PART 2
It was one of those days in which she wished she was having a bad dream…one of those days when the severity of her situation hit her hard and all she could do was wish she had made different choices in life. But this particular day was the worst of them all. She looked in exasperation as the man she had loved for the last two years of her life was having the time of his life with that bimbo, of all people!! She would show him…he would not know a moment's rest until she had given him something more to remember her by. She swore to this as she walked out of the restaurant now, putting the laughing image of Aparajeet Deb behind her…on a game of revenge, the second cut is always the deepest.
She got into her small Toyota car and drove away towards the place she called home…the same place she was about to be evicted from for non-payment of rent. Her life right now was dire and bleak and totally devoid of happiness. Why? All because of one man. One man alone had turned her whole life upside down, and she had let him. But what could a woman without much in this life possibly hope for? Really, think about it. You have little or no money and fall prey to the predators of the privileged world, expecting them to make good promises made to you in the heat of passion…it truly was a recipe for disaster. A disaster that was now a full blown nine months……
FLASHBACK……………….
Things had become quite difficult back home in Mount Abu where she lived with her parents. Her father had retired and what could her mother who was a school teacher do to carry the financial burden of the family. Bani Dixit had then decided she would do what every first child should do and find a good paying job to help out the family. Along the way an opportunity for a better job in Mumbai presented itself and with her parents blessings, she had left her job in Mount Abu and gone on to the big lights of Mumbai. She had gotten the job, and after six months in a hostel was able to afford a nice two bedroom apartment which was close to work and she could very well afford to send money home to help her father out with the farmland he had just acquired and was cultivating to grow crops and sell to relieve their financial constraints. Things were indeed looking up for the Dixits.
Bani was really not your average woman…she was what you would term brains and beauty and she was a hard worker. No surprise then that she caught the eye of their overall boss, Manish Malhotra who decided to send her to their head office for a higher level of training. She finished among the top three and when she got back to her branch was given a promotion. So began her corporate climb until she became a junior manager, all of only twenty six. It was no wonder that soon her parents who were now doing wonderfully well, having being able to hire hands that worked and organized the running of the farm, started bothering her to get her act together and get married. Indeed it was time, but her responsibilities left her not much time for play or socializing if it was not office oriented.
And it was a fateful day out to lunch with her friend from work Pia, that she met the man she thought to be the most beautiful person there was out there. He had walked in while she was ordering to get away from the torrential rain that had been beating down on Mumbai all that week without so much as a care to all the people it inconvenienced. It was amazing how she looked up from the menu and their eyes had met and held. She couldn't look away and apparently neither could he. It was Pia who had brought her crashing down to earth from the high she had been on the last few seconds. She had been teased mercilessly and by Pia for mooning over a guy who hadn't said a word to her. Their eyes kept straying to each other through out the lunch period and for the first time in well, forever, that Bani left to the office with great reluctance.
It was like something had gone haywire inside her. She had kept on thinking about the handsome young man she saw in the restaurant that afternoon, and even worse, she found herself in the restaurant everyday, whether or not she was eating, anxiously looking to the door to see if he would come in. She truly was going crazy!
And just like that,on one of those days when she was despairing about how the man of her dreams seemed to be just that…the man of her dreams, he appeared. She sat facing the door, whining to Pia about how upsetting it was with all the pressure her parents were putting on her, and yet the man she was already in love with just wouldn't show up again.
"Hello ladies."
She turned an irritated face towards the voice behind her, and the irritation quickly turned into shock, which metamorphosed into joy.
"Oh my goodness, I thought for a second there you weren't real," she said with an obviously star struck smile, and as soon as the words were out of her mouth she froze in horror, "Please do not tell me I said that out loud!"
He chuckled at her alarm, "Don't worry about it, you would be amazed the number of things I could have kicked myself for in the last two weeks."
Pia had excused herself and disappeared promptly, leaving the two to talk. Apparently, she and Aparajeet Deb, for that was his name, seemed to have a lot in common as the conversation seemed to not stop flowing between them. She had given him her number to call her and finally she managed to return to the office, only this time she was walking on air!
And so the romance between the two began. He called her up at night, they lunched together, they went to the movies, on picnics, it was everything she had ever dreamed of. Falling in love with Prince charming and having the fairytale wedding, living happily ever after with a whole lot of babies. He had really made her life that much more interesting. Even at work, it was noticeable that she was in love. It had been quite a shocker when she had found out he was from the rich and famous Deb family. It never occurred to her until he started taking her on luxury boat rides, flying her from one city to another for lunch or dinner and then they started getting mobbed by reporters that she understood his need for secrecy all along.
It had been quite a revelation when he told her he head come to the restaurant several times, but had never gotten up the courage to come and up to her as she seemed to be much more than he could handle. Truth, he knew just what to say to get her going. They had their fights but somehow, they always managed to sort it out. She never really met his family, only a cousin or two at some odd party. Aparajeet took care of her in every way possible and it showed in the gifts and money she sent home. Her father had asked her to stop sending things home as they were comfortable now, but what they wanted was her good news.
She had finally confided in her mother who had been over the moon but decided not to mention a thing to her father until it was formalized. It had taken nine months for her to give herself to Aparajeet, figuring they were young and in love and well, what better way to show you are committed to this relationship than to take it to the next level? He was her first, and for her it was a night to remember. They had grown closer as a result and the bliss had continued for another eighteen months, and then the cracks began to show.
The flowers he sent her were more than the times they spent together, he kept missing out on important things in her life, she became uninvited to important events in his life and then, there was the news that he was seen around the corner with this girl, and that girl, and the fights began in earnest. The shouting matches were huge as she tried to understand what on earth was going on but he just never had straight answers. And gradually they drifted apart. She freaked out and almost began stalking him to find out what the problem was. To make matters worse, she was being sent away on a three month training course to Singapore and though she tried to get out of it, it just wasn't possible. Over there she tried to call him but he was always rushing out, in a meeting or mostly unavailable.
It had taken her by surprise when all of a sudden, she couldn't keep anything down. Always throwing up, getting motion sick and being able to smell even the faintest of smells with the accomplished nasal power of a blood hound. The dizzy spells were the most alarming and finally she had had to go see a doctor as the attacks were becoming worse. What she heard that day forever changed her life. Pregnant. Four whole months along and she hadn't even known it. Her preoccupation with Aparajeet had totally robbed her of all sense of reasoning and now she finds out she's pregnant? But even fate seemed to enjoy the game it was playing far too much. The doctor also informed her she was expecting twins. Twins!! This was the cruelest joke ever. What on earth was she going to do? It wasn't like her relationship with the father was anything to write home about.
From then on, things went down hill. She got back to Mumbai, the bulge in her stomach unmistakable at seven months. She had gotten in touch with, and asked to see Aparajeet. It was after a lot of pleading and harassing that he finally decided to see her. She had chosen the very same restaurant they had met in and after a very stilted conversation, he was about to leave when it seemed she had nothing to say that could possibly interest him when she blurted out that she was pregnant.
The way he froze and stared at her you would think he suddenly realized he had been sitting opposite an octopus all this while and only just realized it.
"What do you mean you're pregnant?" he asked through barely moving lips.
"Exactly what I said Aparajeet, I'm pregnant," she repeated, not quite sure whether to smile or not, "Seven months."
He stared at her, and then the slowest smile began to curve his lips, and then it turned into a hateful laugh. So desperate was she for a positive reaction from him she didn't realize he was mocking her.
"So this is how far you would go."
The statement wiped the tiny smile that was playing at her lips.
"What?"
"You? Pregnant?" he asked, a mocking smile playing on his lips, "Tell me Bani, how did it happen?"
She went crimson red in spite of the brittle nature of the moment, "How can you ask me that?"
"No I need to know Bani, because the last time I checked, you had just come back from Singapore. Two weeks ago to be precise."
"Aparajeet, that doesn't change the fact that I am pregnant," she said steadily.
"And I presume you're going to claim it's mine right?"
"But of course, whose would it be?" she asked in horror.
"Oh I don't know Bani, you never know with you gold diggers," he said, ever so casually lighting a cigarette.
"What did you just call me?" she asked, in total shock.
"You heard me," he said, his face becoming a glittering mask of anger, "I suggest you go find the father of that thing you're carrying Bani, cos it sure isn't mine."
Before she had time to comprehend what had just happened, he was up and out of the restaurant, leaving a seriously stunned woman in his wake. It was truly the worst week of her life. Her work began to suffer from then on and her countless efforts to get Aparajeet to see reason with her fell to the ground. He went as far as barring her from his work place at Deb Industries and blocking her number. When he did pick up, it was because she called with a different number and he would still hang up on finding she was the one calling. Her life had really gone to the dogs.
Preparing for two babies had put such a dent in her savings and each time her parents called, it was like a knife was being turned in her deep wounds. She couldn't well tell the truth. How do you tell your mother that you came to Mumbai the child she raised and are coming back to her a pregnant mother of two? She had to make up stories and in the end, even stopped taking calls from her folks. It was the only way she could keep her sanity.
She held this firm belief that disasters always happened in threes, and since she had already had to, she feared what the third one would be. It came two weeks into her eight month. She had been called into the boss's office and given the old heave ho'! At this point she was beyond shock. She quietly took the letter, read it, tore it up and neatly placed it on his desk before exiting the office.
She got home and cried for two days before getting up the courage to go at night to clear out her desk. She figured the fewer questions the better. She had just about finished and on her way out, she was sure she heard Aparajeet's voice, but what was he doing here? She inched closer to the boss, Karan's office and was appalled to find that this time, there was a fourth disaster that had come to play.
"…I kind of lost track with her you know," Aparajeet was saying, "But I tell you, she was worth every month."
"What are you going to do about the pregnancy?" her boss had asked.
"It's not mine is all I can say," he said.
"You know we have DNA tests today."
"So?" Aparajeet began his legendary pacing she knew signified he was on a war path, "With you firing her, it'll only be a matter of weeks before she leaves this city. It's not like she's got family here. She'll hang her head like the good little farm girl that she is and return to her Daddy in Mount Abu or wherever the hell it is she lives."
"You are crazy you know that?" her boss was laughing.
"Yes, and you owe me five hundred thousand," he poured himself a generous drink, "She was one tough cookie."
Outside the office, Bani blanched. It couldn't be….it just couldn't be. What was that all about? Had everything about her time in the office been a set up? And Karan seemed to be the one to have initiated everything. How could she not see it? What did all this mean? Was it even the first time such a thing was happening? Too many questions were spinning in her head as she walked to the elevator, automatically pushed the ground button and started the descent downwards. How she got home she couldn't remember, but that night, she went over everything that could possibly have happened in her time with Aparajeet. Seeing him in the office when she wasn't supposed to and all the flimsy excuses, the funny looks they gave each other, every single thing she used to brush off as a coincidence suddenly took on meaning and there was no doubt about it. She had been played for the biggest fool there was, and that too for half a million bucks, a dime of which she wasn't going to see!
And so began her life of isolation where she shied away from the media, shied away from everything that linked her to Aparajeet Deb. Soon enough they left her alone and she began to try to pick up the pieces of her fragmented life. She still wasn't able to talk to her parents as she didn't for the life of her want to lie to them. It was getting tougher and tougher to live in this city that had chewed her up and was about to spit her out.
She attended her ante natal classes alone, and the whispering and finger pointing were unbearable at first but had gotten easier as people usually bored with stories in which fires had died down. She had gone into herself and spoke to no one. Pia too it seemed had become busier than the President of over a billion people and could never find the time for her. It was really messing with her sanity. Her Doctor, the good Doctor Sablok being a young man himself, only four years older had totally understood and as much as possible tried to shield her from harshness, helping out whenever he could.
It was only today, walking into the restaurant that she had truly felt like dirt, truly felt that there was no more good in this world. Aparajeet, having lunch with none other than her own friend Pia. If it had been an ordinary lunch then maybe it would have been fine, to an extent. But she had walked in on a kiss, and Pia didn't seem to be fighting him off. Now she was in a blazing rage at the way her life had turned out. Gone was the starry eyed Bani Dixit, now she just wanted to raise hell!
It was the deal of a life time and Aparajeet could not believe his luck! He was sitting across the table from none other than the eminent Jai Walia who was here to be sold a new technology their company had just acquired to beef up security at Walia Group and all their other Holdings. He nervously shifted papers, trying to find his composure while his friend, Karan who was part owner in the Security Firm the two friends ran checking the time and wondering why the hell Pia wasn't here yet.
"Sorry I'm late," she said breezing in looking like she had come to conquer.
It was obvious she had gone all out for this particular meeting, looking all spanking new from head to toe. Aparajeet gave a brief shake of his head and Karan rolled his eyes. The overture however seemed lost on Jai Walia as he sat with a straight face, waiting for them to impress him. He was there with the only man people could best describe as his muscle man and best friend, Pushkar Shukla. Pushkar had been your regular street kid but a chance meeting had created a bond between the two that was founded on mutual understanding and trust. Trained by the Jai himself through Law school, Pushkar was the Head of Legal Department at WGI. If you wanted in with Jai Walia, the man to go to was Pushkar.
"Shall we begin?" Pia flashed a huge smile Jai's way and rose with the tiny remote in her hand.
He motioned for her to begin and sat back in his seat.
Downstairs, her heart was pounding but she knew the ins and outs of this building and she could get in any way she wanted. She went in the back and climbed three floors up, needless to say she was out of breath by the time she got to the fourth floor to catch the elevator up to the twelfth floor, effectively avoiding security. She rode up to the twelfth and stepped off, careful to keep her eyes lowered as she walked the hallway towards the Conference room. The Burka she was wearing however revealed her pregnancy but not so much that people would notice she was the one.
Getting to the door, she heard voices inside. It sounded like whatever was going on was finally over and they were formalizing a deal. She decided to wait and took a seat, waiting for them to show up. This would be the last time she set eyes on him face to face but she wanted him to remember it and remember it well. As if they could hear her thoughts, the door opened and Pia and Karan exited, followed by some man she didn't recognize. She would deal with Pia later but for now, her prime focus was Aparajeet.
They walked down the hallway and disappeared, obviously heading for the elevators. She pushed to her feet and entered the room without knocking. The two men turned to look at her at the same time—one with irritation, the other with mild curiosity.
"This is a closed meeting ma'am, I think you're in the wrong place," Aparajeet said, his arrogance shining through.
She paused and stared at him unflinching, "No Aparajeet, I know I'm in the right room."
A split second and recognition hit, "Bani?"
She slowly loosened the veil that covered her face and her long hair tumbled around her oval shaped face.
"See Jeet, this is what I have to resort to to see you," she said, shaking out the veil.
"Bani, we can discuss this later. How about…"
"We discuss it now Aparajeet," she said in a biting tone, "Since the mountain won't come to Mohammed, Mohammed will come to the Mountain. I'm here now, and we're going to talk."
The second man in the room just watched the display before him, his eyes silently darting from the one to the other as they spoke.
Aparajeet looked at him now, "I'm terribly sorry about this…"
"Handle your business," Jai cut him off, but made no move to rise or leave the office.
He went and took Bani by the arm, hissing in her ear, "You get the hell out of here right…"
"I am going nowhere Aparajeet, until we straighten this out!" she almost shouted, really mad now, "Every time you pull every excuse in the book, the most outrageous being that this does not belong to you. Well I'll be damned if I let you push me around this time."
"Bani, I'm warning you…" he began.
"Or else, what?" she asked him, beyond caring, "Or else what? Are you going to hit me? What Aparajeet? You are the most irresponsible man I have ever met. I mean to go to the lengths you went to for half a million bucks is beyond me."
He was confused and it showed.
"Oh don't be confused, I know all about your bet with Karan," she continued, "What was the timeframe to get me into bed Aparajeet? A week? A month? What?"
His face reddened in embarrassment.
"I loved you, and this is how you treat me?" she was getting madder now, "She was worth the wait?"
He turned to Jai Walia who wore an impassive expression. It was almost as if he was in the room but wasn't there all at the same time.
"Bani, if you do not leave now, I'm going to…"
"Jeet?"
They all turned to see Pia and Karan had arrived back and were more than shocked to see her there.
"Well well well, if it isn't the three musketeers," Bani said with a brittle smile, "Come on in, join the party."
"B…Bani," Pia stammered.
"Yes Pia, it's me," she said, "Surprised?"
"How are you?" Pia managed weakly.
"About as fine as a nail in a coffin," Bani said, "How come I don't see you these days? Too busy hiding from me huh?"
"No…it's just work…you know how it is," she said with a forced smile.
"Yes, I do know how it is," she said, giving Aparajeet a hateful stare, "You were so busy sleeping with him you couldn't care less what happened to your so called friend. Feeling guilty about that? You, more than anyone, know what I have had to face because of this man and yet you go behind my back? Didn't you even care about this?"
She indicated her really rotund belly, her expression pained.
Pia first went white, Aparajeet choked and coughed into his hand while Karan just inched backwards as though to get out of the line of fire.
"Why are you so dressed up?" she indicated Pia's obviously new outfit, then her eyes settled on Jai, "Oh, you did all this for him?"
Pia looked like she was about to drop to the floor, her head bowed and averted.
Bani gave a sarcastic laugh, and motioned to Aparajeet,"And you're sleeping with him?! Oh my goodness, how low can you go?!"
"How dare you insinuate…" Pia tried to form righteous anger.
"Don't insult me Pia, you of all people should know I only deal with the truth," Bani said with a shake of her head, "If I didn't see it myself I wouldn't have believed it. But I guess once a social climber always a social climber huh?"
"How dare you…" Pia was advancing on Bani only to be stopped by Karan.
"And you," Bani faced him, "Did losing the bet make you so mad as for you to fire me or did your friend here put you up to it? Which lesser of two evils propelled you to give me the sack huh?"
"Look Bani…"
"Don't even say my name," she hissed, "You know what, you all deserve each other. You're a nest of vipers and I guess I was too blinded by what I thought I had found here in Mumbai that I couldn't see you all for what you really were. Hateful and despicable people."
"Don't you dare insult…"
"Are those the only words in your vocabulary this morning?" Bani taunted Pia who was sporting an angry face, "But then again you never were very bright were you?"
She had given a sweeping look from Pia to Aparajeet.
"Come on," Karan pulled her away from the office and they disappeared, leaving the original three occupants of the room.
"I have nothing more to say to you Aparajeet, only that one day, you will wish you had made a better choice. I'll go back to wherever the hell it is I came from, and I will never bother you again. But you will be sorry."
"Is that a threat?" his anger showed for the first time.
"No Aarajeet," she said with a smile full of disdain, "It's more of a promise. What goes around comes around right?"
So saying and with a final look of disgust, she turned and left the office, in absolutely no hurry to leave, having accomplished what she came here to do.
In the office, as soon as the door closed behind the woman, Jai Walia rose, "I'll take my leave now. Hell of a presentation."
"I'm truly sorry Mr. …"
"Don't worry about it," Jai said pleasantly enough, "I'll be in touch."
With that he was out of the office. He walked into the hallway and headed for the elevators. He headed for the one which seemed to be opening and got in. It was only as the doors slid closed that he realized he was in the same elevator with the woman from the office.
Bani, he believed her name was. Lord, this was going to be a long ride down.
END!!
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