Part IV
Planting himself in Bani's lap, Atharva enjoyed sampling cake and other desserts from the warmth and security of her embrace.
Watching them both, Jai couldn't help but feel cheated of the family they could have been. He reluctantly tore his gaze away from the bittersweet sight when he realized Pushkar was speaking to him.
"Nattu tells me you've been working really hard for your dream project."
"Mamaji is building a hospital to be named after Bani mami," Anu joined the conversation mid-stream, great pride for her favorite mamu in her eyes and smile.
Bani turned surprised eyes to Jai, resting her cheek against Atharva's silky head.
"That's great" Pushkar congratulated heartily. "It looks like your dream's finally coming true."
If Bani was surprised to hear about this being Jais' dream, she hid it well.
Only part of it, Jai thought to himself with a half-hearted smile. The other part of his dream seemed as unattainable as the stars that burned in the far-off sky.
"For as long as I can remember," Pushkar reminisced fondly, "this guy dreamed of building a hospital for the poor and the needy to be named after Bani. It was all he could ever talk about ever since he'd met Bani. Once I'm married to Bani…"
Jai glared at his son like friend. Not much had changed about Pushkar over the years; he still possessed a propensity for speaking without thinking.
"What about you, Uncle Pushkar?" Simran piped up. "What did you wanna be when you growed up?"
"Purva Babhi, would you PLEASE tell your daughter to stop calling me "uncle", mien abhi itna bhuda bhi nahi hua hoon yaar" Pushkar said causing all the elders to laugh.
"A circus clown, of course," Pushkar replied with nary a twitch of his lips. His dancing brown eyes, however, gave him away.
Simran giggled when Atharva cried, "Bozo!"
"Bozo the Clown," Pushkar pretended to be deep into consideration. "Has a nice, catchy ring to it."
"I never knew you were so ambitious, Uncle Pushkar," Anu found herself joining in the children's silliness.
"Don't encourage him anymore," Aditya warned, helpless to keep his own smile at bay. After a moment of welcome shared mirth with his family and friends, Aditya sobered, turning to his attention once again to Jai, "Seriously, Jai. I'm proud of you. We're all proud of you, down to the newest rookie."
Ranveer rolled his eyes and ducked his head to hide the sheepish grin on his face at the arm Aditya threw around his shoulders. "Dad."
Searching out Anu's twinkling eyes with his own, Pushkar heaved a mock-disappointed sigh, "That leaves me and you as the lone black sheep in the family."
"I won't let you down, Pushkar," Anu vowed.
"Good to know," Pushkar took her answer in stride, chuckling at the expressions worn on each and every member of the Walia family's faces. "I just wanted to say thank you again, Mausi, for making us refugees feel so at home."
"Pushkar," Seema blushed.
"You're welcome," Mausi replied warmly.
"Such holidays are for friends and family," Aditya lifted his glass in a toast.
"To friends and family," everyone around the table echoed.
His eyes on Bani again, Jai wondered, not for the first time, where she fit in.
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"My tummy hurts," Atharva whined as Bani steered him to the living room couch, her hands resting gently on his small shoulders.
"I warned you about that third piece of cake," Bani's response was faintly reproachful. She took a seat amongst the sea of plush cushions, opening her arms to her son.
Atharva cuddled into her embrace unhesitatingly, tucking his rumpled head beneath her chin. "But it was the last piece," he refuted with just a trace of stubbornness in his tone.
"That doesn't mean you had to eat it," Bani laughed softly, stroking a hand through Atharva silky strands.
"But I did," Atharva insisted. "Simran had three pieces."
Pausing in her task of picking up Simran's scattered toys and placing them in the oversized bag hanging from her shoulder, Purva had to comment. "Simran has a bottomless pit for a stomach. She just eats and eats and eats…" She smiled at the grin her words elicited.
"Like someone else I used to know," Pushkar mused, giving Anu's curly hair a playful tug as he passed her en route to the armchair across from Bani. Collapsing into it, he clutched his own stomach with a groan, proclaiming, "I'm full."
"You should be," Anu snorted, remembering all the food she'd watched him consume within the past hour.
"Mausi's a great cook," Pushkar shrugged.
"You're such a man," Purva shook her head, oblivious to the amused stares of Bani and Atharva. Giving Pushkar's hair a sisterly tussle, she tucked the overflowing bag next to his chair. "Where's my daughter?"
"Outside with Nachiket," Pushkar sighed in answer. "Something about taking Dixie for a walk."
"Good," Purva stated, relieved. Noticing Bani's questioning look, she told her, "Dixie's not house-trained yet."
Atharva lifted his head to peer into Bani's eyes. "What's that mean, Mama?"
Before Bani could answer, Pushkar interjected; in language Atharva had no trouble understanding, "Dixie's not potty-trained."
"Somebody's been spending too much time around the kids, eh?" Purva muttered under her breath, not bothering to hide her smirk.
"I can't help it if there are so many kids around me lately," Pushkar defended himself. "And the kids aren't so bad once you get used to them."
"Right," Anu replied skeptically, settling on couch beside Bani and Atharva. She yanked playfully at one of Atharva's shoestrings, delighting in the boy's indignant response. "Fess up. Whose mom are you dating?"
"I like kids," Pushkar persisted. "I like Simran. And Atharva," he said, mindful of little ears attuned to the conversation. "Atharva's not too bad."
Atharva hid his bashful smile in the crease of Bani's neck, his small fingers toying with the silver charm bracelet around her wrist.
"Come on, Pushkar," Purva rolled her eyes. "This is me you're talking to. It's not a crime, you know. Dating someone. You haven't been interested in another girl since…" she trailed off, finally remembering Bani's presence in the room and the potential for awkwardness the conversation held. "Sorry. I'll just…shut my big mouth now."
Silence reigned for several moments, until Pushkar shattered it with an admission not so revolutionary to the room's other occupants. "It's not easy. Getting over someone."
Sometimes, Bani knew, it was next to impossible.
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"She's something, isn't she?" Pushkar nodded toward Simran with a grin.
In a far corner of the yard, Simran was clapping and congratulating Dixie on a job well done—"a good potty"—while Nachiket looked on, greatly amused.
"She is," Jai agreed with a smile of his own. For the briefest of seconds, he longed again to possess the simple, pure perception of a child, where joy could be found in the smallest of things. Maybe then, his life and the key to his happiness wouldn't be so complicated.
"You're getting serious on me again, Man," Pushkar declared in a nagging voice.
"Pushkar," Jai warned.
Unruffled, Pushkar stuffed his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket for warmth and stomped the heels of his shoes against the hard ground. "Do you want to talk about it? Things looked pretty intense between you and Bani earlier."
"When you interrupted," Jai voiced a reminder as they sat side by side on the picnic table bench.
"Yeah," Pushkar feigned a sheepish shrug, "I've been told I have a knack for that. I prefer to think of it as a talent. Interruptions aren't always bad."
"Not always," Jai echoed with a smirk, remember when Jai had scolded him for always interrupting at the wrong time.
"If I hadn't announced myself at that precise moment," Pushkar continued, "who knows what kind of crazy things you might have done." Giving Jai a sideways glance, he offered up his own predictions in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "Hell, you might have kissed her. Or worse yet, admitted you never stopped loving her."
"Pushkar," Jai sighed heavily. "It's not that easy."
"I know," Pushkar gave an answering sigh. "It's complicated. I get it."
"No, you don't," Jai insisted, his frustration showing itself in the frown he wore. "I can't let Atharva get hurt. If there's even a chance…"
Seeing Nachiket and Simran approach, Pushkar stood and placed a firm hand on Jai's shoulder, his brown eyes devoid of any humor as he spoke, "You're only fooling yourself with that excuse, Jai sir. Nobody else. Make it simple. Don't let her leave without telling her."
"What? Are you a shrink now?" Jai rose, preparing to say his goodbyes to his good-intentioned, albeit annoying, friend.
The twinkle returned to Pushkar's eyes as he rebounded with a reply that brought a smile back to Jais' face, "I moonlight on the holidays. The first consultation's free. There's no way you could afford my hourly rates."
Jai chuckled as they shared a father-son parting embrace. "Don't quit your day job."
"What day job?" Pushkar grinned, lifting a hand in goodbye.
"Pushkar," Jai called.
"Yeah?" Pushkar hung back.
"Be at work on time tomorrow!" Jai told him.
"Always." Pushkar grinned as he got into the car with his family.
Jai shook his head. Nothing can ever be done about this boy, Jai thought.
To be continued...
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Cricket
