Homebound

It feels so good to be lazy on some days, and especially when those days are Sundays. The sun rays got themselves filtered through the net curtains and made it a struggle for my eyelids to open. I pushed my hair back from my face, picked up my phone, and noted the time. It was nine. I got up, tied my hair into a bun, and started my day.

I was standing on my balcony facing the holy river Ganga and the small garden in my yard with my morning cup of strong black coffee. Only my heart knows how much I have yearned for this house, don't know for how long. The neighbors of my old locality teased me by saying that I was a fool to buy a house at that much price in a retro locality of Howrah. I could have got a modern villa or an apartment in a township of some posh area of Kolkata. My friends tried convincing me by explaining to me the distance between Howrah and Salt Lake that I have to commute daily and that I would turn into a zombie after a month, but I couldn't have been more determined. The small piece of greenery, the long windows of my bedroom opening to the river, a peaceful study, and most importantly this balcony where I can smell the wet earth and allow my emotions to alter with the tides. These waves calmed me down.

I was completely engrossed in my piece of peace when the doorbell rang. I ran through the stairs and opened the door. An old lady, with her two big suitcases and a duffle bag, was examining me from head to toe. I suddenly blushed when I realized I was in my tees and shorts and perhaps I should have put on full-length trousers first.

"Who are you?" She asked after almost three minutes of silence.

The question made me uncomfortable despite its simplicity.

"I am Sanchita! Sanchita Ghosh." I replied with an expressionless face.

Seeing the confused look still residing on her face, I added, "I live here!"

"Okay!" She continued, " You mean to say, on rent? As a tenant, right?"

It startled me. I don't know why a sense of irritation and anguish passed through me. I made sure that my voice is steady and replied calmly, "No!! It's my house. I am a permanent dweller."

"What?" She screamed, "How's that possible? Who sold my home to you? Do you belong to one of those political parties who capture abandoned or vacant houses and claim as theirs?"

She said many things after that. My ears and my mind got stuck on those two words- MY HOME! Her home? What did she mean? I couldn't think of anything to answer back. Meanwhile, a good, kind, and nice neighbor, who knows both of us, came to my rescue. It's natural for people in West Bengal here to make every other issue their own. His interruption brought me back to the ongoing chaos.

"Uma didi! It's been so long! How are you?" The old man said in one breathe, thought of something, and paused.

"I shouldn't have asked that actually! I heard your voice and thought maybe I can explain better than this girl. But I am genuinely surprised! How did you not come to know of this? Strange!"

"Know what Dilip?" She asked, and I stared at both of them with my mouth open and mind blank.

"Rajiv has sold this house to her last month! She legally owns this house. Sanchita had no idea about this. We didn't have any idea about this. Maybe you should talk to him."

The picture got crystal clear to both of us. The man, who sold this house to me is this lady named Uma's son. I suddenly was on a guilt trip for no reason.

Mrs. Uma on the other hand went into shock. The bag fell from her hand and she lost her balance. I caught her by her arm and took her inside. I seated her in the living room and went outside to get her luggage. I offered her a glass of water and she gulped the entire water in one go. Tears started rolling down her cheeks and finally, she had no control over them. I was sitting across her. Seeing her helpless made my heart sank. My eyes too started getting foggy. I understood her helplessness. When your own family behaves as they disowned you, I know exactly how it feels. Maybe every bit of it.

A second thought crossed my mind in those ten minutes of awkwardness. Shall I sell back this house to her? This house was my dream, indeed. But someone, who was sitting right now, in front of me had made her dreams come true in this house. Sorry not house, in her Home. I was calculating my future course of actions when I heard a feeble voice from her.

"I am sorry for being rude. I had no idea about all this. I hope I haven't intentionally hurt you. Please forgive me. I should probably get going." She wiped her tears with her saree and was starting to get up.

Without thinking much I spoke, "Aunty!"

She looked at me.

"Where will you go?" I asked.

She took a deep breath and stared at her feet. "I don't know! Maybe I will stay in some hotel for tonight and then return to Delhi by the first flight I get." Her voice choked with tears.

Without knowing what was I saying, I uttered, "Stay here!"

She looked into my eyes with a hint of surprise.

I repeated again, "Stay here aunty. Please, I insist. I don't know if I can undo whatever happened but..." I tailed off. I couldn't manage to say further.

"Thanks for being sweet, but I can't cause you any more trouble. Uninvited guests are annoying after all." She got up and started dragging her suitcase.

"You said you are going to stay in a hotel. Well, you can stay here like that! Moreover, I don't have to explain to you about the facilities we have here. " I had surprised own self by cracking this nonsense joke at the most sensitive time. I still wonder how did I even manage to say that! But she smiled.

In a flicker of seconds, she gave a glimpse of my mother, whom I had lost almost fifteen years back. I couldn't resist and throw my arms around her. Of course, she was yet again shocked by this sudden action but she hugged back and I felt fresh tears wetting my shoulder.

The day unfolded into dusk and dusk into the night in the midst of small talks and long silences. The only we heard was that of utensils and the ticking of the clocks. It was a full moon night and the river couldn't have been more beautiful. The river shone like some sprinkled diamonds floating on the surface. The melody of the tides filled in the air. Then the most-awaited and the dreaded conversation began.

"How did you get to know about my home?" She asked.

I got nervous but I replied, "Through a broker. I was tired of staying on rent. I finally had a good amount saved for the downpayment. So I went for a house hunt. I saw many houses but none of them pleased me, till I found this. I feel serene here. Now I know why!" I didn't look at her while I said all this.

"Hmm." She said. "What do you do for a living?"

"I work in a bank. My office is in Salt Lake." I said.

"So it takes almost two hours for you to reach then?" She replied.

"Yes!" I nodded.

There was a silence again. We watched the high tides flowing backward. My cats got finally killed by the curiosity and I asked. "How could you not know?"

She nodded and then started, "My son, Rajiv, took me to Delhi two years back after my husband died. I was living alone here. Everyone convinced me to move. I would never ask Rajiv to leave his dream job for me. So without being selfish, I decided to settle with my son and daughter-in-law. Days went by and gradually I passed on my responsibilities to him. I turned blind and was happy that I was living a dream-like life. Rajiv and his wife are on a Europe trip and won't be back before a month or so. I felt bored and that's when I decided to visit my home. Only to discover this."

She didn't cry this time. She was tired and made a pact with her fate.

"Will you forgive them?" I asked.

"Do I have a choice? Where will I go? I lost my only home." She said in a voice that was a little high pitched this time, "I need a shelter after all. That's where my ego will perhaps meet its end."

"I wish I could do the same! To forgive! Or else, at least to forget!" I replied in an inaudible tone.

"Forgive whom? Your ex?" She asked.

Her using the word 'ex' being a senior citizen made me chuckle. She also laughed.

"No. My dad! My stepmom. And everyone else who was supposed to be on my side." I replied coolly.

"Hmm." She said. "Why did you decide against forgiving?"

"He left me when I needed him the most. I needed attention. I didn't recover completely from my mom's demise when he declared he was getting married again to someone who already had two children. It was not even a year! When I protested, said I wasn't ready, threw tantrums, he sent me to a boarding school. It made it so clear that he didn't want me anymore. He was happy with his new family. And other people existed only to show false sympathy. They were enjoying the drama. It gave them gossip." I felt my cheeks getting wet and I might have started choking as well.

I felt a hand on my head. She caressed my hair and patted me on my shoulder. It had a motherly affection that I had felt after ages. I looked at her with moist eyes.

"Did you ever conveyed your feelings to your dad after you grew up?" She asked.

"No, never," I said curtly.

"Does he talk to you?" She asked.

"I don't talk to him. Anyways, he thinks he redeems himself every year by sending me a three-tier cake of a flavor I hate, he never bothered to know that, and sending me useless stuff which might be costing more than fifty thousand bucks or something. But who cares?" My voice filled with the years of anguish and torment.

"What you do with the cake and the gifts then?" She was totally in the conversation.

"The gifts? I give them to children who stay under the Park Street bridge and the cake goes to the beggars in front of temples. Either Dakshineshwar or Kalighat." I said.

It made her laugh. I was not sure why was she laughing but I joined her. After a while, she said.

"Have you seen the Krishna Chura tree in the garden? Or do you call it Gulmohar?"

I thought she changed the subject. I was glad.

"Yes. I have seen it." I replied.

"It blooms only in spring. It sheds immediately in summers and the branches get totally forlorn in autumn." She said.

"Yes," I said.

"It was your autumn till now. It was cold and your branches were not meant to have those bright red hues. It was against nature. Your spring has now arrived. Like that tree, you will have bright red leaves. Your garden will be as bright as the morning sky with the river singing the tunes of the spring." She said with a smile.

"Not your garden," I said.

She looked at me. "Our garden," I said. "The spring will be ours," I replied with a smile spreading to my ears.

I got up and sat on the floor resting my head on her lap. She put a hand on my forehead and watched the moony sky.

The next day, we went for a quick tour of the city. We walked through the streets of Race Course, did a hearty shopping at Gariahat, and Uma aunty chose to reminisce her old days at the Coffee House. We shared a little more of our secrets. The time slipped like sand and we never noticed when the day got over. It felt like we had known each other for ages.

Despite my continuous nagging and begging, she booked her return flight to Delhi.

"I never imagined I will get so much love from a stranger girl. You are a true and good human being. Stay like this forever. We will always call each other and be in touch."

There was a child-like pleading in my voice, "Then why are you leaving so early? Your son anyway won't bother wherever you chose to stay after all this."

She laughed at my childishness. "You are mad. I promise I would visit you soon. But only if you promise me to take care of my Krishna Chura and mango tree. It's almost time and you will get green mangos in summer. Make sure you make a tasty pickle and send it to me." Her eyes twinkled in delight.

"I will," I replied and hugged her tight. She kissed me on my forehead and left. The cab was already at the door.

I made myself a cup of coffee and went to the balcony. The sun was withdrawing itself from the day and the red and orange hue was merging at the horizon and made the waters reflect back like a mirror. My eyes suddenly caught the sight of the big tree in the garden. The Gulmohar was ready to bloom. Uma aunty took my autumn with her and left the loveliest spring with me! Her home!