FF An ugly truth part 35 pg 97 1.7.11 (new) - Page 16

'par, Jai my parents.' 'To theek hai, I'll meet them. Kal hi. My freelance work is going well, in a few months I'll be able to rent a house in a nice neighbourhood. Mausi ki bhi umr ho rahi hai. Abhi roz roz unko chawl ke doosre auraton ke saath line me khara hona par raha hai pani ke liye. Accha nahin lagta. I have seen a few flats we can visit them again. You can choose. Aakhir tumhaara ghar hi hoga. Mausi and Nachiket won't be interested in housesearching.' Jai chuckled. He noticed Pia's stoic expression. 'Tumhe koi aitraaz nahin hai na?'

Pia sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. Jai was feeling content. They sat there facing the see with the salty air touching their skins.

***

Jai was walking in a huge building. At the reception he asked for the way to Mr. Dixit's office. The girl behind the desk mumbled some instructions until she looked up and a dreamy look formed in her eyes.

'Miss, Mr Dixit's office?' Jai reminded her. 'Oh, Yeah. Tenth floor, down the hall. But ..'

He was nervous, his life depended on the conversation he was about to have with Pia's father. He was glad that Pia was going to be there. The future of both of them depended on this. Last night Jai kept pondering about his relationship with Pia. He was confident that Pia loved him as much as he loved her. Maybe even more then he loved her. Yes there was a difference in their status. Pia's family was rich. There was a possibility that they could object to this alliance because he wasn't as rich as Pia's family, but he never heard Pia say anything about this. Would there be a possibility that they would object, then Pia would have told him before. No such thing reached his ears ever. Jai reached the door to Mr. Dixit's cabin. He raised his hand was about to knock on the door when he heard a male voice.

'Tum pagal ho gayi ho Pia. You will be the wife of a beggar! Say no to him! Do you know what kind of life you will have!' Jai felt his head spin. His mouth suddenly felt dry and he was rooted to his spot. His hand stopped somewhere midair. 'Woh khudh bhi hai kya? He was a teacher. Ab na dhang ka kaam karta hai, na dhang se kamaata hai. You want to be a maid servant to his family?' The male voice reverberated in the room. Jai could hear Pia gasp for breath. She was about to say something but was cut off before that.

Jai didn't know what to do. Jai stood there on the street and before he knew it was dark and the day had passed. His feet didn't carry him well enough but somehow he reached his house. The second blow that day reached him. Nachiket was sick. He was admitted in the hospital in a critical state. Every day Jai had tried to call Pia, in between taking care of Nachiket. He wanted to know what Pia was doing and thinking about their relationship. She had picked up once and told him in between tears that her parents were preparing for her wedding. Mr. Dixit's voice rang through his ears every day. Nachiket's state worsened every day. The doctor's couldn't find any cause for his illness but he was in immense pain. All the money Jai had saved to rent a flat was spent in Nachiket's treatment. It wasn't enough though. He needed more money for Nachiket's operation. He had mortgaged his house first, and then sold it. The house which was his father's hade bought saving every penny and eating just one meal a day. But the truth was that Jai didn't have a job and in spite of turning to every bank and every moneylender he knew, Jai couldn't raise enough money. His brother, his life was leaving him and he couldn't do anything, Mr. Dixit's words taunted and tormented Jai every time another door closed on him. In the end even the doctors were helpless. Nachiket died a month later and Jai didn't even have enough money to give him a worthy funeral. His little brother left him.

After performing Nachiket's last rites Jai turned to Pia's house. There he found out that Pia wasn't there anymore. She was married to someone else.

Jai left Mumbai the next day.

***

'Nattu' Jai whispered. His neck ached and when he opened his eyes he saw his office covered in the darkness. He had to blink a few times before he realized that he was dreaming again he fell asleep in his office. Every time his dream seemed so real. It was like he relived all those moments in a few minutes again. Jai sat straight in his chair Through the glass he saw that the rest of the people had left. It was after eight. Jai picked up his jacket and his briefcase in one hand, and a few files in the other and made his way out of the office to his house.

***

Bani felt the weight of her backpack on her back, as she walked to her house. She had made the rickshaw stop at a distance from the Mansion. She always used this short walk to order her thoughts and straighten up her act. Bani needed this short time to put on her happy face.

Bani almost reached the gate. She entered and saw the cars lined up in front of the house. That, somehow, reminded her that the money she had saved from her part-time job was almost spend. She had to find a way to earn some money. She stopped working when she got engaged. Her parents thought that juggling studies, work and running a house would be too much for her and Bani agreed. Now her money was almost gone and she didn't want to ask her in-laws. What would they think about her? It would be a dead giveaway about the relationship she shared with her husband. And asking her 'husband' or her parents for money? She would rather die.

Bani crossed the threshold of the mansion when she heard a car approach behind her. Bani didn't have to turn to know that it was her husband's car. She found the hallway empty which was unusual in itself. Bani looked around and decided to go upstairs and get out of her jeans and top and change into something more traditional before she would search for her family members. They didn't mind her dressing like this, as long as she was comfortable they were fine with it, but Bani wasn't comfortable with wearing western clothes in front of them. Outside it was fine for her, but not in the house.

She put a foot on the first step of the stairs when she looked next to the staircase and saw everyone assembled in a guestroom. Curiosity took over and Bani joined hem. There she saw Mausi lying on a bed and everyone standing around her. Mausi had a bandage on her head and one wrapped around her arm. Bani looked at the first person next to her.

'Jijaji, yeh kya huwa?' She asked Aditya.

A shudder ran down Bani's spine. The next moment she felt herself being pulled on her feet with a tight grip around her wrist. She was being made to face Jai. 'Maine tumse kaha tha ki ghar par rehna! To phir gayi kyun?!' Jai hissed at her. 'Tumse ek baar kahi huwi baat suni nahin jaati?!' Jai's voice, his grip, his eyes stunned everyone in the room. Bani tried to free her hand but his hold was stronger then before. 'Woh.... mujhe....i needed to...' Bani stammered.
'I told you to stay here! Didn't i???!! jai shouted at her.

' Jai! Pagal ho gaya hai? Chor do Bani ko!' Jai looked at the person whom just ordered him to leave Bani's hand. Mausi sat on the bed and saw her glaring at him. With a jerk Jai released Bani's hand from his grip and walked out of the room. Everyone watched him leave, not believing what happened moments before, after that they saw a flash of Bani's backpack when she ran out of the room.

Jigyasa and Aditya followed Jai to his room, angry at him for the treatment he just gave Bani. Jigyasa saw the door to his room close and figured that he must be in there. 'Jai what the hell were you thinking? Have you gone mad?!' Jigyasa shouted straight away after entering her room.

' Sab ke saamne usko daantne ki zaroorat kya thi?'

Aditya and Jigyasa didn't understand anything.

Jigyasa searched the entire house for Bani. In one of the last room she found Bani putting a yellow paste on her wrist, seated on the bed. Jigyasa entered the room without knocking. Bani didn't have the opportunity to wipe her tears. An red, angry spot on Bani's wrist was half covered in the yellow paste.

' Ow God, you got burned yesterday.' Jigyasa remembered suddenly. 'Bataaya nahin itna bara ghaaw ho gaya hai!' She scolded Bani.Jigyasa took the paste and applied it on Bani's wrist. She winced in pain when Jigyasa touched an open spot. It showed remnants of a blister which Jai's grip had opened.

'Mujhe ghar jaana hai.' Bani whispered softly. Jigyasa saw Bani hurled up on the bed, scared and scarred like a little girl. In just one moment Jigyasa confirmed what she had been suspecting for a while now .

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