Part 5:
All four girls arrive back home, exactly at 5:00. Bani felt a little cheered up, she explored almost everything in Mumbai and did tons of shopping, but barely bought anything. As they enter the house, they are stunned by beautiful decorations everywhere. Raj Patel approaches them. He stares at bani, looking amused by her sudden change of clothes, but doesn't show it.
Raj Patel: Nice to have you all back home.
They all give him weak smiles.
Raj: You all should get ready.
Riya: (looks at the clock) papa, it's only 5:00.
Raj glares at his daughter, giving her the message to shut up and listen to him.
Raj: I said get ready.
Riya: (afraid) ji…
All four go separate ways, to their bedrooms. Raj stops bani when the three leave.
Raj: Bani, where were you? Didn't Mrs. Peterson tell you that I wanted to see you this morning?
Bani: (innocently) oh, really?…oh yes, I remember now. (shrugs her shoulders) must have slipped my mind.
Raj: (wickedly says) Bani, there are two things that I absolutely hate,…being stood up and not listened to. But I'll let you go this time. (he covers bani's left cheek with the palm of his hand) I forgive you.
Bani quickly pushes his hand off of her cheek, and glares at him. She turns around, her back facing Raj, and leaves him alone in the hall. He is shocked by this gesture, but then smiles to himself, pleased by seeing her sudden change of attitude.
Bani curses Raj Patel under her breath, while walking angrily to her bedroom. As she enters, she sees Pia on her bed, reading a magazine. Pia looks up from it, and smiles at bani.
Pia: Di, you have to see the guy on the front of this magazine cover! Isn't he so handsome?!
She picks up the magazine to show it to bani, but she (bani) doesn't pay attention.
Pia: His name is Jai Walia, extremely rich businessman, and he's only 29! And soooo handsome! (looks back at his picture)
Bani: I'm not interested.
Pia looks at bani, shrugs her shoulders, and then starts reading the magazine again. Bani decides to take a shower, to cool herself down. She grabs her pink towel and heads to the bathroom.
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All of the guests have arrived, and are enjoying themselves. Raj Patel is having conversations with some of his business partners, but keeps eyeing the staircase, waiting for bani to come down. Many people congratulate him and ask him where the lucky girl is, making him even more impatient for bani. Finally, after 30 minutes, the woman he is waiting for comes walking down the stairs with her two sisters, by her side.
Bani looks beautiful in the fancy blue salwar kameez that raj patel had gifted to her the other day, with the expensive jewelry to match with it. Pia and rano force her to walk down the stairs, because she is very close to running back up the stairs, nervous by all the staring from the guests.
Man: (to raj) Is that her, Mr. Patel?
Raj: (smiles) yes, that is her.
Man: She is beautiful,…you're one lucky man to have her.
Raj, happily, walks over to the marble staircase and takes bani's hand in his, leading her to meet the guests. Bani is annoyed by all of the happy guests, because they are happy and she isn't. Raj takes bani to the center of the hall, and gets everyone's attention. A bright spotlight shines on the two.
Raj: May I have everyone's attention!
Everyone immediately stop talking and look over to raj and bani.
Raj: (glad that everyone listened) I hope you are enjoying the party.
The guests smile with agreement.
Raj: (clears throat) I would like to introduce Bani Dixit, the woman who I want to spend the rest of my life with, the love of my life.
Bani looks at him, thinking , "The love of my life??? You've only known me two weeks and know absolutely nothing about me!!!".
A waiter comes with a red covered tray, with two rings on top. Raj takes one of the small boxes and opens it. He takes out a diamond ring and slips it onto bani's ring finger. Bani stares at the engagement ring on her hand, in shock. Nikishant grabs the other box, opens it, and hands over the gold ring to bani. She just stares at the ring, not reaching for it. Her father takes her hand and puts the gold ring in her palm. Bani stares at the eager looking, Raj Patel, and then back at the ring that is resting on her sweaty palm. Everyone waits eagerly for bani to slip the ring onto Raj's finger. Nikishant, being impatient, helps, but actually forces bani to put the ring on Raj. Everyone claps and smiles, except for pia, rano, and riya. Bani continues to look at her ring, in disbelief. She then starts to feel dizzy and sees that the room begins to get smaller and is spinning in circles. Bani touches her head, feeling very dizzy. Before fainting, she hears pia screaming, "Bani Di!!".
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She wakes up and sees a very unfamiliar face staring right back at her. The man looks about 35ish, and has an injection in his right hand. Bani sits up in bed and feels pain shooting in her head.
Doc: Good that she has woken up. Mrs. Patel, you need to eat and rest, which you haven't been doing for awhile now, from what I heard.
Bani looks around her room and finds her father, riya, rano, pia, and Mrs. Peterson staring at her, worriedly.
Doc: Mr. Dixit, give your daughter these medicines for the next couple of days and she will be absolutely fine. (hands over prescriptions) I will leave now.
Everyone watches the doctor leave the room, in a hurry.
Nikishant: Bani,…why aren't you eating and sleeping well? What's wrong?
Bani: (angrily) Like you don't know, papa.
He is confused at first, but then understands what she is talking about.
Nikishant: I am very sorry, bani that I am making you go through this. I will do anything to just see you smile again. Anything!
An idea pops into bani's head and she turns to her father, narrowing her eyebrows down.
Bani: Anything?….
Nikishant: yes, bani. Ask me for whatever you'd like.
Bani: papa,…you remember Aarti, don't you?
Nikishant: (thinks for awhile) oh yes! How can I ever forget that sweet girl! What about her?
Bani: Well, she is getting married soon and has invited me to her wedding.
Niksihant: oh ,that is great news! Of course you can go.
Bani: papa, the wedding is taking place in England. And I was thinking that if I go, then I'd go a month earlier to travel around Europe.
Niksihant gets off of the bed and looks away from her.
Nikishant: I'm sorry, bani. But this isn't possible. You are engaged, and I don't think Mr. Patel would want his fianc to go alone to Europe and for a month. (shakes his head) I'm sorry, you can't go.
Bani: papa, you said that I can ask you anything and you'd give it to me! I want to go to this wedding! And I wont go alone, Pia will come with me!
Pia: (buts in) hain, papa! I'll go with her.
Nikishant: (shakes his head again, disagreeing) this is up to, Mr. Patel. I doubt that he'll let you go though, bani.
Hearing this, bani gets out of her bed, angrily and exit's the bedroom, letting everyone call after her, not responding back. She sees him sitting down, comfortably on the sofa, with his eyes shut. Bani approaches him and stands in front of him. She coughs to get his attention. Raj opens his eyes and finds his beautiful ill fianc, standing in front of him.
Raj: (stands up) Bani? How are you? Shouldn't you be in-
Bani: (cuts him off) I arranged tickets to go to England on Monday to attend my best friend's wedding. Is that ok with you?
Raj: (thinking) uh,…yeah it's fine. I'll come with you. How long will you be staying there?
Bani: (snaps at him) For a month, and I don't think that it's a good idea for you to come along, I mean because you'll be busy with meeting, projects, and all that stuff.
Raj: (eyes wide) A month?! Why a month?!
Bani: because I have always wanted to travel around Europe, and this is the opportunity I have been waiting for.
Raj: I can't be without you for a month! And plus, I don't want you going anywhere, alone.
Bani: (pretending to be innocent) but-but, I've always been stuck in Mount Abu my whole life, and want to go someplace new. Please let me go. Pia is also going to come along with me.
Raj: (sighs and gives in) I guess I'll try to go through a month without you. Plus, how can I refuse my beautiful fianc.
Bani: (rolls her eyes and bitterly says) I'll take that as a yes. Thanks.
Raj, confused, watches bani walk back to her room. "What's happening to her these days?," he says to himself.
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Monday (airport):
Bani is clutching onto her boarding pass and holding her handbag in her other hand, waiting for her flight to be called. She is wearing her dark blue jeans with a very cute light purple shirt, her hair is clipped up nicely, and has silver dangling earrings on. Pia is wearing a cute red dress that stops above her knees, with a white belt that goes perfectly with the dress. She is biting her fingernails, nervously. This is the first time that both, bani and pia, are going somewhere other than Mount Abu.
Nikishant: now call when you two reach there, ok? I want a phone call at least twice a day, you hear me?
Bani: yes, papa.
Pia: (hiding her fear) Calm down, old man.
Nikishant: (narrows his wrinkled eyes at pia) I don't care if I don't hear from you, pia.
Rano: I'll miss you guys so much! (she hugs her two sisters)
Riya: Enjoy yourselves, but don't have too much fun! (jokes around)
Bani and pia chat with their family for the last time.
Bani: Pia, I need to use the bathroom, I'll be back in a minute.
Pia: ok, di.
Bani walks into the ladies bathroom and looks at herself through the mirror. "You look like a nervous wreck, bani," she says to herself. She quickly fixes her hair and then steps out of the bathroom, and bumps directly into someone. Not looking at the person, she immediately asks for forgiveness. "It's ok," says a familiar voice. Bani looks up and sees her husband-to-be holding her by her arms. She shrugs him off.
Bani: Aph? (english trans:You?)I thought that you were in a business meeting?
Raj: yes I was, but canceled it because I wanted to say goodbye to my wife personally.
Bani: (growls) I'm not your wife.
Raj: (sighs) I don't know how I'm going to live without you for a month,…but I'll try to find a way. (he says trying to show his love to her, but to bani, it sounds like he's desperate)
Bani: (bitterly) …yeah, you do that.
Raj takes bani's hands in his and kisses them and then her wrist. She tries to pull away, but he has a solid grip onto her hands. He looks deeply into her eyes, making bani suck in her breath.
Raj: I'm going to miss you, bani. (he whispers coldly in her ear)
He leans in closer to her nervous face, leaving only an inch of space between them. Raj takes bani's chin in his hand and pulls her closer, to give her a kiss, but stops by an interruption from the airport's intercom. "Flight 23 to England please board onto the plane, I repeat. Flight 23 to England, please board onto the plane. The plane is ready for take off," a voice says from the loud speakers.
Bani: That's me! Got to go!
She hurriedly runs away from Raj, scared of what would have happened if her flight wasn't called. Bani quickly runs over the other side of the airport, where her family and Riya are standing. Pia and bani grab their things, say quick farewells to everyone, and leave to board onto the plane.
As the plane takes lift off, bani watches out of the window and sees the land around her grow smaller and smaller. Pia is practically jumping up and down in excitement.
Pia: I am so happy, di! England…wow!
Bani smiles at her sister and then looks back out of the window. She grins and says , "England, ….here we come".
hope you guys like this part. 😊
Edited by indian_godess - 18 years ago
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