PART II (B)
Jai had come back home early from work and as he parked his Bike inside the compound of his house, he could see Bani waving cheerfully to her Father and Mother as they left for the Airport! Bakul was also standing nearby and as Jai looked towards her direction, she gave him a seductive wink, which made him chuckle under his breath! Bani made some vague signs in the air to confirm if the 'plan' was still on, Jai just nodded his head, smiling under his breath all the time!
Uday was not at home when Jai went in and he was thankful for the same! The last thing he wanted to see now was his Father before he went and met his girlfriend…every time there was an interaction between the Father and Son, they eventually ended up fighting bitterly. Jai wouldn't have been so bothered with the arguments and fights, but he felt responsible towards Nachiket and had been working very hard with his younger brother and helping him out in his studies so that he could clear his Boards this year and get ahead in life. Jai had even enrolled himself in a Correspondence course and was hoping to complete his graduation, but he did not say anything about it to Bani, fearing that she might think he was doing all this for her…which was true, but he did not want her to know. The fact that he cared so deeply for her did not seem to bother him, but the fact that she might know about it, did and raised in an atmosphere of insecurity and instability, Jai did not want to become vulnerable once again, that too before the girl he loved.
Jai glanced at his watch, it was quarter past 8 and Bani had told him that Bakul would be going off to sleep by 9 or so in the Servant Quarter and that Jai could take the terrace route to come to Bani's house, so that Bakul or the Guard won't see him. The thought of sneaking up to his girlfriend's house at night gave such a thrill to Jai that he did not put much thought in the aftermath of what was going to transpire.
Jai showered in leisure and after drying himself off dabbed in the best cologne he had (A gift from Bani on his last birthday) and putting on his favorite white cotton Tee and Blue jeans, quietly made his way to the Terrace. Nachiket was staying at Aditya Uncle's place, so that was taken care off. Jai had prepared some food and kept it in the Microwave for his Father to come home and eat, if he was in the state to eat that is. As he crossed over to Bani's terrace, he realized he had not gotten anything for her and looking her and there, he noticed a lone rose growing in one of the innumerous potted plants in the Deb House Terrace and he simply plucked it out.
Jai stealthily made his way down the stairs which led to the first floor of Bani's house. The house was completely dark, except for a flicker of light that was coming from the far end of the room, probably that was Bani's room. Jai had to climb down slowly as he could not see anything in the dark and feared he might trip over something. As soon as he reached the last stairs, he pushed open the door which led to the open lounge of the first floor of Bani's house. Even in the dark, Jai could make out that it was an expensively and aesthetically designed and decorated house, with curios, statuettes, paintings and artifacts littered all over the place. As he stood hesitatingly near the door, wondering which way he should make, Kaibee came bounding upto him and leaped towards him in joy and recogniztion, barking loudly.
"Shh…Shhh Kaibee…Quiet." Bani's voice came from the other end and Jai looked up to see her coming towards him. She looked very pretty in a floral printed, sleeveless dress which came just upto her knees, accentuating her slim figure.
"Is that Rose for me?"
Jai was startled and realizing that he had been staring at Bani, said hastily, "Yes…yes…I got it for you."
Bani took it from his hand and smelling it, gave out a deep sigh and looked at Jai saying, "That is so romantic, Jai….and so sweet of you to think of getting my favorite red rose. Why, it is exactly like the one which Baba grows in our Terrace for his Annual Garden Show."
Jai went a bit red in the face and did not bother to tell Bani where exactly he had got the flower from.
Bani held his hand and guided his way towards her room, as Jai noticed several family photographs that were lined up all alongside the wall, with each Deb Family Member receiving or giving out some award. Jai wondered how in the name of heaven he would ever fit in this family.
Bani opened the door of her room and said to Jai, "Shhh, just come in quickly." Whispering quiet unnecessarily.
"No one is here Bani, for whom are you whispering?"
"Oh that is just to add to the atmosphere…"
"You…Bani Deb…are the Queen of Contradictions."
Bani laughed loudly and then did her "Shhh" again, before closing the door of her room, as Kaibee quickly made her way inside too.
Bani switched on the lights of her room and Jai looked around as she ushered him in and disappeared somewhere. It was typically a girl's room…It was Bani's room. Done up in a combination of ivory and dusky pink, it was a bit clustered up for Jai's taste…but everything reeked of money and class. One side of the room was stacked up with innumerous soft toys, the other had a wall-shelf full of books and the Canopied bed in the centre was decorated with beautiful pink roses. Jai took of his shoes and felt his feet on the thickly carpeted floor as Bani came back into the room, getting with her a Can of Coke and a bowl of chips for him.
Jai was looking at the Wall where countless framed certificates, medals, trophies and awards won by Bani were put. She had apparently won something or the other in every possible category…Academics, Extra-curricular, Sports, Music, Dance…you name it and there it was, mounted on the wall. Suddenly Jai felt very inadequate.
"There are many more…there was no more place left to keep them."
Jai turned to face Bani as he took the Can from her hand and did not comment back, but the expression on his face said a lot.
Bani looked at Jai and said head-on, "I am brilliant, talented, accomplished and beautiful…not to mention quite well-off also. And you will have to put up with this fact, Jai."
Bani's frankness was what Jai found most endearing of all her many qualities and this line from her made him grin, as he took a swig of his drink and remarked, "So will Ms. Perfect tell me what is she doing with me?"
"I am not perfect, Jai." Bani looked at him and then continued cheekily, "I am nearly perfect."
Jai laughed and said, "Well, I am neither perfect nor nearly perfect. So we still have this gap to bridge. How do you propose to do that?"
Bani did not say anything, but stared into his eyes, and Jai forgot to take the sip of drink he was about too.
Bani came near Jai and pulling herself up on her ankles, to come up till Jai's level, she whispered mischievously into his ears, "Like this…"
The evening which started with a kiss, as Jai balanced Bani in his one arm and the Can of Coke in another, ultimately spilling it onto her expensive carpet, progressed afterwards with both of them taking their first step towards adulthood from adolescence!
Both were nervous, yet neither was afraid. Though completely innocent, they intuitively knew the intricacies of the act of love. It was yet another sign that what they were doing was meant to be.
Jai and Bani had both fallen asleep, in each others arms, when the incessant honking of a Car sounded in their ears. Jai opened his eyes groggily, not able to comprehend where exactly was he, till he saw Bani's hand wrapped across his chest, deep in sleep. Jai blinked his eyes and could see the darkness form into actual shapes and then with a sudden agility gently pushed back Bani's hand from his chest and got up. When Bani opened her eye, she saw Jai hurriedly putting his feet inside his shoes. His clothes were crumpled, but what she could make out was that he was wearing a Pink coloured shirt.
"Jai, that is my shirt."
"What? Oh! I was wondering why my shirt has got so tight all of a sudden. Now get up quickly. I heard a Car honking below your house."
Bani got up and wrapping herself in the bed sheet, went to her bedroom and when she came out, she could see Jai standing with a slightly perplexed and frightened expression on his face, as they both listened to repeated knocks on their door.
"Shona…Open the door. We came back." It was Ashima Deb's voice and Bani's eyes widened with horror as she looked at Jai, who seemed pretty white in the face himself. Bani hurriedly looked around to see if there was any incrementing evidence of the passionate evening session that she had just shared with her neighbor. There seemed to be none, except Jai himself.
Jai made a silent sign to Bani, telling her to calm down and going near her window, quickly made a route for escape. As the knocking increased, Bani shouted out something vaguely to her Mother and Jai jumped off from the window sill and caught hold of the nearest branch of the Mango Tree that grew in Jai's compound, but bore most of the fruits in the Deb's compound.
"Jai…Be careful." Bani whispered, as she kept looking worriedly at the door, fearing it might break open any time.
Jai leaned forward and kissed her lightly on her cheeks and before jumping on to the tree, said, "I will never forget this day for the rest of my life, Bani."
Saying that he climbed over the tree, with the deftness of a jungle monkey, making Bani laugh on his action as she went and opened the door.
Ashima looked around the room suspiciously and then at Bani, "Shona, why did it take you so long to open the door?"
Bani took a deep breath and a quick look at the open window and said, "I was in the Bathroom…"
"So long?"
"Yes…Bad tummy."
Ashima's expression changed as she stroked Bani's cheeks and said, "Oh, my poor baby…I will tell Bakul to make Kichdi for you tomorrow."
Bani smiled back benignly without a trace of guilt on her face and said, "How come you are back?"
"Oh, we missed the flight. And we got a call from Calcutta, Koko is better now…so its not an emergency. We will go and meet her in leisure now."
Bani just nodded her head and wondered where her Father was.
Jai had shimmied down the tree and jumped over the compound of the Deb house to reach his, suddenly realizing that since he had taken the Terrace Route to Bani's house, he had locked his own house from inside. Hitting himself on the head, he looked around for a way to get to his own Terrace and get inside his House.
"Jai? What are you doing at this time?"
Jai swerved around in shock to see Prof. Deb calling out to him from inside his house compound, looking both surprised and concerned.
The moment of coming face to face with the father of the girl with whom you have just lost your virginity was not exactly a prospect Jai cherished. He just kept staring at Prof. Deb, with a blank look, hoping that his face won't give away anything.
"I…I…I…" It looked as if Jai had forgotten to memorize his alphabets after 'I'.
Prof. Deb's look of surprise changed into something else, which made Jai more nervous than he already was and garnering some courage, he blurted out, "I was just tending to my plants."
Prof. Deb did not take his eyes of Jai and said in a flat voice, "Without a watering can?"
Jai went red in the face, as Bani's father went on with the same tone, "11 at night? In the dark?"
Jai just gulped and looking around vaguely, managed to say, "These…These are special plants…I water them in the morning and talk to them at night…that way they grow nicely…"
Jai wondered how stupid he sounded right now, but he really was at a loss of words and the excitement of the first experience coupled with the shock of how it had ended wasn't exactly making him an orator right now.
Prof. Deb continued to glare Jai with the same strange expression and said icily, "Yes…they seem to be special plants indeed. Good night then."
Jai disappeared somewhere in the dark, hoping that his neighbor won't notice him loitering about in the dark, instead of going inside his house.
Jai and Bani did not meet for the next couple of days, as Prof. Deb seemed to keep a very strict eye on his youngest daughter. But every time their eyes met, when Jai was about to leave for Office and Bani looked over from the window of her room (She was at home, preparing for her Medical Entrance) there used to be a shy smile between them. Or if they 'accidentally' bumped into one another at the Shopping Mall, where Bani used to tag along with Mrs. Deb, Jai used to pretend as if he has never seen Bani in his life and when Mrs. Deb was not looking, he used to wink at her, making her burst out into incessant giggles, much to Ashima's astonishment!
They could only manage to speak one time over the phone, when Jai asked her,
"Bani…I was just wondering about something?"
"What?"
Jai said hesitatingly, "What if you got pregnant?"
Bani replied back without any hesitation, "If it's a girl, we will name her after your Mother and if it's a boy, we will name him after my Baba."
Jai laughed and said, "Hey, I am serious."
"Don't be silly Jai. We took the necessary precautions and besides, I am a Science Student…I would know it even before the Egg fertilized."
Jai said in an amused manner, "Of course, you would. You are not a 'Ms. Know-it-all for nothing."
Before Bani could reply back, she noticed her Father coming inside her room and she quickly kept the phone down and went back to reading her book. Prof. Deb gave her a very concerned look and left the room.
It was one of the many mornings when Jai was getting ready to leave for work, as he heard the door bell ring. Jai was surprised, wondering who could come to his house this early in the morning. He was more surprised and shocked when he opened the door, as Prof. Deb stood at the doorsteps, with a very serious expression on his face.
"May I come in, Jai?"
Jai looked a bit thunderstruck and composing himself said, "Of course. Please come in…Sir." He did not know how to address Bani's father and thought it would be best to stick to a neutral, respectful greeting.
Prof. Deb looked around the ramshackle living room, which was such a marked contrast to his own beautifully, set up house. The touch of a woman was sorely missing here. Jai saw the expression on his face, but did not feel any embarrassment. Good or bad, this was his house and he loved it.
As Prof. Deb sat on the sunken sofa, Jai got him a glass of water and stood nearby, not knowing what to say first.
"I am not one to twist around with words, Jai. I have come to speak to you about Bani."
Jai kept standing still and felt a little color rush into his body, but he tried to keep an impassive countenance.
"I really don't know what is going between you and my daughter, but whatever it is….its harming her."
Jai spoke in a low but clear voice, "I am sorry, I could not understand you."
Prof. Deb looked up with pained eyes and said, "She is very young…and so are you. I know that infatuation is a common thing for this age…"
Jai politely cut across his speech and said, "We are not infatuated, Sir."
"Maybe, you are not. But Bani is. And I know her better than you do."
Prof. Deb continued, as Jai listened silently, "See Beta…It is not about money or social status or anything…I don't believe in all that…but its more than that between you and Bani."
Jai now answered with a little anger and hurt in his voice, "Like what?"
"Like the fact that she is studying to be a Doctor and you have not even completed your graduation. Like the fact that she is sure to have a brilliant future while yours at best will be just average. Like the fact that none of us in our family are comfortable with your family background."
Jai was now red in the face with both anger and pain and replied back tersely, "Why are you telling me all this? You should tell this to Bani. She is your daughter, I am not your son."
Prof. Deb remained calm and answered back, "I know she is my daughter and hence I have come to speak on her behalf. Its just a crush on her part and given time, she will surely get over it…but if she continues like this, she will end up ruining the things that really matter to her."
Jai felt his eyes blinding with tears as he spoke with controlled rage, "And what are those?"
"Her family, her academics and her career. Love can always wait, Jai…but these things once gone won't come back to her…and I don't want Bani to live a life of regret."
Prof. Deb got up and looking at Jai with helpless eyes said, "She will never go back on you, Jai…I can only request…or even Beg…for you to move back…for her sake."
Jai kept staring at Prof. Deb, suddenly the older man looked so much more than his years…a helpless father begging for his daughter's future. Jai felt strangled and powerless, realizing in that one moment, that he could not do to Bani, what life had done to him? He could not take her away from her family the way his family had been taken away from him.
Jai reached late for work that day and almost burnt his arm while working on a Machine, and by the end of the day, he realized that it was perhaps for the best that they both move out to different directions…maybe what Prof. Deb said was right…it was just a crush on her part, she was younger than him…she had got everything in life on a platter and perhaps falling in love with him was one of her many experiences in life…Jai was too confused and lost with his own thoughts to really think from his heart and chose to believe what his head was telling him.
As Jai sat at his desk, he opened his bag and took out the Offer letter that had been lying with him for the last few days…on which he had not acted yet. Maybe, it was for the best…for everyone. He did not bother to read the letter again, but just signed his name at the place designated and putting the letter in a new envelope, wrote down the address of the sender and gave it to the mailman to be sent by speed-post.
Jai had called up Bani from work and asked her to somehow come and meet him tonight, as he wanted to discuss something very important with her. She had been surprised and tried to tell him that it would be difficult for her to get out of home, since her entrance exams were going on and her parents had off-late become a bit strict with her. But Jai had persisted and Bani had reluctantly agreed to come and see him at their usual meeting spot.
"Tum ne pukara aur hum chale aaye…dil hatheli par le aaye re…" Bani sang melodiously, in a coquettish and giggling voice!
Jai did not reply but just took off her palms from his eyes and turned to face her cute, smiling face. Bani looked at Jai's somber expression and said,
"Didn't you like the song?"
"Bani, we need to speak."
"What happened Jai? Why are you so serious today?"
Jai bit his lips, trying to gather the words and courage to tell Bani that it was better for them to break-up. The thought pained him more than he even imagined it would.
As he kept looking at her innocent, bewildered face, Jai could only pull her close to himself and hug her with all his strength as he buried his head in her hair.
Bani patted the back of his head and spoke softly, "What is it Jai? You are making me very worried now?"
Jai did not leave Bani and without meeting her eyes said, "I have got a very good job offer by Aditya Uncle. I accepted it."
Bani's look changed immediately and laughingly said, "So why do you have the Devdas Expression on you? Its great news! Did you call me here only to hug me or are you thinking of an encore performance? Sorry if that is what in your mind…not possible right now!"
Jai smiled through the tears that had not blinded his eyes and still not leaving Bani, he said quietly, "The job is in Dubai."
There was nothing more to say between them…and there was nothing more to say between them for the next 7 years!
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Their last meeting had ended in a terrible row, with Bani accusing Jai of jilting her and Jai accusing Bani of treating him as her pastime. It wouldn't have been so bitter an ending, hadn't Bani slapped Jai hard on his face for calling her a good time spent on the bed and nothing more. None had meant a word of what they had accused one another of, but Jai's own insecurities and complexes coupled with the meeting he had with Bani's father and Bani's own hot-headedness coupled with her bewilderment on Jai's turn of face had them ending their relationship in a very painful and embittered way.
After all, youth is easily deceived, because it is so quick to hope again!
Heartbreak is a very strange disease. It is exquisitely painful, and yet we cannot find an injury on our body. It is like one big emotional pain but it also seems to spark off hundreds of other emotions. We hate the feeling of heartbreak, and yet we find ourselves compelled to go over and over memories, ideas or fantasies which make the feeling worse.
It is but natural that none of us can avoid feeling some pain and sadness at the end of a relationship we cared about so deeply, especially when that relationship was the first love of your life. But life moves on and moves on rather quickly when you are young.
And so it did for both Bani and Jai.
Bani as expected, got through one of India's best Medical Colleges and left for Pondicherry a few weeks later, after Jai had put locks on the door of his house in Asiad Village and left for Dubai. His bike was still standing in the compound of his house, covered by an old tarpaulin sheet and as he boarded a Taxi, he managed to garner the courage and turn around to see her face for one more time…the first love of his life…and for what would follow…the only love of his life. Bani stood near her window, without any expression on her face…staring blankly at the road outside.
It was not as if Bani spent the rest of the years wallowing in grief…she was too young, too bright and too much in love with life to be engulfed in remorse and pity. She studied hard, partied harder and was as popular and successful as she had always been. Completing her MD in Pediatrics from JIPMER in Pondicherry, she came back to Delhi to work for one of the best hospitals in the town and as usual excelled in her work.
There was never any dearth of suitors for the young, successful and beautiful Dr. Bani Deb and she did date a few men. But much as she tried, the emotion she felt for Jai was always missing whenever she was with these young men. And she was not one to do anything half-heartedly. Hence one fine day, after another boring date with a medical colleague, she decided that enough was enough. She would not waste her time on men who did not warrant her interest and attention and would rather put her energy in something better, like her work…after all her only wish in life had been that she didn't want to die a virgin…and if nothing else, Jai had at least ensured that!
And for some reason unknown to her, she always made it a point to dress up in the Sari that Jai had gifted to her in the first Pooja they had spent together for every Sashti (The first day of Durga Pooja), year after year…in someway, she felt that, the memories of her first love would always be a tangible part of her, even if the love was physically gone away from her life.
To be continued and concluded in Part III
Cheers,
MT
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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