Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Tithy's P.O.V.

Entering home, I found Api talking to Ma in her room. I was about to enter into the room when I heard Ma asking Api, "What did you say?"

Api didn’t answer instantly. I was wondering what was going on here then I heard Api saying, "I am ready to get married to Tamim."

I could clearly see it in her face that she was not happy with her own decision as if she was terribly forced to take the decision.

But hearing Api's decision, Ma was utterly happy. She happily hugged Api and said, “I am so happy for you. Tamim is a good guy, Roshni. He will keep you happy.”

Api hugged Ma back but kept totally silent. Leaving Ma, api turned and saw me standing by the door.

Seeing me, she came forward and asked me, “Everything okay? Why are you this late?”

“Ruhaan Sir suddenly fell sick and I couldn't leave him alone in office” I replied and Ma asked me, “You did right, sweetie. How is he now?”

“Now he is better and his brother came there earlier,” I said with a sad expression.

Api got near me and said, “You must be tired now. Go freshen up and rest for some time.”

I left from there nodding and went to my room. After getting freshen up, I made ablution and said my prayer. After that, I felt hungry but I was not feeling like eating as the exhausted and tired face of Ruhaan sir was bothering me.

But Api forced me to take dinner anyhow. After dinner, I came back to my room and lied on the bed while thinking about him.

Api got on the bed and lied beside me. When she found me lying without a book in hand, she asked me, “Tithy, you okay?”

And I went on saying, “I am okay Api. Actually, I am thinking about Ruhaan sir. He has not been doing well. I have been observing this since the day, I joined there.

Most of the time he looks gloomy. I even saw him shedding tears. You know he loves his sister very much just like you love me. But she is no more. He sometimes ends up calling me by her name. Her name was Titly. Isn't the name quite unique, Api?”

When Api wasn't answering me, I turned to her only to find her almost asleep.

I covered her with blanket properly and went on with my thought about Ruhaan sir and fell asleep eventually.

Author’s P.O.V.

When Tithy left the cabin, Ruhaan and Shaan kept silent for a while. Then Shaan turned to Ruhaan and spoke up, “Lets go home, vai. You need to rest.”

Without looking at Shaan, Ruhaan got up and left the cabin. Shaan followed him upto the car. Then he again spoke up, “I will drive, vai. You should take the back seat. You can rest there.”

Ruhaan looked at him and smiled a little. He hopped in Shaan’s car and closed his eyes leaning on the back seat while Shaan started driving towards home.

Arriving home, they got down and went inside. Ruhaan went directly to his room whereas Shaan kept following him up to the upstairs then he turned to the room of Titly.

He entered the room in slow steps. Switching on the light, he kept looking around the room for a while. Then he got near the bed and opened the drawer of the bed side table and found the box he was looking for.

He took the box out and kept looking at the smiling picture of Titly hanging on the wall with teary eyes.

He remained like that for a while then he went to Ruhaan’s room keeping the box in his pocket.

Ruhaan was sitting on the bed leaning back on it. Entering the room, Shaan got near him and sat on the bed facing him and said, “Vai, you should sleep now.”

Ruhaan looked at his concerned face and said, “Shaan, I am okay now. Don't worry.”

Shaan tried to say something again only to get cut off by Ruhaan, “But vai”

“Shaan, I said I am okay. You please go now. Uncle must be waiting for you and you should also live your life now. Please move on, yaar.” Ruhaan tried to convince Shaan once again but got dumbstruck at what Shaan did then.

Mrs. Ayesha's P.O.V.

.

I was getting tired of my own behavior towards Roshni. I never pushed her for anything. But after my operation and Tithy's accident, she has been trying to take care of everything on her own.

She totally forgot about her own life as if taking care of Tithy and me was the only thing in her life.

Whenever I tried to talk to her about her marriage, she ignored that topic and started moving on with another.

But when Tamim's mother came to me with the marriage proposal for her, I gave it a serious thought.

Tamim is the only guy with whom I saw Roshni getting along for three years.

At first I thought they were in some kind of relationship but when I came to know it was nothing but friendship for Roshni and on the contrary Tamim likes her, I started trying to push her more for marriage.

I thought of Tamim as a good guy because as much as I know, Roshni would never get along a wrong person.

If she is not willing to get married to Tamim, I don’t have a problem. But she has to choose one now or I will do it for her.

As I knew if I don’t behave like this, Roshni will continue to live her whole life while just taking care of us.

And being her mother, I can't bear to see her life spend like this.

Thinking like that, I took the photo frame which was of my husband’s picture. If he would have been alive, I wouldn’t need to worry for the things like this.

I didn’t know when tears made their way out of my eyes until Roshni came to me.

I kept staring at her for a while then again composing myself I yelled at her and to my utter surprise she agreed to marry Tamim.

In the dinning table, Roshni was all silent.

While lying in bed I kept thinking about it.

Though I was very happy with Roshni's decision but the thing did not look the same for her but I couldn’t figure it out what was she worried for.

Was it just about leaving us behind according to her or something else?

I was very sure if I would ask her question, she would never tell if it’s something else.

Going on like that I didn’t know when I fell asleep.

☣

Ruhaan's P.O.V.

I tried to convince Shaan to move on only to get dumbstruck at what he did then.

He took out a packet from his pocket. I could remember the packet by just looking at it for once.

The color of the packet which was once white had turned into reddish black.

Taking out the ring from it, Shaan hold it in front of me and whisperingly said, "See vai, it's still sparkling."

I took the ring in my hand. While caressing it with love, a small but sad smile occupied my lips.

In no time along with the smile, tears also made their way from my eyes when they caught the sight of reddish black packet of the ring again.

An innocent face came to my mind which was almost covered with blood whispering, "I am sorry."

The memory of that day started playing in his mind once again.

☣

I was getting ready for my varsity when Titly came to me and said, “I am not going to the college today.”

When I gave her a questioning look, she said, “You know my friend, Alisha? She is coming to meet me today. She got back from abroad for a few days. I want to spend some time with her.”

I remembered Alisha and said, “Alisha, your friend of school days?”, at that she nodded happily.

Alisha and Titly were best friends from school days but her family shifted abroad after that.

“Okay then take care. And don’t go outside. Stay at home. I am leaving for my class.” saying this, I was about to leave for varsity when she spoke up, “But we want to go to the park.”

When I looked at her, she pleaded, “Vai, please.”

“Okay then I will tell Shaan to be there with you guys.” I added but Titly started again.

“No vai. All we will spend our time quarreling then.” she pleaded but looking at my expression she understood that I was in no way allowing her to be there alone.

“Okay.” She agreed while making a pouting face and I left from there with a smile while calling Shaan.

Hearing me, Shaan became very excited. So I asked him, “What’s the matter?”

He was hesitating at first then he spoke up, “Actually, vai yesterday I bought a ring. I wanted to give her but ”“Okay okay. Give it to her.” I stopped him saying further sensing his hesitation and cut off the line smilingly and left for my class.

In class at some point I didn’t know why but I started feeling restless. And when Shaan called me, I answered the call fearfully only to hear my worst imagination come true.

I rushed to that given place only to find a bus and a car standing there all damaged. I immediately recognised the car as ours.

The bus and our car looked like  a crash was happened very badly between them and front of our car was burnt whereas the front of the bus was damaged terribly. Some bodies were lying there burnt and some were covered with blood.

Then I found Shaan crying loudly holding a body that was all fractured and covered with blood.

I looked around and found our driver standing there while crying silently. When I looked at him, he spoke up between his cry, “Sir, the engine was all heated up. I got down to get water. I told Titly Maam to stay inside the car but she didn’t. The break of this bus was broken and they got crashed badly.”

I looked at  Shaan and with a fearful voice, I uttered, “Shaan?”

He looked at me with teary eyes and uttered, “I am sorry, Vai.”

I again looked at the body he was holding and sat right there with a thud and screamed, “Noooo!”

When the body was taken for DNA test to identify the person, though I knew it was Titly but deep in my heart I couldn’t believe it.

When Shaan and me stood up to go to the hospital with the body, a box of white colour fell on the blood from Shaan's pocket.

Soon the colour of the packet turned red. Shaan kept staring at that and tears again started flowing from his eyes.

He grabbed the packet which was covered with blood by that time and we went to the hospital. None of us was speaking a word but tears was spontaneously rolling down from our eyes.

Then out of nowhere Mahmud Uncle came to the hospital and seeing us, he came forward and asked, “Where is Titly?”. When no one of us uttered anything, he went to meet the doctor.

Though we knew, we kept praying to hear the person wasn’t Titly whose body was brought with us but when the doctor came in front of us with the DNA test result, it was all over.

☣

Remembering all this, I screamed again, “Nooo” as I was feeling like seeing all that happening in front of me right then.

Whereas Shaan kept staring at the packet and tears was escaping from his eyes constantly like that day...