SS: Waiting for you-end-part 10/epi page 28 26-09 - Page 3

Hello!!! I am glad to see that you like this SS (Just reminding myself again and again that this is supposed to be a SS😃)

The most horrible and nagging about this confusion was that she was working everyday exactly a floor below him and he couldn't walk up to her and ask her what happened and how she was doing now. He only saw her the day after he appointed her. She came in to ask him if she could be given another wedding to coordinate. 'anything but this.' She said.

Jai had to deny. This was his gift to his friend's and actually his little brother Pushkar: the perfect wedding. Judging by what he had heard and seen of Bani's work she was the one that could pull this off. Bani returned to her office with a glum face that Jai couldn't understand and couldn't ask to make him understand.

******************

Maya let her eyes glide over the paper again. 'Nishikant Omprakash Dixit. Two daughters and a wife.'

Today was her first appointment with the would be bride and groom. Pia and Pushkar were coming over to explain what they wanted. The irony of Maya's life was all taking place in this building that was the main office of WGI. First she ran away from here out of fear of her emotions for one man. Six years later she returned to work for the same man.

She ended up working as a wedding planner. The one thing she didn't knew anything about. Weddings and marriages. Her parents got divorced when she was three. She hadn't seen or heard anything from her father since she was a three year old. Since then she had lived with her mother, but never noticed anything of the affection of her mother. Deep down, very deep down inside she knew her mother had loved her but never was anything said or done. The closest she ever came to receiving affection was in the office above her head, six years ago. Now six years later she was about to plan another wedding. This time she would come face to face with her past. Pia Selina Dixit, the would-be bride was her half-sister. They had the same father. Nishikant Omprakash Dixit.

Maya heard a knock. The receptionist had called her to inform her that her two o'clock appointment was hear. Since then Maya sat behind her desk taking deep breaths and steadying herself. Whatever happened and will happen, Maya would face this at any cost.

The knock on the door could be heard again. Maya mustered up all the courage she thought she had at that point of time. 'Come in.' She answered in return to the knock.

Maya stood up from her desk to welcome her clients. A young couple entered her office. Smiling at Maya they walked up to her. Maya extended her hand.

'Welcome. I am Maya and you must be Pia and Pushkar.'

The young couple nodded.

'Please have a seat.' Maya pointed to the sofa. 'can i get you anything? Coffee. Tea or something cold?'
'tea please.' Both of them said simultaneously.

Maya called one of the peons to ask for it.

'so let's start. What can I do for you? ' Maya began with her work.

The bride and groom gave all their preferences, how many days of ceremonies there were going to be, the locations and the amount of guests. Of course, like in all Indian weddings the parents were going to play a very important part in the wedding and they had expressed their desire to meet Maya too to discuss some of their wishes. Not that eager to accept but keeping in mind that she had the fulfil her clients wishes Maya took out her personal card with her phonenumber.

Maya handed her card to Pushkar when his phone started ringing. He looked apologetically at his future wife. 'i'm sorry honey. It's from the office.'

Maya saw Pia give Pushkar a encouraging nod. Pushkar excused himself and stepped outside for a while. Maya was left alone with Pia in her office. A pressing silence crept in from all sides. To act busy Maya randomly started rummaging through some papers.

'did you join the company recently?' Maya heard the other person in the room ask after a while. Maya nodded.

'Do you like it here?'

Maya nodded in response again.

'You must think I am crazy.'

This time Maya looked up at Pia. 'excuse me?'

'you must think i am crazy, marrying this young.' Pia asked carefully.

'how old are you.' Maya wanted to know.

'twenty.' Was the reply.

'but you know. It feels so right. Mai Pushkar ko saalon se jaanti hoon. Jab se jaanti hoon tab se mai usko chaahti hoon. And he proposed to me a month ago on my birthday.'

Pia showed Maya the ring Pushkar gave her with a lot of enthusiasm.

'it was amazing. Meri poori family meri paas thi. It was perfect but that is how he is. Perfect, maybe not for the rest but he is perfect for me. In front of everyone he asked my parents for my hand. My parents started to cry. Pehli baar mujhe khushi ke aasoon ka matlab samjh me aaya.'

'you are very lucky.' Maya didn't knew whether she was telling Pia this or whether she was reminding herself of her own fate.

'Pskhar Ameria ja raha hai. For five years aur woh mujhe saath me le jaana chaata hai. He wants me to study there. That's why we are getting married. You really must think we are mad but its just that.........I love him so much.'

Maya shook her head. ' I don't think you are crazy. Pyaar sirf naseeb se milta hai. I can understand you want to be with him. I really do.'

'that's what I said to papa. Woh to aise hi pareshaan ho rahe the.'

Pia continued in her usual chirpy nature. 'but you know how overprotective dad's can be.'

Maya was in two mind to stop her and say that she didn't knew how overprotective fathers could be but Pia gave her no time at all.
'meri choti behen Rano, woh to din bhar apni kitaabon me doobi rehti hai. Papa usko chirhaate rehte hai ki pata nahin agli shaadi humaare ghar me kab hogi, hogi bhi ya nahin. That is why he wants to make this grand. My parents are just teasing her but they aren't listening to me and want to spend every penny they have worked for on this wedding. That is why we want a great wedding planner who can do fulfil my parents wish.'

Suddenly Maya's heart filled with an immense sorrow. In front of her was the example of how her life could have been. A great childhood, a sister to love, parents who fussed over you and then a man in her life who loved her more than anything.

Tears blurred Maya's vision. She averted her face so Pia wouldn't notice anything. Luckily Pushkar stepped in at that moment and Maya could quickly cover her tears and hide her mood. A good half an hour later the couple left and Maya was left with the official file of a wedding she had to plan. The closest thing she had to a remembrance of her own unknown family.

*********

Jai made an effort to see his Bani every day, be it in the canteen or just on the floor. Since she had been working on Puskhars engagement and wedding she had been acting aloof. Bani was bothered by something and Jai couldn't figure out what it was. Her interaction with her colleagues was only restricted to work related subjects even though she was friendly and courteous to all the other people. No one knew where she lived and what she did after work. Jais discrete inquiries didn't help either.

For the fourth time that day Jai walked around on the floor where he actually had nothing to do. Jai tried to casually stroll past her office when he saw her on her chair with her head resting on her desk. Jai looked again though the glass door. She wasn't resting her head. Bani was shielding her head with her arms so no one would notice that she was crying. She really was crying. Acting on instinct Jai stepped inside, walked up to her and dropped himself next to her chair. He pushed the chair slightly so she would be facing him. Her face was stained with tears. Her eyes were red and swollen. Bani was shocked to see him and tried to free the chair from Jai's firm grip.

It didn't work. She was still facing Jai.

'leave me alone.' She pleaded with him.

Jai shook his head. 'why are you crying? Kya huwa?'

'nothing. Just leave me alone.' Bani stood up from the chair now and tried to walk away. Jai stepped in, in front of her blocking every possible way Bani could leave from there.

' tell me what happened!' Jai commanded her.

'they want to meet me. Pia's parents want to meet me. Soon.'

Jai wondered what the problem could be with the client's parents meeting her until Bani broke down again. This time in Jai's arms. Bani leaned forward and pressed her cheek against his chest. Jai quickly placed his arms protectively around her when he heard her heart wrenching sobs.

' I haven't seen him in 21 years. He doesn't know who i am, where i am. Unko yeh nahin maaloom ki woh mujhse milne aa rahe hai. Woh mere.......Pia...Pia Dixit, Puskar ki mangetar woh meri........her father is my father too. Nishikant Dixit is my father.' Bani rambled.

Her confusing whispers and incoherent rambling stopped after a few minutes. Jai still couldn't figure out what was going on. If he hadn't been concentrating on the crying woman in his arms his mind would explode under the sheer amount of questions that popped in every now and then.

Jai noticed that Bani's crying subdued. He walked with her toward the sofa in a corner of the room and made her sit down. Jai kneeled down I front of her.

'Now tell me?
Jai saw Bani take a deep breath and swallow. He is my father. Mr. Dixit mere pita hai aur Pia meri behen. Well half-sister.'
'Phir problem kya hai?' Jai asked
'Problem yeh hai ki woh nahin jaante hai ki mai, mai hoon. Pia shayad yeh nahin jaanti ko usko koi bari behen hai aur uske pita yeh nahin jaante ki mai yaani Maya, Bani Maya Dixit hai, unki beti.'

'Then tell him. call him and tell him!'
'NO!' Bani screamed. 'I wont do that! What will I say? Remember me, your daughter you left 21 years ago and haven't seen since. Kya kahungi mai us aadmi se jisne ek baar bhi murke mujhe nahin dekha? I know my parents didn't have a wonderful marriage and I know my mother has a hand of her own in all of these things but still......mai unko beti thi........ek baar bhi nahin dekha mujhe, ek baar bhi nahin aaye. He will know that I am his daughter when he sees me. I look like my mother. He will know.'

'maybe he had kept a track on you . Door se shayad but maybe your mother didn't let him come near you.' Jai couldn't believe that a father wouldn't care to see his own daughter there must have been another explanation for this.
'You know, ho sakta hai. mother must have told him that he cant meet me, but she was sick for a great deal of her life. Woh unko kabhi rok nahin paati. Mai nahin maanti ki he must have known where I was or what I did. Agar unhe pata hota to mujhe who sab nahin karna parta jo maine kiya hai. Woh karne nahin dete. And if he knew then he is the worst father in this world.'
Jai saw this as a chance to find out what happened to Bani in the years he didn't see her.
'kya kiya tumne?' Jai asked cautiously, but it was too good to be true. She kept quiet.

In stead she looked the other way and whispered. 'I think I hate my parents.' And she broke down again. 'I don't want to hate them.' Bani said in between her sobs.

Jai stayed there as look as he felt Bani shake in his arms. She stopped after a while.
'You want another case Bani?'

Bani shook her head. 'No. I cant run always. Sometimes you need to stay. He will know that I am his daughter and he will know that I don't need him.'

It is great how your ffs focus on some theme or emotion, in this case a child' s pain at being abandoned by a parent ...wonder what really happened. Good going, RR. Can't wait for more...

Wonder what she did ? jai is too much passing by the office very chance he gets, bani mother was sick,, and still didn't give her affection,, maybe it's a stereotype but I thought pple who are sick see the losses in life and try to make up for it by being affectionate to dear ones,, I guess it can go the other way too u are sick and going to die ,, so u get all depressed and don't care for life or anyone in ur life,, k too much philosophy ,, cant wait for ur next update,, hopefully its tomorrow 😆