Part 2 The End:
http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=882899&T PN=3
Oh Really?
With trepidation he walked toward her, she was hurt, and she was roaming around in the night alone. She looked small, waif like, lost and forlorn. The guilt in him just went into overdrive. He was the cause for it. He was the cause for every damn bad thing that happened in her life. His inner soul popped to ask him, what about all the bad things that happened in his life, who was the cause for it? Was it her, was it the circumstances, was it his overprotective and manipulative sister? He wanted badly to wipe off the memories of her secretive investigations, her unnecessary mothering of him, and her inability to confide in him. Yes, she was at fault too! They were both equally at fault. He didn't care whose fault it is now. He could analyze and dissect all the things that happened since his marriage to Bani, but in the end, he knew he couldn't care less. All he wanted now was to envelop her in his arms, breath in her freshly washed hair, feel her heart beat against his, lay against her soft bosom and close his eyes to put an end to the sleeplessness of the last six years.
She was standing there, looking at him, like a doe that got caught by the hunter's headlights, ready to flee any minute. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly and walked toward her, his steps light and soft on the earthy carpet of fallen leaves.
"Bani!" the addressing was timid, just a precursor to the long discussion they were about to have.
She nodded quickly and looked down.
"Are you OK?"
She answered with another quick jerk of her head, implying a nod.
"It's not safe to walk in the dark, especially when you are hurt!" a sigh escaped him. "I was worried about you!"
"I can take care of myself. I don't need you, I have looked after myself for the last 6 years." The defiance in her voice surprised him. Now that was unusual, she never even opened her mouth all these days, even when he was openly abusive to her.
"Yes, I am sure you can!" he tried to pacify her. He wanted to take her home and put her in bed. She looked too frail standing there, with her head bandaged. He should never have allowed her to go to the outhouse in the first place. From now on, he will never let her out of his sight.
"I am meeting Daksh here!" her words stalled him in mid stride. He looked at her warily. Now what?
"Oh!" Whatever it was she was going to say, he didn't want to hear it. He launched into a quick speech. "I want to talk to you, Bani!" he raised his hand to stop her from talking.
She played with her dupatta. She had a premonition what he was about to see, she saw that look before the accident happened in the outhouse. The look of tremendous guilt, the relief that she didn't betray him. She could only guess Meera was behind the sudden transformation, first knowing that Ganga was his child, and now probably Meera, Mausi and Daksh spilled the rest of the story to him. She felt angry that he had to be convinced that she was innocent. But right now, she didn't want to come between him and his wife. He was married, it broke her heart when she found out Meera was his wife. But Meera was good to Ganga, she was good to her. How could she come between Jai and Meera now. If Meera wasn't in the picture, she would have melted eventually, after making Jai plead, grovel and woo her. But right now, it is an impossible situation. She was not the kind of woman that would indulge in an extra-marital affair. It's just not in her.
"Bani, I am really sorry for the way I behaved, I have been a jackass! The only thing I can say to you is that after Atharv and Krishna's death I went slightly off the rail. I couldn't handle you being with Daksh. You were distant with me, you were being secretive and every time, I turned around, I saw you with him, a young, rich boy! My insecurities overcame me, I was having financial difficulties, Arushi and Jigyasa were putting all these ideas into my head and I lost it. I love you Bani, I never loved anyone before like I loved you. I don't have any excuses, I still can't see you with anyone, if some one looks at you, I want to kill them with my bare hands, you can call it passion, you can call it addiction, you can call it madness, but I am mad about you, Bani! I love you with a fanaticism that scares the living daylights out of me. Bani, I am here to grovel in front of you, I will do anything, I will spend the rest of my days doing penance for my past deeds. Please come back to me Bani. Come to my house, our house and be my wife again, be the mother of my child, my children. Make me complete again, I am just a dead man walking right now. Make me live! Please! I beg you!" He grabbed her hands and brought them close and hid his face in them.
She looked at his bent head, the man of her dreams, the man who insinuated himself into her life as an unwanted bridegroom and slowly won her heart. She longed to hold his head to her bosom and wipe his tears. She restrained herself, with all her control.
"Mr. Walia! You didn't hear me, I am here to meet Daksh!" she knew the only way he would leave her was if he felt that she loved someone else. She had to this for Meera.
He didn't understand her, "Why couldn't you meet him at the house?" he raised his head.
She looked at him sardonically. "Because I don't want to meet my lover in my ex-husband's house!"
He stiffened. He scrambled to his feet slowly. "Your lover?"
"Yes, Mr. Walia! My lover!" Her lips twisted with amusement. "Daksh and I are going to get married soon. We love each other. We belong to the same generation, we understand each other perfectly. And most of all, he doesn't have the same insecurities like you!" she continued with deliberate lightness in her voice.
"I don't believe you!" he sputtered.
"Be my guest! Mr. Walia! It really doesn't matter to me what you think. You are married to Meera, I am going to marry Daksh soon. I understand you are feeling guilty about not trusting me when we were married. If it amounts to anything, I forgive you! I forgive and forget all the past. I am ready to move on. I would suggest the same thing for you, Mr. Walia. Forget the past, and go to your wife Meera, she is a good woman, I am sure, she will make you happy! We never had a happy marriage in the 12 years we were married to each other. May be couple of months of bliss, an older man teaching a young and innocent woman all about lovemaking and waking her to passion. I like being courted and cosseted by a rich, suave and good looking man. Who wouldn't?" She was flippant.
He stood ramrod straight. He couldn't believe his ears at first. He turned away blindly. He felt a sharp pain in his gut and felt it spreading toward his heart. No, it wasn't a heart attack, but it sure felt like it.
He spotted Daksh standing afar, looking curiously at the pair. He heard the rustle of her dress as she ran past him toward Daksh and throw herself in his arms. He could see Daksh being thrown off at this unexpected launching of a woman into his arms, right in front of her husband, or rather her ex-husband. A flash of pain crossed Jai's face. He was late, he was too goddamn late! He was also pompous and arrogant to believe that she would fall in his arms as soon as he asked her. Did he expect her to stay single and commitment free for the last six years? Especially since he got married to another woman, even if it was a marriage of convenience? He clutched his stomach and walked back to the car and lit the cigarette with shaky hands. He needed the smoke to calm him down.
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In a fit of anger, he told Meera to go to hell when he saw her leaving. He walked off in a huff leaving a bitter Meera behind. She could only guess that the son of a *i*ch was angry because he was rejected by Bani. But she too loved him, she must be masochistic, to take all the abuse thrown at her and still stay on - hankering after him like a loyal dog. But even the loyal dogs are thrown bits and crumbs thrown for sticking around with their master, but she didn't get anything from him. She wanted to show him that she was not a piece of furniture, used and thrown out. She put her bags inside. It was time to show Jai that she won't take any of his crap.
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"Jai!" she barged into the room to find Jai sitting morosely in his favorite chair looking out of the window. She was surprised that he wasn't indulging in his favorite past time, drinking.
"I am leaving, I am not going to play second fiddle to Bani and I am not going to sit idly while you run off to your first wife! I have some self-respect, and I think you are the most sadistic person I have ever met in my life to play us off against each other." Her throat closed in with unshed tears.
"Oh really? Meera, I seem to remember that you were suitably compensated for this contractual obligation we entered into. I seem to remember that before Mohan died he asked me to take care of you and talked me into marrying you. And I also seem to remember explicitly signing a document saying that this is a marriage in name only? Do you remember all that?" his eyes bored into hers, making her squirm.
She gathered her indignation. "Yes, I do remember, but do you also remember that I was with you for six years taking all the crap you dished out, took care of your needs and took care of your family for the same duration? Do you remember that I was the one who stood by you, while you attended the state dinners and played your trophy wife in front of the Bombay society? I was the one who took all the insults from Jigyasa aunty?" he was surprised by her outburst.
"I could have put the number of years I spent with you into some other honest relationship and had kids, but I hung out with you, hoping that one day this would turn into a real marriage. You are a true ba**a*d, Jai! You dangled me in front of Bani to make her jealous, I hate you! I am going to take you to the cleaners!" she raged at him, the tears blinding her.
He sighed. What she said was all true, he did act like she was his real wife in front of Bani to make her jealous. Wait a minute, his brain stopped functioning for a minute. He acted like Meera was genuinely his wife, he hugged her, he praised her, he treated her like she was the real thing, and the Bani he knew would never come between a man and his wife. Oh really? He almost smiled. But first, he needs to get Meera out of his life, she did deserve some consideration, she did deserve his respect, at least he owed that to his late friend.
"Meera, I am sorry!" he apologized genuinely. "I feel disgusted with myself, I shouldn't have done any of the things I did in the last six years. But I was upfront of you, I told you that there was no one in this world I could replace Bani with. You knew the score, I never pretended that this will turn into a true relationship. I messed up in the last few months, ever since she came back into my life. What we share is not just an attraction, it's a fire, a fire that just ignites when we see each other. You deserve something like that in your life, not an adjustment, not a settling for a lesser thing. You are a good woman, Meera! I will give you half of what I have, financially you will be set for your life, take your time and get married to some one who puts you on a pedestal and treats you right. I have a lot of baggage, and I would rather carry it with me, I know I will…" He paused to smile at her wanly.
"I am sorry, Meera!" she turned and walked out of the room.
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'Oh, Really!' is a lame name for the SS! I know, very cheesy!!
Next chapter is about him dealing with Bani, woos her, berates her, punishes her - let's see what is Jai planning to do with Bani.😡
Arre wah? I caused confusion already in two people? 😕 Me too! Why am I writing another story? I am mad...that's why!
