An angel was born some light years ago. Her mother 'Moni' looked at her face and felt, one day she'll be my friend 'Shokhi' saheli. The feeling made Moni forget all her pain and agony in her life from that moment. Her joy lay in Shokhi's heart. Shokhi started growing up looking at her mother's beautiful face, but wondered, why Moni had put on that mask of happiness. She used to look at her Baba, who loved her like anything and think, was it normal to be Baba and Maa like Moni and Manas.
As a young girl Shokhi built up her own world with her questions and answers. She was different from the rest but could hardly express herself. Here Moni too failed a little to understand her Shokhi. Manas in his own way loved his little birdie. In a few years Shokhi was joined by Shokha, her brother. Shokhi's world changed. She found her soul in him. To Moni Shokhi and Shokha were her gems of life.
Shokhi for hours together sat with Moni and listened to her. Moni told her stories, life experiences, read out books and articles to her in Bengali. Shokhi and her brother Shokha never learnt Bengali, though being from a Bengali family. Baba was there but not there. Shokhi as a child was attached to all three of them. Her world lay in Moni, Manas and Shokha.
But none of them knew that Shokhi was saheli to all three of them, but was alone. Shokhi bundled up her questions in her tender mind with answers of her own. She tried asking Moni some questions but soon realised Moni was not in a position to answer her or maybe the time wasn't ripe yet.
Shokhi spent fun loving time with Shokha and could subdue the pain that was building in her.
Looking at Moni and Manas she now understood, a gap, an emotional void was there.
Shokhi needed to share all this with someone but...she couldn't relate to anyone.
She was now 14 and Shokha 9.
Moni and Manas were not for each other, Shokhi understood. Moni's beauty poise calmness did not attract Manas.
Shokhi was sad broken and shattered at that tender age. But no one ever came to know. She became Moni's best friend, Shokha's soulmate and Manas's eye candy. But for her she kept to herself in her own world, coping with reality and her own real self. She was not as beautiful as her mother. At school she saw children of her age and couldn't identify with them. Sometimes even led down for her unconventional looks and skin color.
The shell grew strong around her and she went into it. She was happy in her imaginative world of sunflowers blooming all over and she smiling giggling to herself as a happy teen.
In reality she did have her own share crushes and likes but never spoke about them.
But Shokha always looked after her and that was the saving grace for her.
Moni became sadder with years and time, Manas became successful and rude to her.
Shokhi and Shokha were spectators to all if it.
TO BE CONTINUED....
© Choitali