Bablee ( Part- 15th – Sub Part- A)… The concluding episode —

( Recap – In the last episode, the sorry plight of Muslim barber was narrated. It came up, why he was an aspirant to become paramour of Bablee. Now, In this  sub part – A of concluding episode, many things are being summarized haphazardly; since, story been too lengthy either.)

And suddenly, events began to take place rapidly. Now as on today, it seems to me, a collapsing process at once took place in a series of incidences, one after another. First awkward, incidence occurred with me, that was like a shocking experience to me. It was with regard Bablee only. It chanced, my wife and children were out of station in relations to attend some wedding ceremony. They were scheduled to have some days halt there and I was staying back at home all alone. Suddenly, I noticed from inside the kitchen’s window, the old father of Bablee arrived on his knackered old moped scooter, on the gate of the house. He rung the door bell, I went out side and received him and took him inside the sitting room and made him sit with due respect.

I prepared a cup of tea for him and after serving the tea, I asked him, ” did you know the location of my residence?” In response, he said, ” no, Just I asked in the market only. A brief description by some one helped me find your residence.” The truth was, I in myself was confounded by this “surprise visit” of the old man. Never in the past, he ventured to visit my place.  Then it felt to me, may be, this man may have some urgency of work, hence I asked, ” you have been to my house with a long given effort. It seems you have got some urgent work from me! I too just was leaving for the office.”

But the old man absent minded asked me one question only, “Whether Bablee has come to your place?” This query at once put me into a ‘fix.’ Flabbergasted I retorted , “No! Why would she come to my place?”  Though, it took some moments to collect myself in responding him. For a little, old man remained silent, then spoke in a tone, as if, speaking to himself only, ” To day is Monday. Day before yesterday, I mean on Saturday, both my daughters  in a routine left for shop from my home. But at the evening Jito came alone as usual. I waited for Bablee, but when it was too late, it made me worried. I asked Jito, upon that she replied, Bablee was planning to visit her aunt for a night stay. But she didn’t turn up next day either. Before coming to your place, I also visited her aunt ‘s house. She not  even visited there. Then an idea came to me, might be, she was staying at your place with you.”

The last sentence of the old man, ” Might be, she was staying at your place with you,” pricked my ears at once. This was obvious now, this cunning old man too knew my soft bend for his daughter. But, the type of tiding about Bablee being missing was enough to provide a high voltage shock to me. We both remained sat silently for a long. It was crystal clear, no untoward incidence been encountered by Bablee. Her absence was deliberate on her part. After a long pause, old man again spoke in a low tone, as monologue, ” It seems to me, my son and daughter all they know where Bablee is staying. But they are befooling me by hiding some facts.” When old man said this, the expressions of defeat were rested on his face. Suddenly he sprung up silently, took leave by folding both his hands in a gesture and without uttering a single word lumbered out.

Bablee once got missed from the scene, remained absent for many years to come. The truth was, never she shown up in the market. Yes, she visited her parental house with her husband intermittently. And, can you guess, who was her husband? Answer is; the same South Indian boy Shanu, with whom she ventured to elope one day. Though, reality was, she made Shanu elope with her.  In fact, it seemed to me, this was a case of absconding a meek, subdued boy under coercion otherwise. As I mentioned repeatedly about the venomous attraction of Bablee and its impact upon the shopkeepers of the entire market, including me. Then, how that South Indian chap Shanu could remain intact from that attraction?

Gradually, as informations came up with the passing of time, many things revealed.  Bablee, her sister Jito and younger brother firstly convinced the chap Shanu to get the marriage registered officially at the office of the “Registrar of the Marriage.” After  getting the marriage registered properly; on the same day, they made board Bablee and Shanu on the train bounded for Southern Indian Province of the boy Shanu. That was the same “Saturday” old man talking about with me. No doubt, all they three did it clandestinely and without taking old man into confidence. Why for, he by himself was trying to trace out the where about of his daughter every where. It happens with every poor father of a marriageable daughter. He looks the world from his own colored glasses tinted with liabilities.

But why father was not taken into confidence by his own children remained a mystery to me, which never could be solved, since after some years of the marriage of Bablee, old man too passed away. Now again back to the high voltage incidence of ‘disappearance’ of Bablee. For some days, the disappearance of Bablee was not taken noticed by shopkeepers of the bazaar. But the day had to come, when this tiding was to be “marked.” And it got ‘marked’ by another subsequent incidence, Jito too disappeared from the market just after one week of Bablee’s absconding. But prior to that, she rented the shop to some another  woman, who too was in the tailoring business. ( End of sub part A of concluding episode. Con’d ) Penned by — Vinay Pharasi —–