We reach at the large white painted house which is decorated with many clothes and lights even the tiny plastic flowers. It's 1p.m. and the sun blazes above our heads.

"Wow! That was fast," Agni says as I halt the car in our parking area without answering her. There is something weird going on in me which I can't decipher myself. It never mattered when some girl I liked, touched other guys but with Agni, it feels like someone pouring extra hot cheese on my heart. It's damn sticky.

I bring myself out of the car and see my mom and Aunt Laxmi is heading toward us. I groan inwardly. As my mood is already sour and I have to face the consequences, I decide I'll just take every scolding that's coming my way.

"You both men!" My mom shouts while rest of our family members comes out to see the drama, including our neighbors. Bengali neighbours love to see dramas. It'll make their topics more intriguing to hear then they add spices on it to make it irresistible.

"Is Bratati fine?" Agni asks interrupting my mom's next speech which I'm sure, she has prepared already for me.

"Oh! Agni! Yes, yes. She's fine. But..." she glares at me, "they shouldn't have send them on a bike!"

"It's wasn't their idea. It was mine and Bratati's as we didn't want you guys to have bad omen for one year," she says which earns a perplexed face from my mom and Aunt Laxmi.

Both of our mom's are very ritualistic and will not let any harm come when it comes to good omen of the household.

"Err... That's quite a good idea. They have reached on perfect timing and the rest of the rituals are completed as well."

"That's great! Now, aunty, I'm hungry. Let's have lunch." Agni grabs them and goes inside which saves us from our lectures. Dev sighs beside me while a smile tugs on my lips.

However, the images of her holding Daud's arms flash before my eyes and the smile vanishes.

*****

The whole family and guests are only talking about Batati's mind blowing entrance. They haven't expected it and they had no idea, Bratati is as cool as her elder sister. Both of the sisters are surrounded by everyone and engaged in various topics.

Dev and I enter while Dev goes up to have lunch, I decide I'll just take a shower.

A few of the guests are having lunch on the roof where we have arranged a pandal with chairs and tables for this purpose. Rest of them have gone to their homes and our family members are in their rooms.

My room is on the second wing on the left side of the house. I go there to change my sweat stricken serwani.

Unfortunately, this house hasn't personal bathrooms attached to their rooms like I have in my apartment in Mumbai. I take my clothes and go to the bathroom, taking my time in the hot shower to wash off the stickiness. Huffing, I try to wash off the images which are bothering me for a while when a clicking sound reaches me.

I freeze as the clicking sound isn't of a door but of a certain door.

I look behind and see Agni is entering the bathroom while headphones on her ears.

Have I forgotten to lock the door?

She looks up, our gazes meet, then her eyes fell down on a certain area and her headphones fell on the tarmac with a thud before the plugs coming out of her phone and the song echoes 'Baar baar dekho, hazaar baar dekho, ye dekhne ki chiz hai, hamara dilruba.'¹ and a gasp escapes from her mouth before turning it into a scream.

I jump toward her and place my hands on her mouth to refrain her from screaming. Her scream comes in muffled voices as I press my hands further. The house is full with people and I don't know who are near us. It will get complicated and I don't have any desire to make my life complicated when it already is.

"Shh! Don't shout! Don't shout!" I hiss, my heart thumping on my ears.

She huffs with wide eyes, I see panic in them and I move my hands away from her mouth.

"Why-why didn't you lock the door?" She hush-yells at me when my hands are either side of her, trapping her inside my cocoon.

"I forgot!" I hush.

"You forgot? That's really not a good thing to forgot."

"I know. I'm sorry. In my apartment, I didn't need to lock it as I have separate bathroom but here...it's a common bathroom."

Then we hear a few footsteps nearing us as they are talking with each other in whisper. Agni taps on her screen and the song pauses. We both keep our silence. We stay in this position for a while like, I, trapping her between my chest and the door (still naked) and Agni sweating like a burner is beneath her feats. We don't want to be found out in this situation.

The close proximity makes my heart hammer against my chest and I no longer know why am I scared. Is it the closeness, or, she just saw me naked or, the two footsteps we are hearing just stand by the door?

"I'm thinking the same but she's such a good girl." The voice I hear makes my blood run cold.

It's my mom.

Sweat starts to appear in bids even though I was wet, I become wetter.

"But we should not allow her to the last ritual. She might bring forth bad omen," another voice says which I fail to recognize.

Both Agni and I stay put while our breathes fell on each other, creating thousands of lighting in our bellies. Our breathing feels so loud that I'm afraid, mom will hear it.

"I don't know Sulekha. But being divorced, I don't think, she could bring forth bad omen," Aunt Laxmi says.

If we have been silent before, we become more silent than before with the addition of stiffness.

"How could you guys are so silly? She's divorced and we can't let her get near Bratati. It might...it might make Angshu and Bratati's future just like hers." Sulekha the gossip queen. My blood begin to boil in my veins and I become furious. However, I realize, Agni is listening the same things and she hasn't been moving at all.

My heart feels a pang like a knife cut through it and I whisper, "Agni?"

I don't care if anyone hears us but, what they have been discussing was utter hogwash and full of superstitious. No person is responsible for other's bad omen. It is entirely on the decision of the person if they will have a good future or, a bad one.

Her eyes shoot up and I feel my brows cease together. They become a lot colder than before and there isn't any emotions in them. It feels like she's becoming more distant. She's rebuilding her walls and becoming a person who isn't her.

I bite my lips.

"I'm going. Take your time." She turns around and leaves and I know my mom, aunt Laxmi and Sulekha are still present there.

I clench my teeth and decide, I'll make sure to have a personal talk with them.

*****

It's 3p.m. and I run around the house unable to find Agni. Bratati hasn't been able to track her down through call as she isn't picking up and Angshu is tensed as well.

Nobody knows about the conversation and I have only said it to Bratati and Angshu.

"Did you find her?" I ask Angshu who stand near the entrance of Bratati's room while the door is closed. It's Kaalratri* and the married couple can't see each other so Bratati asks from behind the door, "Has she taken her bike?"

"No! I went to the parking lot and her bike is still there," I answer.

"I had no clue she's divorced," Angshu says a bit guilty coating his voice, "I should talk with mom about this."

"She's been bearing this kind of things all along after her divorce. Nobody wants her to engage in rituals and she's being left out alone." I could hear Bratati's voice is breaking.

"I had fight for her in my house when the pandit and the other aunties asked her to leave," she tells what happened on their house. It's same as here. They think divorced and widowed women should not engage in rituals as they can effect the good omen. That's the narrow thinking of previous generations, which needs to be stopped.

Then we hear a bang on the door. It must be Bratati punching as we both step back as Angshu asks, "Err... Bratati, are you alright?"

"I feel like punching someone," comes a reply over the door and we gulp.

"It's okay, I'll handle everything," Angshu says to calm her down as we don't want Bratati to become an angry lioness, breaking everyone's bones and door, that is.

"It's all because of that Suresh!" A hoarse voice comes and my heart aches and I don't know where she is then a thought clicks on my mind.

"I'll find her and let you guys know." I leave them immediately to the roof.

I go up to the roof and it's empty, my heart has running faster than a rocket and I chew on my lips. Where she could be?

I tilt my head as confusion devoures me and press my temples when our big water tank captures my view. It's made with cement and it's big enough to sit on it. She can't be there, can she?

I argue with myself and given her attitude, she can be there.

I look for a ladder but there isn't one available. The only way, one could crawl on it the railing of the roof. I look down from the railing and it's three storey down as my palms start seating with the height.

She can't be there...

"What are you doing?" A voice startle me and I look up, there is indeed Agni, standing on the tank.

"What are you doing up there?" I ask with a hoarse voice and anger slowly catching up on it.

She brings out her hand where a cigarette is half inhaled.

"How did you get up?" I ask.

"By the railing."

"Are you insane?" Now my voice reaches high pitch as this could be dangerous and she could have fallen from the railing.

She scoffs with a cold smile, her eyes are devoid of any emotions.

"Come down, right now!" I order and she nods.

She throws the cigarette and jumps from the tank to the roof while my breath has caught in my throat and I freeze in my spot.

She lands beside me then stands up and my anger goes up to my head, "That's more than eight feets!"

"That's only eight feets. I can jump over ten."

"That's not the issue here. You could have been hurt!" I hiss at her.

"It doesn't matter," she says and is about to leave when grab her hand and yank her toward me.

"It does matter. You sister cares about you, Angshu cares about you. Just because some persons talked behind your back doesn't mean you have to let them dominate you. There's still a few people who wants you in there life."

Including me... My inner mind says it and I freeze.

She looks up at me, her eyes displaying the emotions, she's been trying to lock away.

I cough, "Well, Bratati is waiting for you. Let's go."

She nods and without turning back, she leaves.

_________

- Glossary -

- Rituals -

Kaal ratri- it is a small fun ritual where, newly married couples can't see each other's faces until the night is over. In this time, family members and friends tease them.

- Songs -

1- Baar baar dekho, Hazar bar dekho(1962)- sung by Muhammad Rafi & composed by Ravi

_________

12th October, 2020