I quite openly declare that this "post-leap" FF is highly unoriginal! Countless drama serials, hindi films, books and FF's, have sort of amalgamated into one story in my head, which I'm putting down into my own words – I hope you will enjoy it anyway. 😊
Shina, this one's for you – but I'm warning you, our dear Jai will spend most of it in tears. 😭
Cheliji - it's for you too - don't stay away so long next time! 🤗
PART 1
Bani: Every time I close my eyes all I will ever see is you in her arms…
Jai: But Bani, I love you… only you… Pia means nothing to me…
Bani: She's the mother of your child.
Jai: Never in my life have I regretted anything more… it should have been you, I wanted it to be you-
Bani: But it's not me. And there's nothing we can do to change that any more.
Jai: Us bachche ko me apna naam, jaydaad, sab kuch dene ke liye taiyaar hoon, I don't need anything… except you. Please… please don't leave me Bani… I beg of you…
Bani: I want you to accept Pia, and the child.
Jai, vehemently: Never.
Bani: She's my sister, hamara naam kabhi ek tha… toh badnaami bhi ek hi hogi… is that what you want?
Jai: I want you…nothing else…
Bani: Take care of her Jai… for me…it's all I ask.
Jai: Don't do this to me…
Bani, tearfully: If you love me… you'll let me go…promise me you'll do as I ask…
She turned around and walked away from him… he reached out to hold her back… kasme-vaade be damned he couldn't let her go – she might as well have told him to stop breathing.
Jai: BANI!!
The mirage shattered and Jai awoke, finding himself once more reaching out in front of him, calling her name, grasping nothing but air. Her name echoed around the dark and silent study, his voice tortured and grief-laden. All it brought back to him were heart-rending memories.
That same dream, the same memories had haunted him now for almost six years exactly. Whoever had said that time was the greatest healer had obviously never been hurt like Jai. Each passing day made the pain of losing her ten times worse, and he often wondered why he was still living.
Tony, appearing at the door: Sir… aap…
Jai, closing his eyes, taking a deep breath: Kuch nahin Tony… tum jao… so jao.
Tony wordlessly entered the room anyway, stoking the dying fire, rearranging the silk cushions that Jai had knocked off the sofa during his fitful sleep, replacing his empty glass of whisky with a glass of cold water.
As he left the room he looked back at the man who was a shadow of his former Walia Sir. In six years he seemed to have aged twenty, those eyes that used to be able to shoot fire were now ceaselessly filled with a deep anguish that made him look broken and soul-less. He was leaning back in his chair, his eyes were closed, but Tony knew he would not sleep for the rest of the night. In six years his boss had never spent more than 2-3 hours per night asleep – and even those were quite obviously never restful.
It grieved him that someone like his boss, who had nothing but suffered at the hands of the ones he loved, was now completely alone at a time in his life when he needed someone most.
He remembered the day when Bani Madam had left… taking with her all the peace and happiness of Walia Mansion. A silent spectator, he had been unable to do anything to prevent the house that he had served for so many years from falling to pieces.
Jigyaasa Madam had played that DVD of Walia Sir and Pia Shukla for everyone in the world to see and hours later Bani Madam had walked out of the door never to return.
Jai sahab may even have survived in the hope of bringing her back one day, but news of the train crash with no survivors – including his wife, had shattered Jai Walia to a million pieces, with no hope of his ever becoming whole again.
Tony had lost track of the number of times he had gone through this same routine. Hearing his boss cry out her name in the middle of the night was a regular occurrence that troubled him, but nevertheless, at least reassured Tony that at least Walia Sir was still alive.
Harsh, yes… but sometimes he wasn't sure whether he was living with Jai Walia, or a corpse of the same name. Hearing him call out Tony would then go into the study, revive the dying fire, check the windows were closed and whether anything was needed, before finally heading off to bed himself, knowing that he was the only one in the house who would be asleep.
You guys should know the drill by now… let me know if I should continue!! 😉
Part 1 - page 1, Part 2 - page 12, Part 3 - page 21, Part 4 - page 30, Part 5 - page 40, Part 6 - page 49, Part 7 - page 57, Part8 - page 66, Part 9 - page 74, Part 10 - page 85, Part 11 - page 98, Part 12 - page 110, Part 13 - page 121, Part 14 - page 130, Part 15 - page 146, Part 16 - page 156, Part 17 - page 164, Part 18 - page 173, Part 19 - page 183, Part 20 - page 189, Part 21 - page 195, Epilogue - page 206
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