FF: A Heap of Broken Images, PT-8, PG-9 - Page 2

bani is unhappy wid ranveer??great part

hey dhani

hey dhani...the story is progessing great!!! so Ranveer and Bani are married but she is not happy with her married life..her only hope is Ayush..but even now he is gone to boarding school...wonder how JB will meet..cant wait to read the next part..please do continue soon!

Bani and Ranveer wow, great update Dhani.

Good luck with all the things you have to do, plus study for exams and still

think about us your readers.

Thank you and take care.

Hey Dhani,

hi there :)

Just finished reading Jhumpa Lahiri's "Unaccustomed Earth", Brilliant work, she writes the kind of stuff I love to read!!! Not too sad, not too happy, do read if possible!!!

PART-3

Jai took a deep breath; looking down from the small rounded cube shaped window of the airplane...in a few hours he would be landing in Mumbai... he briefly glanced at Tony, who was gobbling the delicious cupcakes and muffins without giving two hoots about the elite business-class fliers...putting those forks and spoons to no use...

"Mathews Sir used to get them...for me you know..." tony said nostalgically...jai smiled...

"You want more..." he asked...

"No..." tony wiped his mouth and hands with the tissue provided, gulping down some water...he leaned back, closing his eyes...

"Wake me up when we reach..." he said...jai nodded his head...

Jai turned his face, to look out into the traversing sky...the white clouds joining and separating...he could still hear the sweet humming of the lullaby his mother sang everyday... despite being old enough, a young boy of ten years he still insisted her to sing...while he put his head in her lap enjoying the sweet melody...

"Maa gao na..." jai ran around her, pulling her pallu...

Chanda re...chanda re...dheere se muskaa... ...
Holle se...holle se palkon main chup jaa... ...

Krishna sang in her dulcet honeyed voice...there was briskness layered between a hushing softness... right from the soul...she was too young to be a mother...not even touching her mid-thirties, yet a mother of a handsome ten year old... she still looked like a nubile girl wandering out to fulfill her dreams she saw in undisturbed sleeps...but a closer look and those lined folds of skin, the thinning strands of her luscious long hair, the paling of her glowing skin, the green veins visible under the transparent sheath of skin, the maturity in thoughts and speech, the regret of her lotus-eyes, the restrain of her of her emotions, the strut in her walk, the fadedness of her crisp, bleached cotton sari...everything equivocally spoke of how old she had grown...like everyone else time had touched her too...

Krishna smiled down at her son, he was fast asleep...she let him stay like that secured in her lap... her understanding little son...her life might be a regret, a hollow regret...but the only beam of light in the black hole of her was her son...she ran her fingers through his hair...when did a tear drop formed in her eye and trickled down, she didn't realize...even though she could live with all the regrets in her life but she might not be able to die with the regret that she couldn't give jai his birthright...

The face of the man floated in front of her...she didn't blame, it was futile, she was equally responsible for whatever course her life had taken, it was unfair to blame him, god or any anonymous...

She had fought with her parents to go to Mumbai; she had been recruited as the personal assistant to Uday Walia, the head of Walia Group of Industries, it was a dream job for her. It didn't take her much hard-work to become Uday Walia's most dependent person, starting from his morning black coffee, to his appointments, meetings, social events, to his reminders, it was only Krishna who looked into every aspect, regardless of it being official, public, social or personal, uday was hugely dependent on her... Krishna, a young girl, just on the verge of seeing the real world was awed by his magnetic persona... though he was married and had a three year old son still he looked better than his age, edgy but she found him sweet...the way he apologized to her after shouting at her, the way he send her flowers as appreciation for her work, when he occasionally pulled her leg when he would be in his rare good moods...she awaited for all those small little things...

It took one billowy night to change everything...They were in Europe for a business deal, and as practice she accompanied him, co-coordinating his work, Uday Walia was very upset since the start of their trip, he was unmindful in the meeting as well, which thankfully went off well. It was at night she heard a crashing sound of glass as she collected her dinner outside her room from the service-boy...after giving a long thought, she wrapped the shawl around her and went to his room, just besides hers...he was sitting on the couch angrily, shreds of glass spread on the floor...his hand bleeding, drops of blood trickled down his palm, absorbed by the carpet as soon as they fell...

"Mr. Walia...what are you doing Oh my god!!!" she yelped, rushing towards him, finding the emergency medical kit, cleaning and dressing his wound...

"Is it my mistake...is it my mistake that she doesn't believe me...is it my mistake that I am concerned for her..." he went on rambling...

"Mr. Walia...what happened" she said...pained by his distraught state...he told her everything, how he was forced to marry his sister-in-law after his elder brother's sudden death two years back, since his son was young...though he fulfilled all his duties as a husband but still couldn't love her...he was just caught in a forceful relationship...Kiran, his wife was still not able to recuperate from his brother's death...and she often doubted his integrity and loyalty towards her and her son...

"I hate her...I hate everything..." he had cried hugging her...

"But...I...I love have fallen in love with you Krishna..." he had confessed...that was the end of any discussion, the next moment she was being kissed by him passionately, and loved...in a way no one had ever loved her...

"I love you too..." she had whispered back to him as they collapsed, making love to each other...

After that night in Europe, everything was pure bliss for the two newfound lovers; the status of their relationship didn't deter their feelings for one another...they enjoyed every moment they spent together...she discovered a completely different man behind that mask of Uday Walia, he was simply uday, loving and caring uday for her... somewhere deep down she knew this was going nowhere, she knew his incapability to leave Kiran and marry her, even though he wanted it desperately, he was bound by the pressures from his high-profile family... ...

It was almost seven months later, she had found herself pregnant, sitting on the edge of the commode she read the contents of her blood report again and again, a part of her felt happy...and part afraid...despite taking necessary precautions she admitted they had got carried away a few times...she knew this the ending that was about to come, she has to leave... determined she had come out of the bathroom looking at a still sleeping uday, she had quietly packed the minimum essentials and clothes and left without a trace...

Finding her unknown destination, she had boarded the train to Mt. Abu... and built a simple world for her and the new life which was entering her life...

Krishna snapped opened her eyes, snatching her mind away from those beautiful memories... now, she had to do this...she had no choice left...she loved Uday with her heart and soul but she loved her son more...more than anything...

"Where will we live????" Tony asked worriedly as they collected their luggage...the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminals was buzzing with people as ever...

"As for now...in a hotel..." jai said pushing the wheeled suitcases while Tony clutched his small bag tightly...

"So much crowd...Jesus..." he said trying to remain as to jai as possible...

"You won't be lost Tony...come..." jai guided him through the mob of people, going towards the taxi stand... calling out for one...

****

Walia Mansion
Juhoo
Mumbai

Bani woke up to the murmur of the house...the servants went about doing their assigned work diligently...she sat up in her bed, still feeling weary, she had been crying all night, until she fell asleep out of fatigue... every morning she woke up with no surfaces and revelations...only mysteries and depth...every morning she would feel the same strangeness which she had been feeling for the past six long years of her life... She kept the strangeness of her seeing under control, the sudden otherness of vision that came and went. When her pale eyes changed the things she saw, her tough mind changed them back. She did not care to dwell on her turbulence, never spoke about anything to anyone...she was an enigma and she liked to keep it like that...Her eyes fell on the framed photo of her son...she picked it up, kissing it lightly...she was already missing him... throwing away the bed covers, she got up doing about her regular morning chores...

"Maam...the breakfast is ready..." the head butler came and informed her duly as soon as she came out of her room...she nodded her head, dismissing him... she was about to stop him and ask about Ranveer when a thud downstairs drifted her attention...she stood by the railing, looking down in the hallway to see ranveer coming in with heavy steps...

"Good morning Mr. Walia..." she said with a glint of sarcasm...this was a sight she would witness most of the days if he was in town...or else...she hardly cared to find out...

Ranveer looked up to see his wife frowning down at him...he ignored to reply...and climbed the stairs...

"At least remain discreet about you nocturnal adventures...no need to show it to the whole world..." bani said, her arms firmly resting against her chest...

"I am a man bani...I can do anything..." he hissed back...

"And get away with it..." bani added...

"Exactly..." he replied arrogantly, snickering at her...

"But why do you forget that you are Ranveer Walia, a business tycoon, a married man, a father...at least protect your image before the cameras..."

"Shut up!!!!!"

"I have no liking to speak either Ranveer...the media has been calling me up asking me about your rumored affair with certain someone...you better take care of it...that is if you don't want me to speak to them..." bani said...crossing him...going downstairs...

Bani heard him shout at someone as reached the dining table...

"Sue that damn magazine..." ranveer's thick frothy voice filled the calm house...bani scowled...

"Get my breakfast Lucy...I need to go..." bani said sipping the orange juice...Lucy, the middle-aged lady hurried towards her with her madam's breakfast...

"I will not be coming for lunch, I have some work..." bani said after finishing her breakfast, leaving half of it untouched...getting up...she looked elegant in a casual blue pencil jeans, with a long designer top over it in pale lemon yellow...he hair slightly held by a claw-clip, hardly any make-up on her face, she put on her branded glares, taking her Versace handbag she went off...

****

Hotel Parle International
Vile Parle
Mumbai

"Where are you going...?" Tony said, comfily tugged inside the soft mattress, watching a Malayalam channel on the television set, he had finally managed to get after an hour long scanning of all the 100 available channels...

"I have some work...will you be fine...I have ordered the lunch...the service boy will keep it here..." jai said buttoning his shirt...

"Yess..." he said, his eyes glued to the T.V.

"Hmm... you want anything..." jai asked Tony shook his blob like head vigorously in negative...

Jai closed the door, putting the keys in his pocket...for a complete moment he stood still, not understanding what to do... he suddenly felt like a child lost in a huge fare, searching for his parents...gathering his sense he walked towards the elevator...

****

"Resonance"–Dance School
Andhrei West
Mumbai

"Point your toes... girls..." bani shouted at the huge group of girls assembled in the spacious room...

"Your posture is very important...do you understand...if not correct it takes away the beauty of the whole dance..." bani said in a bit softer tone while lifting her foot, bending her ankle, pointing her toes, twirling her foot in the most graceful way...

"Understood..." bani said standing putting her foot down...the girls nodded still amazed by the flair of their teacher...

"Keep practicing..." bani said...

"Neetu carry on..." bani said walking away, handing over to her assistants...

Her hair was now clipped in a bun...she peeped through the various rehearsal halls of the dance academy, different forms of dances, ranging from Indian classical, contemporary ballets, jazz, salsa, samba, rumba, waltz to the unknown folk dances, almost all kinds of dances were taught in the academy.

Bani swiftly entered her cabin...she picked up the intercom...

"Sharma...in my cabin...now..." bani said with a flitch of authority...

A meek looking figure appeared in front of her within minutes, though an average, and young, he looked like a lamb in front of bani...

"Yes, maam..." Sahil Sharma said standing straight...

"Admissions have started..." bani said...

"Yes, maam...this is the last week..."

"Good, what about the new recruitments we required..."

"I had placed an ad last week, I have filed the resumes, here they are..." he handed her the file...bani checked it with concentration...

"We will the keep the interviews in a day or two...accordingly..."

"Hmm..."

"And what about the show we were supposed to conduct in Bangalore...have the sponsors said anything..."

"They are very keen maam, once we negotiate the amount, they will finalize..."

"Okay, arrange a meeting then at the earliest..."

"Yes maam...anything else..."

"Hmm...Since we have been doing very well this year, I am planning to hike the salaries...what say..." sahil smiled brightly...

"Everyone is working hard maam..." he said not wanting to sound desperate... bani chuckled...

"Of course they are dear..." sahil blushed a bit hearing such a word of endearment form his hard-soft boss...

"I will take your leave maam..." he said moving out of her cabin...

Bani closed the file and sat in her chair... thinking...it was hear dream...though a part of it was something else but still she was satiated that at least a part of it had been achieved successfully... it was four years ago she had opened this dance academy, from her own money, Ranveer was livid and furious but he couldn't stop her from achieving her goal... from then on everyday she had only made it bigger and better, today it stood as one of the renowned, best dance schools in the country... from international stage shows, to national programs, to promoting varied forms, a year and a half ago she had decided to pick a few underprivileged children who were inclined towards dance and teach them for free, it had been a fulfilling experience seeing the girls and boys smiling contently, the proud moment was when some of her students got recognition in some reality dance shows and were doing well in their respective careers, some of them had even come back to teach...it felt good, doing something which had so much passion for...

****

God bless
dhani

hey dhani

Wonderful update.

y is bani putting up wid such a worthless marriage????? they were in luv when they married weren't they?