HEY I ENJOYED READING EVERY COMMENT AND I WANT TO SAY THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT!!
NEXT PART
Bani was still a little confused over what had taken place a few hours ago while she was having lunch with Kaveri and Ranveer. People made phone calls all the time, and she didn't understand why on earth she wasn't allowed to make calls. Besides, Michael was the one that called her, so what was the big deal?
"Oye, what's going on in that head of yours?" Ranveer asked when he turned to see her frowning at her plate.
She shook herself out of her reverie, "Nothing… just…"
"People don't frown for nothing's sake Bani," Ranveer said, "Come on, tell us what's bothering you."
She looked from Kaveri to Ranveer, "Okay, I was on the phone earlier on today talking to my friend Micheal and your Uncle walks in."
"Jai mama?"
"Yeah," Bani said, rolling her eyes, "Then he just starts yelling at me for talking on the phone. What I don't get is why."
"A little strange," Kaveri said, "But not entirely off character for him. He does act strange sometimes."
"Yeah, I wouldn't read much into it," Ranveer said, "He's eccentric like that. He could like you today, hate you tomorrow, you never really know with that guy."
"I don't like it," Bani said, "And to top it off he has me on another Housing Project in Lonavla. No wonder the other guy quit."
"But hey, the money's good," Kaveri said encouragingly, "Kind of makes up for how hard we have to work around here."
"I'll say, but when you have no time to enjoy the money what's the point of having it?" Bani asked.
"I see your point," Kaveri said, "But whatever, I guess you should stay away from phones around him."
"Got any plans for the weekend?" Ranveer asked.
"No, not really," Bani shook her head, "Why?"
"Wanna go dancing?" he asked.
"Oh I miss dancing," Bani said, her eyes lighting up, "Any ideas?"
"A few," he said, "How about we meet up later tonight and see where it takes us?"
"Fine by me," she said.
"Yeah don't worry about me," Kaveri said, a little upset that they got to go dancing, "I'll just go home, walk around barefooted and make dinner for my husband and kids."
"Oh come on Kavs, you danced a lot in your days," Ranveer said, "How about letting us have our time, huh?"
"Hey, if Amitabh at sixty five is still rocking, I can rock too!" she said as a matter of fact.
"Yeah, but you're not a big filmi star," Ranveer said, causing Bani to laugh and Kaveri to take a swat at him which he dodged.
"Come on you two," Bani said getting to her feet, "Lunch time is over and I have to get back to work."
"Never know with you too," Bani returned over her shoulder.
She had just walked into her office and settled down to work when a shadow feel across her face. She looked up and slowly got to her feet.
"Can I help you?" she asked the woman who stood before her.
Pia smiled cattily at her, "Hello dear, and no, you can't help me."
"Then to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
"It's simple,"Pia said, her smile not faltering, "I asked you a simple favor, woman to woman. But you decided you were too greedy to let go of what doesn't belong to you."
Bani gave a royal sigh and just looked at the woman.
"I came to give you a heads up," Pia said, her smile slipping into a menacing angle, "This is a game of pros, and you are not one. Walk away while you still can, or else you just night find yourself in a place of no return."
"Is that a threat?" Bani said with a small smile of her own.
"Me, threaten you?" Pia asked, an incredulous expression on her face, "What's the point? This isn't even a fight cos I've already won."
"Then why are we having this conversation?" Bani asked quietly, looking her straight in the eye.
Pia's expression changed to one of anger but she was stopped from further exchange with Bani by Jai suddenly walking into her office.
"What are you doing here?" he asked Pia, not taking his eyes off Bani.
Pia turned around guiltily, then quickly regained her composure, "Oh nothing, I just came to see you."
"This isn't my office," he said, looking at her now.
"I know, I just came to see her," she turned and gave Bani a challenging stare.
"Why?" Jai asked again.
"Girl talk," Bani said, returning Pia's challenge, "We wee just em, getting to know each other."
Pia smiled more broadly at that, "I guess we were. I'll see you around dear."
"It's a promise then," Bani said.
Pia walked out the office and headed for Jai's office but he stayed back, regarding Bani suspiciously.
"What was that all about?" he asked her.
"I told you," Bani said, "It was girl talk."
"Mhmm,"he said, clearly not believing a word she had just said, though it was obvious to him what they had been on about. He was not so nave as to not know Pia was trying to protect her turf… or at least what she thought was her turf.
"Did you need anything Sir?' Bani asked when she was unable to take his scrutiny any more.
He just stared at her and noted with pleasure the soft pink that crept into her cheeks, as he was sure even she was reminded of their close encounter the previous day. His expression however didn't change as he remembered that Michael person she had been talking to on the phone.
"I hope you have begun work on the file I gave you?" he asked in a still voice.
"Yes sir," she said, and refused to elaborate, making a silent point that she needed him to go.
He admired her for her guts when she pulled silent maneouvers like this, showed her resilience and strong will.
"I'll let you get to it then," he said softly, and walked out, his lips turning up in a smile as he headed down the hall to his office.
Kaveri walked into her office a few minutes later, "What did you say to him to make him all smiley?"
"He was smiling?" Bani was confused.
"Yeah," Kaveri said.
"I have no idea," Bani said, "Like you said, he's eccentric that way."
"Maybe," Kaveri said with a shrug, "But what did she want?'
"Same thing as last time, only this time as I so rightly predicted, she has declared war of some sort. In a very ladylike manner too."
"I bet he walked in on that," Kaveri said.
"No, but he knows what's going on," Bani said, shaking her head, "He's no fool, and well, want to or not he's dragging me into it."
"Just be careful dear, it's not like Natchiket Sir is around to help you if there are curve balls thrown at your head."
"That's true!" Bani exclaimed, "When does he get back from the Bahamas?"
"Next week Monday," Kaveri said, "Ok then, since you're all in one piece, I'm off to my station."
"Thanks for checking up on me," Bani said, throwing open a file.
"Any time, dear."
Later that evening she was in her room getting ready when Rano waltzed in.
"What are you up to?" she asked.
"Oh hey you, didn't know you were home."
"Just got back a while ago," Rano lay on her bed and stretched, "So, where are you going?"
"I'm going dancing with Ranveer," she said, adjusting her skirt.
"Where?"
"Don't know, we're just going to let the evening take us where ever it wants," she said, "Care to join us?"
"Nope, I'll take a rain check. I'm way too tired to do anything tonight," she said.
"What are you two up to?" Nishikant came into the room.
"Daddy!" Bani jumped up in excitement at her father's entry, "How was work today?"
"Lovely my dear," he kissed her forehead, "And yours?"
"Good, for the most part," she said, "But then that's only normal."
He turned to see Rano on the bed, "Hey pumpkin."
"Hello Papa," Rano said, smiling at her father's use of the nickname he had given her, "How was your day?"
"Tiring," she said, "I think I'll quit soon."
"Good, there's always a job for you with our company."
"I know that," she smiled.
"Where are you going?" he asked Bani with a frown when he noticed her outfit.
"Dancing," she said, jiggling her shoulders with a huge smile on her face.
"Since when?" he asked, giving Rano an enquiring look.
"Don't look at me," Rano raised her hands, "I met her like this."
"Dad, I'm going dancing with Ranveer Bali from work," she said, shaking her head at his protective attitude.
"Is he your boyfriend now?" He asked even further surprised, knowing that Bani was older than the boy.
"Daddy!" Bani made a face, "He is a colleague and the fact that I'm going out with him tonight does not make him my boyfriend."
"Be that as it may…" Nishikant began.
"Dad, I think I'm old enough to take care of myself," Bani told him, turning around to look at him, "Tell him Rano."
"Dad, I think she's old enough to…" she got no further as Bani picked up a hairclip and flung it at her, laughing at her mischief.
"I'll be fine Dad," she said again, trying to reassure him as he still had a frown across his face.
"Alright," he grumbled, "But come home early."
"Not on your life," Bani said, giggling at her father's antiques, "It's a Friday night and I intend to rock until its dawn!"
"I'll tell your mother on you," he said, and both girls went into fits of laughter at that.
"Okay Dad, I'll be home as early as I can," Bani said to pacify him.
"Happy now?" Rano asked.
He just grumbled, still frowning.
"Imagine, I have two grown up girls at home and still I'm the one who has to make sure dinner is ready," Kiran stormed into the room, and on seeing Nishikant, "I should have known it would be your doing."
"What are you blaming me for?" he asked, his face a mask of innocence, "She's the one going dancing!"
"So?" Kiran asked, "That has nothing to do with the fact that you have to eat on time so you can take your drugs. You still have a bit of an ache in your knee and yet you refuse to take your meds responsibly."
"This is part of the reason why I married her," he whispered audibly to his daughters, "Someone has to bother me na?"
Kiran swatted his head, "It's your knee that hurts Nishi, not your head," she warned.
"I hate it when you call me that," he said in mock irritation, "It sounds like a girl's name."
Kiran smiled at her husband, "Oh my darling, it's a name I like. Besides, it's just me and the girls who know about it, right?'
Bani and Rano nodded emphatically.
He gave them shrewd looks and then got up, "I hate it when you three gang up on me. "My son has to come home soon or else I'll go mad with all these women!" he said, throwing up his hands and walking out of the room, "One is always after me, the other is going dancing and the last one only speaks at the most inappropriate times."
As his voice faded down the hallway all three women dissolved into laughter. Yes, he did suffer their taking each other's sides against him but if he was honest, he lived for it!
"Come on you two, it's down to dinner," Kiran said.
"Not for me," Bani said, and at that moment the door bell chimed through the whole house, "That's my ride Mummy, see you two later, I am off to the party!"
She rushed out of the room and down the stairs to meet Ranveer who she only allowed brief greetings to her parents before whisking him back out so they were off into the night.
"Where are we going?" Bani asked, shaking her head to the beat of Mary J Blige's song, Just Fine.
"I thought we would go to Luca's Haven," he said, weaving the car round the surprisingly not busy roads of Mumbai.
"Is it new?" she asked, knowing she hadn't heard of it before.
"Relatively," he said, "You have your head buried in so much paper work you notice nothing around you."
"I think with the amount of work I have to do you should not be telling me about clubs," she said, then it occurred to her that Ranveer had never told her about his girlfriend, "Who is your girlfriend?"
"Woah, where did that come from?" he asked, amused at her question.
"I just realized we're going dancing and you should have come along with your girlfriend but looking around this car I see just me and you," she said.
"I know," he said, smiling at the road ahead.
"So?" she prompted.
"I haven't had a girlfriend in a while," he said slowly, "I think I want to take my time now."
"Well good for you," she said, "A friend of mine just broke up with his cheating girlfriend and he is hurting so much right now. I just wish I was there with him."
"Mhmm, sounds lke you have really strong feelings for this guy," Ranveer said with a frown Bani didn't notice.
"Yeah," she said with a sigh, "I tell you if it was possible and he was the only man on earth, I would marry him in a heartbeat."
Ranveer was silent for a while and then finally said, "Well here we are then!"
It looked like any other building but she could hear the muffled pounding of the music within the walls of the building.
They made their way to the front of the long line with a few people calling for them to go back as there was a line that was being followed. He got to where the bouncers and guards stood, holding Bani's hand firmly.
"Ranveer Bali," he said to the guy.
The guy raised his brow as if to say, Am I supposed to know you? How ever a guy standing to the side hurried forward and whispered in the bodyguard's ear, giving a smile to Ranveer when he was done.
"Welcome to Luca's Haven," the big burly man said with a smile that belied the inner brute in him.
"Thank you very much," he said with a smile and pulled Bani in.
They went past the guards, "I thought for a second there he was going to hit us!"
"No way, they try that and someone's club is going under," Ranveer said proudly.
"I believe you," Bani said, thinking what Jai had done to people in the while she had worked at WGI.
They walked into the sound proof room and the wave of loud music that hit them threw Bani a bit.
"That is loud!" she shouted to Ranveer.
"We came to dance right?" he shouted back and first headed them to the VIP lounge to get some drinks and watch the scene on the dance floor. Bani was not a drinker but she did have the occasional margarita which was what she was having right now.
Ranveer met a few of his friends and they were all having a nice time catching up on times past and watching Bani as she moved to the beat of the songs that were blasting.
"Ranveer, is that your girlfriend?" one of them asked.
"No," he shook his head.
"Can I date her then?" the other one asked.
"Yeah," he said after a moments pause, "If you want to get deader than a door nail."
"Why?" he asked.
"She's spoken for," Ranvee said, raising his glass to his friend.
"I don't see no ring on her finger," the friend said.
"Not yet," Ranveer said.
At that moment Bani heard the opening sounds of one of her favorite songs, Shakira's La Tortura.
"Ranveer!" she called, dropping her glass on the nearest table, "I love this song! I'm going out to the floor!"
So saying, she hurried down the stairs and unto the dance floor.
[Shakira:]
AAaaay... AAaaay...
Eso a otro perro con ese hueso
Y nos decimos adios
Bani began to move slowly to the song while Ranveer and his friends leaned over the railing to watch her. She could see herself back on stage in college performing and soon enough the feel of the song on her ears took over and she was moving faster, slowly losing her inhibitions and letting her hair down.
No pido que todos los das sean de sol
No pido que todos los viernes sean de fiesta
Tampoco te pido que vuelvas rogando perdn
Si lloras con los ojos secos y hablando de ella
Ay amor me duele tanto
[Sanz:]
Me duele tanto
[Shakira:]
Que te fueras sin decir a dnde
Ay amor fue una tortura...
Perderte
One of the guys who was on the dance floor that had been watching her when her hand was extended suddenly caught it and pulled her towards him in the spirit of dance and though she was shocked at first but knowing that was how it was dancing to songs like this, she went with the flow.
[Sanz:]
Yo s que no he sido un santo
Pero lo puedo arreglar, amor
[Shakira:]
No slo de pan vive el hombre
Y no de excusas vivo yo
[Sanz:]
Slo de errores se aprende
Y hoy s que es tuyo mi corazn
[Shakira:]
Mejor te guardas todo
Eso a otro perro con ese hueso y nos decimos adios
The guy had her twirling round the floor and catching her to himself in true style of a Latina dancer. He dipped Bani and the crowd that had stopped dancing to give them space to move went wild. He was twirling her round the floor and occasionally dancing real close to her, making the dance even more sensual.
[Sanz:]
Con siete velas te invocar
[Shakira:]
AAaaay... AAaaay...
[Sanz:]
Cosita bella, coje otra vela
[Shakira:]
AAaaay...
A otro perro con ese hueso y nos decimos adios
Bani spun off to a corner and began to dance on her own all the while enticing the guy with sassy stares, her hands in her hair, her lips all pouty and her hips swaying without rhythm which was aimed mostly at seduction.
From upstairs, Ranveer watched in astonishment at this side of Bani he had never seen in the short time he had known her.
No puedo pedir que el invierno perdone a un rosal
No puedo pedir a los olmos que entreguen peras
No puedo pedirle lo eterno a un simple mortal
Y andar arrojando a los cerdos miles de perlas
[Sanz:]
Ay amor me duele tanto, me duele tanto
Que no creas ms en mis promesas
[Shakira:]
Ay amor
[Sanz:]
Es una tortura
[Shakira:]
Perderte
[Sanz:]
Yo s que no he sido un santo
pero lo puedo arreglar, amor
[Shakira:]
No slo de pan vive el hombre
Y no de excusas vivo yo
[Sanz:]
Slo de errores se aprende
Y hoy s que es tuyo mi corazn
[Shakira:]
Mejor te guardas todo
Eso a otro perro con ese hueso y nos decimos adios
Eso a otro perro con ese hueso y nos decimos adis
[Sanz:]
Oye negrita mira!
Pierdes mi amor
Pierdes mi amor
Oye mi negra
[Shakira:]
Aaaay...
[Sanz:]
Yo slo soy un hombre arrepentido
Eso a otro perro con ese hueso y nos decimos adis
Yo s que no he sido un santo
Y es que no estoy hecho de cartn
[Shakira:]
No solo de pan vive el hombre y no de excusas vivo yo
[Sanz:]
Slo de errores se aprende y hoy s que es tuyo mi corazn
[Shakira:]
AAaaay... AAaaay... AAaaay... Ay Ay
Ay todo lo que he hecho por t
Fue una tortura perderte
Me duele tanto que sea as
Sigue llorando perdon
Yo yo no voy a llorar... por t
The song came to an end only to be taken over by another number and the crowd applauded her and the guy as they took a bow and after thanking him for the dance, returned to the VIP where Ranveer and the gang were waiting.
"That was quite a number," one of them said.
"I'll say," the other seconded.
Her eyes were sparkling and she was a little out of breath, "Thank you, didn't know I still had it in me."
"From that performance, I'd say you still got it, and then some," Ranveer said.
She blushed at what she knew he was talking about, "Badmash!"
She was asked for several more dances by some of the guys in the VIP and she obliged happily and it seemed as though the night would never end.
"Oye Mami," Ranveer said after she just came back from dancing with some gy that had been on her case all night, "Time to get going. It's almost three in the morning."
"Really?" she looked at him in surprise, "Wow, time really does fly when you're having fun."
"I guess it does," he said, "Later guys, we've got to get going."
"See you later then,"they said, "Nice meting you Bani."
"Same here," she smiled, shaking their hands, "Look forward to seeing you again."
"It's a promise," one of them said.
They exited the club and Bani was still amused to see that there were people still outside waiting to get in. They got home in one piece piece.
"Will see you Monday right?"
"You bet yours," she said, "Drive safe now."
He nodded and waved as she entered the house to sleep away what was left of the morning.
The following week went by pleasantly enough with Natchiket returning from his trip and looking quite happy to be back.
"We missed you around here," Kaveri said to him with a big smile.
"We really did," Bani said.
"Glad to see you're all in one piece," he said with a pleasant smile.
"You don't know the half of it," Bani said giving him a confidential smile.
"Where's Ranveer?" he asked.
"Mr. Walia has him on errand duty," Kaveri supplied, "He's on his way to Hughes and Keller Accounting firm to drop of the finance sheets for scrutiny."
"The Housing Project is already off the ground?" he asked in surprise.
"Yes, didn't you know?" Bani was surprised.
"Apparently not," Natchiket said with a frown, "Excuse me please."
He headed for Jai's office and Kaveri said, "Why do I have a feeling this is not good?"
"Yeah, I feel that too," Bani said, shaking her head.
Natchiket entered Jai's office and Jai looked up from the file in his hand, "Hello Natchiket, have a nice flight?"
"Why is the Housing Project already activated?" he asked without preamble.
"Now what's eating you?" Jai asked with a frown.
"I just heard from Miss Dixit that you have her working on it," he said, his face showing the anger he felt.
"Why is that a problem?"
"You ask me Jai, before you take up any of those projects," he said, "Do you know what the financial implications would be if this project gets off the ground without adequate finances?"
"I think I've been in business long enough to figure it out," Jai said, casually leaning back in his chair, "Relax Natchiket, Ranveer is over at the Accounting firm to figure out how much this will set us back."
"Drop the Project," Natchiket said in a voice that brooked no argument.
Jai was taken aback. His brother never lost his cool, that was his thing. Why on earth was he so upset about this?
"I don't know where this is coming from but it is a little too late to pull the plug," Jai said in an even tone, "The presentation is in two days and there is no going back."
"The hell there isn't!" Natchiket swore, "Why do you always insist on playing it so close to the edge?'
Jai smiled at that, "Where's the fun in playing it safe?"
Natchiket looked just about ready to throttle him, "If this thing fails, it'll be your head on the chopping block."
So saying he turned around and left the office, a scowl on his face.
It was the day of the presentation and Bani as usual was fidgeting. He just had to make her do the presentation herself.
"Calm down Bani, you'll wear a hole in my floor," Natchiket said to her as they were going over her work.
"I cannot calm down," she said, airing her hands that had become sweaty, "I have only ever done this in front of the board here, this time there's going to be people I don't know from Adam's and I hate the way they look at people."
"You did just fine at the Conference," he said with an amused smile.
"I couldn't really see anybody in the crowd," she said shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other, "That was different."
"Relax," he said in a soothing voice.
"That's like telling a hungry man to not be hungry," she said irritably, "Even you know things don't work that way."
He chuckled at her uneasiness, "You'll do fine."
She was however prevented from answering him back when her cell rang, "Now what?'
She impatiently flipped open the phone, "Hello?... hello?... mama calm down…. Ma, slow down I can't hear you…. What?!"
Natchiket sat up in his chair, knowing fully well something untoward had happened.
"Where? .... how did this happen?" Bani was frantic now, "Where is she? .... I'll be right there."
"Bani… what's the problem?" Natchiket asked.
"My Mother… she's in the hospital…it's …, " she wasn't making sense as she was walking back and forth, gathering her things, "I have to go… I have to go to the …"
"Sure, sure," Natchiket said, "I'll take care of things over here."
He wasn't even done when she went flying out the office at break neck speed. Natchiket offered up a silent prayer for whoever was in the hospital.
Bani was running along the hallway of the hospital looking into rooms as she passed, "Miss Dixit…I need to find Miss Dixit's room…"
"Bani!" she heard her mother's voice from behind her and she whirled to see her mother coming out of one of the rooms.
"Ma!" she ran to hug her mother, "Where is she?"
"In here," her mother ushered her into the room where her father stood beside the bed looking down at her, "Papa."
Nishikant turned to see his daughter, "Bani, tum yahan?"
"How is she?" she said, coming to look down at Rano who was taped up and bandaged, lying in the bed with tiny scrapes on her face and neck. She gasped, "What happened?"
"She was driving… a child ran into the… street," her father said haltingly, "She tried to swerve to avoid hitting the child… but in the process…"
"She went into the road partition and the car turned over, "Kiran finished for her husband, "They had to cut her out of the car."
"Oh my God!" Bani exclaimed, turning to look at the still unconscious Rano, cupping her pale face in her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"The doctors said she was quit lucky she was wearing a seatbelt," Kiran continued, "She only had a mild concussion, her left arm is broken and she cracked a rib."
"Oh no," Bani felt sick to her stomach and was grateful for her father's arm coming around her shoulder to give her strength, "This shouldn't be happening."
"I know my child, but thank God all the same, it could have been worse," Kiran said.
"Kiran," a voice said from the doorway and they all turned to see Kamna and Saahil entering the room.
"Ma," Kiran hugged her mother and then her father, "Papa."
"Namaste," Nishikant greeted his in-laws.
They returned his greeting and Saahil asked how Rano was doing. Before he could answer the doctor came in.
"Wow, I see we have a full house," he said good naturedly, "How is our patient?"
"She's still sleeping off the sedatives," Kiran said.
The doctor went around the side to look at Rano, gently holding her eyelid open and flashing his light into it.
"What the hell are you doing?' Bani yelled at him.
He paused in surprise to look at her, "Excuse me?'
"Are you even a real doctor?" she snapped further, "If you don't know what you're doing don't touch my sister!"
"Bani?" Nishikant was looking at her surprised at her outburst.
"Look what he's doing," she said defensively as the doctor folded his hands across his chest in amusement, "What does a broken arm have to do with her eyes? Besides he's too young to be a doctor!"
"Bani!" her father was called out her name as if to bring her back to reality, "Bani, I know this is a lot to digest but it's not as bad as it seems. Doctor Deb has been the one taking care of Rano since we got here. I'm sure he knows what he's doing."
Fresh tears poured from her eyes as she looked at the doctor, "My sister will be alright?"
He smiled kindly, "With a sister like you, she'll be fine. She's just going to need a little help getting around for a few weeks but other than that, I think she'll be fine."
She looked at him for a long time to make sure he wasn't just saying to make them all feel better, "Promise?"
"He held up his hand, "Scout's honor."
She smiled at that, and nodded her thanks.
"Khush?" her mother asked.
Rano stirred at that moment, causing all eyes to fall on her.
"Rano beta," Kiran rushed to her daughter's side"
"Mhmm," she said tiredly, her eyes still shut, "Ma?"
"I'm here my dear," she said, "We're all here."
"Didi?" Rano asked again.
"I'm here my love," Bani said, and looked up at Doctor Deb, "The good doctor has been taking care of you."
"Doctor ko chor do," she said in a whispery voice, causing everyone to laugh.
"I'll need to be alone with the patient for a while," Doctor Deb said.
"We'll be in the hall Rano puta," Kamna said to her granddaughter, "Don't trouble the doctor anymore now,okay?"
They exited the room to allow the doctor do his job and Bani heard him say to Rano jokingly, "That is quite a family you have there."
Out in the hall her cell rang. Frowning as she didn't recognize the number, she wiped her eyes and answered, "Hello?"
"Where the hell are you?!" was the question that hit her ears.
"What?" she was a little confused.
"The presentation is about to begin and if you are not here in the next five minutes, there will be hell to pay!"
With that the line was disconnected, and she was left looking at her phone as though it was an alien object.
"Bani beta, who was that?" her father asked.
"Mr. Walia," she said tiredly, "We were supposed to do a presentation together but then…"
"Bani, you're sister is going to be fine," her grandfather said, "You should go back to work now."
"But Dada, I can't concentrate with…"
"Bani," her father said, "You go back to work, we'll take care of Rano."
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Go Bani," her mother said, "We'll be here when you get back."
She nodded, touched her Grandparents feet and then hurried back down the hallway and was on her way to the office. Traffic however had other plans for when she would get back to the office and she would sit for two whole hours before getting back to WGI, a good two hours after the time of the presentation.
As she walked into the hallway from the elevator Kaveri ran to meet her, "Honey where have you been? The boss is really really mad about your not showing for… wait a minute, have you been crying?"
"Kaveri," she sighed tiredly, "Not now. I need to get this over with."
"Well you better…"
"Glad you finally made it Miss Dixit," Jai said, his voice raised in fury, "Mind explaining to me where the hell you were all afternoon?"
"Sir, if we could just talk in private," she began when he was standing barely a foot away from her.
"I don't believe you," he said, an incredulous yet angry smile on his face, "How is it that a person on shaky grounds you are awfully bold!"
Bani sighed heavily, knowing he was not going to let up so she might as well just let him talk.
He misinterpreted her action, "Excuse me Miss Dixit, but am I boring you?" he was positively incensed.
"No!" she was taken aback, "I didn't…"
"You have pushed the limits with your insolence Miss Dixit," he cut her off, "First you churn out the sloppiest work around here, add to that you waste valuable company time and money on your useless phone calls to your useless boyfriends…"
"Mr. Walia I will not have you insult my person!" she yelled back, positively furious at his accusations, "I have done nothing but work my butt off since I got here and you dare to call it sloppy?!"
He started to applaud her as people gathered in the hallway, openly watching the exchange between the only Jai and the only person who had dared to answer the him back. Natchiket stepped off the elevator just then and immediately felt the tension in the air.
"What's going on?" he looked from Jai to Bani.
"Your brother has decided that I'm the sloppiest worker at WGI," she whirled on Natchiket who took an involuntary step back, "I have had to drive through two hours of heavy traffic to get here and this is the grief I get?"
"Jai…"
"Stay out of this Natchiket," Jai hissed, "I asked you to one thing, prepare a presentation for a project and you disappear on me. Your incompetence is astounding. Frankly I wonder what the distinction between you and a person without training is because you obviously don't know the first thing about your job. You might want to look into using what you have to get what you…"
He got no further as his sentence was cut off by the sound of the connection of palm to cheek.
Thwack!!
"Oh my God!" she heard someone say, files dropped from another person's hands and gasps erupted all over the room. Natchiket was rooted to the spot, paralyzed in surprise. She was vaguely aware of the elevator doors sliding open again.
Jai turned to look at her, his eyes holding murder and in a sudden flare of anger…
Thwack!!
This time the gasp came from the elevator but she was least bothered.
She raised a hand that was shaking with fury and pointed in Jai's face and said in a quiet voice, "You… and your stupid job… can go to hell."
So saying she turned and went into the waiting elevator and punched the button to go downstairs and was still glaring at Jai who was now regarding her through slit eyes until the elevator doors slid closed.
THIS IS A RECORD FOR ME SO I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT…….
MUCH LOVE, MOI!!
😉
Edited by Ezther - 17 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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