Afternoon Showers

Chapter I

Today is indeed a very special day for Shuvam. Today, evening, or to be more specific, in less than half an hour, he will be meeting his would–be- mother-in-law. Pretty interesting and also very different, one of his colleagues had commented. He was feeling a bit strange. How would it be like meeting Tiyasha’s mother? Tiyasha, yes, the lady in a white palazzo suit, who is seated beside him in his Alto, and directing him, the way towards her house, through a Bhowanipur lane is his fiancee. They met each other at a job interview. Shuvam was one of the interviewers on the board. Needless to say, the first impression was strong enough to cast Cupid’s magic over him.

Soon she joined as a junior software developer under his aegis. With time, their relation transformed from workmates to soul mates. After two and a half years of courtship, Shuvam and Tiyasha decided to tie the knot.

Shuvam lives in a rented flat in Salt lake area with a friend and has already booked a flat in the same locality for his stay after marriage. Shuvam’s father, brother and sister-in-law who live in Asansol have already met Tiyasha when they came over to Kolkata two months back. However, Tiyasha could not meet her mother-in-law. Shuvam lost his mother at a tender age of seven years. His mother, Mrinmoyee died in blood cancer. He barely remembers her. His father did not marry for the second time. His father and his elder brother who is 10 years older than him brought him up with all the love they could give. But they could not fill the vacuum created by his mother’s untimely death. Shuvam was a very quiet and studious child from the very beginning. That helped him in a way to find solace in his solitary motherless life. He had seen his friends’ mothers on a number of occasions. Many of them love him as much their own son. But he has never found in them the motherly figure he had always craved for. Now that he will be meeting his would-be-mother in law, he's wondering how she will be. Like all the other faces in a crowd, or someone noticeably different?

‘Here we are. Yes, the yellow colored three-storey house with a black gate, beside the jackfruit tree.’ directed Tiyasha.

They got down from the car and Tiyasha had just reached out her finger to press the doorbell, when her motheropened the door.

‘Please come in. I was waiting for you.’ smiled Mrs. Pujarini Lahiri, Tiyasha’s mother.

When Shuvam looked up at the middle-aged fair lady clad in a sea-green [1]tussar, he noticed the serene look in her eyes; very motherly. Worth a second glance!

He bent down to touch her feet when he felt her gentle hand reaching for his temple in a gesture of blessing.’ long live my son.’

‘Come in’ she said and they followed her into the Lahiri living room in the first floor.

Shuvam sat on a cushioned chair adjacent to Tiyasha. Pujarini sat opposite to them.

‘I have heard a lot about you from Tiya. ‘She said sitting back on the chair.

‘…and I can see that she has lied a lot.’ Pujarini smiled mysteriously.

‘What?’ Shuvam was out of jolts, ‘I didn’t get you!’ he said with a nervous look at Tiyasha.

‘You look like a boy next door. Not the stern, scrupulous and hard -to- please boss she complained about. So, tell me, you are Shuvam, but not the one I heard of, right?’

At this Shuvam burst into laughter. ’you almost scared me.’ Tiyasha too was enjoying the joke.

‘Actually, auntie, we have to be stern, scrupulous and headstrong at times to get the best out of our team members. So, we earn such bad names for ourselves.’ He said looking at Tiyasha.

‘Now, they call me a shark.’ he added. ’But I am not that bad when I am out of office

‘Really? That’s amusing!’ Pujarini chuckled.

‘Please be in your singular self when you are with Me.’ quipped Tiyasha.

‘Of course, madam,’ replied Shuvam making a bow towards Tiyasha, ‘now it is the other way round. You are my boss.’ to which all three broke into an ecstatic burst of laughter.

Within a short span of time the room was brimming with sounds of Shuvam’s peppy repartees and their chorus laughter. Meanwhile, Tiyasha’s [2]Kaku Arunava and his wife Supriti who reside in the same house also joined them. Pujarini’s home made [3]Sharbhaja and [4]Malpoa imbued a mellower melody to the evening.

Tiyasha was waiting for her cousin sister Diya to come back from her tuitions. She wanted to introduce Shuvam to her. But it seems she will be coming later than usual; Tiyasha had informed her beforehand. It is already eight. Supriti, her Kakuma noticed Tiyasha looking at her wrist watch and said,’Tiya dear, your sister will be late today. She just called up, then noticing her amazed face, her [5]Kakuma added, ‘Why don’t you take Shuvam to your room?’ to which Pujarini also nodded.

Tiyasha took Shuvam to the first floor, taking him through the open corridor, passing by her Kaku-Kakuma and Diya’s room to reach their room. There are two rooms in their portion, one small room which serves as her study cum guest receiving room and a master bedroom where Tiyasha and her mother stay, since her father’s death five years back. They entered the bedroom.

Tiyasha made him sit on a cane chair close to the balcony and excused herself for a few minutes.

Shuvam took a quick glance at the room. It is a well furnished bedroom. The whole room reflects the personality of Pujarini, he thought, looking at the harmony of cool lemon green and light blue stripes on the curtains and bedcover. A few family photographs and a Jamini Roy painting on the wall, some dokra figurines in alcove, fresh [6]philodendron on the window sill, potted [7]song of India at the entrance of the adjoining balcony casting a freshening feel in the room and … he stopped. Is not that a [8]tanpura, at the corner, wrapped with a dusty old piece of cloth? Not that Shuvam is an avid lover of music, but for unknown reason the tanpura drew his attention.

‘Whose is it, Tiyasha?’ he asked.

Tiyasha, who has already changed into a pink T-Shirt and a printed long skirt switched off the tube light and lit up a yellow shaded lamp, answered nonchalantly,’ It is Ma’s,’ pulling a chair and sitting beside Shuvam.

‘Does she sing regularly?’ he seemed curious.

‘No. I hardly remember her sing,’ she paused for a second,’ probably in my early school years. She does not sing now.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know. Why are bothering yourself about that musty old thing?’ Tiyasha was about to start a discussion on her latest project. She was slightly miffed at his sudden interest in the dust smitten tanpura which she thought was the last thing to lay her eyes upon.

Just then Pujarini entered with two steaming cups of tea.

‘Auntie, don’t you sing, now?’ as she placed the tray on a side table.

‘I used to. Sometime back. Not any more,’ She said handing him the cup,’ not now.’ all of a sudden, Shuvam noticed a subdued fire in eyes. was she hiding something? but before he could say, why used to? why the past tense, Pujarini lowered her eyes and withdrew from the room, saying ‘you guys talk. I will come after a while.’

Shuvam also noticed the reluctance and uneasiness on her face in the soft light and then pondered overPujarini's words , “used to”, “Not any more”. Some thoughts are best understood when unspoken. They are better understood in the expression, body language, and non-verbal gestures of the speaker. As Shuvam understood something now; from Tiyasha's indifference, Pujarini’s cold response and the tanpura gathering dust in one corner while nothing in the room escapes her meticulous attention.