A Dewali Bonus

Stormy Night

Abani and Suresh were fast friends. During a summer holiday they decided to cycle all the way from Baripada to the Similipal forest. Similipal is situated some two hundred miles from Calcutta in the state of Orissa. A famous tourist spot for it’s dense forest, peacocks, elephants, wild bores and royal Bengal tigers.
On the way near Bisein they had to stay over night due to a typical Indian summer thunder storm which lashed that hilly area of Mayaurbhanj in the evening hours. It’s a small town, more of a village situated on the high way connecting NH 5 with NH 6.A very picturesque spot surrounded by jungle. They could not get any shelter to stay for the night as they were young and people with family denied them any help. At last they found out a nice big house on the outskirt of that village. There were only two occupants in that big house a young widow and an old faithful servant called Chitan. The lady had lost her husband some years back. Abani was taken aback with the beauty of the lady. The care taker was reluctant for their accommodation for the fear of gossips mongers in the village; ultimately there was an agreement that they could sleep on the verandah and not in side the house.
The lady told them, she can’t provide them any food for the night and told them to be careful about snakes. She asked Chaitan to keep a jug of drinking water for the night for the two young college students. Her voice was drowned in the screeching sound of those huge Leyland trucks.
On their way to an eating spot, Abani asked Suresh “Isn’t she beautiful?’
“Stop this nuisance pal, you are asking for trouble”.
The topic ended abruptly and no one spoke about it any further.
They took their food in a near by Dhaba and being too tired slept before the clock struck nine.
The next day they got up early and thanked the lady profusely and went on their way to Karanjia and then to the forest bungalow of Similipal forest. They had a terrific time for those couple of days before they decided to come back with sweet memories of the trip.
They passed out from MPC College Baripada and were staying in the same hostel at Cuttack for their post graduate studies. Being brilliant students they had single room accommodations.
After two years Abani got a redirected registered letter from a lawyer. He was worried why such a letter from an advocate? He had no liabilities his father was there to take care of the properties, then who that could be to send a notice from Baripada?
Abani went to his friend’s room and asked ‘Do you remember our trip to Similipal’?
“Yes, I do”
‘Did you sleep with that lady at night’?
“Yes, I did, I don’t want to lie”
‘You told your name as Abani and gave my address isn’t it?’
“Why are you asking such questions?”
‘The lady is dead and she has left a year old child with that old man, I have to take care of her property and the child!!
‘Tell me what to do?’
“I will ask you a question be honest and tell me, are you sure the child is not yours?”
They hugged each other and had a big laughter which surprised many of the inmates of that hostel.
When asked by the warden ‘why such a disturbance at night?’
Prompt came the reply “It’s the child sir”

Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy,Houseno:4,Plot:401/2362,Patia,Bhubaneswar31,India