What was Ma thinking while making that will, he wondered. And then he recalled the letter the lawyer had given to him. Oh! He had left it on the table and forgot to bring it back with him. Should he call Rupali? He looked at the clock. It was 1 ‘o clock at night. He shouldn’t disturb her. As it is, she didn’t sleep or eat well these days. Sometimes he used to stay back with her. But since they still wanted to keep their relationship discreet, he avoided doing it all the time.

—

“Rupali? What happened? Is everything all right?” Paritosh was surprised to find Rupali at his door at 6.30 in the morning. The doorbell had woken him up.

“Will you let me in?” she asked.

“Yes. Sorry. I am sleepy,” he stepped aside.

“You forgot to read Mom’s letter yesterday,” she handed him the envelope the lawyer had left for him.

“Yes. I recalled late at night; so, I didn’t disturb you. But you came for this?” he was surprised.

She nodded. The envelope was unsealed. Paritosh looked at her.

“I am sorry, but I read it. I couldn’t–”

“It’s okay,” he said and started reading it.

“Dear Paritosh,

I would have liked to stay healthier for a little longer, so that I could spend more time with you. Not because I don’t know or understand you. That I think I do very well by now. But because I would have liked to discuss a few more things with you. However, by the time yours and Rupali’s relationship was strong enough, my health no longer allowed me to do that. So, I am writing this letter at a time when I am feeling a little better.

It doesn’t matter how strong the love is, one must not forget that there are two different people in a relationship. Both come with their own personalities, their own values and their own backgrounds. There will be some conflicts, some compromises and some adjustments to be made. I am confident that you will be able to handle most of the things very well. I already see you doing that.

What I am not sure about is how you would react to my will. For the short period that I have known you, you have been a son to me, more than that actually, and you have fulfilled all your responsibilities in that role. So, one way of justifying my will is that I am giving you your rights as a son. If I had the strength, I would have sat down with you and argued it out until I could convince you that this was the right way to look at things.  Unfortunately, I cannot do that. So, if you are not willing to accept it as your right, accept it as your duty. Duty to look after your Ma’s legacy, duty to look after Rupali and everything that belongs to her, duty to keep her happy. Please don’t ever make her feel that she is a misfit for you, just because she owns all of this or because she is used to an affluent lifestyle.  Will you adapt for her? Please! Consider this to be my last wish.

My blessings and best wishes are always with you.

With Love
Ma”

Paritosh looked at Rupali after finishing the letter. Her face had anticipation written all over it.

“What happened? Why are you staring at me?” he asked.

She grew embarrassed, “Nothing. Just… I hadn’t realized until reading this letter, why you hadn’t accepted that phone.”

“Rupali!”

“I’ll adjust. I promise,” she said. That brief expression spoke mountains of her innocence and her eagerness to play her part in their relationship. He deposited the letter on a table, went to her and pulled her in a tight hug.

“Don’t worry,” he said, “That is my job. You just have to make sure you are happy, Rupali.”

“And I am sorry. I have been a cry baby recently.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I had known her for less than a year. And still I was lost yesterday without her advice. You have been dependent on her your entire life. You are not expected to recover overnight.”

“You are so understanding; sometimes I fear that I will be spoiled.”

Paritosh laughed, “It’s all right. It’s not like if I spoil you someone else has to put up with it. By the way, you still want to gift me that phone?”

She smiled, “No. I have something else in mind.”

“All right. I will wait for it.”

“And we haven’t visited Amrit ji in a while. I wonder what she would be thinking.”

“I had sent her a message through the hospital staff. But…”

“We should go today.”

“Okay.”

—

“Congratulations! Finally, all is well,” Rupali congratulated Sunidhi during the small party she and Aditya had kept for their engagement.

“If I weren’t so happy, I would kill you, Rupali. How could you not tell me about all of this?”

“I am sorry, Sunidhi. I didn’t mean to keep you in dark. But I was feeling so guilty. I just desperately wanted to set things right. And after I had done my bit, Mom–”

“I know,” Sunidhi said, “You have been a true friend.”

“All right. Don’t become so emotional. Tears are better reserved for wedding,” Aditya said.

“Shut up!” They broke into a laughter as Paritosh clicked a photograph.

—

“What are you so busy looking up on Internet?” Paritosh looked up from the magazine he was reading and asked her. They were at her house on a Saturday.

“Are you ever going to try and set a wedding date for us?” she turned back to look at him and pretended insolence.

He raised his eyebrows, “And if I don’t ask you, are you going to start looking for grooms online?”

“That is an option. But I could also try to bribe you.”

“How so?”

“Here,” she got up and brought back a small gift-wrapped packet from her cupboard.

“What is this?”

“The gift I had promised.”

“Okay. Let’s see,” Paritosh started unwrapping the packet. There was a diamond watch inside it. A cloud passed over Paritosh’ face for a split second, and it did not escape Rupali’s notice.

“You won’t refuse, will you?” she asked apprehensively.

He smiled at her, “No. I won’t. And this is very thoughtful of you. I can wear it. All the time.”

“Wear it now, please,” she asked excitedly.

Paritosh obliged her immediately.

“Press this button,” she pointed to a small button at the side of the dial.

The dial flipped open when he did that. Their miniature photographs were inserted inside. At some level, it was a very childish display of love. And yet – there was such pleasure in innocent things. He had never done these things; never felt the excitement it brings. The overwhelming surge of emotions he could feel inside him at that moment. “This is more precious than the diamonds on the top,” he told her genuinely as he pressed the dial back in its place, “Thank you.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “And who can say no to such bribery? Let’s get married quickly, Rupali. Next month?”

“If I can find another job by then,” she blushed and replied.

“Another job? Why?” he was taken aback.

“It won’t work out otherwise, Paritosh. You are the HOD here. My boss–”

“Is that it?”

She nodded.

“I have another solution for it.”

“No. No. You can’t leave your job.”

“But I have already told the director that I want to focus on research, and don’t want the administrative responsibilities any longer.”

“What?”

“As soon as the semester ends, I will no longer be the HOD. No longer the boss, just a colleague. There will be no awkwardness whatsoever.”

“But–”

“I meant what I told the director. We could do so much together, Rupali. And you really have managed to motivate me. I don’t want to waste more time in administrative responsibilities. It is anyway a very thankless job. And to be honest–”

“Yes?”

“It was a way of keeping myself busy, and not think about how meaningless my life otherwise was. It wasn’t my career ambition. Now I don’t have to worry about that. There are better things I can do with my time. Professionally and personally.”

Rupali grinned. “I guess I don’t need to look for the grooms online in that case.”

“Not at all. I warn you against it,” he replied and closed in for a kiss. It wasn’t enough though. He led her to the bed. “Nine years,” he whispered as he held her firmly under him, “For nine years I have loved you despite myself, Rupali. Loving you has become a part of me. You must remember this if thing ever start going wrong between us. And I will find a way to set it right. Do you trust me on this?”

“Yes,” she replied even as her eyes grew moist, “I trust you. On this. And everything else. I love you. And it was after loving you that I realized that I had never known earlier what love was. You are my definition of love. Do you trust me on this?”

“Yes. Infinitely,” he bent down and made her moan as he kissed her neck.

– The End –