Jagat stood silent with his travel bag standing on his right side. An expression of an unwanted clarity was present on his face. He turned to look a last time at a view which he didn’t know when he would see again and he walked into the airport.
This was not how Jagat had arrived three days back and three days were not all he wanted to spend here.
Jagat had been living abroad for the past fifteen years. Quite happy with life. One day memories of home came flooding in and Jagat decided to give his younger brother Mitesh a surprise visit. Mitesh lived in the duplex apartment of the family with his wife, now that Jagat and Mitesh’s parents were no longer in the world, the apartment belonged to the brothers.
When Jagat stepped out of the airport on arrival, he went through the brief sadness of coming last time at his mother’s funeral six years ago. Jagat was really thankful to his younger brother for looking after everything and was ready with an apology for not being present in his marriage four years ago.
The brother’s talked on phone with Mitesh often saying that, ‘Jagat’s room was always kept ready for his arrival’.
Jagat enjoyed the cab ride and when he reached he decided to take the long walk to the apartment building smiling at everything he saw, he had never quite imagined he would miss home this much, he was quite convinced he had satisfied himself with his new life.
Jagat smiled as he pressed the doorbell, but the smile reduced in its intensity by at least 80% when the door opened. Someone Jagat didn’t know was standing in home worn clothes, a man maybe a little younger than Jagat.
‘Is Mitesh’s wife having an affair? Or have they moved from here?’ thought Jagat but was interrupted by “What are you here for?”
“I am sorry, but is Mitesh Dikshit home?” asked Jagat
“No, he isn’t, today is a working day. IIf you are here to deliver something? I can hand it over,” said the man
“So Mitesh Dikshit does live here..?”
“You are wasting my time,” said the man and he started to close the door when Jagat stopped him from doing so and said, “this is my apartment, Mitesh is my brother, so who are you?”
The man stopped, surprised and speechless.
‘I was right this is an affair,’ thought Jagat and he rushed into the house with his bag only to find a scene different than what he had imagined
An old man and woman were sitting in the drawing room along with a boy around age of 12 and another woman stepped out in the room and she wasn’t Mitesh’s wife.
‘What’s going on?’ thought Jagat and he called Mitesh immediately
Jagat learnt that they were Mitesh’s in-laws and their son with his wife and child. This meant that the three bedrooms of the apartment were occupied, including ‘Jagat’s’. But unlike what one would think, these people were not here for a visit, they were here to stay.
“How long have they been living here?” Jagat asked Mitesh when Mitesh returned from office and the brothers sat to have a conversation.
“A little more than a year,” said Mitesh trying to avoid eye contact
“.. and you did not bother to ask me?”
“I was going to, well it was a bit of emergency with my mother-in-law not being well,” explained Mitesh
“She is well now, then why are they here?” said Jagat in a loud tone, reaching the ears of those who had gone hiding into the bedrooms including Mitesh’s wife. Mitesh stayed silent.
“This was a love marriage, wasn’t it, not an arranged one like you had told me?” asked Jagat
“Yes..”
“Are you going to ask them to leave?”
“You don’t understand,” said Mitesh, “You will never stay here, I am even surprised that you came. I thought I would never see you.”
“So, you will allow people to stay here?” asked Jagat the anger rising
“They are not people, they are my family,” said Mitesh in a tone of argument and Jagat could see the situation would stay rather than change.
Jagat quietly picked his bag and walked out of the apartment he grew in, a place which had so many memories and had yet drifted apart somehow. Mitesh did not try to stop him.
The first thing Jagat did after reaching the hotel was contact his lawyer friend and steps were taken which Jagat had never thought he would have to take against his own family.
Jagat returned to the home he had built abroad, saying his goodbyes for the last time to the home that now only remained in his memory.
Written by Anuran Chatterji
Early Morning Memories 
One response to “Back Home”
Very good
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