Chapter 19
Mr Walia, hamara dard ka rishta hai, aap hi ne toh kaha hai that my pain attracted you to me...ghao toh hum dono ne khaye hai Mr Walia I think enough to last a lifetime to keep us together...
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After 10 days, Bani stood in one of the Conference Halls of the Walia Hotels welcoming guests alongwith Jai. Today they were launching the Meera Walia Trust, in memorium of the Late Meera Walia, the 1st wife of Jai Walia….for underprivileged men and women, who wanted to start new lives, including poor students etc., Jai wanted a quiet launching, but Lalita Bua was not listening, she wanted something grand for her daughter, at least people should know about the Trust Jai, otherwise how will they approach us, was her logic,
I will publish advertisements in papers, was his,
you have to live upto your image Jai, she countered….
Jai wanted to get over and done with it, he looked towards Bani who was sitting at the other end of his study, she nodded, Jaisi aapki marzi, you let us know about your plans, my office will organize it….
tumhara office, why bother Jai, I will organize it, Lalita Bua got up
I have no problems in that provided you foot the bill, Jai said in a mean voice….Lalita Bua stopped,
O.K Jai I will give your office a blueprint of what I want….
So today they were standing hand in hand to receive guests, a fashion show, followed by a musical evening over cocktails and dinner, the whose who of Mumbai were invited, Jai was clutching her hand tightly, Bani wished he would loosen his grip, but she knew it was too much for a man like him to put on an act, and do what he has done 6 years back all over again…thank god Bani, we are going on our honeymoon tomorrow, I want to unwind and relax, without any botheration, Aditya has strict instructions not to give about our whereabouts to anyone, no phone calls, just you and me….
Ji Mr Walia, Bani replied back smiling, yes they are going to Kruegar Park and different places in South Africa, since Rano & Ranveer will be leaving for Europe, they chose this destination, Jai has booked themselves in exotic boutique hotels where they can have privacy and relaxation….
Before the fashion show started, Jai made a brief speech, he welcomed the guests, to keep Meera's memory alive amongst the people who loved her, when Meera's mother came up with this idea, he & Bani appreciated the idea and here they are today to launch the Trust, while Bani will be the chairperson of the trust and will have the final say to whom to extend help, his office will provide all support for functioning of the Trust…..
But why Bani, somebody from the crowd asked, she did not even know Meera….
Jai stopped, took a deep breath, you do not have to know to the person to keep her memory alive but why Bani, he looked at Bani who was looking as surprised as rest of the crowd assembled, is because at this young age, she has undergone what many of us cannot dream of not only that she is a sincere and hardworking person and Lalita Bua will be an office bearer and I am sure will help Bani to keep her daughter's memory alive….
Bani could not help but feel very special that moment, she could see Masi & Dadi appreciating Jai's decision, they knew the precise reason for him doing so, what better than a girl who has faced a similar situation in life, a girl who never thought life could be so beautiful specially after the horrible experiences she had, she never thought she would see the real reason as to why people want a partner in life….the girl who was like a wilted flower till some months ago, has started blooming again, Dadi & Masi nodded their approval and indicated to Bani she will have their support…..Bani felt elated and watched Jai answering some questions the press had for him…
That night after they came clean about their insecurities, Jai had laid down on the sofa in the study with his head on Bani's lap, initially they did not have anything to say to each other then when Bani's fingers played through his hair, Jai started speaking, he told Bani what he never told anyone, how on their suhag-raat Meera told him about her experiences with sex, Bani he had said, Meera's virginity was not an issue for me, I was not one so how can I expect someone else, specially in this day & age but all said & done I was not prepared to hear about her experiences in our first night…later he informed how he had her investigated as Meera had denied his allegations earlier, claiming him to be a paranoid with a constant fear that his wife is cheating on him, how he had his fight and of course how Meera died……after he finished, Bani told him about hers, how she was thrilled to get married to Daksh a young pleasant looking chap from a well to do family, how her friends were jealous of her, as she had got a man of her dreams without any effort, the day when Daksh had kissed her palm for the first time, she could not sleep in the night, thinking what will their first night be like, how her dreams shattered and of course what followed later……Mr Walia, she concluded aajkaal mai Daksh se baate karti hu kiyuki mujhe lagta hai, he lacked in self confidence or self ability, uski har kaam koi na koi kar deta tha, he was also not a good businessman, kai baar maine Daksh's ki pita ko Daksh ki ma ko complain karte huwe suna, that she has spoilt Daksh, infact if his father scolded him, his mother ensured that Daksh got a best attention, his favourite dish that evening, mai jaanti hu Daksh will get married some day or the other again, mai nehi chahati that what I have faced, that girl should face, I am trying to convince him that he should move out of Mt Abu for few years, see the world and stay alone for sometime to realize that he can also survive on his own, shayad tabh he will stop behaving the way he does now…….
That night they could not sleep, they had so much to share, their apprehensions and their expectations, when the dawn broke, Jai & Bani hand in hand had came out of the study, Jai took out his car and they drove through the empty streets of Mumbai till they reached the other end of the city, Jai's favourite Udipi restaurant had just lifted its shutters, Jai & Bani took their seat, they had coffee followed by hot idli & dosa, while they fed each other, they promised that from today they will not hide their apprehension about each other.
The fashion show was over, the stage was being set up for the musical evening, ghazal and sufi songs, Jai moved away from Bani to greet some of his guests, to ensure that they are helping themselves with drinks and snacks, Bani watched him, when she heard Jigyasa's voice, ha nayi nayi shaadi hai, biwi ko toh khush karna hi parega, Aditya bhi aisahi tha pehle, aajkaal badal gaya hai…..Bani moved away only to come face to face with Lalita Bua, keya patti paraya tumne Bani, Jai tumhe Trust ka chairperson bana diya, mai keya mar gayi hu….watching her eyes Bani was reminded of Gauri Randheria, the same fierce look, unkind and harsh, her legs started shaking, she wanted to move away, but Lalita Bua caught her arm, kaisi ladki ho tum, don't you have any manners mai kuch puch rahi hu….Bani lifted her face to see Rano standing behind Lalita Bua with a clear message that she will not forgive Bani if she fails to answer back Lalita Bua……
Ji mai kehna toh nehi chahati thi buaji, lekin aap hi ne toh kaha tha that he is Jai Walia, idea aapka tha lekin Mr Walia will do it in his own way, aapko agar nehi rehna hai, aapki maarzi, mai keya keh sakti hu lekin itna jaroor bata dungi, na chahate huwe bhi Mr Walia ne yeh Trust banaya hai, he will ensure it runs, after all you know he is very particular about the 'Walia' name..Bani could see Rano's approval, gave a parting smile at Lalita Bua and moved on to the direction she had last seen Jai….
Hello Bani, called out a voice, you have proved me wrong…..
Bani turned to see Liza smiling at her….
You may not know me Bani, I am Liza
Of course I know you, replied Bani…..
Liza was a bit taken aback, you know me but how? She asked
I just saw your show, I had seen you taking a bow…..
Oh that, I thought for a second that Jai….oh leave that alone, your appearance deceived me until I heard you replying back to Lalitaji….
Bani was a little embarrassed, what has my appearance got to do with it, she asked a bit haltingly….
When I saw you with Jai today, I a bit confused as to what Jai had seen in you to get married to you, you are so different from his taste..….
His taste….I did not get you, do you mean his taste in women…..
Liza was amused, quite a girl she thought, yes she nodded…
Bani smiled, I do not know how much you know Mr Walia but I can only tell you this much over the past few months that I know him, for him marriage is not about taste only but much more but in our case ek kashish thi aur naseeb bhi shayad….
Kaisi Kashish, asked Liza, o.k. Bani was pretty but so were so many other girls, she herself was not bad too, but what did she have that attracted Jai as Liza was aware that Jai got married quite suddenly, their affair was suddenly over, what had Jai seen in this girl, that he could not wait to get married to her…
As learnt from Rano, Bani is not going to give her ram kahani nor Jai's, buss kashish, she replied, kuch aisa kashish jisko aap define nehi kar sakte hai…that special moment when our eyes met….
Maybe for this girl so but Jai Walia unlikely, there is something more to it as Liza was sure, during their relationship, he never opened up, he was not a man to lose his head suddenly, the girl is confident in what she is saying, she is guarding their secret of togetherness as Jai also said the girl has suffered in this young age, if she has there are no signs of it, so what can it be…anyway nevermind, aaj nehi to kaal pata hi lag jayega….Liza held out her hand to shake Bani's, I wish you all the best….
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It was late night that Jai, Bani and Jigyasa returned from the show, the other family members had returned earlier, they could not stay up until so late but since Jai & Bani were hosts of the show, they left after the party was over….
They were surprised to see Aditya opening the door for them…
Aditya meeting kaisa raha….Jai asked him as he had stayed back in the office for an important meeting…
Meeting toh theek raha Jai….
O.K Aditya I will hear about it in the morning, dead tired now, would like to go to bed as fast as possible, good….areh masi / dadi what are you doing at this hour…..I hope everthing is alright in the house….
Masi & Dadi were looking upset, before they could say anything, Aditya spoke, Jai can you come to the study please, I would like to have a word with you…..
Bani watched Jai following Aditya, the study door was shut, she turned towards Dadi and Masi, keya baat hai masiji, keya huwa…
Woh beta court se summon aye hai….
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