FF: A Heap of Broken Images, PT-8, PG-9 - Page 5

NOTE: This will be complete flashback mode!!! I think it will take a few parts to write down, since there is a lot to write!!! So all the parts from now will be flashback, until I mention about!!!! There will more flashbacks in between which I will mention it, so no worries!!!

||Flashback||

PART-6

Walia Mansion
Juhoo
Mumbai

The October sky was blue, empty but for some still wisps of cloud…he looked skywards, awed by the different shapes formed by the clouds...jai smiled...he and Krishna always sat looking at the sky, naming the cloud patterns according to a thing which they resembled...he loved the game...

"What are you doing???" a small little voice called him, jai shifted his sight to see a cute girl, dressed in a fancy pink frock, with a bunch of curly hairs...looking at him with big eyes...

"I am seeing the clouds..." jai replied with a sense of pride...the cute girl looked puzzled...

"See...there is car, an elephant..." jai said pointing upwards...

"Where???"

"See, up...there..." jai made her see the different shapes and sizes of the clouds... the girl awed in amazement seeing the beautiful sight...

"What is your name...???" she asked...

"Jai...and your name..."

"Anu..." she said with a sweet smile...

"Jai..." uday strode in to find jai and anu talking...

"Jai...she is anu...your sister..." uday said...

"Sister???" jai looked at uday questioningly...

"Yes...and anu he is your bhaiyya..."

"Veer bhaiyya...jai bhaiyya...two bhaiyyas..." anu said...

"Yes princess, two bhaiyyas..."

"Come jai, let's go inside..."

"The house is so big..." jai said widening his eyes to catch a glimpse of the entire house...uday smiled...

****

"I was always right about you...uday..." kiran snickered at him... as he brought in jai...

"Ramu kaka...jai ko uska karma dikhaiye..." uday said handing over his luggage to the servant...

"Mummy...see I have two bhaiyyas, veer bhaiyya and jai bhaiyya..." anu came running towards her mother...

"He is not your brother..." kiran hissed...

"Anu beta, jao...aap khelo..." uday sent her off...

"Kiran..." he looked at her...

"Don't even start...I know he is your son, bas***d...and don't you dare deny it...he looks like you..." kiran seethed with anger...

"Kiran...I am not denying it...he is my son and I will make sure he gets his rightful place..."

"Oh!!Really...if you think I will let that son of a b***h stay here...you are dreaming Uday Walia..." kiran said flicking her hair...

"KIRANNN!!!!!" uday shouted on top of his voice...kiran looked flabbergasted for a moment, never had uday talked like this...she trembled by the amount of anger she saw in his fierce eyes...

"He is my son, nothing can change that... you wstay or else leave, waise bhi hum dono main bohot pehle hi sab kuch khatam ho chuka hain... "saying uday left...leaving a visibly shocked kiran behind, who sat feeling jittery, contemplating...

Uday entered jai's room to see him arranging Krishna's photo on the bedside table...he was touched by the child's devotion towards his mother...

"Jai..." he called out hoarsely

"Papa..." jai turned back, smiling...

"You like the room..." he asked coming near him...jai made a face, after a lot of thinking he answered...

"It's nice...but I like Mt. Abu more..." he said honestly...

"But...I can see the sea from here...I like sea..." he said...

"Jai...whatever anyone says...you are my son...Jai Uday Walia...and I love you..." uday held him by his shoulders...

"Yes papa..." jai smiled...

****

Anu lead jai by his arm, talking non-stop...she made him sit beside her on the dining table...

"Hi there..." uday smiled at both of them... he saw kiran coming in silently and take her seat...

"Won't you say hello to jai kiran..." uday looked at her...

"He...hello jai..." kiran uttered disinterestedly...

"Hello...maam..." he said not understating how to address her...

"Where is Ranveer...???" uday looked around...just then ranveer walked in, a lanky teenager of 14, he had his own mind and opinion about everything...

"Hi dad!!!!" he greeted, looking at jai with suspicion...

"He is jai...jai your elder brother ranveer..." uday said...

"BROTHER!!!" ranveer shrieked at once...

"Yes, he will stay with us from now and you will treat him good like you treat anu..." uday said with strictness in his voice...

"Anu is my sister...he is NOT" ranveer argued, jai remained silent, not saying anything...

"Ranveer...I said he is your brother means, he is your brother..." uday said...

"Whatever..." ranveer dug the spoon in his food...

"Come let's eat..." uday gave a feeble smile to jai...jai started eating slowly...chatting with anu who kept him engaged in her sweet conversation, he did not notice the opprobrious looks on ranveer and kiran's face...

Jai sat on the bed, a bit lost, a bit unsure...he picked up his mother's photograph...kissing it lightly...

"Good night ma..." he whispered, slipping under the blanket...it was late night till sleep came over his awaken eyes...

****

It was only Uday and Anu and the house-help whom jai restrained his mild conversations to... Kiran and Ranveer didn't make any effort to talk to him, Kiran simply acted as if he didn't exist, though she didn't make any undue statements on him after uday's verbal outcry over her...ranveer was too busy in his teenage life to even bother to bond with jai... it was anu and jai who bonded big time, for anu jai was the brother who ranveer cannot become, jai played with her, taught her, made different creative things and gifted her which she kept displayed on the shelf in her room...she simply adored and loved her jai bhaiyya...as for jai he found his friend in anu, he shared with her everything, the slightest possible thing...as time elapsed while ranveer distanced himself from uday, jai grew closer to uday, they talked about world issues as jai was a very aware child, books, literature, everything, they played chess late into the nights...jai grew up to become a fine young man with the principles and humility instilled in him by his mother still intact, he did not stray away in this new world of money and exposure as uday had feared...in fact he became more resilient and righteous, always keen to learn, taking up challenges...proving to be a worthy human being above all... ...

****

Five years later...

Lilavati Hospital
Mumbai

"I am afraid Mr. Walia... her condition is critical..." the doctor informed a worried uday...

"But we will try our best..." the doctor said putting on his green mask, getting inside the operation theater...

Jai came from behind, holding his father...

"Papa...sit...she will be fine..." jai said...

"I don't know jai...I don't know..." he said unsurely...looking disoriented...jai's heart pricked as he saw anu crying inconsolably, ranveer was standing in a corner mutely, staring at the stark white walls of the hospital... ... Kiran's car had met with a sever accident while she was returning from Pune, after attending a social event, the driver was dead on the spot...

"Anu, please...stop crying, mummy will be fine..." jai held anu, cradling in his arms...

"Bhaiyya...mummy...oh god...bhaiyya..." anu sobbed uncontrollably...

"Anu...sshh...doctors are doing their best... she will be fine..." jai kept on uttering comforting words till she stopped, tired and helpless...jai glanced at ranveer, he had been standing like that since hours...without any visible reaction...making anu sit properly he got up, going towards the canteen, he got three cups of coffee...

"Papa...please have it...you will feel better..." jai handed uday cup...

"Anu...come drink this...enough crying now..." jai urged her to drink the hot steaming liquid...jai slowly went and stood beside ranveer...

"Ranveer....please have this..." to his utter surprise, ranveer took the plastic glass without saying anything or being sarcastic, the way he usually talked to him...

About another hour later, the doctors came out...

"Mamma..." ranveer asked the doctor anticipatorily...

"I am sorry...she is no more..."

****