Two years later…

Piyali was sleeping. But the hospital allowed them in her room, provided they did not disturb her. Mr. Banerjee went inside, but Mukundo could not proceed beyond the doorstep. After taking in every detail of her sickly, pale face, he turned on his heels. When Mr. Banerjee came out, he found him slumping against the wall right beside the door.

“Mukundo!”

“It’s my fault, Kaku.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What she wanted,” he turned away from Mr. Banerjee and said, “What she has been so stubborn and obsessed about… the idea wouldn’t have occurred to her, if she didn’t know my feelings.”

“Your feelings? What are you… What had happened? Had you said something?”

“I assure you, Kaku. Nothing was said or done. Because we have control over our words, and our actions. But, unfortunately, not over our feelings. And they were felt…”

He waited for Mr. Banerjee’s reaction with bated breath. But he did not speak. So, Mukundo prepared to turn to face him. If he had given into his urge of confessing, he would have to face the aftermath. But before that could happen, they heard some noise from inside. They rushed in.

“Baba!” Piyali noticed her father first. He sat down by her side and pressed her hands. Then her eyes fell on Mukundo who was slowly approaching her.

“Mukundo Babu?” the words formed on her lips, but her voice failed her. Was she hallucinating? She hadn’t seen him or talked to him in last two years. She stared as he came to stand on the other side of her bed. “Is that really you?” she finally managed to speak.

“Yes. It’s me, Piyali,” he tried to smile.

“How come? Am I dying?” her attempt to chuckle barely went beyond a low, whimpering sound. She was weak from illness.

“Shut up!” Mukundo and Mr. Banerjee spoke together.

She closed her eyes and took a deep, labored breath.

“Pihu. You need to come back home. As soon as you have recovered a bit, we will leave…”

“I’ll be fine here, Baba. You needn’t have come all the way just for…”

“Come home, Piyali,” Mukundo interjected, “Please.”

She stared at him. Her questioning and accusing eyes felt like they would penetrate his soul. But so be it. He sat down on a stool lying near her bed.  “I will never allow myself, or you, to do anything that Kaku wouldn’t approve of. Or that would hurt him or his honor. But Piyali, that is no reason that I should not stand by you. I owe you a big apology that I did not do so. I am sorry. And I promise that it will never happen again. I will always be by your side. Please come home.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. Two years and more — this is what she had pined for. His acceptance. It had taken a life-threatening illness for it to come her way. But then, she wouldn’t have minded if it had taken death itself. She got a bargain!

Only after making his resolution heard did Mukundo look at Mr. Banerjee. His eyes were fixed on his daughter and the expression on his face was inscrutable. Mukundo would worry about him later. He returned his attention to Piyali. “Stop crying,” he pleaded. Piyali noticed him clenching his fist. He would have wanted to wipe her tears, to touch her. But he was resisting. She smiled and wiped her tears off.

—

“Kaku? Please take a seat,” Mukundo welcomed Mr. Banerjee anxiously. They had returned the day before and Piyali had come with them.

“You did not come to see us. I was worried if you have yourself fallen sick.”

“No Kaku. I am fine.”

“Never in my wildest dream had I thought that you thought of Pihu like that, Mukundo.” Mukundo gulped hard and downcast his eyes. What could he say in his defense? He was guilty as charged. “But what did you think of me? Am I a monster?”

“Kaku!” he looked up surprised.

“For two years. Two years — my daughter has been suffering. And I am helplessly seeing her suffer. Couldn’t you have told me once, just once, what you wanted?”

Mukundo was tongue-tied. Where was this going?

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Kaku! I… I didn’t think you will ever accept it. Especially after the way you had reacted to Pihu’s confession…”

“I admit, Mukundo, that I was shocked. And I probably would not have agreed at once. It didn’t sound right at all. I had always thought of you affections for her as more brotherly. Everyone did so. But… I am not a stubborn idiot. She is my daughter, Mukundo. If after Debangi’s death, I was still alive, it was for her sake. Do you think I enjoyed seeing her like that? Could the society or the rest of the world be more important to me than her? I repressed her because I thought that if she ever told you or anyone else anything, we’d become a laughing stock.”

“And you kept sending me photographs of girls in last two years more aggressively than ever. As if you wanted me out of the way…”

“Mukundo. I had promised your father on his death-bed that I would look after you. God is my witness that I have been trying to get you married again and settled well for much longer than these two years.”

“I probably just… felt the pain more… in these two years. Was she ill for a long time, Kaku?”

“She was preparing to fall ill all this time – yes. She never came home. When I went there, every time I found her worse than earlier. Apart from her roommate, she didn’t have any friends, didn’t go anywhere, worked like an animal…”

“You never told me… If I hadn’t been there when that call came, I wouldn’t have known even now.”

“I didn’t want you to feel responsible, Mukundo.”

Mukundo looked down and a drop of his tear fell on his lap.

“Mukundo. I am angry. But I am not blaming you. I failed both of you too. But trust me. I didn’t need my daughter to reach her death-bed to accept your wishes. Especially not when I know that I myself won’t be around to take care of her… In whose care would I leave her if not you…”

“Kaku? What are you talking about?”

“All those years of smoking has caught up. My lungs are giving way…”

“Kaku?”

“I don’t have more than a year left. After that you have to take care of her. And yourself too.”

“Kaku. That’s…”

“Don’t say anything about it, Mukundo. It is of no use. Nothing can be done. It will only cause more grief and depression.”

“Does she know?”

“No. I didn’t have the heart to tell her. I am hoping that you’d help me with that. I will leave now. Hope you will visit soon.”

—

To be continued