Chapter 26 Flowers et cetra

It was a lovely morning when Vandita woke up from her sleep. The morning was fresh, bright and promising, and Vandita couldn't complain. She tried to move in bed, only to find Awnirudh's muscular arms enveloping her in his sleep. The memories of the previous night washed her senses and she felt a sense of calm and happiness around her. They had cuddled all night after Awnirudh had returned from his shower. He had kissed her forehead and wished her to dream about him. Vandita blushed at the recollection, as she slowly removed his arms from her waist and slipped out of the bed.

Awnirudh looked mesmerizing in his sleep!

The morning swayed in a pleasant pace, with blushed cheeks and expectant heartbeats, and it wasn't until the Earl grey morning tea, that they met again in the dining hall. Awnirudh smiled brightly as Vandita looked away bashfully.

" So, Vandita, would you like to accompany me to the town this morning" Awnirudh asked and Vandita nodded her head in affirmation. She would accompany him to any corner of the world, gladly.

"Barrister Babu, I need to pick up the set of books that I had ordered from town as well." She cleared her throat instead.

It was around 9 o'clock that they set out on their journey. Awnirudh has insisted that Vandita should drive and she, although trained by Miss Lenny, was apprehensive due to her lack of practice.

"Barrister Babu, I really can't do this." She had pouted.

"Trust me you can.. " Awnirudh had encouraged her as usual.

Vandita drove unsteadily as Awnirudh sat beside her.

He had guided her with her driving skills, mentoring her like old times. It was an unadulterated happiness that the duo experienced that morning.

"Barrister Babu, thank you so much." She had said at last. Even Lenny ma'am couldn't make us drive quite so much."

"You are welcome Vandita." Awnirudh had smiled proudly as he saw his girl driving away her fears.

"Vandita... Stop.." Awnirudh had asked her to stop abruptly before they could take a turn towards the way to reach the town market. He had hopped down from the car like a teenager and jumped up to get hold of a branch of a roadside tree.

Vandita saw him, amused at his endeavours yet mesmerized at how he moved! Within a few minutes, Awnirudh was back inside, holding the most magnificent bouquet that Vandita had ever seen. Colorful nameless hill flowers adorned in a beautiful cluster, tied together with tendrils.

"Lovely...! " Vandita had explained.

It was after an hour of laughter and endless talks, that they had finally reached the town. Awnirudh went inside the post office as Vandita waited in the car patiently. She thought about the time she had spent with her Barrister Babu and an overwhelming bliss enveloped her. She sniffed the wild aroma of the flowers and smiled, before closing her eyes in contentment.

It was perfect, incandescently perfect, she mused.

Vandita was smiling, but her happy thoughts were broken like a severed string of a Tampura by a sudden commotion. She sighed, and then peered out of the window to understand the source of the noise. However, the sight in question left her baffled in horror. She saw, with horrified expression that a young girl of 15 or 16 was dragged down the street, beaten mercilessly by two women and a man, while a small crowd watched them in action. Vandita noticed the bright red sindoor smudged on the girl's forehead, her face pale with bruises. She wasn't resisting the torture. Her saree was torn and matted with blood and soil. Vandita couldn't stand the sight. Tears rolled down her cheeks, unknowingly, as she stormed out of the car and ran towards the girl. With a fierce intensity, she pushed one of the women aside and stood in front of the ill-fated girl forming a human barrier.

"You look like a woman from a good household... Stay away from this witch." The man roared at Vandita.

He tried to snatch the girl away and Vandita held her tight, clasping her almost unconscious body to her bosom.

"Stop... Stop I said." Vandita shouted at the top of her voice.

"Witch? Do you even know what you are saying? This girl is going to die if you continue this." She was determined.

"This witch should die." One of the women bellowed.

"This witch had killed her own parents, now she killed my elder brother-in-law. She should be burnt alive!" The other woman yelled.

"Stop, don't touch her." Vandita shouted again as her clasp on the girl grew tighter.

"Leave her now, or else...." The man suddenly caught hold of Vandita's wrist, but before he could continue his threat, he felt a sharp strong pain spreading across his face.

"Or else what...?" Awnirudh growled, his fist was aimed at the man's face as he prepared for a second punch.

The crowd murmured and hushed as Vandita heard someone say,

'Barrister Roy Chowdhury, Oh Goodness, it's him, the Barrister from England.'

The man writhed in pain as droplets of blood oozed out from the corner of his mouth.

"You want to keep this witch... fine. I have nothing to do with her anyway. Make her your whore..."

The second punch landed straight on his nose and the two women started cursing and yelling in unison. One of them hurriedly picked the man up as they retreated leaving the hapless girl behind.

Awnirudh turned to Vandita.

"Are you alright?"

Vandita nodded, and both looked at the girl held in her arms. The girl had fainted.

"Barrister Roy Chowdhury to the rescue. How lucky this poor girl is!" A man in his thirties emerged from the crowd.

"And you would be?" Awnirudh asked.

"Suresh... at your service sir." The man replied as he turned to the crowd and spoke in a loud voice.

"The show is over folks. You all can get back to your pathetic lives. This girl here, is in good hands. Plus, the great Barrister has a habit of marrying girls as he rescues them." He smiled meekly turning towards Vandita.

"Watch your tongue." Awnirudh's voice was low yet firm.

"I'm sorry Barrister Roychowdhury. I didn't mean to offend you in any way. But this girl here, is a gone case for sure. " Suresh remarked with a sigh, his eyes now fixated on the unconscious girl in Vandita's arms.

"Vandita, let's rush to the hospital first." Awnirudh commanded her as he approached to scoop the girl up in his arms.

"No stop.." Suresh intervened however. " The hospital won't take her in." He said, examining the girl closely.

"What do you mean?" Vandita asked.

Suresh's eyes were fixed on the girl, his brows curled up in a thoughtful furrow. Without looking up, he said in a low tone,

"Multiple bone fractures, probably a skull fracture too, and raped, if I'm not wrong, multiple times and...  married." He looked up to meet Awnirudh's eyes. "No hospital would take her in without her family's consent."

"And you know this because?" Awnirudh asked.

" Oh let me formally introduce myself, Barrister Roychowdhury. I'm Dr. Suresh Chatterjee. The head of the Dehradun medical board." He turned towards Vandita. " And yes, your friend Kshitija's fiance, probably ex- fiance by now."

He chuckled with a soft tone of sarcasm in it.

Awnirudh and Vandita looked at each other.

.............