Part X
Rain took over the miles that stretched from Walia Mansion to the airport, and blue lights flickered across Jais' stoic face. Sirens wailed as well, but Jai couldn't hear them over the roar of his own heartbeat.
Despite the flashing blue lights and frequent honking of his horn, the owners of the vehicles crowding the roadway in front of him seemed unmoved, or simply too harried, to heed any attention to his efforts at passing them by. They spared him nary a glance until he pulled over onto the shoulder of the road, the car bouncing across the rougher terrain and underneath a traffic light just before it changed to green.
Rain dotted his windshield, chased away by frantic wipers, and Jai cursed under his breath as traffic again stalled to a standstill before the airport exit. A plane roared overhead, and the feeling of dread that had taken hold with Sudha's parting words tightened its fist-hold on Jais' gut, causing him to tap impatiently at his horn once again. "Come on," he bit out when the only response was traffic moving in a slow crawl ahead of him. The minutes seemed interminable to him before the airport, with its tall glass windows and warm yellow lights glowing through the heavy raindrops, loomed in front of him.
The car squealed to a stop, and Jai didn't spare a second glance to the curious onlookers' stares as he wheeled around them, his dark eyes frantically scanning his surroundings. Grabbing the arm of the first uniformed person he laid eyes upon, he blurted out the number burned into his memory with the bitter taste of his regrets.
"I'm sorry, Sir," the man answered, carefully extracting Jais' hand from his arm, "but I can't help you."
"What do you mean 'you can't help me'?" Jai fumbled through his pockets for his ID to show the guy who he was. "Look," he took out his cell, flipping it open and skimming his phone book until the number to his friend and Mumbai Police Chief Sunil in his cell phone came into view, "Jai Walia. The Police Chief can confirm it for you; I'll let you talk to him. You *have* to help me."
"I can't help you," the man repeated calmly, unblinking in the face of Jais' anger.
"Sunil? Sunil, listen. I'm…yeah, I'm at the airport. I need you to…yeah," Jai grabbed hold of the man's arm once again when he made a move to leave. "I'm going to let you talk to him." He thrust the phone at the man, dark eyes searching again, heart beating double time and stalling at each flash of blond that filled his vision. His heart stopped in his chest, though, when he heard the man's voice beside him snap with impatience, and his world, in that moment, stood still.
"I can't help him because he's too late sir!" In a softer voice he continued, sympathetic eyes focused on Jais' stricken face. "I'm sorry."
Voice rough with disbelief, Jai shook his head. "No. That's not possible. I can't be too late. You don't know what you're talking about."
"I'm sorry, Sir. Really I am." He handed the cell phone back to Jai.
Numbly, Jai closed the cell phone, unable to think about saying goodbye to Sunil and frowned at the stranger so uncomfortable in the face of his misery. "There has to be a mistake…"
"I'm afraid there's no mistake, Mr. Walia. The plane has already left the runway for Pune. A few minutes earlier…" he trailed off, giving Jais' shoulder an awkward pat.
A few minutes earlier, Jai thought as he lowered his chin to his chest in disappointment, feeling emotion wrap tight fingers around his throat.
Bani had left him and Atharva and Mumbai behind forever, taking his last chance with her.
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"I don't understand," Bani fretted, wringing her hands for lack of anything better to do. Save for a crumpled day-old copy of the Times of India, the row of cushioned seats was empty. "It has to be here. This is the last place…"
"Perhaps you should check the ladies' room."
Bani heard the note of thinly disguised exasperation in the suggestion but responded with a tight smile anyway, "The ladies' room was the second place I checked after…" She didn't have to finish the rest of her sentence; they both knew the ladies' restroom had been thoroughly looked over, a second destination following their current location—the first and last place searched. "It's not there." Sighing, she tried to keep her voice steady as she admitted what they both suspected, "Someone must have taken it." She couldn't meet the pair of puzzled pale eyes in front of her; to him, she knew, it was only a mangalsutr and her behavior over its loss the foolishness of a woman's whims. How could she explain that, to her, it was so much more?
"I'm sorry ma'm, we've looked everywhere. Maybe we can work out some type of compensation. Was the item an antique? A family heirloom?"
"I'm afraid its only value was sentimental." The lump in her throat made even that statement difficult to compose. For the first time, Bani saw understanding flicker across the man's bored countenance and felt pity in his gentle touch to still her restless hands.
"There's still the chance it could be found."
His awkward touch fell away, and Bani could only nod quietly as he continued to speak, even offering to give a description of the lost mangalsutr to his employees in the event that they made its unlikely discovery. She looked up sharply, however, with the mention of Pune.
"…Pune has already departed. Unfortunately, with the worsening weather, our next flight out has been delayed."
Bani found her eyes drawn to the tall windows that lined the small airport's walls, belatedly noticing that the runway was all but obscured by puddles of water. The plane, carrying Meerab and Pushkar, was already gone, one of the last flights to leave before the weather conditions had deteriorated to the city they were currently in. Unconsciously, she wrapped her arms tight around herself, feeling a shiver run down her spine as she stared at the wintry wasteland. Absently, she asked, "How long?"
"Pardon me?" Pale irises studied her profile in confusion.
Shaking herself out of her reverie, Bani faced the man and offered him an apologetic smile that didn't quite meet her eyes then clarified, "How long do you expect the delay to be?"
Now it was his turn to apologize. "I'm afraid these matters are never predictable. It could be minutes, hours, possibly even days. Of course, you're welcome to wait here, however long that may be. But if I might make a suggestion, there's a hotel just down the road that would be much more comfortable. I'd be happy to make the accommodations for you."
"No," Bani answered softly. "No thank you. I think I'll," she broke off to study her surroundings and dwindling clusters of people and families in the same predicament as her, "just stay here if you don't mind."
"I'm sure it wouldn't be too much trouble to arrange a car to take you home."
Inwardly, Bani winced, both at the knowledge that the offer had only been made to her because of her situation (Meerab and Pushkar leaving on the plane without her) and the realization that she didn't have a home here in Mumbai, never really had. "I appreciate the kind offer, but that won't be necessary."
"If you change your mind…"
She watched him slowly be swallowed up by the remaining crowd before turning around, her fingers tightening around her purse strap in surprise when she ran straight into a solid wall of muscle and felt two strong hands close over her upper arms to steady her. Biting her lip in embarrassment, she blurted out an apology without looking up, "I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." Moving to snatch her hand back from its warm resting place, she felt her capabilities of speech flee her when a large hand quickly covered hers, holding it still, and she realized she could feel the strong beat of the heart that lay beneath her palm. Swallowing hard, she felt her cheeks inexplicably flush with heat, and her own heart speed up within her chest in what felt like recognition. It couldn't be, she chastised herself, shaking her head and closing her sore eyes against the frustrating tears she felt pricking. Wishful thinking, foolish dreams, damned heart, she told herself as she lifted her face and steeled herself to meet a stranger's face, even as his familiar scent filled her senses and a traitorous sob escaped her lips. "I didn't mean to bump into you. Again," she laughingly cried when gentle thumbs captured her tears and the moist brown eyes she loved so sparkled back at her.
"I sure was hoping you would, again!"
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It had stopped raining. The stars were high in the midnight sky, shining down upon them like polished diamonds as Jai opened the car door and offered his hand.
Multi-colored twinkle lights blinked cheerfully in welcome and a thin curl of smoke wafted from the chimney, but the house and night itself were quiet until silvery laughter spilled forth helplessly.
Frowning at the absence of her fingers from his hand, Jai felt the stern expression melt away when he spied the source of her laughter.
The children's slide stood proud in the reflection of the stars and twinkle lights.
"What's so funny?" Jai asked
"You"
"Me?"
"I was trying to imagine you and Atharva on the slide together. Father-son duo would look so cute on this slide," Bani stated, smoothing a fingertip over the rough bark's surface with a smile.
Her eyes glittered at him in the darkness, and Jai felt his heart swell with painful, thankful tenderness that it wasn't with tears this time. "Yeah, well," the corners of his mouth quirked, undermining the grouchy tone he tried to affect when he said, "I don't think I'd fit on that slide. Though, I wouldn't mind seeing his mama and him on it together." Slowly, he took off his jacket, settling the jacket instead over Bani's shoulders and drawing her close until he felt her warm breath against his face. When she shivered, he slipped his arms around her beneath the jacket and pulled her against him. "Better?" he murmured against her hair.
Pressing her cold nose into the crease of Jais' neck, Bani nodded, letting him hold her and soaking in his bodily warmth. Seconds turned into minutes, and finally the urge to speak again grew too strong to ignore. "Did you mean it, Jai?" she asked in a small voice. "Really? When you asked me to stay?" Her eyes stayed focused on her hands when Jai held her at arms' length, stubbornly refusing to meet his gaze even when he lifted her chin in one hand.
Sighing, he tucked her hair behind her ear and spoke as sincerely as he could, "I meant it. Every word. Even the ones I wasn't brave enough to say." He smiled slightly when that comment earned him her unwavering attention, and her eyes searched his face for some hint, some clue as to what he could possibly mean. Taking a deep breath, he spelled it out for her and watched her eyes fill with crystal tears again, this time of the happy variety. "Atharva loves you, Bani. I love you. How could I let you leave Mumbai and take my heart with you?"
Holding up a shaky hand to her mouth, Bani tried to lighten the intensity of the moment with laughter and teasing, "That's corny, Jai." She sought out his hand in her own, squeezing it gently before pulling him along.
Jai fell into step behind her, a solid shield against the night's chill, and whispered into her ear, "Come on, you know you loved it." His eyes were laughing at her as he trapped her between his body and the front door, keys in hand.
Fingers looping through his belt loops, Bani backed through the open door, red and blue and green twinkle lights reflecting in her azure irises as she stared up at him. "Only because I love you."
The air grew thick between them, and Jai struggled to catch his breath long after she'd left his sight, disappearing into the living room on silent feet. He found her standing before the fireplace, touching her fingertips to a picture of both, he recognized as belonging to their son, and he was hit again with the enormity of the chance they were taking, allowing themselves to love again. "It won't be easy," he warned, taking her hand in his.
"It never has been," Bani whispered back, studying the contrast of their fingers. "Nothing worthwhile ever is." She looked deep into his eyes, seeing for herself that he recognized the truth in her statement.
"Everything else is just a pale imitation, but we'll make this work." Jai agreed. He squeezed her hand before letting it go and delving into his jeans pocket. "I almost forgot." He opened his hand, earning a gasp from her. "I found this."
Bani took the mangalsutr from his hands and looked at him with her heart in her eyes, her words taking on an added meaning that only Jai understood. "I thought I'd lost it forever."
"Not lost," Jai told her. "Just misplaced."
"Misplaced." Bani's smile grew, along with her realization; bless Meerab and Pushkar. She was still smiling when she pressed a soft kiss against Jais' stubble-roughened cheek.
Their warm breath mingled in the nonexistent space between them when she pulled back, but though he ached to take her in his arms and give her a kiss of less innocent intent, Jai recognized she wasn't ready. They weren't ready. There'd be plenty of time for those kind of kisses later. He pressed his lips against her furrowed brow with a sigh and let them linger.
"Jai?" Bani questioned as he cupped her elbow in one hand and lifted the fingers of the other to her mouth to shush her.
"Atharva won't mind being woken up at this time." Jai grinned at her, gently pulling her away from the looming shadow of the fire in the living room and down the hallway toward the bedroom where their son slept with his cousins.
"It's late. Let him sleep."
The half-hearted protest was belied with an anticipation she couldn't hide, and the expression was so reminiscent of their son, Jai realized he'd only been kidding himself when he'd claimed his last chances dried up and gone; for her, for Atharva, there was no obstacle not worth taking on.
Bani hesitated at the doorway; breath pent in until Jai tangled their fingers together and pulled her over the threshold.
In the stillness of the night, a child's joyous cries filled the air.
"Mama! You're home!"
To be continued…
