Part 7
Jai sat in the darkness and watched her walk in the surf, one hand clutching her discarded high heels and other trying to keep her long skirt up. She laughed and giggled as surf rolled over her legs. All she had was one glass of wine and she became tipsy. She giggled like a teenager, played with her food and like his kids made an awful cocktail by dumping salt, pepper, sauce from small cups…all went into the orange she had ordered. The highlight of the dinner was when she ordered, triple scoop of chocolate ice-cream with whipped cream and strawberries. When the overloaded bowl arrived, she proceeded to feed him spoonfuls as well as her self. The way she licked the spoon clean was sinful to be watched he had declared to himself silently…did the woman know what she did to a man's libido by sitting across from him and running her tongue slow and erotically until the spoon was licked clean of cream.
The overload of dessert was why they had ended up on the beach. He had moaned he needed a stroll to digest the sugars and fat he just consumed. She had gleefully laughed…and than immediately directing him towards the beach. Of course the walk lasted ten minutes before Jai collapsed on the sand, it wasn't a walk, it was almost a run to catch up to her as she threw her sandals and set off bare feet on the sand. Now as he stared at her, bathed in the dull light of the night, her dark silhouette frolicking in the surf. What a woman? And how stupid of a man to walk out on a woman like her he thought. The few hours over the dinner, they had talked about their kids, their childhood, marriage, college pranks and achieving dreams.
He picked up a fistful of sand and let it run slowly out from his hand. Somehow he felt as if they had known each other always. Funny, Jai thought, how the stormy meeting earlier in the day had been forgotten. Jai gave a deep sigh…he was seriously falling for her. She was unpretentious, beautiful and bubbling with energy.
"Jai! That was awesome…best foot massage one can get…the salt water is wonderful the soles of the feet." She gushed as she plonked down beside him, her sandals scattering, her slight wet skirt sticking to her legs. Bani prodded his chest and made a face, "Why are you so serious? What do you look as if you are in a deep thought?" she asked, screening his face carefully.
"Nothing…just about you." He replied casually.
"Me…I hope something good…or are you thinking what a crazy woman…one minute ready to bash my head in and next playing like a kid in water." Bani wrinkled her nose as Jai swatted it with a finger.
"You are too much…"
Bani giggled, "What to do…that glass of wine went to my head…can one get drunk on one glass of wine?" she asked, her eyes rounding into wide orbs.
Jai laughed, "I guess so…you are the first woman who became like a giggly teenager on one glass. Most of them out drink me sometimes."
"Really…you don't drink much?"
"I like couple of glasses of wine, but I don't hit scotch or any hard liquor…with six kids I need my head in place, don't you think?"
Bani nodded her head. "Yup…you are their role model…if you come home and swig a few pegs…not a good dad…I would be bad mommy…if I went around tipsy."
"So you don't go around doing anything bad?" Jai asked, his eyes glinting mischievously and tweaking at a curl moving gently in the breeze across her face.
"Bad…like what?"
"I don't know…staying out all night…" He saw the irritation in her eyes, the indignant pout, "Really Mr Walia! What are you insinuating…that I go and booty calls leaving kids all alone?"
"Ms Dixit nothing of the sort…forget it…I can see track can get me into a lot of trouble. Instead how we ask some rapid fire questions?" he asked with both his brows arched.
"Ok…but I go first."
"Sure fire away…"
"When was the last time you skinny dipped?"
"When I was a gangly, pimpled faced 14 year old…we were on a camping trip and well boys will be boys."
"My turn…first time you kissed a guy."
"Ten…had a crush on my next door neighbour's teenager. He said he would take me to movies if I kissed him…so next day…I ate a lot of garlic and went and gave his a sloppy, smelly kiss on his mouth. He never took me out for a movie."
"I wonder why…what did you think…he was a vampire?"
"Nope…next. Ever smoked pot?"
"Yes…most guy tried it once in college…girls too…what about you?"
"Nope…kept away from cigarettes and drugs. My dad used to buy National Geographic which had colourful pictures of diseased body part…and used to make us look at them…gross…even now I feel like puking when I think about it."
"Okay…enough of grossness…your favourite movie…"
"The Godfather…"
"Why?"
"Great characters…strong...loyalty…betrayal…life."
"Which character you would want to play?"
"Hey that is two questions?"
"Just answer than you can ask me two…"
"Tom Hagen…the orphan kid…he was like a chameleon…blended into the mafia family and outside world."
"Interesting…so no desire to be in seat of power?"
"Nah…let the women wear the pants…much more peaceful that way." Jai replied cheekily.
Bani swatted his arm, "that is mean…but glad to know I could have my way without all the usual nagging."
"So you are keen to meet again?" Jai asked, leaning closer, his eyes fixed on hers.
"What do you think? Worth taking risk again?"
"Why not? I want to give it another shot." Jai took out a pen and took her hand and wrote his phone number down. "now when you get home…first write this down somewhere and than wash your hand."
Bani giggled and looked at the scrawl on her hand, "And what if I forget and wash my hand?"
"I guess than I will have to ask Kari…to help out." Jai said with a grin.
TBC…
Cricket
Anupamaa
