Okay, Isha, this one's for you!!! Happy Birthday (tomorrow)!!! YOU OLDIE!!! 😆 😆
Part 12 (in honor of Isha):
Noticing the discomfort, Maasi got back up and stared at Bani's indifferent expression. This type of expression would never have been seen on Bani's face, and Maasi had then realized what all this had done to Bani. It had made her a stone. Bani was now indifferent to all the people around her. The betrayal she had faced from her sister and husband had not only made her stronger as a person, but had also gotten rid of the characteristics and traits that had differentiated her from the rest.
Bani just couldn't stand how comforting it felt to be in Maasi's arms again, but she wouldn't let her desires come in between her goals. She wouldn't let these people see her while she was weak. She was going to show them what she was made of and therefore got up and walked away, from the people who she once loved and from her children, whom she shared a strong connection with. She didn't need anyone to tell her how much her children needed her, she could see it in their eyes, and she was going to do anything she could to keep them close to her and to protect them.
Rano and Maasi were shocked and befuddled. How could she just leave like that? After all that happened, you would think she would have demanded an explanation. With all that had happened, they were too tired to continue shopping, and just went home.
Maasi and Rano kept pondering over what had transpired in the mall. Rano wanted to talk to Maasi but something held her back. Maasi too was confused. Both felt a need to talk, to discuss things but neither would dare to broach the subject. Rano felt lost, alone, deserted. She saw her di after a long time and all she could do was stare at her, helplessly and hopelessly. Rano cursed herself for being so dumb. But the surprise of seeing Bani suddenly, appearing from nowhere was too much for her to digest at that point in time.
Maasi on the other hand felt a strong urge to strangle Pia to death. She was the root cause of all the problems. After seeing Bani, her condition, her waif like appearance, dug deep in Maasi's heart. She couldn't stand to see her innocent bahu suffer needlessly. With a determined look and self-confidence boosted, she made her way to Jai's bedroom.
Jai as usual these days, was sitting on his bed, head resting on the headboard, eyes closed, legs long along the bed and fingers entwined on his lap. He too looked lost and alone. Maasi couldn't hold the tears that threatened to fall. She sniffed hard, jerking Jai out of his reverie. "arre Maasi aap? Mujhe bula liya hota" Jai was surprised to see her because no one seemed to be communicating with each other in the house lately.
"Mujhe tujhse kuch zaroori baatein karni hai Jai" Maasi hiccuped. It was too painful for her to see Jai and Bani like this. Jai longed to be with Bani, wanted her to return. There wasn't a second in his life that passed without Bani's thoughts and Maasi knew this very well. Bani was the only woman that Jai had REALLY loved in his life and there couldn't and wouldn't be any other. She straightened her shoulders and headed towards Jai to have the long pending discussion.
"Ji Maasi, aap bait jaiye aur bataiye ke baat kya hai" replied Jai. Maasi cautiously moved towards the bed and sat down near Jai. She was sure not to look him straight in the eye, not knowing what to type of reaction to expect from him. "Jai, baat aisi hai ke aaj main or Rano shopping gaye tthe, bacho ke saath. Udhar hume Bani mili. Voh to bacho ke paas baithi bhi tthi, par jab usne hume dekha to voh utthke chali gayi." Jai merely replied with a "hmm" to assure Maasi that he was on the same page as her and to let her continue. "Jai, mujhe lagta hai ki aapko Bani se baath karni chahiye aur usko batana chahiye ki aapne aisa kyun kiya varna usko lagega ki aapne usko dhoka diya aur voh ye nahi seh payegi"
Jai put his hand up to indicate that he wanted to do the talking now. "Maasi, I know ur right lekin Bani mujhse baat to door, voh to mujhe dekhna bhi nahi chahti. How am I supposed to talk to her if she won't listen? But since I know you really want to clear this misunderstanding between us, I'll go talk to her tomorrow, although I doubt she'll listen." With that said, Maasi left Jai's room with a smile on her face for the first time in months. Jai was left there to ponder over the many outcomes of tomorrows meeting with Bani.
Bani, on the other hand, was not as optimistic as Maasi was about clearing the misunderstandings between her and Jai. Once she got home, she decided to prepare dinner for Dr. Kapoor and to tell her about the happenings of the day. With both of their minds, they could easily conduct a plan in order to ensure Bani's justice and the safety of the kids.
While making dinner, Bani's mind wondered off to what could have been. She daydreamed about her, Jai, and the kids at the beach. The kids making a sand castle and playing with each other, while Jai and Bani took a stroll hand in hand, with Bani's head resting on Jai's shoulder. What a pleasant sight it was. If only it could have been reality, instead of a figment of Bani's imagination.
Bani got so caught up in her daydream, that she didn't even notice that Dr. Kapoor came in and had been staring at her, trying to figure out the intricate mechanism called the human mind, for the past five minutes. Once Bani came out of her daydream had she then noticed Dr. Kapoor. "Oh, Dr. Kapoor, when did you get here? Why don't you get freshened up while I go lay out some dinner for us." "Bani, what were you thinking about? With that kind of expression on your face, it must have been something really good." "Oh, it was nothing, really." "Bani, I know it's really hard to forget your loved ones. I know you were day dreaming about Jai and the kids right?"
Bani just lowered her head and stared at the floor, while Dr. Kapoor got her answer from the gesture. Dr. Kapoor then headed upstairs to get freshened up while Bani continued with what she was doing. While they were eating dinner, Bani subtly brought up the topic of going shopping previously during the day and eventually told Dr. Kapoor about meeting Maasi and Rano at the store. The expression on her face wasn't that of shock, but more of sheer bemusement. She told Bani to continue and to tell her what exactly she did after she saw the kids. Bani didn't leave out a detail when telling Dr. Kapoor what happened. After she finished, Bani took a deep breath and just stared at Dr. Kapoor, expectant of a response.
Either out of sheer bewilderment, or out of shock, she wasn't sure, Dr. Kapoor was pondering over what their next move should be. She was totally zapped out and had forgotten that Bani was sitting right across from her and was waiting for her to continue.
At the Walia Mansion, everyone had long gone to sleep, with the exception of Rano. She was as shocked as Maasi was at seeing Bani. Rano knew that she had to help Bani, but she didn't know how. She wasn't of any help to her while Bani was in the Mental Asylum, or while she was in the hospital, but it was high time that she showed her sister that she really did love her. She had to stop Pia from forcing Jai into marriage for the sake of Bani. Bani had always sacrificed everything for her and now it was time to pay her back for everything. She had to go to Pushkar and tell him not to get a divorce from Pia no matter what. That way, it would be illegal for her to marry Jai and if Pia even thought of doing anything, she could merely call the police.
The next day, Rano went to Pushkar to talk to him about Pia. She rang the doorbell and patiently waited for him to answer the door. Pushkar's mother answered the door and told Rano to wait while she called Pushkar down. Rano sat down on the sofa and waited for him to come down. Once Pushkar came down and sat down on the sofa next to Rano and waited for her to talk. "Pushkar, I know that you probably want to get out of this relationship as quick as possible, but I have one request from you." Pushkar listened intently and waited for her to continue. "I want you to stay in this relationship for a bit longer. Bani's life is in your hands. If you let Pia get a divorce from you, then she'll force Jai to marry her. This will kill Bani; it'll destroy her and everything that she once believed in. If you stay in the relationship for a bit longer, then I can possibly help clear the misunderstandings between Jai and Bani. Please help me in my mission Pushkar, this is probably the biggest, most important decision of my life, and I need your help."
Pushkar stayed silent for a while, then he looked at Rano compassionately and said, "Rano, I'm with you. I've been with your Bani di for a long time, and I know that she has a heart of gold. I want Pia to get a taste of her own medicine, and if I have to stay in this fake relationship with her for that to happen, then I'm ready to do so." With that said, Rano got up and hugged Pushkar. He was like an older brother to her, and she couldn't thank him enough for what he had done for her and her sisters.
Rano then went to Dr. Kapoor's house to speak with Bani. If she intended to get things straight between Jai and Bani, then she would need to speak to both of them individually. She rang the doorbell, and waited a few minutes. After she didn't get a response, she rang the doorbell again and patiently waited. She then concluded that nobody was home and headed towards her car. Before she got into her car though, she heard someone call her name. She turned around and saw Bani. She looked frail and pale, as if she'd seen a ghost. Rano strided towards Bani and when she had reached her destination, tears of joy and happiness, along with those of pain and suffering, threatened to fall. Rano couldn't take it anymore and she just hugged her di and cried.
Bani couldn't bear to see her sister like this. Rano was the only one that understood her so well, and that's why her betrayal was so unexpected. Rano had never argued with Bani, and had always done as asked, without complaint. Bani didn't want Rano to see her weak and confused, so she put on the mask of indifference, just as she had in the store. Rano stepped back and looked at her sister. "Rano, why are you here? Shouldn't you be preparing for Mr. Walia and Pia's wedding?" "Di, I came to talk to you. Can we go inside and talk?" Rano thus followed her sister inside towards the living room. While walking towards the living room, Rano noticed how decorative and well furnished the house was. It was so beautiful that she couldn't stop staring.
"Bani di, I know you don't want to speak with me, but we need to clear some things between us. You don't know the full truth. While that can sometimes be a means of protection, it is also a disadvantage on your part. You need to know what really happened, not just what was shown to you. " Bani was shocked out of her wits. Was this another plan to destroy her, or was Rano actually telling the truth. There was a hint of sincerity and truth in her voice that Bani couldn't overlook. "Rano, what's so hard to understand. I fell in love with the man I married, and he, along with my sister, betrayed me by framing me for a murder I never committed and putting me in a mental asylum that I didn't belong in. Along with the agony of having my children separated from me, what else is there that they could do to destroy me?"
Right at that moment, Dr. Kapoor walked in and saw Rano and Bani sitting in the living room. "Oh, I'm sorry to disturb you two. I'll just go upstairs and you can continue with whatever you were doing." "There's no need for that Dr. Kapoor, Rano was just about to leave, weren't you Rano?" Rano didn't need to be told twice. She got up and Bani walked her to the front door. Rano decided that she would have to come back another day. She was going to let Bani know the truth no matter what. She deserved at least that much from her younger sister.
All comments, good or bad, are welcome. Hope you liked it (especially you Isha) and i hope you didn't die from boredome!!! 😆
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