PART THREE

After his dinner, Bangshalochan retired alone to the drawing room. He is unable to sleep in complete darkness, so a castor oil lamp has been placed on a lampstand in a corner of the room. After tossing and turning a few times, Bangshalochan got up, lit the electric light and took out a volume of the Gita and started to read. This Gita is his go-to for difficult days, he dives into it in times of non-cooperation with his wife and attempts to appreciate the impermanence of worldly things. As he read the chapter on Karma Yog Bangshalochan thought, which heinous, unlawful thing had he done to warrant such behavior from Manini? Going to her father’s – eishh – such hubris! He would not say a word to her about bringing her home, she’ll return by herself when she feels like it. Bangshalochan silently puts up with all the junk that she buys on a whim and stuffs into the house. There, just the other day she bought fifteen footstools, twenty three fish-knives and two hundred and fifty rupees worth of kitchen utensils,  and all the problem is with his goat? Hmph – nonsense. Bangshalochan put the Gita back, switched off the electric light and went to bed, and in the next moment, started snoring.

Lambakarna was sitting in the verandah and chewing cud. He was wide awake after consuming two Burma cheroots. A strong gust of wind blew at about one in the morning. Lambakarna felt cold and got up in irritation. A faint light was glimmering in the drawing room. Lambakarna chewed his rope to set himself free, and finding the door open, noiselessly entered the drawing room.