Her Quondam Lover (Part 1)

Kishore’s room bathed in the basking glory of the gleaming sun and the freshness of the morning that made him happy. He pulled a chair from his study to the balcony and wanted to concentrate on the day’s edition of “The Telegraph”. He could not as his mind wandering over the success or failure of his recent book that released a month back. He had still not heard anything from the publisher yet.

Trrrrriiing…….Trrrrrrriiing.

“Who could be at this hour?” He thought while getting up from his chair.

“Hello”

Mr Bose from Falcon publishing house was on the line. They had been generous enough to publish Kishore’s much coveted writing.

“Mr Mukherjee.” Mr Bose’s enthusiastic voice made Kishore a little anxious. Kishore didn’t realize but his heart beat increased suddenly and body went stiff.

“Yes Mr Bose. Tell me”

“Congratulations…Good News Sir… Your book is getting awesome response. All the copies have already been sold out, and the major book shops are asking for reprint.”

Kishore felt his body relaxing after the news. His heart beat coming to normal.

“Ohh that is great news. Thanks Mr Bose for telling me this. I was little anxious about the result.”

“Yes Yes. I can understand Mr Mukherjee and that’s why, the first thing I did is, call you after getting the news.”

“Ohh Thank you. It was really nice of you.”

“Mr Mukherjee…I have another reason as well. Can you come down to our office today? Falcon publishing house wants to take this relationship a little further with some more projects with you.”

“Ohh sure…I will be there in another hour or two.”

Kishore put the receiver down after saying bye. He felt the morning was even more beautiful. He went to the balcony and sat down wanting to savour the moment. He could see his long cherished dream coming true. He checked the calendar. It was16^th, all his important days in his life was on 16^th. He smiled at the thought even though he was not a superstitious person.

Just when he was about to leave, a postman came and dropped a postcard on his door.

He picked it up and checked the address.

16, Mitra House.

Behala

He turned the postcard to find just two lines in small and girlish handwriting.

How are you? Remember Me?

Piyali Roy (Mitra)

He felt a sudden blankness in his heart. A face came up in front of his eyes. But mind always think in terms of possibilities and he being a rational person himself, discarded the thought. But then who if not her? He had never known any other Piyali Roy in his entire life.

He kept the postcard in his pocket and left for Falcon publishing house.

On his way back home, he bought couple of postcards, even though he was not sure of replying. He found himself replying that very night.

I think I know you, but not very sure. Are you from Jadavpur High School?

Regards,

Kishore Mukherjee.

After two days, when he returned home in the evening saw another postcard lying in front of his door.

Yes I am the same Piyali. Thank you so much that you still remember me. It’s been too long a time to remember someone. So how are you doing lately?

–Piyali

He could not stand in the room any more, his entire body sweating profusely. Kishore went and stood in the balcony staring at the sky. The full moon shined brightly lighting up the otherwise dark and dull Baranagar area. He re read those two lines multiple times in the moonlight. He could still feel the emotions that he felt 10 years ago. It seemed as if a hot cake was baked and buried deep inside the ground 10 years ago in a safe box. Someone poured loads and loads of sand on top of it to hide it from the normal view. Now suddenly it has been dug out of the ground. The cake is still fresh and hot now as it was at that time.

The beautiful face with broad soft cheeks and long curled hair hovered in front of his eyes. Piyali Roy was the moon of Jadavpur High school, as beautiful and bright as the real one. After so many years he can still feel himself like those tiny dots in the sky trying to possess a slice of the moon but too small and insignificant to matter.

Kishore was in class 8^th when he first saw her. She came to his class to meet one his fellow classmate.

He had liked her at once but never did he realised then that her beautiful gleaming eyes and bright smile was there to stay with him for years to come. He was a small thin timid guy who could never muster enough courage to speak to her and in last he left the school after his class 10^th and when she was in class 9^th.

Years after when he tried to enquire about her, found, she had already been married. He had felt the pain, a kind of emptiness in his heart that day but went along with his life totally forgetting her in due course till that day when he got her postcard.

That night standing on his balcony he again felt the aroma of his first love.

Next day he replied again.

Yes I do remember you. Just that never thought of getting a postcard from you though. It was really nice to hear from you after so many years. Hope you are well and happy in your life.

–Kishore

It’s been a week now, and each day after returning home he would look for a postcard. He would reiterate the words he had written and try to analyse each and every line for its meaning and hidden meanings. He could not find anything wrong with what he wrote, but there was a delay in the reply. He felt as anxious for a reply now as he used to feel for her sight years ago. She must be busy in her own house hold chores to care about Kishore and reply to his whimsy letter, he reasoned himself. Next day, after returning to his home in the evening he found another postcard lying in front of his door.

I am good and married for past 8 years. How are aunt and your sister? Hope they are doing well. It’s been such a long time. Thanks to your publisher who gave me your address and other details. I read your book. It was awesome. I really liked it. I saw your pic behind your book. Gosh you have not changed at all. Still the same.

Take care

Piyali

He was surprised by the fact that she noticed him and knew him and his family as well. He was blithely elated by the very thought of getting accepted of his existence by an angelic figure, a seraphic beauty whom he had never imagined would consider him to be a part of her lovely world even if in just some passing thoughts.

Now that he knows that she knew him, his heart filled with joy thinking she had read her book and appreciated it as well. A fact that boosted his confidence more than the contract of next three projects with falcon publishers.

That night he tried writing back to her, but could not get enough words to put on paper. He wanted to meet her, see her, and hear her and that too badly.

(Contd below….)

Her Quondam Lover (Part 2)

Next afternoon, he was searching for Mitra house 26, Behala road. It took couple of enquiries to figure our the Mitra house, a three storey building although little dilapidate with time, but still the grandeur of an bygone era spoke through those walls. He was not sure what he was doing, nor had any idea what he was going to say if someone opens the door.

 

He knocked the door. A female voice enquired.

“Key…?  Who is there??”

 

Kishore was relived hearing the voice; it was still the same, a soft soothing vox. He did not reply anything.

 

Piyali opened the door.

 

A girl of fifteen disguised in women of twenty five, those twinkling bright eyes, her cherub chicks, her soft curled lips and long flowing hair. Beauty has showered herself more on her with passing time. She was wearing a lemon yellow silk saree and that made her beauty bloom like flowers just after the monsoon.

 

“Hi….do you recognize me. Kishore”

 

“Hiiiiiiiiii…” Her face lightened up seeing Kishore.

 

“What a surprise. How could you find up the place. I was just thinking of you only, whether you got the postcard or not. Ohh sorry… sorry… Please…please come inside.”

 

Kishore went inside. Lavishness and prosperity was evident from every corner of the house. Well decorated room with artefact chosen with much care.

 

“It seems you have proved to be a great wife. I must say your choice is very good.”

 

Kishore remarked on her well decorated living room.

 

“I am just trying to be one. You have to ask my husband how much successful I am in that. Please have a seat. Let me get you some water. This place is quite far from your house and its quite hot outside.”

 

Kishore wanted to say, it did not matter how far her house is. He would have taken the pain to go to a totally different city also in case that was required. But he didn’t say anything.

 

“So tell me, how are you? It’s been such a long time that we met each other. A lot must have happened in your life. Tell me in details. ”

 

Piyali tried to start the conversation while handing him the glass of water.

 

“Nothing much, I left Jadavpur High school after 10^th and went to Delhi. After my graduation, I took up a job but my heart was always in writing. So eventually I quit my job and now I am a full time writer.”

 

 

“I loved your book. It is just awesome.” She said indicating the blue covered book on the shelf. He could see his own picture on the back side of the book. It took him days to finalize this picture to be published behind the book. He has seen it millions of times but today, the picture looked new to him. May be he saw it from her point of view.

 

The voice of Piyali awakened him.

 

“What happened, you got lost seeing your own picture” She giggled.

 

“You look really handsome in that pic. Many girls must have fallen for you after reading such a lovely story and more than that seeing such a handsome writer.”

 

Kishore blushed hearing all these. He wanted to change the topic.

 

“So you tell me something about you. About your life after I left.” Kishore said.

 

 “What you want to hear? My life has been quite simple. After you left, when I was in class 12^th my father died. It was a difficult time for us and our area being not that a good place; it became all the very difficult for my family. So my mother thought it would be better to marry me off and I married Rajat. It’s been eight long years now that I am married. That’s it. Nothing much in my life.”

 

A sadness gripped Piyali’s eyes speaking all these and she avoided gaze with Kishore.

 

“Hey I will bring you some ginger tea. I know you used to like it when you were in school. Not sure if you still have the same likings or it changed.”

 

Kishore was surprised to hear that.

 

“You noticed me so much that you know my choices as well!!!!!! I am really surprised and happy to hear that. No I do not change my likings so often. I still love the ginger tea”

 

“Then you are a lucky chap today. I will get you some home baked cake as well. Another thing that you loved like anything”

 

Piyali laughed and went to kitchen. Kishore felt a sense of pride and belonging speaking to her. He could not stop thinking about her and her words. It seemed little weird that they were chatting for the first time. It felt they knew each other from years and just they are catching up on their old days.

 

He got up from the chair and went to kitchen behind Piyali.

 

“So what your husband does? Yours in laws seems to be a quite rich family.”

 

“Yes that’s there. My father in law was a very successful barrister so being rich was easy to them. Rajat works for a multi national company as Vice President and naturally that keeps him busy as well.”

 

Kishore could feel sarcasm in her voice but didn’t say anything.

 

“So you tell, what’s happening in your life. When are you going to get married?”

 

Kishore blushed again but answered honestly.

 

“My Mom is looking for one but nothing has been finalised yet. Let’s see when anything materializes.”

 

They came to the drawing room with the tea and the cake. Suddenly Piyali asked something that startled both of them.

 

“So Kishore what made you bring here. You never spoke to me when we were in school?”

 

Kishore was taken aback by the question. He himself didn’t know what brought him here. All he knew was that he wanted to see her, talk to her now and say whatever he missed saying when he should have said them. But those things do not hold true now. She is happily married and there is no point saying all these now. Still he felt little tinge in his heart as if something is boiling inside. He felt a sudden courage in himself to say and do things that he had never thought of his forte.

 

He took out the cigarette from his pocket.

 

“Can I smoke?”

 

 

She picked the ashtray and put in front of him without saying anything. She constantly stared him and that made Kishore little nervous. He puffed nervously and the puff puffed his nerves.

 

Kishore looked down and said slowly, his voice trembling.

 

“I loved you a lot when I was in school and after so many years I still feel the same Piyali. I could not help but say this to you. I am sorry.”

 

The sound echoed in the entire room and then suddenly everything was silent. He could not take his head up and kept staring at her feet. She did not say anything. The silence prevailed and prevailed, god knows for how long. A tiny droplet of tear touched her feet. He looked up to see her eyes were red, and her cheek wet with teardrops. She was crying profusely. Her big bright eyes looked much bigger in the tear drops. He did not know what to say, and went near her and hold her hand. She cupped his palm so tightly that he felt her nails on his skin. They stayed like that for who knows how long, they could have stayed like that for years.

 

She looked at him, in his eyes.

 

“I tried to find out about you when you left the school. But no one knew about your whereabouts. I tried searching for you in all the colleges after my 12^th and when they wanted to marry me off. But then also I couldn’t find you. Finally after so many years, when I am married with a family of my own I saw your name in the book shop. I could not help but find out your address and write to you. I never thought you ever felt for me. I just wanted to speak to you once Kishore. I just wanted to find out how are you and what are you doing in life.”

 

Kishore hold her face in his palms and looked deep into her eyes. She continued.

 

“Why Kishore…why? Why you came back here now and said those things to me and making me go so weak now. I still love you Kishore. I could never love anyone as much as I loved you.”

 

Tears kept rolling down her dark eyes. Kishore felt his own eyes going wet. He recalled last time he cried was when he had left the school. They sat there embracing each other in silence.

 

It’s in the power of silence…that two souls can touch each other.

 

They touched each other that afternoon.