ss:Empty Vows/ part 5 page 13 24/09 - Page 4

Part two

'Mr. Walia? This is Seema speaking.' Rano said in a mousy, made voice. 'Ms. Bharti's assistant. I was asked to call you about some flowers. Ms. Bharti wanted to convey her gratitude for them. '

'Hmm.' Jai huffed on the other side of the side of the line.

'Have a nice day sir.' Rano screeched and disconnected the call. She turned around and saw Bani standing near the door, glaring at her.

'Yeh kya maajra hai?' Bani asked her, placing her hand on her hip looking over the top of her glasses. She was doing her best schoolmarm act.

'Nothing. Gur daal rahi thi, makhi ko bulaane ke liye!' Rano answered triumphantly.

'What?'
'Jai Walia ko phasaane ka plan bana rahi thi.' Rano pointed at a notepad.

Bani knew her friend had lost her marbles, was ripe for the looney bin, needed a shrink or just a good whack on her head. The pages on the notepad had elaborate sketches and detailed drawings. Three pages had 'character analysis of Jai Walia' written on top of them. Another four pages were titled 'strategy'.
' Raat bhar jag kar tumne yeh sab socha?' Bani said flinging the notepad on the sofa.

Rano nodded eagerly.

'Whatever.' Bani shrugged her shoulders. 'Humko rehearsal pe jaana hai. I'll be off around five. Shopping pe chalte hai.' she suggested.

Rano shook her head. 'No cant do Ma' am. You are going to diner with the respected Mr. Walia.'

'What?'
'Yep!' Rano dropped herself on the sofa.

Bani glared at her . She was getting a lot of opportunities to refine her angry glare. 'Don't tell me that you made an appointment with him.'
'Nopez, he is gonna do that himself sweetheart!'

'WHAT?!'

'Mark my words.' Rano challenged. 'By the end of the evening Mr. Jai 'High-and-mighty' Walia will have begged you to have dinner with him. And you are going to accept.'

'No I am not.'

Rano stood up. Not on the floor, but on the sofa towering over Bani.

'Yes you are. You are going to accept when he asks you, then you will go with him because If you don't, only God can help you!' Rano screamed in a tone that could attract bats.

' Okay okay.' Bani plugged her fingers in her ears. 'Chillaana band karo. Jeez!' She picked up her bag and. She opened the door and was about to step out of the hotel room when she looked back once more towards Rano, who was munching on an apple now. ' Rano get some sleep now. Otherwise the manager you were maroing line on yesterday will run away seeing those bags under your eyes.' Before the pillow that was flying through the room in her direction would hit her face, after Rano let out an ear deafening Amzone shriek, Bani closed the door giggling loudly.

***

'five! Six! seven! eight!' The choreographer shouted through the mike. The sound of Bani's ghungroos followed soon after that on the stage. This was the final rehearsal for the performance she would give the next day.

'Nice Bharti.' He said while patting her shoulder after she finished. 'Let's take a break, then we'll do the next routine.'

'Sure.'

A young boy ran up the stage. 'Ma'am there is someone here for you.' He pointed to a row of chairs somewhere in the middle of the hall. A lonely spectator. Just by the way he sat in his chair, his indexfinger resting against his chin, his legs crossed like he owned the entire place, Bani knew who it was.
Bani thanked the boy and grabbed her towel which was lying carelessly in a corner of the stage, on top of her bag, and used it to dab the beads of perspiration on off her face and neck. She loosened the ends of the dupatta she had wrapped around her shapely waist and put on her glasses she had kept inside her bag. Bani felt his eyes on her at every move she made. She drank the bottle of mineral water empty, had a conversation with her choreographer and made a quick call to her hotel to check for any messages she got. He just sat there, unmoved. Only his eyes were following her. Bani gave up. She couldn't ignore him. With him sitting there, staring at her she would never be able to concentrate on her dance. Her ghungroos made sound at every step she made towards him. she skipped off the stairs and walked briskly to the middle of the hall.
' Mr. Walia.' Bani said crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Jai had come with every intention to make her say yes. 'Ms. Bharti.' He smiled at her.
' What are you doing here? This isn't meant for audience yet. ' Bani tapped her foot looking down at the man who didn't even have the decency to stand up in front of a woman. The bells around her foot made sound with every movement.

' The receptionist let me pass.' Jai simply said.

Bani could imagine how he must have charmed that unsuspecting receptionist. She just 'hmphh' – ed at him.

'Why are you here?''

'To ask you to have dinner with me.' Jai answered.
'Why should I?' Bani asked forgetting Rano's threat for a moment.
Jai stood up. Bani now wished he wouldn't have done that. He was tall and towering over her. She felt small and not so sure of herself anymore.

' Well.' Jai started explaining. 'Somewhere today you will have to eat. I know a lovely place which serves great food and I have been told that I can be very charming company. '

'And you want to be charming today?'

'As long as you are opposite me I will be charming any day.'

' And if I refuse?'
'I'll just sit right here.' Jai sat down. ' And watch you, until you say yes. Judging by how you were trembling while drinking water, you want me out of here as soon as possible. Just say yes otherwise I will stay here.'

'Koi aur kaam dhandha nahin hai aapko, jo yahan humaari shakal dekhne baith gaye.' Bani said not caring whether she was rude or not.

'Shakal hi itni acchi hai ki kaam me man nahin lage ga.' Jai smiled sweetly.

'Bharti, are you ready?' the choreographer asked through the mike. Bani waved at him. Jai grinned at Bani and with a sweep of his hand urged her to carry on.

Bani knew she would not be able to dance with him sitting here. The way he looks at her makes her look like a little lamb having to be in front of the big bad wolf.

'Where do you want to meet?' Bani asked
'I'll send my car over. Around seven?'

'Sure. See you tonight.' Bani mumbled and walked off to the stage. When she turned around after putting her glasses away she saw Jai walk out of the auditorium, just as he had said.

**

Bani entered the suite. She found Rano on the sofa munching on some cookies. Dumping her bag on the sofa next to Rano she stormed off to her room.

'Woh aaya tha kya?' Rano shouted in the direction of Bani's room.
'Kaun?'
'Tera majnu.' Rano giggled.
The door opened with a swing. 'aaya tha.' Bani grumbled. She was about to take a shower when she heard Rano speak. Quickly she had wrapped a towel around her.

'And?' Rano wanted to know.

'He didn't beg me, he blackmailed me into having dinner with him.'

'How?'

'He just sat there in the auditorium and didn't want to leave until I said yes.'

Rano started laughing. 'Challo kaam to bana na?!'

' How did you know he would come?'
'aise hi.'rano said. ' Im a genius. ' She bragged.

Bani picked up a pillow and threw it towards Rano. 'tell me!'
'it's no rocket science Bani! Just common sense. '
'Huh?'
' you see, I have a theory.' Rano said imitating, what she thought was a professor's voice.

'And what is that?'

'Rukko to! Aise hi bata de kya? Yeh meri zindagi-bhar ka tajurba hai!' Rano placed her hands on her hip.
She cleared her throat . 'Okay….in this world you have men and women.'

'That's your theory?'
' Oh shut up and listen. So you have men and women. Traditionally women used to stay home and take care of the house. Nowadays women work, take care of their family, the society etc. etc. Women have evolved into sophisticated, modern, responsible, multi-tasking human beings. Men on the other hands have stopped evolving ever since the beginning of their existence. I know Darwin's 'Theory of evolution' doesn't say that, but he was a man too na?' Rano said. ' Well, men have been the hunters and gatherers. In prehistorically times they used to drag down the biggest and most difficult to obtain animal to their cave, just to impress the other men and all the women and have all the accolades to satisfy their bloated ego's. Men have stayed that way. They only started shaving and wearing fancy clothes when they found out that their beards and animal skins wouldn't impress the evolving woman anymore, that too when a woman must have pointed it out. '

Bani started laughing loudly. 'That is you theory. Nice!'

'Yes, its is nice and madam, itni zor se mat hasna. Tera majnu bhi aisa hi hai. Why do you think he came to the auditorium?'
'I don't know.'
' because you hurt his ego and challenged his hunter instinct. According to him you left the function yesterday, ignoring him. You didn't even call him to thank for the flowers, but let your 'assistant ' do that. It's like you are a piece of meat and he needs to conquer it to satisfy his enormous ego.' Rano explained.
'I am not a piece of meat and I will not be conquered.' Bani protested, rolling her eyes.

'No you're not, but he still wants to hunt for what he can't have. If we want to attract Jai Walia, we need to make him hunt for you. That's the way he is. He isn't that different from his Neanderthal ancestors. He just wears fancy clothes and drives fancy cars to project that he is as sophisticated as women have become.

'But we don't want to attract him Rano. We want him to talk to Ma and Baba, maybe go back to India. Or did you forget that?'

' Don't stress hun, I know what I am doing.' Rano brushed off Bani's question and pushed her to her room. 'Have a quick shower, we need to get you ready. And I need to tell you what to do and what to say. Jai Walia wont know what hit him.'

**

Jai drove the car in front of the restaurant. Instead of letting his driver pick up his dinner date, Bharti, he decided that he didn't have the patience to drive to the restaurant and wait there for her. At the last minute he dismissed his driver. He was waiting for her to come down after he informed the reception that her car had come. When she came down Jai had expected her to be surprised, surprised at finding him in the drivers seat, but to his surprise she wasn't. It was most surprising. She just sat in the car and greeted him politely. He had managed to close his mouth in time and greet her. In a purple, sleeveless, fitted dress with little beads around the edges and a stole wrapped around her she looked simple, but very beautiful. Her silky hair and warm eyes drew his attention and captivated him.. Jai drove to a restaurant about fifteen minutes from the hotel. Handing over the carkeys to the valet Jai had expected to help 'Bharti' out of the car like he always did. Instead she opened the door herself and making sure she didn't step on her dress, Bani got out. She smiled at the attended who opened the door for him. The maitre d' showed them their seats and when he was about to pull her chair out for her, Bani stopped him politely and sat down herself. The maitre d' looked surprised but her smile put him at ease. Jai just stared at her.

Bani accepted the menu card and held it in front of her face. She was looking at it. Two minutes passed, three minutes, four minutes....eight minutes later she put it next to her plate and found Jai looking at her. The other girls he knew would want him to start a conversation. He had all the topics ready to discuss, to flirt around, but this woman in front of him had been staring at the menu.

'I'm ready to order. ' She announced.

Jai shook his head quickly, waking himself up from his daze. He lowered his eyes knowing that he had been caught staring. 'I'll need another minute.'

Twenty minutes later Jai had a shrimp cocktail in front of him while Bani opted for the tuna salad. They started eating in silence.

'Where do you live in India, Bharti?' Jai thought he chose a safe topic.

'North-India.' She answered. ' And you?'

'Mumbai. I used to live there.' Jai answered.
'okay.' She took another bite.

Jai had expected another question after that. Like why he didn't live there anymore, when did he go back for the last time? Did he have any family there? Most of the time that was the normal routine. His eyebrow rose, but then decided to try again.

' When did you start to dance?' Jai wanted to know.

'When I was a little girl.'

'You have other hobbies?'

'Dance isn't my hobby and no.' She answered curtly.

' Friends?'

That made her think. Jai was pleased with himself. At least there was a question that was interesting enough to her. But she shook her head. 'No.' she had to. Rano made her promise not to say anything about her.

'Family?'

She smiled. 'My foster parents. My foster father took care of me after my parents died.' There was a twinkle in her eyes now and her tone told how fond she was of them.

'You love your family a lot. I can tell.'
'I really do.' She nodded eagerly.

This time the waiter who came to take away the plates put a stop to their conversation. Jai had the urge to slap someone, something. Finally he found a subject that interested her the waiter decided to make an appearance. The waiter returned with a wine card, but before Jai could order a glass of white wine or juice for her Bani ordered a glass of Shiraz.

'Red wine.' Jai said approving. 'I think women don't drink that a lot in public. White is the most I have seen women drink.'

'Well, maybe I'm not like other women.' Bani suggested.

If Jai thought the conversation would go easier than this, then he was wrong. She was interesting, kind of mysterious when she was being so short in all the questions he asked. It was like she was making an attempt to avoid him or throw him off so he wouldn't pursue her. If she thought that it would make him stop coming after her than she couldn't have been more wrong. She kept avoiding him even though she was sitting opposite him. She just didn't know that he had made all the plans. Tomorrow, after her show, he would make his next move.

Bani made every attempt to keep her answers short evasive as possible. She followed Rano's advice perfectly. Make him run for you! Appeal to his hunting instinct and make him hunt for you!