food items that much😅Anyway my akka prepared that item so deliciously 😋😋
Rava Vada…
Mmmm😋
Actually Iam a foodie
Glad to know that 🥰
😘
O M R! Rava Vada means gari just seen in Google 😂
You know what that is my favorite item but didn’t know about other name of it. 😅
😆😆
Hello everyone 😄
Hello sis!!🥰
Hello babes🤗💚💓
Hi Moon sweety
Hii saki baby😀💓
Hii chandu choti💞
Had your dinner all of you ? 🥰
Hiii lily 🤗💚
No will have after some time 💓
Lily
Finished ur dinner 🍽️😊💞
*?
No
What is your name?
Lily day this in Tamil
This is a task for u😉
*say
Moon sweety are u our new Tamil teacher???
Hehehe😆
If ur willing
U can accept me as yours tamil teacher😄
Hiiiii chotis ….m back after having my dinner..
Padhu….rava vada means not gaare….rava vada is prepared with sooji or Bombay rava …instant gaare anamata 😋😄
Looks like gari akka
Oh _______ for information 🥰🧡
**your information
Unna peral enna?
Nenga peru enna?
Hehehe…..padhu and me at the same time 😂😂😂
Yup🥰😁
Saki di yupp💃 she is our new teacher👩🏫
Yea it looks like Gaare only padhu 🥰
Our teacher didn’t say the answer
Awwwww thank u soo much for giving me this honour 😘😘💞💞
Lily
U written but some mistakes are there
Ans is ungaloda peyar enna😄
Caring babu
U r right
But nenga not
That is unga
Ok
What is your name?
What-enna
Your-ungaloda,unga
Name-peyar
In Tamil
Mostly verbs will not take place
But in hindi and english it is
In hindi
Aapka naam kya (hai)-here is is coming
But in Tamil not
I hope you both understood 😊
Thanks for this valuable info, Tamil Shikshak Babu 🥰💕
Shishak babu…😳
Thank you
Thank you so much for giving me this honour babe 😘
And It’s my pleasure
☺️🧡
*shikshak
__________u so much chaandni teacher for detailed explanation 🥰❣
It’s my pleasure sis😊💕
Chotis….now ur di is already feeling sleepy…so goodnight 😴 Have a good sleep..and jaldi so jao .
Good night sis💙💙
Good night Di 💙🤍
Good night Akka 💕
Now the last task for today
Mother, father
Write in Tamil😁💓
I will be back in 20min
Mother- Amma
Father- Appa
Hermi sis I think she mean the way she spell our names 😅😅😅.
WHAT?!😳…
Amma and appa
We already learn this word in bb😉
Right
Very good guys👏
Saki baby now this much enough
Bcz without learning the letters we can’t make any words or sentence😊💕
Yayy!!🤓
😄💕
Even I was thinking same without learning letters how can we make sentence 😅😅😅😅😅😅
😂
Chill Hermi choti am wrong 😂😂😂.
😂😂
Hermi choti your face was like lal tamatar 😅😅😅😂😂😂😂
😂🤣🤣… But I don’t like tamatar😝
But I love tamatar 😂😂😂😂😂.
Iam now only saying the vowels
Uyir ezhuthukal (life letters)
அ, ஆ, இ, ஈ, உ, ஊ, எ, ஏ, ஐ, ஒ, ஓ, ஒள
There are 12 words
Why we are saying this life letters?
Bcz it is giving the life to words,
Without this we can’t learn next.
Willing persons can learn 🙂
Ooooohh… I’m willing!! I always want to learn new things 😃… Thank youuuuu Shikshak Babu 🥰… Can you translate these letters ☺️
Ok babe💕💕
But babes I can’t say that😅
U search uyir ezhuthukal on YouTube
Their clearly they will say and give with voice
Then u can learn the pronounce
Here how I can say?☺️
I don’t understand anything 😅😅😅😅😂😂😂😂😂.
My innocent baby
Iam trying my best
If there is voice option
I will say and give the pronounce of the vowels
But it is not here
So very sorry
I can say and give only with writing 🙏🙂💕