Bhatnagar ji lovingly patted his son's back and hurried to the office, but his mind wasn't at ease there. He was anxious about several things.
First, he felt that though he had left, his wife would now spend the entire day with their son. He feared she would tell him all sorts of things about the morning incident, and in the evening, when he returned home, both mother and son would make fun of him. If he had been there, his wife might have at least shown some consideration while sharing things with their son.
Second, he was bothered by the fact that in the morning, due to the meeting, he had hurriedly left and didn’t get a chance to locate the "Rabdi Bhandar" shop. Now, in the evening, he'd have to reach home early because of his son, which would make it difficult for him to search for the shop.
Third, if his wife was really under the influence of some spirit or supernatural force, their son might find out, and the poor boy might get scared.
With all these thoughts swirling in his head, he couldn't focus on work, despite having more work than usual after the morning meeting.
He wanted to call home, but then thought that his son, having traveled all night, must be resting now, and his wife would be busy taking care of him. If the phone call ended up being long, it would delay his work further, and he would get home even later.
He got back to his files. But today, luck was on Bhatnagar ji’s side. On his way home, he spotted a Rabdi shop near the intersection. He immediately stopped his car. The shop wasn’t named "Champa Rabdi Bhandar," and it didn’t look like the shop he had seen in his dream. The people working there were different too. But Bhatnagar ji thought it would be a good idea to take some Rabdi home for his son.
As they say, once bitten, twice shy. Bhatnagar ji didn’t make the mistake of leaving his car on the roadside today. He stayed in the car and called one of the shop boys over. Handing him a two-hundred-rupee note, he ordered half a kilo of Rabdi.
He felt a little proud of his own caution. The boy brought the Rabdi in a small clay pot. Bhatnagar ji took it from him and placed it on the dashboard. As he began to take the remaining change, a beggar woman suddenly appeared beside his car, stretching out her hand for alms.
Bhatnagar ji was stunned. The old woman looked exactly like the one he had seen in his dream, the one who had eaten his leftover Rabdi. He avoided making eye contact with her and quickly started his car.
His excitement about taking Rabdi home for his son evaporated. Battling his fear, he somehow made it home.
At home, both his wife and son were busy tending to the garden outside. The moment they heard the car horn, his son quickly ran to open the gate and took the briefcase from his hand.
That's when Bhatnagar ji remembered the Rabdi. He retrieved the clay pot from the car and handed it to his wife as she approached.
But the moment she took the pot from his hands, Bhatnagar ji was terrified. Her eyes were blood-red.
(To be continued...)
