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Her Final Home (Part 14)

Mukundo could have called Mohima from Delhi, but the situation was bizarre. If Mohima had spoken to Debangi and got such a negative reaction from her, she would have called Mukundo. She didn’t. So Debangi couldn’t have heard from her. That made the entire thing an even bigger mystery.

“I had mentioned it to Debendra Babu,” Aurbindo turned out to be the source of leak.

“What!” Neither Mukundo, nor Mohima of them could believe that Aurbindo would have indulged in gossip. But apparently, he had been excited about the idea and didn’t think that the two men talking about it would affect anything else that was going on.

“How had he reacted?” Mohima asked.

“Mostly, he seemed like he didn’t believe it.”

“Or he didn’t want to!” Mukundo slumped in a chair, looking despondent.

“Let me talk to Debangi, Mukundo. Don’t lose heart. It might be something very simple.”

“I don’t know about that, Ma. But I can’t stand the suspense right now. I will come with you when you talk to her.”

“But–”

“I told you Ma, I can’t stand the suspense of it. Not even for the time it will take for you to talk to Kaki and come back to me.”

“Fine. Come with me.”

Debangi tensed up on seeing Mukundo follow Mohima. But she put up her usual smile and welcomed them. She also called her husband to join them.

“Please sit down, Didi,” she addressed Mohima, “I will bring some tea. I was about make some for ourselves.”

“Tea can wait, Debangi. I have something more urgent to discuss with you.”

Debangi would have liked to bolt, but she knew that the discussion was inevitable. She sat down. Debendra Banerjee had also joined them by then. Mohima noticed him throwing an accusatory glance at his wife.

“Debangi. I will not beat around the bush. I hope I have the right to ask why you made that call to Piyali. It scared her, and all of us. I want to know what your objection to Mukundo and Piyali’s relationship is. But more importantly, even if you had an objection, you could have told that to her or us calmly. Why that threat?”

Debangi stayed silent for a long time, her eyes glued to the floor in a manner that reminded Mukundo of Piyali. But he was restless and felt like shaking her hard. Finally, she spoke, “It will not be the right thing, Didi. And telling you why can destroy everything we have.”

“You are not worried about their age-difference? Or money?”

She shook her head.

“Debangi. I beg of you. I am a mother just like you. And in years now, I haven’t seen anything or anyone that will make Mukundo happy like Piyali does. And Piyali is happy too. Why then—Debendra Babu. You must speak, if she won’t.”

He addressed his wife, instead of Mohima, “If you are so hell bent upon making it an issue, then you can’t keep it quiet. They deserve to know.”

“I love her as much as you do,” Debangi replied, “But does that mean we can dupe people who have been our savior?”

Debendra threw his hands up in exasperation. “Then tell them, and let them decide if they care. You can’t think it’s important, and at the same time keep everyone in the dark.”

“Kaki,” Mukundo spoke this time, “Please tell us. You have no idea what state I have left Piyali in. She is confused and terrified. She doesn’t know what has hit her and nor do I. I had hoped to tell all of you in a more graceful situation, but now it is all out. In whatever haphazard way. I love her and I can’t think of any reason which will prevent me from marrying her. I don’t need to tell you this; you know that we don’t care about the money–”

“We don’t have the money, Mukundo. But our blood is no less pure than yours. Piyali, on the other hand… She is not our daughter!”

“What?” Mohima and Mukundo reacted in chorus.

“Not our biological daughter,” Debendra clarified, shooting a dagger eye at his wife, who was now in tears.

“How is that possible?” Mukundo blurted.

Debendra Banerjee took over the conversation from there and explained. Piyali’s father was a politically powerful man in Debendra’s village. But she was an illegitimate child born of a poor servant woman. The father had wanted the woman, whom he had forced into a sexual relationship, to abort the child. But the woman had lied to him and disappeared from his household in time to hide her growing pregnancy. The village midwife had helped her deliver, when the time came, but the woman in died in the process. On the same day Debangi had lost her first child soon after being born. Midwife had brought the newborn girl to her and the bereaved parents had immediately decided to adopt and raise her as their own. Taken to her biological father, she would definitely have suffered death.

Mukundo cursed under his breath, then said, “Piyali can’t know this.”

Debangi wiped her tears and spoke with difficulty, “But she will have to. After this.”

“Why?”

“Her father wasn’t even Hindu and her mother–”

“You are her mother, and Debendra Kaku is her father. I don’t care.”

Debangi shook her head, “I have always dreaded the day we will have to think about her marriage. I won’t say we wouldn’t have lied to someone else. But not to you.”

Exasperated, Mukundo looked at his mother, “Ma! Tell her that we don’t care. Why doesn’t she understand?”

Mohima gulped hard, “We should speak to your Baba, Mukundo.”

“Well, speak to him. Sure. But I am not changing my mind. You had given me leave to marry whosoever I wanted, right? Did I ever guarantee that I will bring a Hindu Brahmin daughter-in-law for you?”

“No. You didn’t.” Mohima acquiesced, but still looked confounded.

“Didi,” Debangi said, “He isn’t thinking straight. But Piyali has to live with what she is. It isn’t your responsibility to– We should perhaps have told you about this beforehand. But honestly, I had never imagined it would come to this.”

Mohima nodded.

“None of you are thinking straight,” Mukundo growled, “I will speak to Baba myself.” He turned on his heels and left.

Debendra, who had been silently observing everyone’s reactions, followed him out and spoke to him. “I would never expect anything else from you, Mukundo. And I am very happy that you think the way you do. But if your parents are even least bit uncomfortable about this, you must understand that we can’t go against them.”

Mukundo nodded. Mohima came out and they left together.

To be continued

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2 thoughts on “Her Final Home (Part 14)

  1. Haizzzzzzz…what a twist yaar! PIyali’s birth secret is out…but what does it matter? They brought her up from the time that she was born…There is no necessity to bring this up to her now and make her whole existence meaningless and as though she does not belong…why should an innocent child pay for her so called parents mistakes? Utter nonsense! I really hope that Mukundo Babu’s parents have no objections to Piyali’s parentage…So that there is no need for Piyali to know the truth of her parentage as it will break her…But if Mukundo Babu’s parents even have the slightest discomfort…Mukundo Babu should stand up for his love and make his life with Piyali…Despite any objections from whomsoever…

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