Such a Fourth Night !

Such a Fourth Night !
(Romantic Short Story )
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It was the most important day in Subas’s life-- his chauthi ratri—the fourth night after marriage. How many emotions he had suppressed in his heart while waiting for this night ! For the past three days his thoughts had known no end. He had been imagining again and again how he would first remove Sanjukta’s veil, offer her the roasted coconut from the sacred fire, talk for a while to ease the atmosphere, and then gently lift his beloved’s moonlike face in his palms and shower it with countless kisses.

Rehearsing these moments in his mind, the last three days had passed.
Subas considered himself most fortunate. Everyone spoke highly of Sanjukta’s beauty. She had topped her Commerce graduation at Nayagarh College and had also been the runner-up in the 'College Queen"competition. The day Subas went to see her as a prospective bride along with his parents and sister-in-law, he was clean-bowled at the first sight. The other members of his family too were mesmerized by her beauty. Subas wished to exchange a few words with Sanjukta and understand her feelings, but her father, being conservative, did not approve of any interaction between the boy and the girl before marriage.

The horoscope matching was done immediately, and within a week the wedding date was fixed.Subas went to his wedding riding a splendid mare. Being from a Kshatriya lineage, as tradition demanded, a sword hung from his waist inside its sheath. Instead of going in a decorated car, he felt immense joy in following this traditional ritual. That day he felt as if he were Prithviraj, returning to Chittorgarh after marrying Sanjukta.
On this fourth night, his heart grew restless for his beloved’s closeness. He wondered why the household chores were not ending sooner, why everyone was not going to sleep, and why his sister-in-law was not saying, “Subas, go and meet your beloved.”

Finally, around eleven at night, that long-awaited moment arrived. Subas entered the bridal chamber.But contrary to his expectations, Sanjukta was not sitting on the bed, nor was her veil over her head. She was seated on a chair. Before Subas could say anything, Sanjukta began speaking:
“Subas, though you married me at the altar, I am not worthy of being your wife. Long ago I had already given my heart to the man I love. My family did not support our marriage, because caste differences stood between us like a wall.”

“The day you came to see me at my house, I could not protest out of fear of my father and brother. You too did not try to understand my feelings. After that, I tried many a time to send words to you to stop the wedding, but my father and brother kept constant watch over me and did not let me step out. The wedding was fixed so quickly, within a week, that I could do nothing.”

To Subas, Sanjukta’s words sounded like a joke. He said, “Why are you joking like this, Sanjukta? On a night like this, such jokes are not appropriate.”

With a faint smile, Sanjukta replied, “This is not a joke, Subas. It is the pure truth, as clear as daylight. Our fate has played the biggest joke on both of us.”

Subas felt the ground slipping from beneath his feet. His head began to spin. He somehow steadied himself and collapsed onto the bed. The palace of dreams he had built seemed to be shattering into pieces under the cruel laughter of misfortune.

After some time, Subas composed himself. Nearly fifteen minutes passed in silence. Sanjukta sat with her head bowed. Breaking the silence, Subas asked, “May I make a request, Sanjukta?” She lifted her face and looked at him.
Subas said, “If this matter becomes public, both our families will be disgraced. We will not be able to hold our heads up anywhere. Forget society—there are friends and relatives who live to poke their noses into others’ affairs. So I request you: forget the past and come, let us begin a new life. Reduce your past indulgence to ashes in the sacred fire of the wedding altar. I too took a vow there to forgive all your faults. Come, Sanjukta, let us forget the past and start anew.”

Sanjukta replied, “That is not possible, Subas. We have already pledged ourselves at the 'Cuttack Chandi' Temple to live together as husband and wife. So please help me unite with my beloved Rakesh. Otherwise, there is no path left for me except suicide.”

Subas said, “No, no, Sanjukta—do not even speak of suicide. But do not tell anyone about this. My head will hang in shame. Let us do this: after I go to Bhubaneswar to join my office, I will take you with me and then leave you with your friend Rakesh. Our divorce will also be finalized in the meantime.”

After a pause, Subas asked, “If you don’t mind, may I ask something? How did you meet Rakesh, and how far had your relationship progressed?”

Sanjukta said, “We met through Facebook chatting, and our emotions soon crossed all limits. Finally, he asked me to meet him at the Badambadi bus stand in Cuttack. I don’t remember the exact date in April. When I met him there, I was astonished—such a handsome face! My God, it felt as if a Greek god stood before me. We talked outside for a while, but it attracted too much attention, so we rented a room in a nearby lodge and spent many emotional moments of the day together. At the Kanak Durga Temple, we swore that if marriage was not possible, we would commit suicide.”

After a brief silence, Sanjukta asked, “Did you never love anyone like this, Subas?”
He replied, “Who would love an innocent fool like me, Sanjukta?”

By then it was nearing two in the morning. Subas looked closely at Sanjukta and noticed a hint of mischief in her eyes. She said, “Subas, did you check today’s date on the calendar?”
He looked—April 1st.
Grabbing her hand, Subas said, “So today you were trying to make me an April Fool, huh?”

Sanjukta laughed, “Let go, let go—you’re pinching too hard!”
The next moment, Sanjukta was in Subas’s arms. As he kissed her cheeks, Subas said, “Your story was perfect, but you were caught at one point. First you said you took vows at the Chandi Temple, then you said Kanak Durga Temple.”
Sanjukta replied, “I said that deliberately. I wanted to see how deep your foolishness went.”

Then she added, “Honestly, I wouldn’t have dared to make you an April Fool on the first night. It was your sister-in-law who dared me to do it. I asked her, ‘Won’t your brother-in-law get angry?’ She said, ‘No, no—he’s very simple, a good soul.’”
Smiling, she asked, “So tell me, good soul—are you angry with me?”

(Kulamani Sarangi )