The jeep sped through the undulating clay road, leaving a lot of memories behind, along with it's tyre tracks.
Bondita lay quietly in the backseat with her head on Anirudh's lap. Her eyes could trace the green tree tops and the sky, dreaming about her upcoming life.
The last two days were the best days of her life, the reminisce of which she still bore in her body as a sweet pain.
Anirudh was caressing her hair constantly as his left arm snaked around her lying frame.
She had tried to remove his hand, but the grip had only tightened every time.

"What if you roll down the seat?" He had hushed as Bondita looked up at him with a defeated expression in her large eyes.
"I'm not a child..."

The silence of the journey was broken by Trilochan kaka as he sighed a breath of relief.
"Had Lachman not telephoned me from the hospital, I wouldn't have even known about this situation." He paused. "It's your habit to get into such mess Anirudh, but now I'm warning you never to drag my bahu in all this!"

"Kaka... This was completely unforeseen and we...."
Trilochan didn't let him finish his sentence.
"Misfortunes and accident are always unforseen Anirudh... It doesn't mean that you will jump into it with your little wife... Look at her face once, all this toil and trouble has taken the last bit of her chirpiness."

Anirudh looked down at Bondita as she pressed a smile in her lips.
"You are enjoying this, aren't you?" He lowered his face a little, whispering the words in her ears.

Anirudh cleared his throat.
"So Davidson, thanks you looking out for us mate." Anirudh thanked him as the superintendent fixed the looking glass, waving a smiling salute to him.
"So tell me... Tell me what happened after we left?"

Davidson steered the wheel expertly taking a sharp turn as he started to speak.

"Your watchman came to my residence along with Dr. Chatterjee around midnight. I had immediately set out with a small force towards the old temple.
Although we didn't find you, but we recovered the gold pin, I believe it belongs to your Missus." He paused eyeing the glass as his glace met Anirudh's.

"The young girl was traumatized beyond measure. The doctor had to keep her in the hospital, but your driver was discharged the next day."

"How is Mira now?" Bondita asked slowly.

"Oh.. she is recovering...I guess! But the good news is we managed to get hold of the goons who attacked you. Local villagers, all paid ones."

"Any idea who might had paid them?" Anirudh asked.

"None... Nada... We're still looking. I'll update you if any lead comes up at all."
Davidson focused his gaze on the front as he took another sharp turn.

"Update or not, you two are not staying here any longer... I have made myself very clear. Once we reach the Banglow, pack your bags and we'll leave for Bengal." A sharp sense of concern mixed with unconditional love and worry was laced in Trilochan's voice.
Anirudh didn't argue, instead he looked down at Bondita tucking a strand of her loose hair behind her ears.

"Barrister Babu... " Bondita spoke softly. " I want to meet Mira once before going to our Banglow."
Anirudh nodded his head in agreement.
"And I'll get you checked medically as well." He murmured reflectively as a sharp pinch made him jump in his seat once again.
"That's never going to happen!" Bondita rolled her eyes sharply this time.

..........................................

Ghanshyam was watering his bulls when the commotion took place. He saw how Anirudh came to the poor man's rescue, he saw how the middle aged Zamindar emerged out from the crowd.
'So Anirudh Babu is a Zamindar!" Ghanashyam was stupified at the abrupt intensity of the moment. He thought about how easily the young man had accomodated himself into his petty lifestyle. An overwhelming emotion had stunned his senses as he saw Anirudh and his wife getting into the luxury jeep.
He had hosted a Zamindar couple and had called them his family. Tears wailed up as his throat choked at the thought of never seeing them again.
He didn't get to bid his farewell even!

Sighing a deep breath he had quietly rode back to his small hut, now empty and lifeless again, without it's newfound liveliness!

He tied his bulls in the shed and went inside the small room...
'Why was it hurting him so much? They were never meant to stay!' He closed his eyes as a drop of tear rolled down his shrunken cheeks.
'But... life goes on!'
He opened his old tin trunk to take out a pair of fresh clothes as his eyes fell on the white sheet of paper neatly folded inside. And in it was a bunch of notes...
Four hundred! He counted again as he eyed the scribbles in the white sheet.
He never went to school, and no one had ever written him a letter.
He clutched the letter to his chest and ran out of the room immediately leaving the tin trunk open, and inside it his four hundred rupees! Nothing mattered more to him at that moment other than knowing what the letter said.

The young village master lived at a distance of about five miles. Old Ghanashyam was panting feverishly when he reached him.
But, once the words in the letter started to take shape, all his efforts seemed worth it!

"Dear Ghanashyam Kaka,

We have no words to express how externally grateful we are to have met you. The way you welcomed us in your beautiful, heavenly abode, we never, even for a moment, felt that we didn't belong here. Rather, it felt so much dearer... As if we were meant to stay here... As if, we were meant to meet you.
Kaka, you called me your son. And, from now onwards, you are my father. So, this son of yours will not hear a no from you. On the 1st of every month, visit the post office and there will be a small token of our love waiting for you.
Don't toil in the sun anymore and take care of your health. (Bondita has clearly instructed me to write this particular sentence.)
I'm keeping something with this letter that would help you fix the kitchen and the backyard.
Also, we promise to come back Kaka... If not soon but we definitely will.
Wait for us, and who knows next time you may get to play with your grandchild as well!
My full name is Anirudh Roy Chowdhury. I'm a Barrister by profession and a Zamindar by birth. The post master will help you if you ever want to write back to us.
Stay well Kaka.

Yours,
Anirudh and Bondita. "

Ghanashyam snatched the letter back from the young master as he pressed it dearly to his heart.
"My son wrote this to me.." he smiled at the man, wiping tears away from his old eyes.

The young village master stood at his porch, smiling, as he saw the old man fading away at a distance, jumping and dancing in joy.
"Love is indeed wonderful!" he murmured, as his eyes too, reflected the joyous emotion that the old man had infected him with.