The man stood silently near the sink. "There's no need for you to prove yourself. I know it but …"
"But what?" The lady waited for a second and finished it for him. "You don't want me to work."
At dawn, Asha was fully awake. She couldn't sleep well the whole night. Gabina planned to make the dessert. Meanwhile, Asha was still trying to formulate her very own recipe."Ahh, that madman, inconsiderate, conceited Ronjon is the root cause of my problem." She recalled their conversation yesterday.
Ashirbader Phul Inn had a good crowd for the competition. This was what Taajwar asked Ronjon for, a good advertisement. Nirabpur was famous for its ancient Buddha Temple, so tourists were expected daily. His Inn had existed for years in this village but the revenue dwindled when other Inns started opening.After analyzing their financial crisis, they found the problem;
Night came. Malabika called Asha to her room. "Come, my dear. Sit here." She tapped the space beside her on the bed. Asha obliged. The middle-aged lady cupped the younger girl's face, observing her every feature. "You're pretty, sweet, and headstrong. I think that's the reason.""What do you mean, Mashi?" Her eyes widened, curious about what the elder lady would say.
The three of them weren't sure what to say or do. Only one thing came to the minds of the two men. Leave this place. Asha was not affected much since her ignorance of the actual state of affairs didn't muddle her mind."What do you want us to do?" Asha said.
Early morning the next day, when the sunlight cleared the heavy fog, Ronjon, Asha, and Monojit dashed straight to the car which was parked near the camp. Ronjon started the engine with one aim in mind, to go back to Nirabpur. Ten men followed them, riding in a van.Ronjon’s car's speedometer went to 90. If there were speed limits, he was breaking it. Dust covered
Ronjon sent another letter to his employer in Royal Bengal Hotel, explaining the situation with his Uncle but didn't mention the Independence camp.Their delay lasted for another week until the Inn went back to business. Asha spent more time with Malabika, and Monojit used the opportunity to talk about business matters with Taajwar. On the day of their departure, the e
The old man went back to his small kitchen and brought back plates and glasses. Then came back with a plate of Dosas, scrambled eggs with green chilies, and small cups filled with milk tea for each of them."Please don't bother," Ronjon spoke on their behalf.
An old man, two tall young men, and a petite lady in between them walked into a spice store. Monojit pulled a basket at the entrance.Old man Abhik started the lesson. "Masala is the soul of Bengal food. And the food is the soul of Bengal." Abhik rounded a shelf full of spices packaged by a kilo in a variety of colors. With just a glimpse, the spices created an image of a rainbow in the customer's eye, inviting them to come closer to buy.He picked a dull brown ground spice. "Cumin… hmm, cumin is a saucy whore. Gives you great pleasure, but she herself is unquenched. So be careful. Use it sparingly." He winked at the two men. Monojit and Ronjon looked at Asha, afraid if she understood the double meaning of the words. The girl gave them a clumsy smile.Ronjon shook his head and took the pack from Abhik's hand and laid it in the basket. He felt he had to explain to Asha to avoid her misunderstanding about that mischievous wink from the old man. She might think he was promiscuous and freq