Chapter IV: The Reality
‘Hey baby what happened?’Jyoti shook Deepankar.
Deepankar suddenly realised he actually saw a terrific nightmare. Instead of answering her question, he embraced Jyoti tightly. Jyoti thought Deepankar wanted an early Sunday lovemaking session, so she tried to free herself from his grip and said, ‘Hey baby, not now! Have you forgotten, we have to go to Agra to attend the ring ceremony of Manoj’s cousin?’
Instead of releasing, Deepankar tightened his grip and said, ‘No, we are not going to Agra today! I do not want to lose you!’ Jyoti realised, Deepankar was not interested to have a love session; but he was worried about her safety. Why?
‘Hey baby, what happened? Are you alright? Probably you saw a very bad dream! Nothing will happen darling, relax.’ But Deepankar was still in a state of shock. Jyoti slowly released herself from his grip and pressed her chest on his head and comforted him like a little child.
Deepankar told whole nightmare except one thing that the tall fellow had told him that Manoj hates Jyoti.
‘Nothing will happen to Manoj and me, Baby. But if you do not want to go, we shall not go. I shall give some other excuses to Manoj for not going to the ceremony. I shall tell him that I have a vomiting tendency from the morning. Now you take some rest. I shall prepare tea and take your tea at the bed itself.’ Jyoti told.
As she was ready to get up from the bed, Deepankar caught her hand and pulled her to him and again embraced her tightly and did not allow her to go. This time she did not resist as she understood that Deepankar was yet come out of his shock.
As she was comforting him by patting him on his back, she heard her father in law was banging on their door. That was unusual. Both of them stood from their positions and Jyoti opened the door. Jyoti saw his father in law was trembling at the door. He could not utter a single word for some time and then broke the most horrible news; Manoj died in a road accident while coming from Agra after meeting his cousin whose engagement ceremony was to take place on the next day.
All of them immediately went to Manoj’s home. Jyoti was trying to console un-consolable Gayatri. Manoj’s mother was crying at the top of her voice, but Monoj’s father was completely silent.
In the afternoon only, Deepankar was able to collect the dead body from the hospital after post mortem.
Gayatri insisted that she would lit the pyre of her husband. All the family members tried to convince her that a pregnant lady should not go to the cremation ground. But Gayatri was adamant. Finally, Monoj’s father reluctantly agreed to her and all the family members accompanied her to the cremation ground. Jyoti was all along with Gayatri.
Before, liting the pyre, Gayatri whispered to the dead body, ‘Dear, I am not going to leave you so easily. I am also coming after doing some of my duties.’
Jyoti heard what Gayatri was saying; but she did not comment anything.
While coming from cremation ground, Gayatri composed herself completely and told Jyoti, ‘Deepankarda and you have to take lot of responsibilities of our family in future. Do not worry; I shall take care of myself. But you may have to take responsibility of our child and our parents.’
On that night Jyoti told Deepankar what Gayatri had told her; but Deepankar did not give any specific importance to what Gayatri had said.
For next few days they were busy in arranging the functions full of rituals. Jyoti had observed, Gayatri was extra ordinarily calm and took special care for her own health. Jyoti saw it unusual. However, this time she did not discuss the matter with Deepankar.