Part 2
How in the world was she going to explain that she is still married to the backwater rake she left behind in India?
She sat in the plane thinking about him, how was it that she saw him in her mind's eye so clearly after so many years? That crooked smile, the long lashes, the winged eyebrows and the stubble he always maintained that made him look all the more sexy! How many times was it he rubbed his jaw against her despite her complaints that her cheeks were too sensitive against the roughness of his stubble?
He was the hooligan of the college, a lady killer, a prankster who had no interest in college. She was younger, much younger than him, but the adulation was there nevertheless. He emitted the signals of the wrong kind, dangerous and magnetic. And that attraction pulled her in his direction. She couldn't help herself, she knew that he was all wrong for her, but then most women don't go for staid and safe men and crave to walk on thin ice, she was no different from those women.
At first he chased everything that moved in skirts, but somehow his attention switched to her, he pursued her with an unwavering determination that flattered her. The more she ran away, the harder he chased her. At last, she succumbed willingly. The first kiss they exchanged made her knees turn into jelly. As soon as she finished high school, he was there, outside her bedroom window, with a small ring in his hand. He promised her the world and she fell in his arms, her heart on her sleeve.
Her parents refused to accept him as the son-in-law at first. They called him a no good bum without a future. But he changed them, his potent charm making them fall into his trap.
When the marriage failed and she insisted that she wanted to move to New York, her parents sided with Jai and she was devastated. She left in a huff, saying that she will make something of her life while Jai can stay in the backwaters and charm the old ladies and young teenage girls.
She deliberately avoided knowing about him, concentrating on her education and her career. She sent him the divorce papers several times. Each time, he had sent it back without signing them. After a while, it took too much effort and she was busy sculpting her career to worry about it. But now things are different, she became successful and she was betrothed to her new found beau who was voted as the most likely to succeed in his Harvard law class.
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She knew she looked chic, with her $200 haircut, she knew the short style suited her, her large Gucci sunglasses covered most of her small oval face. They gave her protection from curious eyes. She drove her small but expensive car from the Goa Airport and made sure that all windows were closed and the air conditioning was on full blast. The fishing village gave her the creeps, the flies swarming the sultry July afternoon. She was thirsty; she kicked herself for not bringing enough bottled water with her. She didn't want to stop and buy water at the roadside shops. God knows, those telawalahs are known to tamper with the water bottles. She wrinkled her nose in distaste.
She walked into the local pub to get some carbonated drink. The lighting was dark and the atmosphere was sleazy to say the least.
The waitress in the pub was serving the rednecks, she was handling a baby in one hand a tray in the other quite effectively. Bani stared at the woman, the lady looked familiar. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Bani's eye grew wide, it was Pia. She watched as Pia waddled to the bar, not only did she have a baby in tow, but she was fully pregnant. At the bar, Pia consulted with the tall, long haired man in pony tail. Bani's eyes focused on the youthful looking man in the leather jacket. She couldn't help but smile; it was Pushkar.
She pushed the sunshades to the top of her head and hung her Louis Vuitton bag around her neck and sauntered to the bar.
"Hit me a coke, would you, Pooch boy?" she deliberately hid her face behind the swathe of hair.
The man stopped in his tracks and looked at the sophisticated woman sitting on the barstool. His eyes turned into slits as he looked at her suspiciously.
"Well, we did vote you as the guy who would end up saying, do you want to supersize that maam or do you want French fries with it?" Bani laughed softly.
"Damn you, if it ain't Barney the dinosaur! It's you! Look at you, you look all hoity toity in that get up!"
Pia turned to look at her sister. "Shit, here comes the princess of New York…whatever dragged you in this direction, princess?"
Bani ignored her. "So you accomplished your dream and married this loser, finally?"
Pia bristled, "At least I stuck by my loser, more than what you can say, isn't it Mrs. Walia?"
Pushkar snickered, his shoulders shaking wildly with contained laughter.
"What are you laughing at, you dumb stubborn redneck hick?" Bani sneered at him, making Pushkar cringe and retreat to wiping the blender in his hand.
Bani turned angrily at Pia, "Look at you, you have a baby... In a bar." She looked at the child with the thumb stuck in his mouth staring at his aunt curiously.
"His name is Veer, and he is mighty angry with you for not even coming to see him when he was born." Pia sniffed angrily.
Bani flushed, the criticism hit her hard. And she knew it was justified. She looked at the limpid eyes of the chubby child, he seemed to be smiling at her. Her heart softened with tenderness.
"He is really cute! Unlike his hillbilly father!" She shot another hateful look at Pushkar.
"You are just mad at him because he is friendly with JW" Pia accused knowingly. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"
Bani reached for the toddler and took him into her hands cooing gently to him and tickling softly under his arms making him break into giggles.
"I am getting married next month" Bani peered in the darkness to look at Pushkar to see his reaction.
"Sugarbean! You can't ride two horses with one ass!" Pushkar muttered under his breath.
"What was that you said, Pooch boy?" Bani glared at him.
"I said that you are already married, you can't get married again!" Pushkar defended himself.
"I didn't ask you for your opinion, hillbilly!" Bani turned away, handing the baby back gingerly to Pia as he drooled all over her handbag.
"Did you go and see him yet?" Pia asked quietly.
"No…" Bani hesitated. "How is he doing?"
"He is doing fine, mighty fine, in fact he is doing great! Now that you are not in the picture" Pushkar defended his friend.
Bani looked at Pushkar, the guy was always loyal to his friend through thick and thin.
She quickly changed the subject.
"How are mom and dad? How is Rano?" she bit her lip, she truly felt guilty for not keeping in touch with any of them.
Pia looked at her balefully. "Rano works with JW as his accountant and mom is nagging the hell out of dad, and dad is enjoying drinking a bit too much and wonders what he did wrong with his princess."
"I had to do things, to prove to myself that I can be successful." Bani mumbled.
"And did you?" Pia looked at her serenely.
"Yes, I am one of the up and coming fashion designers in US – I am damn successful!" Bani defended herself.
"So you are saying, you are happy with your accomplishments, and now that you are successful, you are marrying again, does that mean that you want to get a divorce from JW?" Pushkar asked with sarcasm dripping.
"Where can I find him?" Bani ignored his question and asked without aiming it at anyone in particular.
"At the house or at the beach! Where else?" Pushkar replied again. "And if you make him unhappy this time, you have to answer to me!" he looked belligerently at Bani.
Bani got up with the coke can in her hand.
"That's fifty rupees!" Pushkar's voice was irritatingly malicious.
She stopped to take a hundred rupees from her bag and dropped it in front of him.
"You can keep the rest!" she drawled with sugary sweetness. "May be you can buy some diapers for the baby" the insult didn't seem to faze Pushkar a bit. He made a sweeping bow mockingly at her and watched her retreating back.
"Tell mom and dad I am coming home to see them tonight!" Bani flung the words at Pia as she stood leaning against the bar counter.
"You tell them yourself, I am not your messenger!" Pia shouted at her retreating back.
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Sorry it took this long for an update, I didn't know how to do this right...so I was floundering a little, at first I thought I will finish it in 3 parts, now it might take 4 or 5 parts....sorry again. But next part is about JW and Bani's meeting and their past together.Hope you enjoyed this short part.
THanks for all your comments earlier. And guys, if I don't see any interest and comments on this short story, I might abandon it, I can concentrate on something more worthwhile...I get more than a thousand reads but very few comments, what am I to think of that?😕😕 You didn't like it?
It would be nice if you drop a line, as it is KS is not inspiring enough...
-- S
Edited by Sheena_Row - 17 years ago
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