An Afternoon at the Alipore Road

It was a sunny afternoon of April 1948 and he turned his wrist to see the time. The clock struck 13. He pulled out the note from the pocket to read the address.

"15 B, Alipore Road, Calcutta" it read.

Manoujit found it difficult to locate the address. It wasn't easy for him to ramble through the streets of Calcutta after so long time. Yet he was relishing the breeze of the city again in the independent India.

Battling through the narrow streets, horse carts and honking of the trams and cars, he reached his destination.

"15B - Bagchi residence", read the name plate at the gate. Manoujit took a gaze at the house, it was one of the new row houses built in Alipore. With a slanting roof at the top it seemed like the dream house that he always imagined.

He came forward and moved towards the gate to ring the door bell. He ringed it twice.

"Who is it at this time?" asked a soft voice from the other side. It was the same voice that once reverberated like a flute in Manoujit's ears. After many summers he had heard that voice.

"Its me.. Manoujit.. Manu here", he answered. An awkward silence prevailed after that.

There was no further questions asked or answered. The door opened, Manoujit skipped a heartbeat for that moment. It was Sumita, his long lost friend. The girl who was once everything for him. She looked elegant like she had always looked, he couldn't take off his eyes from her. After 6 long years he was seeing her. His hands wanted to accoll her in arms yet he restrained.

Sumita was amazed and aghast both at the same time. She couldn't believe she was seeing him once again. She called him in to have a seat in comfort.

He walked in for his eyes to see the splendid house yet his attention was robbed off from him at the very sight of her opening the door.

Both looked at each other, stared each other for long to see how time had shaped them now. For him she looked the same she was then. With the perfect dusky skin tone and the embroided red and white saree with keys tied at the end of her pallu, she looked the perfect woman he had imagined ever.

She smilled at him and looked at the scars on his face, she wondered what could have happened to her Manu all these time.

With a nervy voice she said "you came back". He didn't speak much, he answered in a smile and said "Yes".

Many questions came to their mind but all stayed caged inside. She asked him to have a seat, he made himself comfortable sitting on a cushioned chair with spine held straight.

She went inside to make tea for him. He stayed seated looking around the house.

She came back with a tray of costly porcelain teapot and cups. Tea was served to Manoujit with two spoons of sugar. He took a sip and was reminded of the tea she used to make at her former house in Barrackpur.

"Nice! Mrs. Bagchi, it still tastes the same" he said. Sumita responded him with a blushing smile.

Continued at: http://bit.ly/2wKB5bh