The Paper Chit

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The paper chit 

Newly wedded. Yesterday she entered the new house with the sprinkle of colours and flowers with her love Avinash. New house.. new people.. new crowds.. new parents.. and a new life to step in. Fear filled excitement, a new feeling she is yet to explore.
Overcrowded surrounding, Non agreeable in laws and never ending rituals have somehow made Aditi already to miss her home which she had bought and gifted her parents. Aditi’s parents have only one motto in life, to give world’s every happiness to their only daughter Aditi. She is their world. The only world. From LKG to Medical.. her every little wish was fulfilled before they had even appered in her lips. The day Avinash said “your parents are my responsibility” was the moment she surrendered her life in his hands and agreed to tie the knot to her 6 year’s love as she knew it clearly that he would take care of her parents more than she could ever do.
Avinash.. a gentle man. only son of his parents. Man of words and a doctor as well. He supported aditi in every moment of her life irrespective of all the odds that his parents had created raising the caste and status issues before their marriage. A billionaire’s stubborn son and a teacher’s simple daughter and their humming warm love story.
Since yesterday she is inside her red veil. Heavy jewelries. 15 kgs red saree. Twenty people are always around. Every hour there is a new ritual ! The suffocating atmosphere and knee length veil has forced aditi to check her own pulse a couple of times to know if she is still alive ! 2 days are down. it seemed as if the rituals wil take 200 more years to finish… The hazy red scenery of the surrounding people through the red veil was the only view she has been seeing for the last 30 hours with her empty starving stomach. Not eaten since more than a day. Nobody even asked once if she is hungry. Same situation for Avinash as well. He is too starving and veiled with the customs and rituals. His helpless face and dull smile from far were the only diving strength Aditi was stil sitting with a smile and trying to cope with all these unwanted, unpleasant and unpredictable situations.
But now the hunger has started to poke her patience. Foodless stomach and heartless traditions were at their best form. Same with Avinash as well. But the helpless couple were trying their best and hoping the hunger storm to pass soon. They have not talked to each other even once since their marriage. The silent, grave and guilty eyes from far were conveying zillion feelings to the red vailed eyes at the other end. 
Suddenly came a harsh voice ,“Now the couple should go to the worship room together !” The crowd started fading slightly. She was made to proceed with bells and flowers to the worship room. She sat there silently. Other relatives came out to work on the next ceremony.
Suddenly… like swirling cyclone Avinash rushed in and locked the door. Ran to aditi and hugged her tightly with his guilt filled heart. Removed her vail.. looked to her teary eyes and said, 

“ Am sorry aditi. I really don’t know how to…. anyway forget it. You first eat this halwa. ” He made her sit on the chair. He sat on the floor. And started feeding her the halwa he had got from kitchen hidindly in his golden kurta. She started eating without even uttering a single word. But her eyes were speaking what the halwa bound lips couldn’t. Unstoppable tears were endlessly rolling silently from HIS eyes.He was lost in a heavenly pleasure while feeding her new bride. She was smiling. He was crying. No words. No talks. Yet a priceless silent conversation was getting witnessed by the walls.
Both finished the halwa. Empty plate on hand and priceless smiles on face were the evidence of a world war won recently ! Before he opens the door she leaned on him and said , “ Thank you Avi. Only you could understand my hunger.” Somebody already started knocking the door. While opening the door he replied,“ Aditi ! I was just the mediator to get the food. Someone kept the halwa in kitchen and left this paper note”. He gave her the small paper chit. It read “Give Aditi the halwa fast ! ”. He continued ,“ I just grabbed it and ran honey. Don’t know who is this Godly person to do this unforgettable gestute .” Though his heart was not agreeing but stil he doubted ,“May be its Mom. Don’t know but….” 
He opened the door to the ruthless crowd which ran inside with their limitless enthusiasm to start the next ritual…
With a confused mind he left with the doubt within “ Did mom really start caring for aditi ? She hates her for no reasons. She was the one who opposed their marriage to the maximum. No….. it can’t be her. Then who it is? ”
The confused brain was about to rest… suddenly he rose to the thought of ,“ Is it Dad?” He started feeling the joy of HER acceptance but his well experienced brain straight away rejected saying ,“ It can be anyone but not Dad ! ” His ego and his arrogance had once made Avinash to leave his home for a couple of days reason being the friends he is close to are poor. 
He sat on the sofa. Simi was smiling at him. His younger sister Simi. But way apart from his brother. She had demanded once if Aditi comes to their house she would stop tying rakhi to Avinash forever. But her innocent smile was leading him to a hopeful landing. Before he even conveys the confused brain’s confusing logic to her, She said ,“ What dear brother ? Heard you locked the door from inside? Wait… wil tell mom tomorrow… Not cool haan ! Guests are all around. Be in your dignity..” Gave him a cunning smile and left. He immediately came down from the emotional hang over which mistakenly had occupied a small place in his hopeful brain.
The lost mind tired from the emotional stress now started ignoring the matter and tried searching for a long lost piece of peace.
But the euphoric brain was not ready to settle down without solving this mysterious puzzle. The pleasure of feeding his new bride was so rich that his restless mind was not getting consoled without saying a thanks note to the person of credit. The matter kept swirling rounds and rounds within.
Then… Like a surprise… His curious mind started feeling the presence of Aditi’s parents around. His exhausted eyes started essencing the presence of his in laws. He has always been showered with endless love and affections by Aditi’s parents. Their unconditional love for him and Aditi has started to bias his heart to make him believe that they are somewhere around and such lovely gesture could only be possible by them. His anxious eyes started searching for them all around. He got up and ran from room to room. 

“ Papa mama.. are you here?” … “Were they supposed to come today ?”…“Did anyone receive them? ”

He was lost in such confusing thoughts.The mobile started ringing. The display read Mom-in-law calling… “Abhi! How are you ?Hows Aditi ? We wil come to meet you after 3 days. It seems like a year since….” .So it was not Aditi’s parents who kept the food as they are still states apart !

Then who is this mysterious person ???
Some hours went by. He was stil lost in this unsolved puzzle. Suddenly.. he got up and screamed,“ Oh…my..God !” He ran to the worship room. Aditi was surrounded with relatives and some ritual was already on. The paper chit was lying on the table. He took the chit and read it again. His pounding heart was confused to Whether drop tears or shine smiles on lips ! He read the chit again and again ! How did he fail to recognise the handwriting of the person who has been writing him love letters since 6 years ! It was Aditi’s handwriting. 
That was the moment when he realized that eighty percent of the halwa what he had brought was fed to HIS hungry stomach ! When he was busy showing his unstoppable emotions to his new bride with the halwa plate in hands, Aditi was busy feeding her love’s hungry stomach ! His teary eyes were peeping to the smiling eyes through the red veil. The smart woman had succeded to fill his husband’s stomach amidst all the unfavorable situations. Putting all the fear aside… Keeping all the rituals behind… Going against his mom’s wish yet again.. Ignoring the crowd.. He screamed, “Everyone please leave for a while. My wife is hungry .”
– Dr Rajkumar Patra

        17/04/17.