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Episode 12
Laksh: her name is anusha
Ragini’s heart skipped a beat. Finally, he is saying and she didn’t want to destroy the moment
Laksh: after Sanskar eloped, papa was all furious. Every member of the family went into depression and it is at that times I met her. In my college.
His voice is so deep and warm for which the ice around ragini’s heart started melting.
Laksh: I confessed her in a perfect filmy way. We both roamed the whole city of Kolkata.
For some reason, someone being in place of her pained ragini.
Laksh: we enjoyed and enjoyed until a day came where I needed to inform papa. I still remember that day, I was so nervous to say him but I finally did it. To my surprise, he accepted. Anusha’s parents too hold a high place in business. Only God knows how happy I was then. Everything went smooth till before day of my wedding.
He inhaled a deep breath of pain and placed his hands back of his neck.
Laksh: it was around 3:00am early morning, she called me and said that she don’t want to be in this relationship.
Ragini: what!
Laksh: yes, she said she didn’t want to marry me just before few hours of our marriage. I convinced her but she didn’t. I thought some bad memories came to her and she will be alright but after an hour, she called my parents informing the same thing and after that she switched off her mobile. Aadarsh bhayya and parineta bhabhi went to her house and God knows what they said but she called me accepting for marriage. I jumped in joy and became ready for marriage in her favourite color sherwani. She was looking not less than any angel at that time.
Ragini again felt bad listening her husband praising some other but she brushed it off.
Laksh: we were married happily and I promised myself to keep her happy always like every other person who will be in love but least I knew was it would be my last smile. That night, I entered this very room in building many hopes with her but do you know what did she give me as our marriage gift?
His voice is dry and broken
Ragini: divorce papers?.
Laksh simply smiled and nodded his head in no..
Laksh: slap
Ragini: huh?
Laksh: you heard it correctly, she slapped me, hard and said that she was not at all interested in marriage but agreed because of his father.
Ragini: what happened that made her leave you?
Laksh: it is my destiny ragini. She didn’t talk to me for the next three days but I somehow convinced her and everything was slowly falling into its place. After a month, she started acting wiered. She used to quarrel with other members of family unnecessarily and in a heat of moment I slapped her one day. That shattered my life. She gave me divorce papers the next day and left to her house.
He paused sighing heavily.
Laksh: I went to her house to console and convince her but she said that she never wanted to marry me but her father convinced saying that their pride may be blamed if she stops marriage before hours, so advised her to get divorced within six months after getting married.
Ragini’s mouth opened wide. Even these type of girls do live in society which she is unaware of.
Ragini: why did you sign divorce if you loved her so much.
Laksh took a deep breath
Laksh: I didn’t sign
His voice is broken.
Laksh: I really didn’t want to give divorce to her. Will anyone leave their family if they doesn’t like?
Ragini nodded in no, an involuntary action..
Laksh: if she is stubborn then I am stubborn. I didn’t sign the papers but one day, she apologized me and betrayed me in name of love. I signed the papers thinking it be some business ones. I might have forgave her what she did but she betrayed me and worst part, she is now dating my close friend.
Ragini: calm down laksh, please
Laksh sniffed and continued. His throat closing
Laksh: we both used to work at same office, I was never interested in administration. After our divorce, she used to instigate me you know, clinging to her new boyfriend unfortunately my friend. It pained my heart. Why should she be smiling all the time after causing me pain? What wrong did I do to loose my love?
Ragini: laksh!
Laksh: I don’t want any sympathy ragini. I was totally broken by her acts. My family supported me but that’s not what I need. The smiles on these walls faded away. Uttara left to foreign for studies. Everyone were shattered and it was only because of me, seeing me depressed. I wanted to free them from this burden and..
Ragini: you thought ending life would serve that.
She completed him and he gasped.
Laksh: how do you know?
Ragini battled herself to reveal the truth because aadarsh asked her not to.
Laksh: must be bhayya. because only be and my mother knew that and of course I said to sanskar bhai before few days.
Ragini: but you can’t blame her laksh. She is correct from her side.
Laksh: are you a feminist?
Ragini: yeah, from childhood.
Laksh: you will never take my situation positively then.
He exhaled sharply.
Ragini: the society always gives high position to men laksh. If a playboy gets married people say that atleast he has got someone to show him the right path and if a pr*stitute is married, they bash her along with her husband saying that she is responsible for shattering many families. No matter how forward women are, they are still abused by the class called men.
Laksh: but we cannot consider the words of society always. We live for ourselves.
Ragini: yeah but in this society.
Laksh: why do you a tag men as some heartless creatures?
He is curious at the same time annoyed.
Ragini: I have three people in my life. Experience teaches you lessons.
Laksh: but you can’t judge every single person with that.
Ragini sighed to laksh’s statement. Of course he is right but her world is so small. So there is not point in saying her wrong even.
Laksh: who are those three?
Ragini: cafe boss, an obsessed lover and my father
Laksh: father?
He sat on the bed facing her with crossed legs
Ragini: hey, dont take him wrong. He is not any womanizer, just arrogant.
Laksh: and that’s how?
Ragini felt uncomfortable to share with him but deep inside her heart, she wanted to share everything about herself to him, only him. Same way, laksh wanted to do so and his past is out.
Ragini: my boss is a jerk. He is just..I can’t even think of a person like that
She fisted her hands and counted ten to reduce her anger before continuing.
Ragini: my dad, I..I..my elders took decisions in our family and we, children must obey them. Our wishes were never considered, of course sometimes. Major decisions are theirs. But I never felt bad about it because whatever parents do is for their children but…
Her voice chocked as tears came to her eyes. Laksh pressed his lips in thin line.
Laksh: it’s okay..if you don’t want to sha..
Ragini: sorry to hurt you laksh but my dad ordered me to marry you.
Laksh: what!
He screamed. Till date, he thought that she accepted him willingly but is just uncomfortable as him.
Ragini: yeah. If it was my sister, she would have offended but no, it was me. I used to scold swara di whenever she went aganist my dad and see he is the one who let me into this relationship aganist my wish because he know, he know that I won’t oppose him.
Laksh: and didn’t your mother stop.
His voice is barely audiable.
Ragini smiled a sad smile.
Ragini: as I said, men feel that they are supreme and can easily feel strong over a woman. My mom is not among the class who would fight bravely but belongs to the one who nods for every word of her husband and my father made his decision final with his dominance.
She closed her eyes and tears came out. He wanted to console her but he also knew that she won’t appreciate.
Laksh: how about obsessed lover?
He finally asked after few minutes of silence to lighten the atmosphere.
Ragini: oh! He was really obsessed with me. He followed me to my college entire two years in name of love. I didn’t had guts to neither face him nor disclose the matter at home. He is really a good person infact college’s ex student but totally obsessed. One day, he proposed me and I rejected to which he grew more possessive and started beating the one who were close with me. Only men huh.
Laksh smiled at her.
Laksh: looks like he is mad.
Ragini: yeah..but that scared me a lot. I mean how can he do like that, beat some guy who just talked to me? so I planned a plan and confronted him. I was really nervous then infact at the edge of dying. He asked me to marry but I refused saying that I will marry once he gets settled in his life and by God’s grace, he was free then I mean jobless.
Laksh: oh!! So he didn’t come back
Ragini: nope, actually I said him that just to free myself because I don’t have any feelings for him. I haven’t seen him from then
Laksh: and when did this all happen?
He is now trying to surpress his laughter. Ragini narrowed her eyes.
Ragini: in my degree final year. I hope he is settled now. He is really a kind person.
Laksh nodded and slept on the bed again.
Laksh: good night ragini
Ragini: good night, but think once about anusha. She doesn’t seem bad after all
Laksh: and think about men, all men are not same.
With that, both of them slept peacefully. Sharing fears and problems will really help a lot.