Maithili
#MAITHILI
Link for episodes: #Maithiliepisode1 , #Maithiliepisode2, #Maithiliepisode3
#Author: #RhituparnaChakraborty
#Disclaimer: This is an original work of fiction with no relation to any person/organism living or dead. Every episode, every character is a work of imagination. Any resemblance to any person, organism, place or character is purely coincidental. There is no intention to hurt or rebuke anyone through this work. This story/episode cannot be copied, published or reproduced without the permission of the author RhituparnaChakraborty.
No one slept that night. Maithili and Anu came back to their hostel room while Kartik and Rafique stayed back at the hospital. Sunit’s condition was critical. His family was informed. Dr. Amit Malhotra, one of the best surgeons, conducted the surgery. The surgery went on for 10 long hours. After the surgery, Dr. Malhotra called Rafique and Kartik to his cabin and said, ‘We have hope. We will have to wait till Sunit regains consciousness. We have the hospital staff here. I will keep on monitoring his health. You guys go and get some rest. You can come back in the morning. We can hope for good news.’
Kartik said, ‘These words are music to our ears. Thank you so much Sir.’ Rafique and Kartik then walked back to their hostel. On the way, Kartik told Rafique, ‘What I know is Sunit is not a careless bike rider, neither does he speed ride. He is always careful. I fail to understand how did this accident happen.’ Rafique said reticently, ‘Sometimes it’s not about being careful, sometimes it’s about destiny. We don’t know why certain things happen.’ ‘Hmm’, said Kartik. Kartik then continued, ‘Maybe you are right. All I want is Sunit to be alive and kicking.’ Rafique put his hand on Kartik’s shoulder and said, ‘He will be fine.’
Maithili and Anu were quiet. None of them could talk. Kartik has updated them about Sunit’s health. They were anxiously waiting for the next day to dawn hoping for a better news. The girls could not eat anything as well. They fell asleep with the lights switched on. Suddenly at around 7:00 a.m., Maithili’s phone buzzed. It was from Kartik. Kartik said, ‘Sunit has regained consciousness.’ Maithili beamed. She had tears of happiness in her eyes. She woke Anu up and said, ‘Anu, wake up. We need to go to the hospital. Sunit has regained consciousness.’
Maithili was wearing a knee length skirt with a light pink v necked tshirt. Anu was wearing a pair of pajamas and a round necked white t shirt. Maithili’s hair was tied in a messy bun with a clutch. The girls did not bother changing their comfortable at home attire. They rushed to the hospital. Maithili and Anu saw Kartik and Rafique. They went to them. Seeing Maithili, Kartik got up, hugged her tight and started crying. Maithili too could not stop her tears. Anu’s eyes were drenched. Kartik then said, ‘Our friend is alive.’ Rafique kept on looking at Maithili. Her pretty smile, her eyes, her innocence, he could not take her eyes off her. Seeing Maithili smile, he smiled automatically. Maithili looked at Rafique and said, ‘You and Kartik did not sleep the whole night and you guys are here again. Go and eat something. I and Anu will be here.’ Rafique could listen to Maithili forever. Her voice, her kindness, her attitude towards life, for Rafique Maithili was ‘life’. He then said ‘You and Anu look exhausted too. I guess, we all can go out and have something.’ Kartik said, ‘Yes, we can. Anyway we are not allowed to meet Sunit now. His dad had called me. They will be here in couple of hours. Amit Sir told me that Sunit is out of danger now.’ Anu heaved a sigh of relief and said, ‘Honestly, now I am feeling hungry. Let’s go.’
The cafeteria in the premises open pretty early, primarily, because many students don’t like the hostel food and hence they come to the cafeteria for breakfast and coffee. Kartik, Rafique, Maithili and Anu went to the cafeteria. They placed their orders and waited eagerly. Rafique kept on looking at Maithili. Anu then said, ‘Guys, are we going to attend all the classes today? It’s already late.’ Maithili yawned and said, ‘I am feeling dead sleepy. If I keep on yawning in class, Sohum Awasthi will not spare me.’ Anu giggled and said, ‘But I don’t want to miss Mihir Sen. He is so handsome.’ Rafique smiled and said, ‘You like Dr. Mihir Sen, Anu?’ . Anu looked at Rafique and said, ‘Umm, I like him, but….’. Rafique asked puzzled, ‘But what?’ Anu blushed. Maithili looked at Anu and said with curiousity, ‘Wait a min! Are you in love?’. Anu blushed again. Kartik looked at Anu and said, ‘ Wait, what? Who is that lucky guy?’ Anu blushed and said, ‘Will tell you all soon. But, now, I feel, it’s too late for the first class. All the same, we should not miss the rest of the classes. Otherwise it will be a task getting the notes. So, two of us can attend the classes, two of us can stay with Sunit.’ Just then Kartik’s phone rang. It was from Sunit’s father. Kartik told Sunit’s father everything the surgeon had said, and then he continued, ‘Uncle we will come and meet you in 10 minutes.’ Kartik then looked at Rafique, Maithili and Anu and said, ‘Guys, I think all of us can go to class now. I and Rafique will quickly meet Sunit’s family and then we can go ahead for our classes. Moreover Sunit is out of danger. We can meet him after class if the doctor permits.’ Maithili said, ‘Yes, that’s a good idea.’
They missed Sohum Awasthi’s class but they were right on time for Dr. Mihir’s class. Maithili was wearing a peach coloured cotton kurti with a pair of denim trousers. She wrapped a light pink cotton scarf on top of the kurti. The colour reflected on her skin. Dr. Mihir looked at Maithili and said, ‘How is your friend Sunit, now?’ Maithili stood up and said, ‘He is fine Sir. Regained consciousness.’ Dr. Mihir smiled warmly and said, ‘Good to hear that.’ After Maithili sat down, Anu gently nudged Maithili and whispered, ‘Lucky you.’ Maithili whispered, ‘Shut up Anu.’ Dr. Mihir heard Anu and Maithili.
At Lunch break, when Maithili was accompanying Anu and the rest of her friends for Lunch, Raghav came. He said ‘Hi’ to all of them and asked about Sunit. He then said, ‘Happy to hear that he is fine.’ Kartik then told Raghav, ‘We are going for lunch. Please join us.’ Raghav said, ‘Actually I was looking for a good “bhajan” singer for the upcoming Saraswati Puja celebrations. I heard Maithili sings well.’ Maithili looked at Raghav and said surprised, ‘I…I am sorry b…but I am not a trained singer.’ Raghav smiled and said, ‘That’s not a problem. My friend Shikha will tell you all about the song selection and other stuff. Since, from 3 p.m. we will be in wards with our teachers, will it be possible for you to come with me now to meet Shikha?’ Maithili hesitated and said, ‘But, I have a class from 1:30 p.m.’ Raghav said, ‘That’s fine. We should be done by then.’ Rafique looked at Raghav. He could read Raghav’s eyes.
There was something about Raghav that Maithili somehow could not say ‘No’. Raghav’s personality, his smile, his way of talking, his politeness, his dress sense, everything made Maithili happy. As Raghav and Maithili were walking, Raghav’s hand accidentally brushed Maithili’s hand. Raghav immediately said, ‘Sorry.’ Maithili blushed and said, ‘That’s fine.’ Raghav then said, ‘I am sorry Maithili, there is no meeting with Shikha. I just wanted to talk to you.’ Maithili looked at Raghav and said in a puzzled note, ‘I don’t understand.’ Raghav had a magnetic smile. He looked at Maithili and said, ‘Can we talk at the cafeteria near my hostel? We can grab lunch and talk.’ They walked to the cafeteria and found a comfortable table. Raghav then said, ‘What should I get for you?’ Maithili said, ‘N..No…please don’t bother. I will get it myself.’ Raghav said, ‘I insist. Please.’ Maithili said, ‘A sandwich and coffee. I need caffeine.’ Raghav smiled and said, ‘Sure.’ Maithili said, ‘Well….’. Raghav said, ‘What?’. Maithili hesitated and said, ‘I would like to pay for the food, please.’ Raghav smiled and said, ‘Why?’ Maithili said, ‘Well….I don’t mean to offend you, but….you are also a student and this money is probably sent by your family. So…. I mean…. should you be spending it on someone who also gets pocket money and can pay…. please don’t get me wrong.’ Raghav smiled and said, ‘Well…lady, I get stipend. And this amount is not huge. Once I start working, I will earn more and maybe I will take you to a better place.’ Maithili did not know what to say. She sat there with a confused look. Raghav got the food for them. While sipping coffee, Raghav said all of a sudden, ‘Maithili, I love you.’ Maithili nearly choked on her coffee. She did not see this coming. Raghav went near her, helped her gently clean the coffee spilled on her hands and said, ‘I am sorry, this was sudden.’ Maithili sat there not knowing what to say. Raghav said, ‘See, take your time. Think about it. In all these years, I never had anyone special in my life. I don’t know, there is something about you that stole my heart.’ Maithili blushed. Raghav was not only good looking but super intelligent and kind. His smile was killing. In fact she had a crush on him since she had seen him. However, she never knew this would come as such a pleasant surprise. Before Maithili could say anything, her phone buzzed. It was from Saanchi. She received the call and after hearing that Saanchi was here, she said over the phone, ‘What!!! I am coming to meet you right away.’ She then looked at Raghav and said politely, ‘I really need to go and meet someone now.’ Trying to hide his disappointment, Raghav said, ‘Sure! I understand.’ Without saying anything more, Maithili rushed to meet Saanchi.
Saanchi waited for Maithili at Maithili’s hostel reception with Mehek. Maithili hugged Saanchi tight, kissed little Mehek’s cheeks and said, ‘I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you.’ Saanchi beamed and said, ‘Same here sweety. I was so worried about you. Are you still receiving those text messages.’ Maithili was about to say, ‘No’, when her phone buzzed. There was a message from an unknown number. It read, ‘Pretty in pink’. Maithili shivered. She showed the message to Saanchi. Just then Mushtaque came. Seeing Saanchi and Maithili, he realized something was wrong. He asked, ‘All okay?’ Saanchi took Maithili’s phone and showed the message to Mushtaque. Mushtaque read it and said nothing. Maithili sat on the bench scared. Saanchi sat beside her and said, ‘Why don’t you come and live with us for some days at the guesthouse. It’s a comfortable accommodation and not far from here. We will be here from some days. Come and spend some time with us.’ Mushtaque looked at Maithili and said, ‘Your Di came all the way here to be with you. Come and stay with us from some days. Don’t worry, I will drop you for classes every morning.’ Saanchi then held Maithili’s hand and said, ‘Come now baby. Come with us.’ Mushtaque had to talk to Maithili to know all the details. That was not possible if she stayed in the hostel. Hence it was imperative that Maithili came with them. He looked around. He will have to scan the entire campus and he will do so. His gun stayed intact in the holster underneath his t-shirt.
Kartik and Rafique had stepped out of the hostel premises to get some stuff. Rafique was paying the rickshaw guy while Kartik went to the shop. Just then a two wheeler came speeding. Kartik tried to save himself from that speeding bike, but alas he was hit by another car. He fell on the road with his head bleeding………..
To be continued………….
