The Estranged Lovers (A bond of a lifetime- Episode 11) (Part – 2)

This is a Bonus part of episode 11.

Judge David, was a renowned gentleman, with almost 30 years of experience in court. Throughout the trial, he quietly observed without any hindrance. As Bondita concluded her speech, he gently took off his spectacles and commenced with a light smile, “It has been 30 years since I entered the court and almost 15 years since I took this seat as a judge. I have been through countless cases and barristers. But never have I ever attended such a trial, with both of the barristers displaying such professionalism and respect for each other. Barrister Anirudh, your stands and points truly were amazing and you certainly deserve the respect which is given to you outside, but it was Barrister Bondita who surprised me today” Anirudh smiled, as Bondita’s ears perked up and she stood hearing her name. “To be honest, when I came to know that I would be facing a female Barrister for the case, I was a bit surprised.” Judge David, continued “A woman barrister?? Hearing it for the first time had really raised tons of questions in my head. But you, managed to drive them all away. You truly deserve to be the first of your kind. You are blessed with exceptional skills which have been honed to perfection. I hope that you continue to inspire many more women and men alike to be as exceptional as yourself.”

Though Bondita had teared up with such a high praise, she expressed her gratitude him by saying “You flatter me, Janab. I was just blessed with an exceptional mentor who guided me throughout.”

Anirudh, on hearing her, turned and looked at her with wide eyes. Bondita returned back his gaze with a small smile. Yes, she still hated him, but this was without question, that Anirudh Roy Chowdhury was the reason she was able to stand there with her head held high. He had been her Knight in shining armour once, who had carried her through her darkest days in life and she was and will be forever grateful to him for that.

“You truly are lucky then. Now, onto the case, the court finds the plaintiffs guilty of tax embezzlement and announce a punishment of six months in jail for the same. The plaintiffs will also have to reimburse Rs 200 to each of the defendants as a compensation. The court congratulates Barrister Bondita Das on her first win. The court is adjourned.”

No sooner did Judge David walk out than, the peasants roared with delight and ran over to extend their gratitude to Bondita. The people too were surprised by Bondita and began discussing the epic battle between the guru- shishya. In that chaos, nobody noticed the happiest man in court, pick up his suitcase and quietly turn to leave the court. He turned briefly to look back at her, who was smiling ever so brightly, from the doorway, and said, “That was a great case, Barrister Bondita Das. Your Shikshak Babu could not be any more prouder of you.”