Another take on JB marriage...when Pia runs away.
The Marriage
Bani did not know what to do…she paced the room back and forth while her sister and mother watched her. A knock on the door sounded sharp. They all looked towards it. The door opened and Krishna Walia looked at them and smiled. "The pandit is asking for Pia to be brought down."
Kiran burst into tears, followed by Rano and Bani stood helplessly looking at Krishna. Krishna closed door realizing something is wrong. She walked towards Bani, "What's wrong Bani? Why is your mother crying?" Bani held out the crumpled note in her hand.
Krishna read the note and looked at Kiran. "Kiranji, please stop crying. Please it is better this happened now and not after the marriage."
Bani shouted, "Aunty…how can you say that. Jai is waiting downstairs for her…he is waiting to get married." Krishna's smile stayed the same. She walked up to Kiran and hugged her. "Listen Kiran…Jai will get married and that too, to your daughter. Bani will marry jai."
Kiran's tears stopped. "What are you saying Krishnaji? Jai wanted to marry Pia. You can't ask Bani to take her place."
"Oh yes she can. I always wanted Bani for my Jai. I had prayed so many times, that Jai would fall out with Pia and instead fall in love with Bani." Bani gasped loudly, never in her wildest dream had she ever looked at Jai as anything else than her younger sister's fiance.
Krishna walked up to Bani. "Look we don't have much time. Just get ready. I will take care of everything else." Krishna picked up the wedding lengha and put it in Bani's hand. "Quickly please." And she was out through the door.
Bani looked helplessly at her mother.
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Her heart was racing a marathon, her mind was screaming no as Bani sat down next to Jai. Krishna took hold of Bani's hand and put it on top of Jai's. Bani felt his hand grip tightened around her hand. She couldn't see clearly through the ghunghat. Feeling sick in the stomach, she followed all the ritual until it time came for Jai to put sindoor in her parting. Bani closed her eyes as she felt the ghunghat being lifted. She felt his finger trace along the parting as he applied the sindoor. Only when the ghunghat fell back did she open her eyes and let the tears fall.
Jai sat in the car watching Bani crying, clinging to her mother. He was angry but his mother had warned him not to create any scene and so he had just numbly followed rest of the rituals. Now he could not wait to get home and pour a glass of scotch down his throat. Where was Pia? He wondered. Why did he end up getting married to Bani.
At the house, after all the rituals were over, Krishna asked her daughter Jigyasa to take Bani up to the bedroom. She asked Jai to follow her into the study. As soon as they door was closed, Jai turned around and faced his mother. "What happened ma? Where is Pia? Why did I marry Bani?"
Krishna, put a finger to her lips, "Not so loud." She took out the neatly folded note and handed it to Jai. "Here read this…Pia ran away." Jai's eyes scanned the note and then angrily he scrunched up the note and threw it on the floor. "How could she ma? How could she do this to me? I love her." Jai sat down heavily on the chair and dropped his face in his hands.
Krishna came and rubbed Jai's back. "I know Jai…but I always thought she wasn't right for you Jai. I never liked her as much as I like Bani. I had to ask Bani to take her place Jai…in front of all those people…it was both our and Kiran's sake Jai. You know how cruel people are, for Kiran it would have been worse…nobody would have come with a rishta for Bani or Rano if we had walked out. Trust me Jai…give it time…she will make you happy."
Jai looked up at his mother, there were unshed tears in his eyes. He just hugged his mother to get some comfort. Krishna left Jai in the study, knowing he needed time. Jai opened up the drink cabinet and poured himself a good measure of scotch and downed. He felt better as the fiery liquid trailed down his throat. Another one followed soon afterwards.
When Jai finally reached his bedroom, he had consumed several glasses of scotch. He turned the doorknob nosily and entered his room. Leaning against the door, he looked at the swimming view of his room…the candles, the flowers, Bani sitting on the bed and the music in the background. He staggered towards the bed and sat down heavily. With a rough movement he pulled down ghunghat and pushed Bani's face up. His red eyes scanned her fearful face. "You are… beautiful… you know… Bani. Tell me…why did Pia… run away?"
"I don't know Jai. She never said anything to us." Bani said tearfully, her heart just throbbing away violently in her chest.
"So…you…don't…know. And I..don't…know. It's…" he burped loudly and then laughed, "Excuse…me. It's…my shuhag raat…you know. And they have…all been…teasing…me." He ran his hand down her back and pulled at the doris on her choli. His hand moved roughly on her bare back. Bani flinched at his touch. "I…am going…to make…love to my wife. After all…I have a reputation…to keep." He dropped his face on hers and she smelled the alcohol on his breath and tasted it as his mouth forced down on her lips. Bani gripped his arms and tried to push him away, but he was too strong. His mouth and hands kept up its onslaught on her, until she gave up and lay limp on the bed.
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In the morning Bani showered and got dressed quickly. She made sure her clothes covered the bruises on her body. Downstairs Krishna was surprised to see Bani up so early. Bani touched Krishna's feet. "Good morning ma." Krishna put her hand on Bani's head and blessed her.
"Can I help you in the kitchen ma?" Bani asked, desperate to do something to keep her thoughts away from last night and to stop the tears that threaten to flow. Krishna smiled, "Yes…come I will show you where everything is. First we will do the puja and then go into the kitchen."
Bani did puja with Krishna. She closed her eyes and cried silent tears as she prayed. She had no idea what to ask her God for…mukti or shakti? In the kitchen Krishna introduced her to the couple of maid who helped with running of the house. She showed Bani where everything was and told her how Jai liked his coffee. They sat about preparing food for breakfast. Several guests had stayed over and so there was quiet bit of food to prepare. Bani was glad at least she did not have to be under anyone 's scrutiny. Krishna made coffee for Jai and asked Bani to take the tray up.
With her stomach feeling sick again, Bani carried the tray in her room. She felt relieved when she found Jai still fast asleep. She sat the tray down and left the room.
Most of the people had already taken breakfast when Jai came down. Krishna sat both Jai and Bani down to eat. Bani coloured as people teased Jai for getting up so late. Jigyasa sat down next to Jai and nudged him, "Oye…you can't alone now. First you have to feed bhabhi before you can eat. Go on then." Jai glared at Jigyasa. Krishna smiled and put her hand on Jai, "Go on beta. This is your first meal together, feed her something."
Jai couldn't say anything to his mom. He picked up a small piece of paratha, dipped it in yogurt and held it against Bani's lips. Bani looked at Jigyasa who sat smirking at them. She opened her mouth and ate the offered food.
The rest of the day passed by quickly as the family surrounded Bani and asking her questions to satisfy their curiosity. She had no idea where Jai disappeared, but was glad she wasn't made to interact with him. In the evening Jigyasa dressed up Bani for the muh dhikhayi rasam. She was dressed in a pink lengha with a very short choli and a sheer chunri. Bani had looked shocked when she saw herself, "Di, I can't wear this….it shows too much."
Jigyasa had pinched Bani's cheek. "You look hot bhabhi. And I want my bhaiya to have a heart attack when he sees you." And true to Jigyasa's word, several guys did have a heart attack seeing Bani coming down looking gorgeous in the pink lengha. Kiran and Rano had come too. Bani had gripped them in a hard hug. Bani was made to sit down and then Krishna called Jai over and handed him gold kangans and pushed him towards Bani, "Go on…put them on her hands…they are hers now."
Jai had looked at the kangans that had always been on his mom's hand. He stooped down and picked up Bani's hand and slipped the kangan on. As he was about to walk away, Jigyasa got hold of him, "Aree bhaiya, what about a gift from you for bhabhi?" Jai gave her a puzzled look, "I just put on the kangans."
Jigyasa's eyes twinkled, "Those are from mom. I am not going to let you get away. How about a kiss for my bhabhi?" Jai glared, while rest of the crowd whistled and clapped. Bani felt herself blush. Jai looked at everybody's faces staring at him. He leaned down and kissed her cheeks. A burst of applause followed by some of the guys calling out, "Chicken…that's not a kiss." Jai quickly moved away.
Bani was already in bed when Jai entered their bedroom. He took his change of clothes and went into the bathroom. Bani turned around and turned off the lamp on her side of the bed. Few minutes later she felt the bed shift as Jai lay down next to her. It went dark in the room as the light went off.
Next morning, Bani stirred as the soft light of the sun filtered in through the blinds. She turned her head to find Jai sleeping, his face close to hers and his arm over the top of her head. For the first time she stared at his face closely. She had always liked him. Thought he had been perfect for Pia, tall, good looking, successful and very well mannered. Bani wondered how could Pia just leave him sitting in the mandap like that, without much of an explanation. Jai stirred slightly and Bani closed her eyes, just in case he woke up. When she was sure that he was still asleep, she slipped out and went to get ready.
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Her days fell into similar pattern, she would wake up before Jai, bring his coffee into the room, make breakfast and watch him go off to work. He hardly spoke to her. Krishna made an effort to make sure Jai did not completely ignore Bani, by making sure in the evening at least they had dinner together. Krishna had shown Bani, what Jai liked to wear for office and other personal habits he had. Every morning now Bani laid out clothes for him wear and kept his watch, phone and laptop on dresser, ready for Jai to pick up.
At night couple of times he had made love to her, but this time he hadn't been drunk and had been more gentle than the first time. Bani accepted the intimacy as part of her married life now.
It was three months and Krishna was unhappy at with Jai's aloofness with Bani. One day when they were having dinner, she picked up and envelope and held towards Jai.
Jai looked at it, "What is it ma?" he asked.
"Tickets…you are taking Bani on your honeymoon. You have been working non-stop and it is about time you took a break and took Bani away." Krishna said with a gentle smile.
"But ma…I am busy at work…I can't take any time off now." Jai protested, not really wanting to go away alone with Bani.
Krishna just put the tickets in his hand, "I had a word with Mr Mehta and he has fixed your calendar so that you will be free for the time you are going away." Jai sat back and glared at his mother. "You are too much ma. We can go another time…can't we Bani?" Jai looked at Bani, indicating with his eyes to say something.
Bani blushed slightly, "Ma…leave it. We will go when Jai has free time."
Krishna smirked, "Now Bani…don't side with that idiot son of my. He will work himself to death, before he takes a holiday. You are going and that is." Jai took the tickets and looked at it…"Darjeeling…" he said in surprise.
"Yes…a nice quiet hill stations. There is a lot to do or you can just have a relaxing holiday." Krishna said.
"Well you better make sure we have plenty of warm clothes, it's not exactly hot weather over there." Jai said as he tucked the tickets away in his pocket.
"You leave that to us. I will take Bani shopping and make sure you have your warm woolies." Krishna said with a twinkle in her eyes. Jai just rolled his eyes and went back to eating.
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Bani looked at the dramatic landscape of Darjeeling. The sprawling green tea plantations, lush green hills that rose dramatically around the road they were travelling on. The air was crisp and cool. She was glad to be wearing warm sweater and a coat that she had purchased. They passed a chugging toy train, packed full of people going in same direction as us. People waved at them as they passed by. Their boutique hotel was small and comfortably furnished. The room had a spectacular view from the window. Bani sat down on the chair near the window.
Jai set their bags down and went into the bathroom. When he came out, Bani was still sitting by the window. "Bani…" he called out.
Bani turned her head. "Do you want to have some tea or something to eat?" he asked.
"Tea would be nice. I am not hungry."
Jai sat down and phoned the room service and ordered tea for Bani, coffee for him and some sandwiches. He sat waiting for the tea to arrive. Bani had returned back to looking out of the window. They had their tea and coffee in silence. Jai offered Bani the sandwiches but she refused as she wasn't really hungry.
Jai left the room shortly, telling her he was just going to find out some information and would be back. Bani opened the suitcase and took out the shawl she had brought and wrapped it around her as she curled up in the chair. She had seen photos of Darjeeling, but had not realized out spectacular it was. Now she felt eager to go out and explore the place…see the tea gardens, trek the hills and see the monastery. She would ask Jai tomorrow and plan things to do. They dined in the hotel restaurant at night and then climbed into bed as the temperature dropped at night.
When Bani woke up in the morning, she found Jai looking down at her. She had been sleeping with her face buried in his chest and her arm wrapped around him. She blushed at the look in his eyes and then moved away. At breakfast Bani asked, "Can we visit the tea plantation Jai? I would like to visit some places while we are here."
Jai nodded, "You can decide where you want to go and I will make arrangements for the car etc. Make sure you eat something more than a toast Bani, as we might be out for a while."
In couple of hours they set off for a tea garden in hired car. They strolled around the tea garden, watching the workers pick the eat leaves. The aroma from the plant was overwhelming. In the factory they saw the leaves being processed into the famous tea and sampled some fresh brew in the small cafeteria. Bani bought some tins to take back with her. On the way back they stopped at a small temple built in the pagoda style, where Hindus and Buddhist both came to worship. The small statue of gleaming Buddha sat alongside other murtis.
After dinner Bani wrapped herself up in a jacket and shawl and decided to take a stroll outside. She rubbed her hands as the cold winds blew. Just a ten minute stroll had her hands and feet going numb. Bani returned back to the hotel. Jai was sat in the lounge near the fire, talking to some people. He waved her over and introduced them. Bani sat down, enjoying the heat from the fire. Jai asked if she wanted a drink, Bani opted for a hot cup of tea. She listened with interest as the people described some of the places they had visited and made a mental note of the names.
She was almost falling asleep, when Jai put his arm on her. "I think you better go the room Bani. I will come up shortly." Wishing everyone goodnight, Bani went up to the room. In few minutes she was fast asleep.
They spent next few days visiting, monastery, parks and even going on a day trek. Bani enjoyed every minute outdoors, even Jai soon became eager to go out with her. Bani was completely different from Pia. Bani got pleasure from doing simple things. She did not wear makeup or styled her hair. Her clothes were conservative and suitable for the cool weather of hill station. Unlike Pia, Bani was reserved and shy. She had bought gifts for everyone and had not even brought one thing for herself. He found himself making comparison a lot whenever he discovered something new about Bani that he liked.
It was their last day in Darjeeling and Jai thought to make it special for Bani. Next morning it was still dark when he woke up Bani. He asked her to get ready as they were going out. The car took them a short way out of the town and up to a place called Tiger Hill. It was chilly and Bani huddled in the shawl. Jai told her they were going to see the sun rise. The pale yellow sun peaked over the hils. As the first rays of the sun kissed the snow-clad peaks of the 'Kanchenjunga' and the Western Himalayas, the view was breathtaking. There were several people there and everyone tried to capture the image. Bani looked with amazement, her eyes shining with pure pleasure at the views enfolding before them. She clutched Jai's arm tightly the sun rose.
She was still awe when they returned back to the hotel. As they entered there room Bani turned towards Jai and with tears in her eyes whispered, "Thanks Jai." Bani did not realize whether it was her or Jai, but both them seemed to move towards each other. She wound her arms around his neck as he kissed her gently at first and then a little feverishly. They fell on the bed and made love with a passion. In the morning glow their bodies melded into each other.
Much later when they lay holding each other, Jai asked her softly, "Bani are you happy?" Bani titled her head back a little, her brown eyes had deep haze to it, "Yes…do you still miss Pia?" she asked, wanting to know the truth about his feelings for Pia. Jai sighed and shook his head negatively. "I did at the beginning…but now I don't think I ever loved her. If we had really loved each other, I don't think we would even ever hurt each other the way she did. I don't know what love is anymore. Do you believe in love Bani?"
Bani nodded, "Yes….every girl dreams of falling love. "
Jai ran his fingers through her hair, his face serious, "Tell me what you think love is…"
"Well, it would be when you look at someone and you feel your heart would stop. You just want to be with them all the time. They make you smile, they make you want to do things to please them. You know nothing would seem impossible if the person you loved was standing next to you." Her eyes had a dreamy look and a soft smile when she finished.
Jai leaned over and looked into her eyes, "Do you think you can fall in love with me?" Bani reached her hand up to his face, "I think I have already. This morning as the sun rose, all I could think of was that you took time to bring me out to see such a beautiful sight. You did something wonderful for me." Jai was moved by her answer and he had no reply for it. Instead he buried his face in the side of her neck.
It was lunchtime by the time they made their way out of the hotel. He took her out to centre of the town for some shopping and then a late lunch at one of the local restaurants. They returned back and packed their bags for their early morning departure. Bani did not want to go out for dinner, so Jai ordered dinner in their room, which they ate sitting by the window and looking out at the night view of the hills.
They left the curtains open at night so they could see the starry sky as they lay entwined in each other's arms, wanting the night never to end.
THE END
