Chapter 5 a
Jai after the trying long journey had rushed to the hospital to confirm his doubts if Bianca Ray Martin was his wife Bani that had left him twelve and a half years ago. His intuitions were never wrong and this time also it proved correct. Bianca was no one else other than his wife. He had already set into motion from India itself for her surgery so as soon as he signed the papers the surgery took place. For the first time Jai was indeed happy about having money connection and power as he knew that is what sped up things so fast. For the few days his wife has been lying there and awaiting surgery as her insurance papers and other formalities had to be completed. It pained him to know that his wife was on her own with no one to care for and enquire about her well being. Yes they did mention Mr. Burton the family friend who came in everyday. He couldn't thank the man enough for Helping out Bani. He would have been the sole support for her living here. He just couldn't imagine what all his wife must have gone through to set up a life here. This was the last place he expected his wife to come back too Canada.
He was looking at his wife's photo in the plush hotel room. He was exhausted from all the journey and the waiting in the hospital. But his eyes glowed with hope and happiness. The cold grey eyes now held a gleam in them on seeing that his wife was alive and she was on the journey of recovery yes she would require some extensive therapy after surgery to help her walk, as she was injured from spine down. The doctors were hopeful that she could walk and do things as before. Jai was not going to leave her side now as he found her after a long wait. He had a smile on his face too. He place the photo onto the night stand next to the bed and just put his head on to the head board and closed his eyes thinking of how his wife had come into their life.
His wife Bani Jai Pratap Walia was born here in Canada the same place father Nishikant Dixit had fallen in love with a Canadian lady and also the place were he lost the love of his life. But then she had left him a sweet angel in the form of a baby girl.
Nishikanth and Bani's mother were college mates. Their common interest in art brought them together their love blossomed but her father did pay a price for it. He married her and was disinherited by his father. He had often heard the story from Dadi how Massi was supposed to get married to Nishikant Dixit once he finished his studies. But that never happened. Instead she was married to the elder brother who was a widower and had a child by the name of Karuna. But his Massi's marriage did not last for more than two years as Nishikanth's elder brother and Massi's husband passed away.
Then came the shocking news that, Nishikant's wife and Bani's mother Caitlin dies during child birth. Nishikanth was a disraught man after that. He and his wife had build a lovely home in Canada but without her and just the little baby life did not hold any meaning for him there so he came back to India. His father who had lost one of his son didn't want to loose his other son so accepted him back into the family with open arms. He hoped that his son Nishikanth would forget his past and get married again. He would get to see his grand child too. But that wasn't to happen. All he did was work. He was very good at restoring old historic palaces. He was a very artistic person he enjoyed music and dance. So he ensured his daughter got to see all the different accepts of the Indian dance and music. That's how Bani had developed interest into dance and music from an early age. That was the only relationship Bani could share with her father. He was lost somewhere after her mother died. They could always connect through their art. Hence it held a special place in her heart. Then due to his heavy drinking when Bani was just eleven her father passed away. She was then left under the guardian ship of his Massi. Massi didn't have children of her own so she welcomed her with open arms. Karuna mostly spent her time in her Nani's house. She never got close to his massi. As from the very being massi was considered as her step mother and someone who had come into her father's life when she was ten. Though they never held any grudges. It was a common factor that they only met on occasions. A mother daughter relationship never formed between them. Then when her Nana and Nani moved to London she too moved with them. And now Karuna is married and settled in London and has a daughter by the name of Laxmi. So you could say the distance also put a strain on to their non existent relation. In short his massi found a daughter in Bani. She never became the wife of Nishikanth Dixit but became the mother of his child.
Jai could remember the day when Massi came into his office and informed him that she had to go to Mt. Abu as Nishikanth had passed away and she had things to take care off. Jai had just stepped into the world of his dads business after his father untimely death and making mark for himself. He always wondered how Massi was protective and concerned about the family she was married into. Here all he could think off was how to get out of the family entanglements. His sister who was always in her own world. Then his dad's so called second wife and his half brother with whom he hardly interacted. But Massi kept in touch with everyone. She was the link between all of them. Jai just couldn't understand why she did all this. She used to be so involved in their affairs that she hardly cared for herself and her health. Jai thought what was the use of all this. Though Massi always tried to find a son in him he felt he could never be that person. Some where along the lines with his stained relationship with his father, sister his step mother and brother all things were at loss. In fact he was happy to be away from all the maddening crowd and family drama's that regularly happen. He had moved into a penthouse apartment in one of his hotels. Massi was pained by his decision but still she took it in hers stride feeling that he needed his space as he was growing and needed to find himself.
But then things started to take a turn when during one weekend he had been to Massi's house and saw this teenage girl who was trying to pluck flowers for his niece Anu. That image of his wife was edged into his mind for all these years. He could describe the scene with the accuracy. The morning sun had just set in. The dew drop were there clinging on to the branches and when she leaned onto the branch to pluck the flower the dew drops had fallen on to her face. The happy clapping of his niece on the water drops falling onto her too. Bani then twirling his niece round and the flowers all fallen from the dress were her niece had carefully collected as Bani and plucked and given it to her.
The little girl shouting and saying Bani di App ne kya kar di Sare phool gira di.
Bani: Tho kya ? Hum aur thod denga
Anu: Sachi di Ap mera liya aur phool lenga.
Bani: off course. And you will look like a princess with the flower in your hair.
And Bani carried her and runs in-between the tress and on the way she would shake a branch here and there letting the dew drops fall over them.
He had shot those pictures and he would say that was one the best photographs he had clicked till date. The innocence written on those two faces captured him for days together. That smiling face of Bani he yearned to see that face. Over and over again. It was like a teenage crush. No woman had evoked that kind of desire in Jai. He was twenty seven at that time and Bani was going to be sixteen. But that childish look of hers and that smile , twinkling brown eyes had captured his attention or rather his heart. Which took a while for him to realize. He wanted to see that face again but he had a long wait for that to happen.
Jai knew Bani did come and stay over with Massi regularly form time to time during her vacations rest of the time she was at the convent school his nephews and niece adored her. He had seen the children's eyes light up on the mention of Bani coming home for holidays or weekends.
Aditya often scolded them for their naughty antics. He would even threaten them saying that if they did not listen and behave with Massi and dadi Bani would be sent back to the convent. The children's face would drop. And then there was his sister who didn't give adman to what happened in her kids life but she never did like Bani much form the beginning. She considered her as the orphan girl Massi adopted. She was just a responsibility for Massi and Jai. As Jai managed Massi's business now a days. But actually Bani was the heir to the property and Massi was only the care taker till she turned eighteen. So in fact contradictory to His sister's belief Bani was supporting Massi and Jai was just helping them around.
Bani and Jai never interacted with one another. In fact they had never met till Bani's sixteenth birthday. Jai could never forget that morning he was late for a meeting he had come to see his Massi as he wanted some signatures on the paper After doing the business proposal plan Jai over slept and he hated to be in a rush in the morning and he was firing at the servants for not coming in and calling him. In fact massi had instructed them not to disturb Jai. They had got a earful from Jai. To top Jai's anger there was another reason. He had hoped that he could catch a glimpse of the girl who had haunted him all these days but on during the past two visits here he didn't get to see her. And now to ask about Bani it would sound odd as he never asked about the welfare of any family member. So Jai was in a real foul mood.
As Jai was coming down the steps he crashed himself into someone. The papers he was holding his hand along with the mobile phone slips out of his hand and all the papers go here and there. To top that the other person was having the pooja Thali and all the kumkum form it had smeared onto his white shirt and some on to the face. That was it Jai didn't even bother to look up. He just looked around to see all his hard work down in scattered and his dress in a mess.
Jai shouts: Can't you see were you are going? I just don't know what kind of servants Massi hires here all they know is to make a mess around here. Bahadur get a new shirt from the cupboard out. And run the heater I will have to take a shower to get this all off me now. He turns towards Bani as she was trying to pick up the papers that were strewn around.
Jai: Oh that's enough thank you for the damage you have caused this morning this business plans off no use now As I wouldn't reach for the meeting now. All by your courtesy .
Bani with her head down wisp hers I'm sorry. I was looking the other side….
Jai: I am not here to hear your lousy explanation and stay away from those papers.
Bani then looks up to him in tear filled eyes but Jai had his back towards her.
Bani: Maine sorry kaha Galthi ho gayi. Please if I can help you..
Jai: Oh thanks for all the help you have done till now. Just get out of my sight that would be a great help and make that never to come in front of me.
Bani: She was almost crying now and said I am really sorry I was just running behind Anu. I didn't see you coming down here. When Jai felt something bad who was this crying like a little girl. Jai turns around and for the first time in the whole episode looks up to the face and got the shock of his life It was the very same face he had longed to see all this time. In place of the sweet smile and innocence he saw a girl who was scared out of her wits and holding onto the pooja thali with tears coming out of her eyes. She was like a lost child. She wasn't moving from there and she looked like a scared lamb.
Well I hope this part gives you an insight to the life of Bani also. How massi came into her life. The next part would be how Jai and Bani's relationship progresses from here to their marriage. How the teenage girl had captured the heart of the Billionaire aristocrat.
I hope I haven't bored you all with all the explanations.
And Thank you all for the lovely comments. Its great to know that you all loved the plot and to see a different Jai and Bani here.
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