He loved punishing her. But she deprived him the pleasure; the pleasure of hurting her.

The two big eyes-gifted by God reflected only one thing;stupidity. No pain, no pleasure, no intellect.

He made her sweep the huge bungalow, mop the living rooms and wash the cheap red bordered cotton sarees that she wore at school as uniform. The sight of   her clumsy self in faded crumpled cotten- drove him to nuts; everyday. But he could not punish her further. Afterall she was his niece—daughter of his deceased eldest brother.

It was drizzling. But the stupid girl had gone out in the rain. She didn’t ask him even for a drive. Clinching the saree in one hand and an umbrella in the other, she had started towards the school -- a four mile daily expedition.

 GC watched her go. A sense of pervert pleasure stopped him from preventing her.

 But ten minutes after he had to start his car. The girl had tonsilities. A rain-bath would keep her incapacitated  for days. It had already started pouring.

She had closed her umbrella. The flimsy protection of umbrella was no defense. In senseless daring she had surrendered to the nature; disregarding the threat of tonsilities. On the unshared path she had turned out to be the sole traveler- enjoying  a favorite song in full voice-- “Mono mor meghero sangi”

A car passed by at slow pace. Torrent of water had shielded the screen but still GC could see her. Drenched in rain, singing in careless abandon, enliven with the joy of life. The very eyes, that  reflected only stupidity was sparkling in radiance.

For once he did not dare to disapprove. The car passed by.