CHAPTER 28:
Jai stares at the picture, stunned. Slowly his eyes meet with Mausi's and he looks at her with disbelief.
Jai: Mausi--- yeh to---(trans: Mausi---this is----
Mausi: (smiling) Hain, Munna?
He looks back at the picture, not able to digest all this down.
Jai: Yeh to Pooja hai....(trans: This is Pooja)
Mausi's smile becomes wider.
Mausi: Yes, Munna, yeh Pooja hai...you remember Pooja don't you?
Jai swallows hard and nods his head gently in an affirmative.
Jai: Paar, Mausi---- Pooja?
Jigyasa: Kyon Jai? Tum khush nahi ho?(trans: Why Jai? Are you not happy?) This is Pooja...your same old Pooja....
Jai shakes his head.
Jai: I-I can't marry her....
Dadi: Arre paar kyon nahi? (trans: Why not?)
Jigyasa: Jai, Pooja likes you....and we all know you like her too.
Jai: Hain, I do. But as my good friend...like my little sister. (exasperated) I can't marry a woman who I think of as my sister!
Mausi: (her smile fading) Munna, shayad before you had thought of her as a sister...but that was years ago....time has flown by...she has changed. ...Maybe when you meet her your thoughts about her will also change....You may just like her more...And I am sure you will.
Jai continues to look astounded by this news....his hold on the picture tightens.....
(Okay okay, so this isn't what really happens....hehehe, sach I am really evil. LOL. I just wrote that little part to trick you guys...all of you were so sure it was Bani's picture and I just wondered...am I really so predictable? Okay now put down your belans and jhoote....here comes the real part)
Jai: Mausi---yeh to----
Mausi smiles brightly at him and holds in her giggles. Anu, Dadi, and Jigyasa, who stand beside her, smile warmly at him. Jai looks into their faces, speechless.....
Jai: Mausi--- this----
Again his voice trails off....he stares back down at the picture, blinks his eyes as if he were imagining things...but no, her radiant smiling face is still there.....
Jigyasa: (stifling in her laughter) Kya hua, Jai? Can't speak?
Anu: Ma, shayad he is too shocked by her beauty.....
The women giggle together.....Bani, who stands far behind them, looks at the scene with gloomy looking eyes.
Mausi: So have you gotten a good look of her?
Jai stares back at up at his Mausi and after finally letting the shock pass by, he grins.....and then chuckles. He runs his hand through hsi hair....suddenly feeling embarrassed, but inside, he was erupting with joy. Surprising Mausi and everyone else, Jai lifts her up from the ground and twirls her around.
Jai: Mausi!
Mausi: (gasps) Munna!--- Munna, what are you doing!
She begins to hit him on his shoulders.
Mausi: Put me down right this minute! (giggling)
Jai obliges and places her back down. Mausi holds onto Jigyasa's shoulder for support, she feels a bit dizzy from being spun around by a happy maniac. Jai kisses Mausi on both of her cheeks and hugs her, startling her, but causing her to smile with glee.
Mausi: So I take it that you approve?
Jai: Yes, I approve, I absolutely approve!
Bani drops her arms from her chest and stares at Jai, shocked.
Jigyasa: Well it's great to know that you agree to our choice! (smiles)
Jai flashes her a smile of his own.
Dadi: Tony! Tony! arre yeh Tony kahan hai?!(trans: Where is this Tony?)
Bani feels Tony pass by her from the kitchen and join everyone else standing in the middle of the living room.
Tony: Ji, Dadi?
Dadi: Get us some sweets! Lots of them! We should celebrate this joyous occasion! (excited)
Tony: Kaise occasion, Dadi? (puzzled) (trans: What kind of occasion, Dadi?)
Anu: Arre, Tony, your Jai Master is getting married!
Tony smiles, also very pleased with this news.
Tony: I'll order the sweets just now!
He scatters off to order everyone sweets, leaving everyone behind to chuckle at his excitement.
Jai turns to Mausi, still smiling, but very confused...
Jai: Mausi---apko kaise pata chala? (trans: How did you find out?)
Munna: Arre, Munna, main tumhari Ma hoon... of course I would have found out...
She strokes his hair, affectionately, while he proceeds to look jolly. Jai's gaze goes past Mausi and to Bani, who stood directly behind her, leaning against the kitchen entrance, staring back at him with a pained expression. His smile fades away and he looks at her, confused.... How come Bani isn't as happy as he is right now? Is she not happy for them?
Mausi follows Jai's eyes and turns around, also looking back at Bani. She beams at her.....
Mausi: (softly) Bani....
Bani looks at Mausi, startled.
Mausi: Yahan aao, beti....(trans: Come over here..)
Reluctantly she makes her way over to Mausi, her head bent down.... Mausi's heart goes out to her....they all had given Bani a hard time today....and she felt ashamed for doing so....She cups the side of Bani's face and makes her eyes meet with her warm ones.
Mausi: Bani, will you not look at the picture?
Bani lowers her head back down, dejectedly....
Bani: Ji....apne to mujhe phele dhekaye the...(her voice cracking) woh baut sundaar hai.... (trans: You had already showed me....she is really beautiful...)
Jai proceeds to watch every Bani's movement, notes her low tone,...her down like attitude....troubling him.
Anu: (cheerfully adds, softly) Di, see once again...perhaps you didn't get a good look from before...
Anu takes the picture from Jai's hand and extends it towards Bani....
Jigyasa: Look at her, Bani....
Unwillingly, Bani moves her eyes up and catches a glimpse of the picture.... What she sees overwhelms her..... In Anu's hand is a picture of herself.... looking lovely in a teal colored salwaar kameez, her hair straightened and pushed to the side... a smile lingering on her lips.... Bani immediately recognizes this picture from a few weeks ago, when Anu had gotten a new camera and went insane taking pictures of everyone.
She feels a rush of tears fill her eyes and fall rapidly down her cheeks. Mausi engulfs her into a hug quickly and lets her weep in her arms.
Bani: (between her cries) Mausi----Mausi--- aph--- baut bhurri ho! Main-main aapse koi baath nahi kharni chaate hoon....(trans: Mausi--Mausi--you are really awful! I don't want to talk to you at all...)
Bani goes back to her crying and lets Mausi pat her hair, soothing her.
Mausi: I know, Bani, I am very awful....that I listened to this pagli's plan.....
Bani pulls back from Mausi's embrace and brushes off her tears.
Bani: Anu?
Jai: Plan?
Both Jai and Bani look over at Anu, who wears a guilty expression on her face.
Anu: (sheepishly) I'm so sorry, Didi. I didn't mean to hurt you. Really, I just wanted to mess with you and Mamaji...that's all. But I guess I went a little too far...
Jigs,Dadi,& Mausi: A little?
Anu: (flushes) Okay, way too far!
Bani: Why would you play such a dirty game with your Di, Anu? -- Do you know how much you have hurt me today?
Anu: (feeling really guilty) I know, Didi, and I'm very sorry. Please forgive me. I'm a very horrible person, I know.
Bani wipes away her last tear and as she sees how guilty Anu looks, she pulls her into a tight hug.
Bani: I swear, agar tum phir se yeh kiya mere saath- I'll kill you. (trans: I swear, if you do this to me again--I'll kill you)
Anu: I wouldn't even dare to hurt you again, Didi. Oops--- I mean, Mamiji. (cheeky smile)
Bani's face immediately turns a dark red with embarrassment and everyone chuckles, except for Jai, who was still very confused...
Jai: Wait, kaunsa plan? Anu tumne kya kiya Bani ke saath? (trans: Wait, what plan? Anu, what did you do to Bani?)
Jigyasa: I will tell you what your satan like niece did--- she troubled your poor Bani to no ends. She got Mausi, Dadi, and I into this plan of fixing you into an alliance with someone else....well of course we didn't, but we told Bani this, and bechari was heartbroken....I'm so sorry, Bani....
Bani gives Jigyasa a reassuring smile....her gaze falls down onto the ground as Jai looks at her....
Dadi: Hain, main bhi, Bani... We have troubled you a lot today...
Jai: You four are horrible for playing such a game on us...especially on Bani.
Mausi: Hain, hum hai baut bhurri-- paar abh saabh kuch teek hai, haina Bani? (trans: Yes, we are very bad...but everything is alright now, right Bani?)
Mausi looks at Bani, fondly and brings her over to her....
Mausi: Now you will be my Munna's wife ...(she strokes her cheek)
Bani blushes and covers her face with her hands....not able to tolerate the look Mausi is giving her and everyone else's' smiling faces, making her feel even more embarrassed and shy....Mausi uncovers her hands from her face, Bani gives her a small shy smile and hugs her, hiding her face on her shoulder.....
Jigyasa: (giggles) Jai, would you still like to talk to Bani in private? You know- get to know her better. (winks) See if she's the woman for you....
Jai: (blushes, sheepishly) Jigyasa Didi....
Everyone laughs at seeing Jai blush.
Aditya: Of course there is no need for that-- these two have done a ton of talking behind our backs....
Again everyone laughs, embarrassing Jai and Bani further....Tony arrives with a box of sweets in his hands and says pleasantly "Mausi, sweets for the happy occasion".
Mausi: Hain, thank you Tony.
She opens the box and takes out a ladoo. Taking it in her hand she smiles and extends it towards Jai.
Mausi: Munna, yeh loh.(trans: take this..)...congratulations to you both, may God always keep you happy.
Bani continues to blush and smile shyly. Her eyes travel over to Jai, who stands right next to her. As Mausi attempts to feed him, Jai holds onto Mausi's wrist, stopping her halfway.
Jai: Ek minute, Mausi....(trans: One minute, Mausi..)
Everyone stares at Jai, slightly surprised.
Mausi: Munna....
They watch as Jai gently let's go of Mausi's hand and turns to look at Bani, who stares back at him, also surprised.....Jai takes Bani's hands in his and entwines their fingers with one another. His eyes peer into her own....making her heart skip a beat.
Bani shifts her feet, feeling nervous with having him holding her hands in front of everyone. What exactly is he doing, she wonders to herself.....
Jai: Bani......
She stops staring at everyone else's curious looks and faces Jai once again.
Jai: Do you want to marry me?
For a moment she was scared of what he was going to say....but she eases down and blinks at him... what sort of question is that?
Anu: Mamu, isn't it obvious that she does? (intervenes)
Jai: (looks over at Anu) I want to hear it from Bani....(back at Bani)...Tell me, Bani....I don't want to rush you into anything.... if you're not ready, then I understand...I can wait.... I don't want to force you into this...
Bani can't help but smile radiantly at him....she is touched by his concern for her.....everyone had automatically assumed that she was ready, which she was, but Jai...he wanted to make sure if it was fine with her, which pleases her and makes her love for him grow even more....
Jai: (going on) If you want to wait until you recover and your memory comes back----
Bani: (blunt, hastily) I want to marry you.
Jai: then I----- you what? (amazed)
Bani: (grins, shyly).... I am ready to marry you...I don't want to wait.
Now it's Jai's turn to blink at her, dumbfounded....
Jai: Are you sure? You're not just saying so because everyone wants this? Because really- I don't mind waiting----
Bani: (blushes) Nahi....I really do want to......(blushes even more, her voice trails off)
Jai: (overwhelmed) Bani--I--you--- ....
She continues to smile sheepishly at him.....A smile appears back onto his face and he pulls Bani into his arms, holding her tight against him.
Jai: I love you....
Bani, feeling extremely shy now, conceals her face in the crook of his neck...covering her bashful face from everyone.
Jai looks up and smiles at everyone's approving faces. Anu begins to giggle.
Anu: Poor Didi, now we all have made her very shy, kyon Didi?.....
Everybody laughs with Anu and Jai can't help but join in. Bani hugs Jai tighter, afraid to show her flushed face....She smiles delightfully as she hears five beautiful words come out from Mausi's mouth.
Mausi: Tony, call the Pundit ji.... ---I want to get my children married as soon as possible....
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Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
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