Part 7
Bani woke up the next morning and once again faced reality. There was no one in the room as it was early in the morning and though she understood, she wanted Mr. Walia to be there. A tear slid down her eyes but she closed it, lecturing herself in her mind that it was too much to expect Jai or Rano to stay with her considering they have to work.
Just then the door opened and Jai walked in slowly, he had hurt his left leg and he had to drag it slowly. Bani felt that tinge of guilt because the accident happened because of her. Jai could see it on her face, that even though she was in 10 times the amount of pain he was in, she felt guilty because he was hurt.
"You know, Ms. Dixit, even if you wouldn't think so, your office is working. The world hasn't come to a stop, except one thing did stop for a while when you didn't wake up." Jai said as he poured some water into the glass.
"What stopped?" asked a very confused Bani.
"My heart." Jai said it so simply, with a charming smile, that Bani couldn't resist smiling back even with a form of fear in her eyes.
"Sheesh Bani, I didn't say something that scary, just the fact that I love you." Jai looked straight in her eyes because he wanted to see her reaction.
All he saw in her eyes was suspicion of whether what he was trying to say was true. He saw the lack of trust in her eyes but he knew with time he would gain that trust, and he was the most patient man he knew.
"Bani, you don't have to say it back even if you dont feel it. I just wanted to let you know and so I said it, I don't expect anything back, at least not now." Jai stared at Bani, seeing how she was trying to find something to say, but she just kept quiet.
Just then the door opened and all of Jai's family poured in, Maasi came rushing to Bani's side, "Beta, are you okay? How did this happen? Are you better?"
"Maasi, Maasi, calm down. She is fine, she will get better as time goes. The only big problem is that those plasters are hiding her beautiful face." Jai winked as he said it and was rewarded by a slight smack from his mom, Krishna Walia.
"Beta, I am Krishna's mom. I have never seen him so tensed in his life before." Krishna Walia went and sat by Bani's bed and started patting Bani's hair.
Bani felt like a child again, a child that for a while actually had a life she wanted. "I am so sorry Aunty." A tear dropped down Bani's eye as she said that.
"Sorry? For what Beta?"
"I… I was… the one driving. I am sorry, that Mr. Walia is hurt." Bani tried to stop her tears but she couldn't bend her hand to wipe them off.
Krishna turned around and sent everyone outside, "I want to talk to Bani alone for a second."
Everyone quietly went outside and Krishna took her hand and wiped those tears off. "Beta, look at yourself… you are sorry that he got hurt a little bit? Beta… can I ask you a personal question?"
Bani always hid herself from others but for some reason she felt like she could talk to Krishna Walia without any big problem. "Sure, Aunty."
"Beta, are you Kiran Dixit's daughter?"
That's when Bani's eyes went guarded. "Yes. Why? Did you know her?"
"Yes, she was my best friend for the longest time. She was always excited, and happy and enjoyed everything that she did in life. She was successful as a singer and an actor, and she fell for Nishikant Dixit when he came to our college as the VIP person. I didn't see her after that but she always wrote me a letter every month and I did the same." Krishna knew everything that had happened in that marriage and what Bani had to go through but she didn't want to get into that too quickly.
"Oh… my mom never mentioned anyone. She would always say because of me, she lost all contacts with her friends." Bani kept her voice neutral but she could feel her emotions coming back to surface.
"Bani, you mother didn't have anymore friends because of herself. It was never your fault or your father's fault. Your mom always wanted attention, and in her own way she was a good person but she demanded too much from other people. For example, she wanted all her friends to always talk to her and always be wondering what she wanted. And when all of us got married, we all had our own lives going on and we talked but she didn't get all the attention she wanted and slowly her friendship with everyone started breaking off. It never had to do with you, just your mom."
"Then why did you still talk to her? Why not break your relationship with her as well." Bani had been told ever since she was 5 that she was the cause of all the problems in her mom's life.
"Because I understood her and I knew what she wanted and I let her think I was giving it all to her. I listened to her problems and tried to help her in any way I could and at times, it just wasn't enough but she let those go. Our mails were just about her, cause that was precisely what she wanted." Krishna could see her daughter was nothing like her. Unlike Kiran, Bani liked to hide things about herself.
"Oh," Bani never knew of all these things about her mom.
"Bani, there is one thing I would like to tell you because I can see a sense of pain in your eyes. Your mother loved your father a lot, but there was just one problem."
"What?"
"She loved herself more. And you are nothing like that. Don't be afraid of love, don't deny it if you feel it, and don't block it because it will just come back later on to haunt you."
Just then there was a small knock on the door and Jai entered the room, "Ma, the doctor says that Bani needs some rest and so we should probably leave her alone now."
"Yes, I was just going. I will be back later Bani, take rest and remember what I said." Krishna went out the door and Jai let the door close.
He walked over to the bed and softly kissed Bani's forehead, "I love you Bani. Rest up."
Jai turned around to walk but was stopped at the door by Bani's voice, "Your mom is really nice."
"Yah she is." He turned around and gave her a small smile, "Oh by the way, I left something in the cupboard for you, ask a nurse to take it out and give it to you if you can't fall asleep."
The nurse came in just as Jai went outside and the first thing Bani asked was to have what was in the cupboard. The nurse held out a single rose, a single red rose and handed it to Bani. There was a small note that read:
It doesn't matter how long it will take for you to accept this but once again: I love you.
-Jai Walia.
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
