‘If I did get a job, wouldn’t I tell you?’

‘Why, didn’t Tamal Da give you a job? What did you decide about that? Listen Suman, you can get several birds with one stone. Get married as I say. Am I not around? You don’t have to worry about money. Think of it as a kind of revenge. Revenge for the wrong perpetrated on Jogipara.’

When Sandip uttered the word ‘revenge’, his face took on another appearance.

Suman did not say any more. His ears had turned deaf from hearing such things ever since he was a child. It was the Hindu boys from other villages with whom he mingled who voiced all that. After a long pause, he said, ‘Will Riziya agree, willingly, and with all her senses intact?’

‘I think she will. You need to be beside her in this calamitous time to be a source of strength. You can start doing that right away. Actually, I think you should go to Riziya’s house now, Suman.’

Sandip’s words seemed to work magic. Or maybe Suman too subconsciously desired that. He set aside dithering over whether he should go and got up. And then he set off for Salaam Miya’s house, with no other thought in his head. Riziya had said that she wasn’t able to reconcile the balance sheet of life. He had to teach her that now!

After Suman left, Sandip chuckled wickedly to himself. There wasn’t just violence in the chuckle, but also machination and crookedness. He began planning how to lend a communal colour to the whole thing. He pondered – if Suman ran away with Riziya, people would certainly be enraged. They would target Jogipara for intimidation and attack. If that could be publicized as oppression of Hindus by Muslims, it would give a fillip to his organization’s activities here. If some journalists belonging to his ‘camp’ could be brought here, it would be an even more spectacular affair. Yes, Probir could be brought. After all, it was he who had helped to create a stir in an incident somewhere in Nadia. But that time, although the organization received a lot of publicity, it hadn’t really been fruitful. The administration had responded very firmly to the situation. Probir was a freelance correspondent for a few major newspapers. He was already there. Making up a juicy, provocative story on this would be an easy matter for him.

But even amidst such thoughts, Sandip had another plan in mind. Suman wasn’t here now, he had gone to visit Riziya. Sandip put on his shirt, got on Suman’s bicycle and headed towards the marketplace. Would any shop be open at this time of night! If there was at least a phone booth open, that would be great. And if there was a typewriter there, there was nothing more one could ask for.

fifty-seven

It was quite late at night. Was it right to visit the Miya household all alone at this time? So Suman called one of Maruf’s friends, Farid, to accompany him. Although Farid was poorly educated, he enjoyed the company of educated youths like Maruf and Suman. He was also of an emotional disposition. He too was addicted to caring about others, while himself being a burden at home. Using Farid as a shield, Suman entered Riziya’s house. Salaam Miya was in such an anguished state that seeing these two well-meaning youths of the village he was unable to hold back his tears. Salaam Miya lamented, ‘No one even peeped at us, Teacher. Even my own brother and nephew didn’t come, out of fear of Rafiq. But you’ve come, and that’s a lot. I feel a lot stronger now.’

‘No, Kaka, don’t worry about anything. Everything will be all right. Aren’t we there! Why should people listen to Rafiq Ali Sheikh if he says something wrong? Is there no justice in the country?’

‘You’re with me, aren’t you, son? Will you be with me till the end? I am awfully scared. That Rafiq’s boys are back. They’ve been terrorizing us.’

Farid didn’t know about the Rafiq Ali angle. He had heard the rumours involving Imam Saheb and Riziya, and he had also heard that many people were enraged with the Miya household and had attacked it. But what role did Rafiq Ali play in all this? How did he come into the picture! Farid asked, ‘Chacha, what’s with Rafiq Ali Sheikh?’

In order to explain what Rafiq Ali was up to, Salaam Miya began telling him a lot of things – with more digressions than facts. Farid was in a fix. But since it was a man in trouble, he continued to listen to him. Salaam Miya was really afraid. Farid knew very well that Salaam Miya was otherwise quite a capable person. Sensing an opportunity as Farid and Salaam Miya were talking, Suman asked, ‘Where’s Riziya, Kaka?’

‘She’s in her room upstairs.’

‘May I go up and see her?’

‘Go, Teacher, take Ayan along. He’ll show you the way.’

Salaam Miya’s son took him upstairs. He showed him the room and returned downstairs. Suman had never gone upstairs. Riziya was lying down in the first of the two rooms there. She had probably just eaten. There were used plates lying on the floor. As soon as she saw Suman, she sat up, covering herself properly with her odna. She didn’t say anything. She stared at Suman with a guilty look in her eyes. Suman sat down opposite her on a plastic chair. He asked her, ‘How are you, dear?’

Although Riziya tried to bring a synthetic smile on her face, her voice choked when she was about to speak. Tears ran down her face. So Suman said, ‘Don’t be sad at all. What can one do, tell me? None of us ever thought that the situation would turn so bad. But now I see that it’s you that the whole of Sadnahati is furious with. Kaka can’t even step outside. Kakima had come to meet me. But how terrible of Imam Saheb!’

Riziya suppressed a lot of anguish and finally said, ‘Maybe I am a terrible girl! I might have dragged him to hell. That’s why he left.’

‘Who said you’re terrible? Haven’t I known you ever since you were a child?’

‘Do you really know me?’

‘Why wouldn’t I? Listen, if the balance sheet itself is wrong, you will never be able to reconcile it, Riziya. That’s the truth. I think there were a great many errors in your balance sheet! But there’s no point thinking about all that and causing yourself pain.’

‘But I don’t feel like staying on here even for a minute. I’ll either commit suicide, or walk away to wherever my legs carry me.’

‘Don’t be crazy, Rizi!’

‘I’m not crazy, Dada. Perhaps I don’t want to commit suicide. But it is the final option. Or else I’ll try to go to Raqib. I heard that he is in Pune. Can you tell me how I can go to him?’

‘Why do you want to go to Raqib, dear? Have you lost your head altogether?’

‘Hmm, but that’s what everyone wanted at one time. Maybe that’s what is in my fate. You could say that.’

‘Isn’t there any other man in the world? If that is so, let me tell Kaka that they should look for Raqib and bring him back. Let them get you married to him after that, exactly as they wished. Why should you go looking for him?’

‘No one knows where Raqib is. He has not been in touch since

he left.’

‘Do you know?’

‘No.’

‘Then how will you go? And tell me why on earth you should go to a drunken rascal like him?’

‘I’m helpless, Dada. I have no other option now than to go to him. I’m sure I will find him. He must have gone to Pune to find a job. Can you do me a favour, Dada? Can you arrange for some money? And can you put me on a train?’

A mysterious smile appeared on Suman’s countenance. Just like the smile of respectable folk when they hear the childlike words of a beloved. And then, feigning a stern air, he said, ‘I think you’ve completely lost your senses. Do you think Pune is a small village? When you’ve decided to run away somewhere, go to Imam Saheb’s village house instead. I’ll get you his address. What do you think?’

Riziya’s face flushed. As soon as Imam Saheb’s name was mentioned, she reacted fiercely and said, ‘No! He’s a pure man, of a heavenly disposition! Since he’s left for fear of being sullied, let him be. Don’t mention him again.’

‘Shall I tell you something?’

‘Tell me.’

‘Will you come with me?’

‘I told you I’ll go with you. You’ll put me on a train. But get me out of here first.’

Suman couldn’t figure out how to tell her the real thing! He was in a terrible fix. He wondered how she would take it if he proposed to her directly. Right now, Riziya was impatient to leave this place. So did he need to engage in a bit of deception? How unethical would it be if he undertook deception while endeavouring to save someone’s life! And if it indeed was unethical, he did not think it was so condemnable. Suman said, ‘Get ready. I’ll take you away tonight itself.’

‘Are you serious?’

‘Yes. Trust me. I’ll be off now. So that’s it then.’ And as he said that, he rose from the chair. But before he took a step, he bent down a bit and said in a whisper, ‘Won’t you be able to make it somehow to the Shiva temple in Jogipara?’

‘Yes, I will. At what time?’

‘Let’s say, at two at night. Can you do that?’

‘I can, Dada. This is about me. I have to do it.’

‘Good girl!’

Riziya suddenly felt pleased to hear that. As if she had suddenly solved a difficult maths problem. And Suman had acknowledged that by calling her ‘good girl’! As students, there was a lot of competition to hear this phrase. But it was she who always defeated everyone and won the ‘good girl’ badge. The man could be trusted. Besides, she had no other option too!

Suman returned home and found that Sandip wasn’t there. He ardently wanted to announce his conquest of the world, his success. He switched the light off and sat in solitude in the darkness for a while. Suddenly, Sandip arrived. He had come by bicycle. Suman asked him, ‘Where had you gone at this time?’