What has she found here? I did not find anything so special here. Her lifestyle is also insipid like her existence. She wears only white, everything, right from the curtains, bedsheets, almost everything is white. Colours appear only on the borders but they are insignificant if compared to the whiteness of the surroundings. Even the flowers like tuberose, jasmine, etc. all are white. She does not like the flowers of other colours.

As the evening descends, white fragrance makes the ambience around her bungalow very exotic and serene. Every morning, she very delicately picks all the fallen flowers from the garden and keeps them in a big bowl in her drawing room. Some flowers she offers to God. The slips of the flowers she carries into her bedroom.

Bina is an extremely beautiful woman. Rarely do we see such a natural colour of the lips! Many beautiful women with exquite facial features can be found but such softness, simplicity, and holiness can rarely be found on a doctor’s face.

The graceful physic is further glorified with pride and self-confidence. But, perhaps, her objective in life is like spreading her fragrance unselfishly.

Owing to her dedication and efficiency, she is respected by all not only her patients but also by the family. She is ever eager to help everyone in the house. The children are very much fond of their Bina auntie.

During their vacations, when the house is full with her nieces and nephews, Bina shows her household skills.

The irony of her existence is that she has never given any green signal to any idea that shows she wants to get married. Now they have stopped asking her. My grandmother sometimes complains with tears in her eyes.
Now they feel that asking her about her marriage would be hurting her.

One night, I entered her bedroom. Sleeping in the bed, Bina looked very beautiful; her face was innocent like that of a child. I could not stop myself and moved towards the bed. We were classmates in our school; we used to play together, study together, and even dressed in same clothes.

People used to say that these two girls were mad.

I sat on the edge of her bed, but hardly had I touched her forehead when she jumped up. Her face was red and she was trembling.

I was startled; I did not know what had happened; I kept on looking at her with my eyes wide open. I did not understand anything. Suddenly, I remembered that incident that had occurred many years before.

How happy my brother-in-law was! He said, “Look at this coincident. The very first boy whom we saw for Bina was more handsome than our expectations. I was afraid on that account. He was a very polite natured man, a chartered accountant by profession. His father was an officer. They used to live in this bungalow.”

Brother-in-law was sure that Bina would agree. Bina’s elder brother, Major Nagendra had also come home. The prospective bride groom was supposed to reach there by 3 O’ clock.

I teased Bina, “When you have children, appoint me as a baby sitter. I would be delighted to take care of your beautiful children!”

The suitor was of very simple nature. He was shy with us but by the evening he was very friendly with Bina’s younger sister, Deepa, and younger brother, Honey.He was very comfortably lodged in their guest house.

They had taken the dinner together. After that he had gone back to his room in the guest house. Everyone liked him.
“He is either very good or someone who is hiding something, otherwise it is impossible to find a boy who is innocent like a child,” said Major Nagendra.

Hearing Bina’s shriek at night, everyone had rushed towards her room. Even the neighbours had reached there.

The light was switched on. Bina was trembling against the wall opposite to the bed and that boy was asleep in her bed. He was fast asleep and there was no effect on him of all the noise made by the people who had gathered in the room. They looked at him with shock and amazement.

Nagendra got furious, “Bastard…he is pretending to be fast asleep!” He shook him out of his sleep by pulling his hair.

But before he could say anything, Nagendra slapped him on his face and said, “Get out of here, you bastard!”

The young man lost his balance and he collided against the wall. His forehead began to bleed, but he said, “What happened? Why are you hitting me?”

“Get out of this room before I kill you!” shouted Nagendra, with his fists clenched.

He did not say anything and left the room, with his head bent low.

Nagendra threw his bag behind him and said, “Take your dirt with you!”

The bag hit him and he fell onto the ground. The neighbours wanted to help him but Nagendra stopped them. He picked his bag and left the room.

My brother-in-law had left the house very early in the morning. When he came back after about two hours, he was like a disturbed man. His voice was shaking and he could not stand properly.

He composed himself and began, “He has committed suicide. He had the habit of sleep walking and while sleep walking he used to enter other people’s rooms.”

One elder said, “What have you done, Nagendra? He was such a good boy!”

Nagendra was standing like a lifeless statue. Bina was also there. She got up and said, “All this has happened because of me. I will have to atone for it. ”

When the boy’s mother came there, Bina said, “Mother, it was my mistake! Punish me!” She began to weep loudly. Her mother-in-law was also crying.

“No, my daughter, it was in his destiny. Without marrying my son, you have become my daughter-in-law. You will be my daughter from now onwards,” said the woman.