- Hey, where have you been hiding? How did your exam go? We're all so worried. - Don't worry, Ma. I'm fine. And how the exam went—well, let that be a surprise! - You! Why can't you just say it straight instead of beating around the bush! - Alright Ma, we'll talk when I get home. - Okay, come quickly. - Sudha, come on, let's go now. - Yes, let's go. - Ma...Baba, look, dada's here, and Sudhabu is with him too. - How did your exam go, son? We've been worried sick. - Baba, calm down. There's no reason to worry. Your son will, God willing, be in the top fifty. - Praise be to God! What a relief, son! - Listen dada, now we really need to find you a beautiful bride. Your parents and I don't like you staying alone anymore. - There it goes, the pest starting her nonsense. I'll give her a good smack! - Sudhabu, you tell me—isn't dada getting gray hair? If we don't act now, no one will give him a girl in a few days! Sudha and Khushbu started laughing. I felt embarrassed, in front of Baba. - Ma, will you tell this monkey to shut up? Look what she's started. Ugh! I don't like it. I'm leaving. Another round of laughter erupted! - Sudha dear, come sit beside me. How did your exam go? - Auntie, by your blessings, it went well. - Tell me dear, how do you find my son? - Auntie, he's quite good at studies! I should go now, Auntie. Everyone at home is worried. Sudha turned red with embarrassment. She hurried toward home. - The girl got embarrassed, and you! Was it necessary to ask all that in front of everyone? - I've liked that girl since she was little. What do you think? - Yes, she'd suit our Sourav well. From the next room, Ma and Baba's words instantly multiplied my embarrassment a hundredfold! With a happy heart, sleep began to close my eyes. - What...! Baba, all you think about is dada's marriage. Don't you notice there's a beautiful girl in this house who's grown up too? Hearing these words from Khushbu's mouth, Ma and Baba's laughter seemed endless! - Here comes my little elder! You cheeky old woman! I will, I will—I'll bring you a prince and give you a grand wedding! Khushbu left in embarrassment. What strange creatures these girls are! When she was saying all those things herself, she wasn't bothered at all, but hearing just a little from Baba's mouth, she's dying of shame! Really, understanding girls is quite a task! - Hello! Rajib bhaiya? - Yes, how are you, my beautiful one? - Oh bhaiya, you always exaggerate! - Ha ha ha ha! What are you saying! Does a mirror ever lie? - I don't understand all that. I had some good news for you. You know, today Ma and Baba want Sudhabu for dada. - Wonderful! That's great news. Finally, two pairs of hands will unite. Oh! When will I ever hold someone's hand! - Why not? Hasn't anyone's hand been bound to yours? - No dear, who would love me, tell me? - Well, we'll talk about it then. I'm hanging up now. In my drowsy state, I could faintly hear Khushbu's words! Even in sleep, I felt a kind of uneasiness. I woke up around one-thirty... - Khushbu, Khushbu, come here quickly! - What happened? Why are you bellowing like a mad bull? - Who were you talking to just then? - Who? Me! Where? When? I wasn't talking to anyone! - Don't lie. I heard you. You were talking about mine and Sudha's marriage. I think it was with Rajib bhaiya! - Why would I talk to Rajib bhaiya! And when did I lie to you?! I've been in the kitchen with Ma for ages. Go ask Ma if you don't believe me! - Alright, forget it. Go back to the kitchen. Did I dream it then? But how could that be—I clearly heard Khushbu's voice! And why would she lie about such a trivial matter? Nothing's making sense, I must have heard wrong! Maybe that's it. After lunch, I went to the field. A little before evening, Sudha called. - Sourav, where's Khushbu? - Why? She's at home. - Are you sure? - Yes, I saw her at home when I left. Why? - Oh okay! No, I thought I heard something like Khushbu's voice! I think I'm mistaken! - What! Where? When? - A little while ago. I was walking in the garden, there was a voice like Khushbu's, seemed to cry out in distress! - Where?! I began to feel terribly frightened, no sound would come from my throat! - The sound seemed to fade away toward the north side of your house! - I'm coming right now, you go that way too. - Okay. I had just managed to stand up when the phone rang again! Fear settled even deeper! - Hello, is this Sourav babu? - Yes, but I can't quite place you! - You wouldn't know me, my name is Abhishek Banerjee, owner of Rumi Apartment, north of the fourth turn left from your lane. - I understand that, but what do you need from me?! - Please take the trouble to come meet me, it's very urgent! - Look sir, I don't know you, and I'm in a bit of trouble myself, I can't come now. - I got your number from an eighteen-twenty year old girl. She says you're her brother! Those words turned my world upside down! Without saying anything more, I ran straight to Rumi Apartment. I saw Sudha staring with vacant eyes, as if someone had hypnotized her, not even moving! - Say something, Sudha! Why are you in this state? Who's up there? The house owner came down from behind, gesturing for me to go upstairs. In one of the upstairs rooms, thin streams of blood were flowing steadily across the floor, someone was groaning face-down! I walked forward slowly, carefully turned the prone girl over... This is my little fairy! - What's wrong, my golden treasure! Why are you lying on the floor like this? Khushbu slowly looked at my face and tears began streaming down the corners of her eyes! She couldn't seem to get a single word out! Her clothes were torn and tattered all over...several deep scratch marks were visible below her neck...a flow of blood had slowly made its way from below her feet out through the door... All my faculties seemed to vanish instantly! I felt mad, insane. I wanted to laugh, yet also felt like sobbing uncontrollably. I felt such pity for her. I was angry too—why was she lying on the floor in such torn clothes, my beautiful sister...Behind me, the sound of loud crying made me startle! Everything looked unclear and blurred, I could see several faces but couldn't recognize anyone properly. But I could understand this much—they were crying and wailing like this for Khushbu. Khushbu's head was on my lap, everyone pounced on her crying, someone was pushing me repeatedly asking me things, but I couldn't hear anything. Khushbu seemed like she might die...she was writhing...like a chicken with its throat cut, exactly like that...I was probably feeling terrible pain for her, but couldn't understand it, I was just staring...At the last moment, she said with great difficulty, "You heard correctly that day, he's the one who tore me apart!" After that, a lifeless, spiritless body fell silent in my lap forever. Some people were carrying away her mangled body right in front of my eyes...I became senseless. When I opened my eyes, there were sounds of crying throughout the house...Sudha came and said in a tear-choked voice, a handful of soil is kept for you, for Khushbu's grave...As she spoke, she broke down crying, and I naturally got up, took the soil in my hands and scattered it over a mound of earth...The sky and air grew heavy with heart-rending screams, I felt like my throat would burst and blood would flow... Hey, my crazy girl! What are you doing lying there? There are cockroaches there! You're so afraid of cockroaches! Get up, I'm telling you, or they'll bite you right now. I'll bring you a handsome prince, you'll get married, won't you? Okay come on, I'll get you married before me! Didn't Baba say your wedding would be grand? What's wrong? Why won't you speak? You monkey-faced pest...Get up, my little fairy...Sister, where did you go? Your brother has worn himself out calling you...Come back, my monkey! I want to shower you with love...My blessed sister! Okay baby, I won't call you a pest anymore, I swear by your ears, come on! You're the most beautiful sister in the world. Didn't you promise me you wouldn't go anywhere, that you'd sit on my shoulders like a pest your whole life! But you didn't keep your word! You have to come back, you must come back...Khush...bu...come...back...please... After Khushbu left, Rajib bhaiya handled everything these past few days...the rape report from the hospital, the death certificate...everything...! Baba had a heart attack and is admitted to the ICU in ward three. As long as he sleeps, he lives. When he wakes up, his pulse keeps dropping, and his chances of survival diminish. Ma hasn't eaten anything for three days now. She doesn't speak, doesn't cry, just stares vacantly. Sudha takes care of everything. Baba's friend, we call him Kashim chacha, he's a government lawyer, he'll fight for us.
Father is somewhat better now than before. Mother still doesn’t speak to anyone, doesn’t smile—she only eats if someone feeds her, otherwise two or three days pass just like that! On the day of the hearing, after much false testimony and arguments in court… the lawyer called me over and asked, “Is there anyone who heard or saw something, someone you trust, who would tell the truth in court?” Only one person came to mind then…
“Sudha, please come to court once.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
“The prosecution is trying to prove it was an accident. You’re the only person who first heard Khushbu’s scream that day.”
“Alright, I’ll come.”
One hour left before court closes.
Sudha arrived within twenty minutes.
After all the formalities, they began questioning Sudha. I believed everyone else might lie, but never Sudha.
“Miss Sudha, what exactly did you hear that day?”
“I was walking in the garden when I suddenly heard a muffled cry of distress.”
“Could you recognize whose voice it might have been?”
After remaining silent for a while, Sudha answered.
“No, I couldn’t quite recognize it.”
“Really couldn’t?”
“The voice seemed somewhat like Khushbu’s. I couldn’t see anyone. But I don’t think it was Khushbu.”
“But you called Khushbu’s brother, Mr. Sourav, asking where Khushbu was, and said the voice was just like Khushbu’s, and it faded away toward the north. Khushbu’s body was also found on the floor of a flat to the north. You went there even before Mr. Sourav. Why are you lying now?”
“I said those things casually. It wasn’t Khushbu. It could have been someone else!”
“You knew that Mr. Rajib last spoke with Khushbu that afternoon?”
“Yes, I heard. Rajib bhai said Khushbu had answered his call by mistake, that’s all. Besides, Rajib bhai has no connection whatsoever to Khushbu’s incident. He was at home at that time. Most importantly, he’s a very good person.”
Sudha’s words pierced straight through my heart! Who was I seeing! Who was this deceitful liar! This wasn’t my Sudha, it couldn’t be! The last person on earth I thought I could always trust—she did this to me! How was this possible!
Standing before me outside the courthouse, Sudha…
“Why are you pointlessly blaming Rajib bhai, Sourav? I can’t believe that in your mad quest for revenge, you’d drag someone like Rajib bhai into this! No matter how much you try, Khushbu won’t come back! You didn’t see Rajib bhai with Khushbu that day, and neither did any of us! Rajib bhai loved Khushbu like his own sister—what hasn’t he done for Khushbu, for you all, for our relationship! He’s still doing it selflessly! And today you’re accusing that man of this heinous crime! You’ve forgotten everything! And following this, you want to destroy our relationship too! Bravo, Sourav, bravo!”
“Have you ever seen someone on their deathbed lie, Sudha? Have you seen a girl like Khushbu lie about her chastity? Have you heard a mangled body lie, Sudha? Have you ever seen how a chicken with its throat cut thrashes about?
I don’t know you, Sudha! You’re nobody to me. My Sudha is dead, you’re someone else. The way out is straight that way, Sudha…”
I couldn’t bear to look at Sudha anymore. I walked straight out of there and returned home with a small bottle in my hand!
I went to Khushbu’s grave, picking some half-bloomed jasmine buds from the garden. I placed them on her grave and stared motionlessly.
“My little fairy, my owl-faced monkey… you were right! Don’t suffer—today I’ll dig another grave, right next to yours…
I have much work left to do. I’ll go now. I’ll come back later, okay…!”
Taking the bottle, I went to Asuda’s shop and bought about a kilogram of malai sandesh… I packed it beautifully and sent it to an address.
Another grave was dug beside Khushbu’s…
Several days passed… One evening I opened the door to find Sudha standing there… The moment she saw me, she burst into wailing tears, wouldn’t let me close the door…
“Please forgive me, Sourav! You were right that day… I was wrong. I’ve done you great injustice, and Khushbu too… I trusted that beast more than you… Kill me, Sourav… That beast didn’t spare my Sumi apu either. In room 112 of Rumi Apartments, Rajib bhai had his gang tear Sumi apu apart… Today I understand what Abbu said that day… Sumi apu is no more, Sourav! She ended herself… I… I didn’t intentionally help Rajib bhai escape that day, believe me… I didn’t understand… Forgive me… Don’t send me away…”
“There’s a new grave beside Khushbu’s, Sudha! Go see it.”
I closed the door and went to lie on Khushbu’s bed… My little fairy once said, “Why would I be happy talking to someone who insults my brother, doesn’t respect him, makes false accusations against him!?”
That’s exactly what I did today, Khushbu! You saw it all, didn’t you, my sister? Today Ma spoke again, you know? Ma even wore a new sari, and Baba called my name today…
Today I am free, today I feel great joy… Today I will sleep… sleep for a very long time…
Sudha will know for life that Jaman and Mamun are Rajib bhai’s friends. Let her know—it’s what she deserves!
I opened the drawer and carefully placed the bundle of two hundred crisp thousand-taka notes into a brown envelope, tucking it gently under my pillow. They’ll come to the mango grove after midnight today. By then, the fish will surely have finished their special dinner of Rajib bhai’s delicious remains! Ha ha ha!
Today I saw the fire of hatred for Rajib bhai in Sudha’s eyes. She won’t forgive her brother-in-law. Even if he flees to the other end of the world, the police will surely catch Rajib bhai! I will definitely help Sudha catch this fugitive accused, just as she helped me by standing in court that day. When someone stood by me for my sister’s sake, why wouldn’t I stand by them for their sister’s sake? In the interest of justice, this is surely my sacred duty! I who love Sudha—how could I be so ungrateful to the person I love?
I can’t help but praise Jaman and Mamun’s professionalism, truly! I’m impressed by their work! Should I give them an extra ten thousand taka? Or should I bear all the legal expenses afterward?