Later that night when Mita was sleeping, Mrinal entered the room. She was asleep. He slowly lifted the finger and was trying to take out the ring. She got disturbed in her sleep and turned around. Mrinal stood up restless at her bedside. He knew very well that his deeds are in the wrong path; but such dialogues seemed meaningless before the truth that he can be killed by the Don, if the required amount of money is not returned before the stipulated time. On his second attempt to get the ring back she woke up. Before Mita could shout or speak up her husband clasped her mouth tightly with a pillow with his left hand and pulled the ring desperately. Within a few seconds the ring was in his hands. He left the unconscious body of Mita much against his own liking and ran up to the house of Munnalal jajodia. I asked Dr. Ajitesh, ‘Who is Munnalal?’. Dr. Ajitesh said, ‘A greedy jeweler.’ Mrinal quickly came to that Seth and asked for forty eight thousand rupees. The jeweler wanted to know from him what he has for mortgage. He said that he has a costly diamond ring. On being asked to show, he stood up, and putting the hand in his pocket he found that the ring was not there. He told the Seth that he actually had the ring with him. He is not able to understand how it disappeared. The Seth told him, ‘I am not going to listen to excuses; I have heard many such excuses before from different people at different times. Show the ring first.’ Mrinal distinctly remembered that he had snatched the ring from Mita’s finger. When Mrinal was making wild guesses as to what may have happened on the way, the Seth in a would-be tone showed Mrinal a ring which he took out from his safe in front of him. To Mrinal’s amazement it was the selfsame ring that he gave to his wife. His whole body was shaking with fear and even in the cold weather he was profusely sweating.
He was unable to move and felt as if an invisible hand has forcibly pressed him down on the chair. In an unstable manner he stood up and ran for his life. He came back to his house because the ring was not with him. When he entered the room he saw Mita turning her back to the door. He called Mita by her name and sat at her bedside, very much repentant. There was no response from her. Mrinal knew well that the anger of Mita was justified. After few soft calls to her he shook her with both his hands and found to his horror that she was already dead. He instantaneously realized that if the matter goes public he will be arrested. Consequently, keeping a cool head and in a planned manner he buried the body of his wife in the farm at the back of the quarters. During the night time he was not able to sleep peacefully, as the thoughts of his innocent love and his betrayal haunted him. To add a glimmer of hope the next day newspaper flashed the news that the dreaded underworld don Umesh was killed in an encounter last night at the border area. He tried hard not to cry, but he was not able to stop his tears from flowing. He thought that if only he would have waited for a single night Mita would have been alive. Anyway he tried to forget it as a bad dream. A week had elapsed after the fateful incident had occurred. One evening at the verge of total darkness he was resting in his armchair and was smoking a cigar, trying to relax his nerves. He casually looked towards the back of the house, i.e., the farmyard. He saw a lady sort of a figure clad in a full white saree approaching him. The cigar fell from his mouth on the floor mat. He caught hold of the wooden plank railing and stood there still for a moment. He quickly went inside the room and closed the door that leads to the backyard. Mrinal opened the front door of the house, locked it and stepped on the main road and ran towards the dispensary. He simply felt that the lady figure was approaching to kill him.
Dr. Ajitesh now told him that, ‘At this stage Mrinal Dey and I met each other.’ Mrinal’s face was itself telling an episode of fear and helplessness. He caught me and vigorously started to shake me. He was panting very hard and was nearly out of breath. All the while he was looking back and as if he was expecting something from behind. On enquiring Mrinal said, ‘She….She will kill me……’. Being not able to understand the doctor said, ‘Mrinal babu you are safe here. Who will kill you? Here is no one except the both of us.’ Mrinal was not paying any attention to me. All the moment he was looking towards the already dark forest, perhaps trying to see somebody out there. The doctor being least interested in his side of the story, gave him a sleeping tablet and requested him to try to relax. After nearly all the story was heard from him Mrinal looked towards the doctor and said, ‘Is not this amazing that a particular ring was present in two different locations at the same time.’ Mrinal said that the ring he had stolen from his wife’s hand was with the jeweler and not with him. When getting afraid he returned home he found the same ring in the hand of his wife. It was still in her ring finger. Mrinal said, ‘Doctor, how can there be two rings at different places at the same time?’ The doctor was astonished to know that Mita who was known to be missing was actually buried at the backyard of the quarters. Anyway, understanding the critical state of Mrinal the doctor kept mum about it. The doctor asked Mrinal if he had seen the ring in his wife’s hand when he was burying the body. He faintly answered, ‘yes’ and collapsed on the floor.
He was unable to move and felt as if an invisible hand has forcibly pressed him down on the chair. In an unstable manner he stood up and ran for his life. He came back to his house because the ring was not with him. When he entered the room he saw Mita turning her back to the door. He called Mita by her name and sat at her bedside, very much repentant. There was no response from her. Mrinal knew well that the anger of Mita was justified. After few soft calls to her he shook her with both his hands and found to his horror that she was already dead. He instantaneously realized that if the matter goes public he will be arrested. Consequently, keeping a cool head and in a planned manner he buried the body of his wife in the farm at the back of the quarters. During the night time he was not able to sleep peacefully, as the thoughts of his innocent love and his betrayal haunted him. To add a glimmer of hope the next day newspaper flashed the news that the dreaded underworld don Umesh was killed in an encounter last night at the border area. He tried hard not to cry, but he was not able to stop his tears from flowing. He thought that if only he would have waited for a single night Mita would have been alive. Anyway he tried to forget it as a bad dream. A week had elapsed after the fateful incident had occurred. One evening at the verge of total darkness he was resting in his armchair and was smoking a cigar, trying to relax his nerves. He casually looked towards the back of the house, i.e., the farmyard. He saw a lady sort of a figure clad in a full white saree approaching him. The cigar fell from his mouth on the floor mat. He caught hold of the wooden plank railing and stood there still for a moment. He quickly went inside the room and closed the door that leads to the backyard. Mrinal opened the front door of the house, locked it and stepped on the main road and ran towards the dispensary. He simply felt that the lady figure was approaching to kill him.
Dr. Ajitesh now told him that, ‘At this stage Mrinal Dey and I met each other.’ Mrinal’s face was itself telling an episode of fear and helplessness. He caught me and vigorously started to shake me. He was panting very hard and was nearly out of breath. All the while he was looking back and as if he was expecting something from behind. On enquiring Mrinal said, ‘She….She will kill me……’. Being not able to understand the doctor said, ‘Mrinal babu you are safe here. Who will kill you? Here is no one except the both of us.’ Mrinal was not paying any attention to me. All the moment he was looking towards the already dark forest, perhaps trying to see somebody out there. The doctor being least interested in his side of the story, gave him a sleeping tablet and requested him to try to relax. After nearly all the story was heard from him Mrinal looked towards the doctor and said, ‘Is not this amazing that a particular ring was present in two different locations at the same time.’ Mrinal said that the ring he had stolen from his wife’s hand was with the jeweler and not with him. When getting afraid he returned home he found the same ring in the hand of his wife. It was still in her ring finger. Mrinal said, ‘Doctor, how can there be two rings at different places at the same time?’ The doctor was astonished to know that Mita who was known to be missing was actually buried at the backyard of the quarters. Anyway, understanding the critical state of Mrinal the doctor kept mum about it. The doctor asked Mrinal if he had seen the ring in his wife’s hand when he was burying the body. He faintly answered, ‘yes’ and collapsed on the floor.
Contd...P/7
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