It was the late of February when hearing something from her colleagues made Pulu's forehead crease.

"I will die for this period cramp if its possible." Shruti had grunted plopping on the rocking chair in the teacher's common room.

"You should have stayed home." Pulu had crunched her nose handing Shruti a warm cup of chocolate that they had ordered in from the near by barista.

"As if!" Shruti scoffed.

And like lightening Pulu remembered something. Shruti was babbling more on how her temporary lecturer-ship would have been on the edge of sword if she would have stayed home. But Poulee's mind was else where. She fished out her phone to open the calendar - 'what date was it!!'

She was late!

She was late by three weeks!

"Well..." Shruti gaped at her with open mouth. "Are you sure?"

"Ya!!!" She replied with shaky, scared voice. "I..."

"Well it happens. Stress, hormone's up and down... it happened to me once. Trust me once my menstrual cycle stopped for entire four months. I popped some pills - and then everything was again back to normal..." Shruti tried to rationalise the situation.

But, "Were you sexually active?" Poulee's this one question stopped her.

"Poulee its fine! It is good news year!"

Poulee looked up at her. Was it?

Her heart was saying something completely else. Her husband was gonna kill her if it was true - well not literally.

Yes she was scared of Butu - a tad bit - but was. Being 3 years older he had upper hand. Butu was weirdly enough quite the big brother for her in the character of husband.

She was scared and the damn pregnancy test stick didn't help her panic attack either.

Like shameless enough, the three of the sticks kept showing all the positive signs.

As she kept looking at two red strike on the test stick her neck started paining. The panic oozed out tears in the eyes.

Suddenly Poulee thought, why was she only thinking about Butu? What did she want? Did she want this? She was just - just 28. Was she ready enough?

With tear filled eyes she looked up, in the mirror.

A baby!!!

Half of her, and half of her Butu?! Eyes like her, dimple and smile of him, hair of her, lashes like him - the though brought smile on her lips.

A baby, Anindya, or a baby Poulee - who will call her Maa. A name she had forgotten the last time she has called with someone.

Butu will understand her right? She wanted a little bit of her, who will get to say Maa.

Her husband will be fine.

*

The red face Anindya Chatterjee was making Poulee want to crawl inside her own skin.

"What are you saying!!!"

He howled again.

His eyes were bull mad! The last time she saw them like that was the night he heard Ratul, saying bad things about her.

"I want this!"

"We had a plan Poulee! Don't be absurd and childish! You are not even 30 yet, you are yet to be permanent as a professor..."

Quickly yet cautiously she approached him and snaked her both hands around his chest. Placing her head on his heart she whispered through tears, "Please Butu, I want her. I want her. I want her... let her call me Maa. Please Butudada, please!"

All the guns were out. He felt like selfishly she was demanding something, without leaving his one way to escape.

Her tight arms felt like iron cage to him. He had never felt this much helpless before.

He had a plan for god sake. Children when he would be 35. Why she was so stubborn to ruin that!!!

His brain was rebellious, yet his heart knew he had already surrendered to agree the moment she had looked at him with tear in those big eyes of her and hugged him.

***

Listening the new Tuli stayed motionless for a moment. Then dragging a smile just with exhaling she spoke, "Congratulations Poulee! My goodness! It such a big news."

"Yeah. I am so scared Tulidi! Above all my husband is just being so so uncontrollably indifference about it I can't tell you!"

"I can quite understand that." Tuli chuckled sadly walking through the university corridor.

"Yah...!"

Poulee kept babbling about the situation more and Tuli kept advising and listening to her.

*

It's been some days since Tuli started to go to the Psychiatrist. Today she had the third session with the doctor.

As usually Shuvro was waiting at her university's parking lot for her after work hours. It was routine for him to drive her to work in the morning and drive back to home from work at the end of the day. And the days she had appointment with the therapist he would drive her to the doctor's office too, and wait for her to come out and at last go home together. He took those days more seriously to drive her back. He was determined never to let her go there or return by herself.

That day when Tuli cried asking for her take to a therapist he got scared more than getting shocked. Again and again he had asked her if she was having any kind of fear or nightmare or trauma. Holding her face in his hands and looking in her crying eyes he had searched for the pain she was not being able to say out loud. But again and aging shaking her head she had said, she wanted to visit a psychiatrist, that's all.

And since then the journey had started. At the way back from the doctor to their home he had tried to scrutinise his wife's face and look for something, anything - about how she was feeling - happy or sad. But all the rides back home Tuli would keep quiet as usually.

Today getting inside the passenger seat, as she buckled the seat belt and Shuvro started the ignition, Tuli told him about Pulu's news.

A warm smile spread over his face as he looked at her with sparkling eyes, "Wow! That's a real good new!" He was grinning as he started the car. "Did you spoke to Butu? What did he say?"

"I didn't. But I heard he is not quite happy about it." Tuli sighed shaking her head.

"That Boy needs your psychiatrist's help."

His groan made her chuckle lightly. As he drove the car out of the drive way she thought - how life was so normal for everyone's, but her. Like a time table everyone was moving like a being on a clock but her. She was stuck. She was stuck within herself. She was stuck in a combat, that she was battling over and over again, being defeated by herself every time.

She looked at Shuvro, and a deep exhale came out of her.

Love!

Was loving someone else possible for her? Was thinking about someone she way she once did for someone, dreaming those chalked out plans once again with someone else possible for her?

The thought made her shiver. It made a part of her scrunch nose in disgust.

Taking a breath she closed her eyes.

No placing someone else in Sumedh's place was never ever possible.

Then which inexorable force was driving her mind towards him! Why!

Looking down at his left palm on the gear she reached over to placed her own hand on it.

He looked up at her with astonishment in his eyes.

His lips loops into a smile looking at her expectant eyes.

Leaving the gear he turned his hand to take her palm into his own...

So this was the part. Hope you like it. Now please VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! and comment...