Bani did something that she had never done in the past 23 years of life, break a rule! Without thinking about anything, without giving any heed to the shouts of her fellow travelers, Bani jumped on to the platform as the Train almost gained speed and she fell on her face down as some of the people on the Platform startled away by her action.
As a man came down to help her, Bani paid no heed to the shouting of the Old lady from the train who kept telling her that she left her luggage behind, as Bani winced in pain seeing her bruised elbow bleeding profusely. Bani pushed and made her way through the crowd and managed to catch an Auto…"Bhaiyaa, please jaldi chaliye…Malabar Hills jana hai….please, jaldi kariye…" The Auto driver looked at amazement at the disheveled, teary eyed girl who's torn sleeve's were stained in blood and said, "Madam, aapko haat mein toh bahut chot hai….pehle kisi Doctor ko dikhayi." Bani almost screamed in desperation while she kept crying at the same time, "Bhaiya, please mujhe Malabar Hills le jaayie, please…kisi ki zindagi ka sawal hai…please, de mat kijiye." The auto driver gave one look at Bani's teary, anguished face and the desperate appeal in her voice and started his auto.
Bani held the side grill and despite herself, cried inconsolably and kept saying in her mind, "Maine kyon un par bharosa nahin kiya….maine kyon unki dil ki baat nahin samjhi? Jai, mujhe maaf kar dijiye….please, aap ghar par hi rehna…." The Auto driver looked extremely worried looking at the weeping girl and drove in desperate speed to the destination.
Meanwhile Jai and Roshni are at the Mumbai International Airport and Jai is looking dead with a glazed expression in his eyes while Roshni goes and does her check-in and comes back. "All done Jai. Tum taiyaar ho? Jai? Jai…tum sun rahe ho meri baat?" Roshni gently shaked Jai by his shoulders and suddenly Jai came out of his stupor. "Haan…theek hai…flight kitne baje ki hai?" Roshni gave an exasperated look at Jai and said softly, "2 ghante hai abhi….Kya hua Jai? Ab bhi Bani ko yaad kar rahe ho…who tum hain chod kar chali gayi hai….bhul jao use."
Jai has a cold expression on his face as he turns to face Roshni and says in a sharp, cutting voice, "Tum yeh haq maine kabhi nahin diya ke tum mujhe mere rishton ke barre me koi bhi salah do. So, just mind your own business." Roshni flushed at the insult and made a face and said sarcastically, "Haan, jinhe haq diya toh, woh toh tumhein beech raaste mein hi chod gaye….Kya hua, Bani ne tumhein mana kar diya?" Jai grits his teeth to control his raging temper and says bitingly, "Just shut up Roshni…once and for all, just shut up….aur aaj ke baad, maine agar tumhari zubaan se Bani ke baare mein ek galat labz bhi suna, toh yaar rakhna, mujhse bura koi nahi hoga. Just get that clear." Roshni is jolted by Jai's vicious tone and decides to keep quiet and leave Jai alone for some time.
Bani gets down in front of the Walia Mansion and suddenly it starts pouring…as Bani realizes that she is not carrying any money with her, she gets embarrassed and tells the Auto driver that she forgot to get her purse. "Koi baat nahin Madam. Aap ki manzil aa gayi….wahi apna kiraya hai. Ab jaaiye, shayad koi aapka intezaar kar raha hai…." Bani flushes and smiles gently to thank the Driver and runs past the porch inside the House.
"Mr. Walia….Mr. Walia….Dadi….Aditya Uncle….koi hai kya?" Bani rushed inside the Living room, drenched in rain and her dress almost stained by the blood from her arms. Bani noticed that the House was entrenched in a tomb like silence…..Bani wondered why there was darkness in the House at 9 Pm at night and where was everybody. "Tony….Murli…Koi hai kya?"
Bani desperately shouted for someone to come. As she ran upstairs to her room, she met up with Tony who is completely shocked at seeing Bani and that too in such a state. "Madam, aapke haat se toh khoon beh raha hai….ek minute, mein First Aid box le kar aata hoon." Bani stopped him and asked him urgently, "Tony, Mr. Walia kahan hai? Jaldi batao." Tony looks taken aback and guilty and says, "Madam, aap apne kamre mein jaaiye…mein pehle first aid box le kar aata hoon. Please." Before Bani can stop him, Tony almost rushes away from Bani as if to avoid her. Bani is taken aback at Tony's attitude but he is vanished before she can stop him.
Bani ambles her way to Jai's room…no their room. The familiar smell of Jai's being hits Bani's senses as she enters the darkened room and stands for some time in her solitary moment, crying and smiling at the same time, tears because of the untold anguish and pain of the past few months and smile because of finally knowing that her love for Jai was never misplaced only hidden for some time. As Bani absent-mindedly switches on the lights of the room, she is staggered and frozen to the spot as she sees the room illuminated with numerous photographs of hers….Bani continues staring as she sees her pictures spread everywhere in the room, on the Walls, on the Side-table, on Jai's writing desk, on the Bed…."Madam….the First Aid box."
Tony reverentially keeps the Box on the Side-table and pretends not to notice the look on Bani's face as she still keeps staring at her pictures in the room. "Madam, I will get some Coffee for you." Suddenly Bani is jolted back to reality and manages to mumble to Tony, "Ahh…Tony, Mr. Walia kahan hai? Ghar khali kyon hai, sab kahan gaye hain?"
Tony looks very awkward and fiddles his fingers as she avoids Bani's glance and says, "Madam, aapki chot bahut gehri lag rahi hai, please uspe first aid laga lijiye, mein tab tak aapke liye Coffee lata hoon….Please excuse me." Tony almost runs from the room, as a confused and dazed Bani keeps calling him, "Tony….Tony…ruko, Mr. Walia kahan hai Tony…Wait…" But Tony has already gone from the room.
Bani gives an exasperated sigh, as her physical tiredness compounded with her mental fatigue makes her dizzy….Bani looks at her bleeding arm and goes to the Bathroom to wash her wounds and dress it up. After coming from the Bathroom, Bani shivers as the air-conditioning in the room hits her body, since she has been drenched in the rain…."Oh, God, mere paas toh koi kapde bhi nahin hai….mujhe is halat mein dekhenge toh pata nahin kyon sochenge…" Bani looks worried and confused as she glances around the room, strewn with her photographs and wonders what could she change into.
Just then, her eyes fall on a box kept in a corner of the room and as Bani curiously opens it, she sees a beautiful red sari kept inside….and the memory of past hits Bani, as she remembers Mausi's gift to her which she had promised that Bani should wear on her First Karva Chauth Vrat that she would keep for Jai. Bani's eyes again well up with tears as she touches the soft fabric and caresses it against her cheeks and tries to bury her desire to weep like a child. Bani keeps looking at the Sari and then with a loving look in her eyes, she goes to the Bathroom to change into it.
"Madam, Coffee." Tony kept the Coffee Tray on the Side Table and was just about to leave, when Bani stopped him..."Tony, main tum se itni baar puch chuki hoon, Mr. Walia kahan hai…Tum bata kyon nahi rahe?" Bani looked desperate and lost as Tony guiltily looked at her and then withdrawing his eyes said politely, "Madam, who Airport ke liye nikal chuke hai." Bani is taken aback and asks back, "Airport? Kyon….kahan jaa rahe hai." Tony kind of takes a gulp and says even more softly, "Mr. Walia, Roshni Madam ke saat gaye hai, unki US ki flight hai aaj raat ki." The moment Tony says this, Bani takes an involuntary shudder and whispers, "Nahin….aisa nahin ho sakta…." And then almost shouts out, "Kab gaye Tony? Kitni der hogayi?"
Tony is know extremely guilty and awkward and replies back, "Madam, unki flight ab kisi bhi waqt nikal sakti hai….unhein ghar se nikle bahut der ho chuki hai. Excuse me Mam, mein neeche jaa raha hoon, aapko kuch bhi chahiye ho, to please mujhe intercom mein bata deejiyega." Tony avoids looking at Bani's devastated vista and closes the door of the room behind him and goes out.
Bani crumbles down on the bed, which is strewn with her pictures, taken at different times, most of them were photographs that Bani did not even remember being photographed for……Bani lied with her head down on the bed on her arm and wept like she had never wept before…..she was inconsolable today and did not want her tears to stop. "Aap mujhe aise nahin chod ke jaa sakte…mujhe phir se akela nahin chod sakte…." Bani kept mumbling to herself while continuously crying….as time ticked away and Bani fell asleep, delirious with fatigue and the emotional trauma that she underwent.
2 Am in the morning….the door of the room creaked open slowly and someone's footsteps were heard to come inside the room gently…..
"Kaun hai?.....Bani?....BANI????" Jai arrived looking haggard and exhausted and as he looked at the solitary figure lying across on the bed, it took Jai only one moment to recognize his wife. Bani was startled out of her deep slumber and she opened her swollen eyes and heard Jai's voice and thought to herself, "Mujhe aise kyon laga ki maine aapke aane ki aahat suni…yeh sapna hai ya haqeeqat?"
By then Jai had come over and sat on the bed alongside Bani and he kept his hand gently over Bani's injured hand and taking it in his plams, he kisses Bani's hand lovingly. Bani startled and woke up fully and as she sat on the bed, the darkness of the room seemed to recede a bit and Bani kept looking at Jai's dark silhouette sitting in front of her. "Jai? Aap…..Aap gaye nahin?" Bani looked shaken and slightly wobbly from her broken sleep and as Jai held her gently by her shoulders giving her support, Bani kept staring at Jai with a gamut of emotions!
"Kyon, mujhe kahan jaana chaihye tha? Main toh apne hi ghar laut kar aaya hoon." Jai smiles slightly as he said this and Bani kept looking at the Jai, somehow managing to see him clearly even in the darkness of the room. Bani keeps looking back as her eyes become slightly moist and she suddenly realizes that Jai is holding her by her shoulders and the warmth of Jai's touch filters through her, making her lifelike again. "Tumhare haath ko kya hua?" Bani is slightly embarrassed as she takes her gaze of Jai and says very softly, "Chot lag gayi…"
Jai gives a wry smile and comments, "Yeh toh mujhe bhi dik raha hai ke tumhein chot lagi hai…magar lagi kaise? Main toh tumhein accha khasa chod kar gaya tha…toh tumnein mere peeche kya lapar wahi ki apne saath?" Bani could not help smiling at Jai's comment and tells him that she jumped off from the Train, much to the amusement and shock of Jai. "Tum pagal ho kya Bani? Chalti Train se kud padi? Arre, aisi kya jaldi thi….kya chut gaya tha?" Bani looks back at Jai and a wave of love sweeps across her face as she says quietly, "Main apni sabse keemti cheez peeche chod aayi thi…" Jai lets go of Bani and looking at her directly asks her tenderly, "Kya?"
Bani keeps looking at Jai for some time and almost whispers under her breath, "Aapko."
Jai and Bani keep looking at one another intently for some time and Jai says, "Tum nein pehle kyon nahi kaha…" And Bani almost instantly says, "Aapne poocha kyon nahin…."
Jai and Bani break out into a smile as they realize that they ended up answering and questioning one another at the same time.
Jai looked down at the floor and asks Bani, "Agar mein pooch leta, toh kya tum mujhe bata deti…" Bani blushes faintly and say delicately, "Maine woh tape sun liya…..aur usi ka jawab dene ke liye main aaj Chalti Train se kud kar wapas aagayi…." Jai breaks into a quiet laughter and says, "Mujhe tumhara jawab mil chukka hai Bani….tumhein kuch aur kehne ki zaroorat nahin hai…."
Bani's face lights up with a gentle smile as she says, "Aap ko kaise pata mera jawab…." Jai grins sheepishly and says, "Ek ladki, joh phoolon se bhi nazuk hai, jo kabhi galti se bhi koi galti nahin karti…agar woh itni himmat kar ke, ek Chalti Train se kud kar, baarish mein, akele, raat ko, mujh se kuch kehne aati hai….toh uska jawab sirf Haan hi ho sakta hai…."
"Bani, tum mere saath, apni ek cheez aur bhul ke chali gayi thi...wapas nahin maangogi?" Bani looks at Jai as he takes out her Mangalsutra from his Blazer's pocket and delicately puts it around Bani's neck.
Bani looks at her husband and as Jai holds her in his arms and brings her closer to him and Bani buries her head in his shoulder and warps her arms around his neck and then suddenly breaks down crying like a child….astonishing Jai.
"Bani? Bani…tum rok kyon rahi ho…..Kya hua Bani?" Jai gets panicky as he feels Bani's warm tears flooding his Shirt and he holds her closer to him and gently pulls her head in front of him and looks at the tear strained face and gets a poignant look and says, "Dekho kitna bura hoon main….tumhein apni nafrat mein bhi rulaya, aur ab apne pyaar main bhi rula raha hoon…."
Bani who had her head bowed down looks back at Jai and says, "Tab aapko naa pa sakne ke gham me mein roti thi aur ab is khushi mein aasoon aagaye ki aap ab sirf mere hai…..Aasoon bhi toh wahi dete hai, jo hamare dil ke sabse kareeb hote hai…."
Jai kept looking at Bani intensely, so much so that Bani could not withstand the look of deep passion and affection in his eyes and once again came closer to him and covered herself in Jai's arms as he kissed her gently on her forehead…..
Early morning…….
"Jai….aap Roshniji ke saat Airport kyon gaye….."
Jai lets out a small cackle and says,
"Main guarantee karna chahta tha ki Roshni ek one-way flight mein US ke liye ravana ho jaaye and wapas yahan nahin aaye…Maine Immigration waalon ko bahut sara paisa diya hai, yeh ensure karne ke liye ki Ms. Roshni Chopra agle 50 saalon tak hamare Desh mein kadam na rakh paaye…."
Bani broke out laughing despite trying not to…..
"Jai? Agar mein Mount Abu chali jaati, toh kya aap mujhe wapas lene aate?"
Bani asked with great trepidation almost whispering into Jai's ears…
Jai kept quiet for some time and then answered gravely,
"Mein tumhein kahan se wapas lata Bani? Tum toh pehle se hi mere paas thi…."
Bani and Jai keep quite and warm stillness envelopes them…..and after some time, Jai breaks the silence and says teasingly;
"Btw, yeh main Mr. Walia se Jai kaise ho gaya?"
Bani blushed and kept quiet for some time and then said mellifluously,
"Aap bahut thode waqt mein bahut kuch ho gaye, shaayad isi beech Mr. Walia se Jai bhi ban gaye….aapko bura toh nahin laga, maine aapko aapke naam se bulaya…"
Jai grinned and answered tongue in cheek;
"Nahin utna bura nahin laga jitna tab lagta hai jab tum mujhe "suniyeji" kehti ho…."
Jai and Bani both broke out laughing at the same time…..
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The first two parts of the Fan-Fic titled, Bani's Letter of Love and Regret and Jai's Confession are attached in the Links below!
https://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=282603&K W=Mistletoe (Part I of the Fan-Fic)
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/kasamh-se/284129/jais-confession-to-bani-fan-fic-part-2 (Part II of the Fan-Fic)
I hope you liked the finale of the story, would be eagerly awaiting your comments and views on the same!😳
Lots of Love,
MT
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Anupamaa
