A three year leap maybe.....??? What could the story be at that point in time...read on....
The clouds threatened to burst any minute….the lightening lit up the sky every now and then. Bani had just managed to put her son to sleep. She lay beside him and smiled as she tried unsuccessfully to smooth his wild crop of hair. He would be turning three in a couple of months. How time had flown… she mused as she tried hard not to remember the pain and the heartbreaks…
The silence of the night was pierced by the ringing of her phone. She grabbed it quickly as she did not want her son to wake up….it was her husband telling her that he would be slightly late as the meeting had gone on for longer than he had anticipated. But the weather is such…I think you should not delay further she said sounding concerned. I'll be fine he reassured her….just go to bed. How's our lil superman he asked. Bani smiled and told him that Superman had been scared to sleep in his own bed because of the lightening and was sleeping with her….
She tried to sleep but she could not…she walked upto the window watching the raindrops. In the flashes of lightening she could see the face of her son sleeping peacefully…he resembled him so much…the man whom she could never stop loving but whom she had not yet forgiven…
Part II
Her sequence of thoughts was broken by ringing of the door bell and some loud conversation outside. She opened the door and found the watchman at her bedroom door. Madam…there's been an accident…some young couple in a car…the lady wants to use the phone…her husband is bleeding.
Bani was shocked and asked the watchman to let her in. But what followed was an even bigger shock…the woman who walked in; in tears and clothes smeared in blood was none other than Rano, her youngest sister. She became hysterical when she saw her sister and could hardly speak….in between the tears she managed to tell Bani that it was Sahil who was in the car and then she just collapsed onto the floor!
Part III
Bani's hands trembled as she punched the number on her phone. Sagar was about to get into his car when he saw Bani's number flashing on his phone. He smiled and felt touched by her concern. She had stayed in his house for the last 3 years. For the world they were husband and wife but the fact was they had never been married…they shared a bond of friendship, and trust …and of course there was Superman….he refused to be called by his original name Jagrit.
I am on my way..he began to talk, but he was interrupted by Bani's panic stricken voice.. Sagar..please reach the Life care hospital it is urgent….
What happened to Jagrit, was Sagar's first reaction…you said he was sleeping…..
Please come fast , Bani pleaded, she was sobbing hysterically. Jagrit is ok…its sahil she said…
Part IV
Jai Walia could feel his heart beating faster as he heard the air hostess announce that they were about to land in Delhi. He emptied the last dregs of his coffee, long gone cold and glanced out of the window. He could see the small cars moving like small ants on the highway. He took a deep breath but nothing could calm his frayed nerves.
He still remembered Rano's desolate call, her voice quivering, as she narrated Sahil's condition. He hadn't recovered from that shock when she dropped another bomb shell. She was with Bani…
Bani…he was no longer sure what feelings the name evoked in his heart….he felt a pang in his heart…it was hard to pin point what it was…..the yearning for love, the pain of loss, the hurt of having been wronged….
And his child…Rano forgot to tell him about his child. He didn't even know if it was a boy or a girl…the bonding that he had felt with the child when it was still not born…when Bani was still around was still strong. He had seen his child in his dreams…he had played with him…chased him around the house with his chuckles echoing in Jai's ears…he had spent many sleepless nights telling his child stories…he had wept like a baby himself several times in his child's room with the floor strewn with toys that had never been played with…..
The soft thud of the plane hitting the runway brought him out of his reverie…..he was going to meet his child….and he was not sure why he felt so forlorn when the moment that he had waited for so long was finally here…….
Part V
Jai stepped hesitatingly into the large, airy living room into which he had just been ushered by a maid. A part of him had felt relief when Rano had told him at the hospital that Bani had had to rush for a day to a meeting out of town. He wondered for a moment if Bani still cared and wanted to save him the embarrassment of coming face to face.
The rustling of the curtains that hung on the large windows caught his attention. And then his heart missed a beat when he saw the eyes… two warm brown eyes staring at him while the sticky chocolate covered hands clutched the drapes. His chest welled with emotion and the lump in his throat prevented him from saying anything.
"Babaaa", called out a lady's voice. "Where is he hiding now," she muttered loudly.
" Baba…come and finish …" she couldn't finish her sentence as she spotted the stranger rooted to his spot and gazing at the small culprit half hidden behind the now chocolate stained cream curtains!
Part VI
The maid who had let in Jai stepped in that moment and muttered something to the Nanny. She nodded and then coaxed the little boy to step out.
"Jaagrit Baba will shake hands with this good uncle?"
"Me not Jaagrit…Superman", he announced
He came forward and extended his sticky hand into Jai's. Jai's mind was working fast to register all the new information- his name was Jaagrit, started with a J, maybe Bani at some level still wanted her son to be connected with the father…., he was fond of chocolates and disliked milk…, Jai wanted to make up for the 3 lost years in that one moment…he wanted to get to know his son
"Will you read me a story?"
"Only after you have finished your this," said his Nanny, still holding the half finished glass of milk. Superman seemed reluctant, but when Jai smiled and encouraged him to go with the nanny, he went away. He was back in a jiffy, his hands and face scrubbed clean, carrying a colourful picture story book. He plonked himself onto Jai's lap comfortably and listened intently as Jai narrated the story of the little dragon, who got lost in the forest…
They had reached the part where the little dragon had begun to discover his powers and was practising breathing out fire when the door bell rang. As his mom entered superman jumped excitedly into her arms.
"You want listen to the dragon story?" he asked. His mother ignored his question and was motionless with shock when she saw her ex- husband sitting on the sofa. In his hand was the picture story book, open on the page where the little dragon is reunited with his parents!
Part VII
Bani stood speechless…what do you say to a person who was your reason for living but he denied you your life…how do you respond when your past which you had managed to lock up in some corner of your heart is suddenly glaring you on the face…She could feel her heart flutter and the emotions welling up in her bosom…but the eyes were dry…the tears were gone…she still remembered the day when she had cried her heart out in a locked room while her bewildered baby all of just 8 months had stared with amazement at his mother…
She had vowed she would never cry again…and she had stoically stuck to her vow…and though she was shocked to see Jai in her house there was no hint of moisture in her eyes… just a deep dull ache in her heart to which she had resigned ages ago for she knew it would be a part of her always…
And then suddenly another strange emotion surged in her insides…it stemmed from a desire to hurt the man who stood in front of her…it was a strange feeling…but it was overpowering…probably for the first time in her life Bani let herself feel that negative emotion… it made her feel powerful and what was disturbing was that she seemed to enjoy it….
She was brought back to the real world by her son tugging her arm and requesting her to join them on the couch…
" No, love", she said cheerfully…and I think you should call Daddy…he told me he is waiting for superman's call…"
" Call daddy…." shouted the little boy joyfully and tore across the hall to pick up the phone lying on the table…he brought it back and stood beside Bani patiently while she dialled the number…
The peals of laughter as his son chatted animatedly over the phone felt like a thousand daggers piercing his heart…Jai stood there feeling like an intruder as he saw Bani laughing over the sweet babbling of the boy…their son…
Part VIII
The small of group of people in the hospital room waited nervously for the doctors to arrive. A neurosurgeon had been called in for special consultation for Sahil. Though the worse was over, the doctors were concerned about an injury to his spine which could cause problems in the future.
Bani glanced at her siter's pale face. She had spent the last few days at Sahil's bedside and had been worried sick about his condition. Bani felt proud to see that her kid sister had grown in the last three years. It was good to see her out of the shadows of her di…Bani felt a pang of guilt…maybe she was the one at fault…she had always been over protective of her sisters after their parents passed away. She had stood like a shield between them and their troubles and maybe that had been her own undoing….
Bani tried hard to shrug away the memories…but the hospital room was taking her back to her past…she remembered the white sheets stained with blood. She could almost feel the panic and fear which she had felt at that moment as the doctors and nurses rushed in and out of the room. She almost grimaced when Pia's tear stained face flashed in front of her eyes…
" Hello", said the doctor as he entered the room. Bani felt relieved to have her train of thoughts interrupted…the journey into the past was always so painful….
She had come to face to face with her past when Jai had arrived and now it seemed she would have to relive it for a few more days because the consultant had advised immediate surgery for Sahil…and Jai as the immediate family member had to stay on for Rano's support.
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