In case you need the link to the earlier parts here it is:
Part I to V-C:
http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=526376& ; ; ; ; ; ;TPN=1
Part V-D
Bani scintillated. Charming and dazzling everyone she came into contact with, surprising many people who had always categorised her as rather quiet and shy.
But out of the corner of her eye she could not help but notice the amount of alcohol he consumed. In horrified fascination, she watched while pretending not to, a little miffed that he seemed entirely oblivious of her.
The ebb and flow of the crowds brought Roshni to Tarun and Rano. Jai was still standing near them, well aware of the apprehensive concern Tarun and Rano, who had obviously been filled in on the details by Tarun, were feeling. For his part, he saw no point in avoiding Roshni, she would locate him sooner or later, might as well get it over and done with. Besides, mingling with the crowds meant running into Bani inevitably, who, he noticed with amusement, was busy behaving like a dizzy butterfly, alighting upon hapless young men with the utmost charm.
The, "hello Jai, long time no see," murmured in a come hither voice recalled him. It was accompanied by a sultry smile.
"Roshni," he acknowledged in a polite, bored voice.
"I'd have thought you'd look a little happier on meeting me, for old times sake if nothing else," she purred, undeterred by his coolness.
"I prefer to live in the present," he replied languidly.
"but the past lives on in the present" she silkily said, threading her arm through his.
Casually but implacably detaching himself from her he murmured smoothly, "I did not realise that philosophy interested you," turning the words into an elegantly dismissive insult.
"But then again Jai, there is so much about me that you've never taken the time to discover about me," she came, without letting the discomfort show.
"perhaps because what I discovered was more than enough."
"and perhaps what you discovered was not the whole truth," she softly challenged, meeting his gaze head on.
He smiled at her sardonically and said, "and perhaps I should tell you that I know about your trip to Dr. Mehrotra's clinic."
To his surprise instead of the shock he had expected she continued to regard him steadily with tiny smile eventually flitting across her face.
"I know about your little visit. But perhaps what you don't know is that Vijay Mehra's was just a friend, not the father as I am sure you assumed."
The blood drained from Jai's face. It took every single ounce of the will power and self control he posessed to look at her and say, "in any case it no longer matters either way. So, if you will excuse me?" and walk away.
Roshni could have stamped her feet in frustration; this was not how she had expected Jai to react when she had planned this exchange in her mind.
But one little setback was not going to put her off. She had not come all the way to Delhi and gatecrashed a wedding to be fobbed off so easily.
She set off in pursuit of Jai. He was headed towards the bar. Aaahhhh, now that was more like it, she smiled. She'd give him a little time for the full force of remorse, guilt and shock to set in. and then she'd get him. This time for keeps. Roshni was not the sort of girl who made the same mistake twice and Jai had eluded her once. He would not do so again.
Bani's inner sense was occupied full time in keeping track of Jai. As soon as she saw him head towards the bar with such purposeful strides her heart sank. He'd already been drinking steadily since they'd rejoined Tarun and Rano. So a personal visit to the bar was definitely bad news.What could that beautiful woman have said to Jai? He'd been talking to her, for the past few minutes, with his body language becoming more and more aloof.
"so, lunch tomorrow?" the young man eagerly confirmed, breaking into Bani's reverie.
Without the faintest clue of what he was talking about, Bani smiled and said, "yes, it is wonderful isn't it? Do tell me more…."
And then remained oblivious to the puzzlement etched on his face.
Not realising that he was absolutely silent, Bani said, "I'm so sorry for interrupting but I have to go and see someone, …an …er…old friend….do please excuse me," and without waiting for a reply hurried off, leaving behind a thoroughly affronted young man.
Bani and Roshni, oblivious of the similarity of their quest, crossed each other more than once.
In the meantime, as dinner came to a close and the guests began to depart, Mrs.Shastri beckoned Bani to escort Rano to the mandap for the marriage ceremony to begin.
Once the ceremony was well under way, Bani quietly slipped away.
Roshni had had no choice but to give up. Jai must have left the party and returned to his hotel, she concluded and decided to go there directly. She had had the foresight not only to ascertain which hotel he was staying in but to also check herself in there as well. Strange, but Delhi was perhaps the only big city in India where Jai did not own a hotel.
At a loss for locating Jai, Bani took a deep breath and thought for a minute. And then with a smile at her own foolishness, made her way to the secluded arbour Jai had earlier dragged her to.
He was sprawled in elegant abandon on the stone steps of the summer house.
Bani made her way over and sat down besides him. He opened his eyes as the rustle of her clothes alerted him to her presence.
Even before he muttered "leave me alone" ungraciously and blasted her senses with whisky breath, she had taken in the bottle of whisky held in his hand. Three quarters empty.
"you are drunk," she informed him matter of factly, without any censorship or judgement.
"elementary, my dear Watson," he mumbled, without opening his eyes.
"You know, Sherlock Holmes never actually said that. In any of the Holmes novels," she informed him reflectively.
"Fancy that!" he quipped sarcastically.
"I know," she responded cheerfully, "always puzzled me too. I remember going through all the novels obsessively trying to locate that line."
In disbelief he opened his eyes and turning glared at her.
"I'm drunk. I prefer to be alone. Go. Please."
"well yes, I know. But I don't think that that is very wise."
"excuse me?"
"I mean how are you going to make it back to your hotel without falling flat on your face?" she asked him sweetly. "I'm offering to help, let me take you back to your hotel room and then you can be drunk in peace, all alone. Ok?" she cajoled.
"I can make it back on my own," he protested.
"ok. If you can walk in a straight line for five steps then I'll accept that as a fact and leave right now. Deal?"
He looked at her in disbelief, "who the hell do you think you are?"
"your guardian angel at the moment," she quipped thoughtlessly and then held her breath, hoping that he would not realise the import of what she had inadvertently revealed.
He stilled at her words. Scrutinised her face; which she desperately tried to keep bland and innocent; and satisfied, finally sighed and said "ok. Drop me back at the hotel."
"you stay right here, I'll just get my purse and be right back. We can angle across the back of the hotel to the car park from here itself," she quickly said. Only waiting for his resigned, "fine" before hurrying away.
Giving Mrs. Shastri some excuses along the line of sudden and severe cramps and the desperate need to return home, Bani made her way back to Jai.
As she negotiated through the thinning traffic, silence reigned in the car.
At the hotel, Bani insisted upon escorting Jai to the room. Muttering under his breath about bossy women Jai let her accompany him inside. As they waited for the receptionist to hand him room key, the desk manager attended a call.
"Ah yes, Good evening Ms.Chopra…"
"Yes, of course I recall your special request," he spoke smarmily into the phone, stealing a covert glance at Jai as he did so, "in fact I was just about to call you…..."
After collecting the key, Jai abruptly turned and walked out of the hotel. A bewildered Bani followed.
"What happened? Where are you going?"
"get lost! All of you are alike……I just want to be alone…..can't you understand that?" he snarled at her, holding her by the arm in a grip that had Bani wincing.
About to say that he was attracting too much attention from the odd assortment of guests, doormen and valets at the entrance, Bani stopped just in time, recalling his reaction in the party.
"Ok Jai. I am so sorry. Here, let go of me and I'll just go and get into my car and drive away," she said soothingly.
As he let go off her arm, she tentatively offered, "if you want, I'll just drop you outside the hotel gates. Is that ok with you? and then I'll leave you alone."
He glowered at her but to her immense relief abruptly nodded and headed towards her car.
As they approached the gate, instead of slowing down Bani accelerated and with a very determined look on her face drove on.
"what the hell do you think you are doing?" Jai asked in anger.
"kidnapping you." she answered calmly, hurriedly going on, "look, I understand you want to be alone. I promise you you will be. In a place no one will bother you in. now you can either let me drop you there or you can wrestle for the control of the car, and we can both have an accident. Choose."
Jai looked ready to strangle her, "you are going to pay for this, you little bitch. I don't know what your little game is but you won't win. Trust me." And with that he closed his eyes and leaned back into the seat.
Bani flinched at his harsh words but did not waver in her decision. She had made the decision on an impulse, something she did very, very rarely in her life. But they had always turned out to be the right decisions. She prayed this one would also be the right one.
Taking out her cell phone she made a call.
"namaste kaka, sorry aapko intni raat ko jaga rahi hoon, lekin main achanak delhi laut aayi hoon. Main adhe ghante main ghar aa rahi hoon. Lekin meri chabiyan mere paas nahin hey……
haan theek hai. Nahin, khaane ki koi zaroorat nahin hai. Aap sirf gate ka tala khol dejeiye aur ghar ko bhi unlock kar didjiye. Bas itna hi."
As the headlights fell on the gate, kaka, who was obviously waiting for her, opened the gates. She drove and parked, turning off the lights.
Getting out she assured kaka that there was no need for him to stay up or wake his wife. She'd manage. And she would see them in the morning. Despatching him back to the servant quarter, she finally turned to rouse Jai, fast asleep in the passenger seat.
Groggily Jai took stock of his surroundings as he got out of the car.
It was a still dark night, with muted starlight sprinkling the faintest of silver on everything it touched. There was no sound of traffic, only the traditional night calls of insects. Bani indicated a stone path and began to lead, her heels clicking audibly. He turned to follow and saw the outlines of a house, half shadowed, with soft yellow light spilling from a window.
Wordlessly he followed Bani on the path as it curved and lead to the front of the house. The sliding doors opened noiselessly and the lamp light showed a spacious sitting room, Bani made straight for the second set of sliding doors that ran parallel to the front and threw those open. Moving with the ease of familiarity she unerringly located and turned on a bedside lamp. The patchwork brocade bedcover glowed like a jewel. Folding it up and placing it on the chair, she turned down the quilt revealing crisp white linen. Gesturing towards the door on her right, she said, "Bathroom's through there. And no one will disturb you here. I am leaving to go back to Rano's wedding. Feel free to use anything.
Oh, and the liquor cabinet is here," she continued heading out the other door on her right, which led to the dining room, which actually opened off the living room itself.
Turning on the lamp on the exquisitely heavy and old fashioned sideboard, she opened a drawer and fished out an ornate, old fashioned key, fitting it into one of the doors of the sideboard's lower doors. Swinging it open to reveal a stock of varied alcohol bottles."
She pointed out the kitchen, which was on the right side of the stair case visible from the living room as well, separated only by a shallow in built shelf that demarcated the living room space.
And with that she left.
She stopped at the Shastri's house before heading back to the wedding. She was just in time, to help in completing the final ritual prior to the bidai, extorting money from Tarun before returning his shoes to him.
As the tired, weeping family saw off Rano, Bani could not prevent her own tears from falling.
Mr. Shastri too wept seeing off his only child.
As they all began to leave Bani told Mrs. Shastri that she would not be returning to their home with them.
"It's just too lonely to be there right now without Rano," Bani said, articulating half the truth.
Mrs. Shastri agreed with that, "par beta tumahara saaman?"
"I've already picked up all my stuff. I think I just want to go back to my house, and just be alone for a while. But I'll be in touch, probably come over sometime tomorrow," she assured her.
"theek hai beta, par bina Rano aur tunhare ghar aur bhi suna lagega," she said, causing Bani to feel a massive twinge of guilt.
"main kahin door thori hoon mamma."
Following through on her earlier impulse Bani stopped en-route at the hotel Jai was staying in. Using the room key he had carelessly placed on the dashboard of her car, she let herself into his room and packed an overnight case.
She ignored the tiny voice in her head that quivered in outrage at her actions.
It was past three in the morning by the time she reached home. Tiredly she deposited her suitcase and his overnight bag on the floor and changed into her nightsuit.
Jai, she had been relieved to discover, was fast asleep in the bed, his clothes in a careless heap on the floor by the bedside.
Ignoring them she got into an unfamiliar side of the bed; Jai had inadvertently laid claim to her preferred side of the bed; turned off the lights and went off to sleep.
Guys, this part has been waiting to be updated since yesterday but unfortunately no internet. So I am updating first. I will reply to all your wonderful comments later.
So, you are all waiting for an explosive, angry morning confrontation….well, here is the morning……
Part VI
Bani opened her eyes reluctantly, and then lay wondering what had woken her up. The tiny slivers of cold silver peeking from the edges of the blinds told her that it was very early in the morning. And then she heard it, the unintelligible mumbling. Turning her head she regarded Jai through bleary eyes. He was tossing and murmuring restlessly in his sleep. As she laid a hand on his shoulder and mumbled soothingly, his eyes snapped open and with the peculiar panic of the sleep dazed he took in the dim room and sharply said, "….no…no, please no….."
"Jai, sshhhhh, it's ok….." she reassured automatically, half asleep herself.
He turned unfocused eyes on her and made as if to sit up, saying, "where am i?"
"You're home Jai. With me," she soothed automatically, awakening fully, and as she did so she realised how singularly stupid her words of reassurance had been. But they evidently were the right words because he immediately calmed, and muttering "angel," turned and throwing an arm around her, lapsed back into sleep.
Bani too lapsed back into badly needed sleep. She was too tired to process what had just happened, and somehow the weight of that of arm only added to her delicious sense of the rightness of things.
The buzz of her cell phone alarm as it vibrated on her nightstand finally roused her. Reaching out she turned it off and checked the time. It was 9. Sighing she contemplated the fact the much as she would like to continue sleeping she had no choice.
Careful not to rouse the peacefully slumbering Jai she got up.
Jai woke up disoriented, which had less to do with the unfamiliarity of the surroundings he found himself in and more to do with the sense of well being pervading him, which fled the very next instant, to be replaced by a flash of anger, as the events of the proceeding night flooded into his mind. The anger was not helped by the discovery, once he got out of bed, of his travelling bag. How dare she, he raged. His first instinct was to confront her but he opted instead to shower and get dressed before confronting her.
Half an hour later, his anger had given way to a simmering rage. She was no where to be found. He had investigated the entire house, surprisingly compact, the ground floor consisting only of what he had already seen last night and a room on the first floor, which was locked. The view, from the first floor terrace had caused him to momentarily forget his anger. He stood there, under an azurely blue sky and took in the rolling emerald green lawns the house was set in. No attempt had been made to level the ground and it rose and fell unpredictably, with one huge hollow depression left exactly as it was, only filled in by frangipani trees. The lawns were interspersed generously with vast swatches of flower beds towards the front and vegetable gardens towards the back, where the entrance gate, the parking space and sheltered behind a row of fruit trees, the servant quarters, which flanked the gate were visible. The left side of the house boasted of a tiny stream of water that gurgled its way over a meandering rock path before emptying itself into an irregularly shaped swimming pool. To the far left corner of the garden a paved stone path ended in an irregularly shaped stone platform, shaded by a large neem tree and surrouded by flower beds, it made him think of long cool afternoons on long, hot summer days.
Beyond the stone boundary wall, large patches of which were covered entirely by flowering vines and patches of ivy, he could see several other houses dotting the horizon, all set in their own wide, clearly demarcated spaces. The farmhouses of the rich and the spoilt, he concluded, correctly. It can't be far from delhi he surmised and yet it was surprisingly quiet and peaceful. He made his way downstairs and outside. Where he saw two diligently working gardeners.
Before he could say anything, both stood up and respectfully salaamed him. Returning their greetings Jai politely asked if they knew Bani.
Both looked at him slightly puzzled, before the older one took the lead and said, "ji, Bani memsaab ko jaante hain."
"woh kahan hai?" Jai asked.
"bahar gayi hain."
"kab lauteingi?"
"hame keh kar nahin gayi…..aap bahadur kaka se puch lijiye, unhe pata hoga…."
"bahadur kaka? Who kahan hai?"
"ji peeche honge…..aap rukiye main unhe aap ke paas bhejta hoon…"
Controlling his impatience; he could not justify taking his anger out on these poor fellows; Jai turned to go back in but found himself pausing to admire the picture the house made.
Painted in the warm tones of ochre yellow and mustard it glowed in mellow welcome. The verandah was paved in old fashioned tiles exquisitely patterened in deep yellow and cerulean blue. Open on two sides, the easy swing door on the left, adjacent to the vast expanse of sliding doors, led directly into the kitchen. A cheerful room in blue and beige with windows running the length of the front wall, a door on the left led into the dining room, past the staircase. Jai found himself unwillingly charmed by the simple but intelligent house plan, which was clearly designed as the very private occupation of just one person. Once inside the cool interiors he found himself surveying the interiors with a critical eye. Until now he had looked over the house either in a state of intoxication or in anger.
Now he found himself looking for clues towards the inhabitant. Wide open spaces, minimal on clutter and decoration, it was an utterly fascinating and charming house. The floors, covered sparsely by a few rugs in bright colours, were all white cement with intricate flower patterns. The large windows adorning the left wall of the dining room were covered with cloth blinds in a bright rajasthani print pattern. Beneath them were bookcases, running the length of the wall. The only other wall was taken up by the side board.
The bedroom, now that he actually bothered to look at it, was similarly sparse. Apart from the bed there was only a chair, flanked by a table facing the television. And again, the wall beneath the windows that took up the entire right wall, and looked out onto the stone path that led to the front of the house from the parking space, consisted entirely of bookshelves.
With the sliding doors thrown back, the bedroom and the living room became one huge open space. The sum total of the living room furniture consisted of a large, inbuilt sofa; which was wide and deep enough to double up as a very comfortable single bed, which took up the entire wall, flanked by the two inbuilt marble side shelves; and facing the sofa, two large, old fashioned planters chairs.
But what caught his attention were the paintings. Every wall was adorned with one. The one over the bed caught his eye and as he took it in he gasped in shock. A half spent white candle cast a warm, hypnotic glow over the single red poinsettia flower and the green leaves nestled at its base in the white tea saucer, which doubled as a candle and flower holder. The background and the surroundings were lost in the shadows. Standing as he was in the living room, he could suddenly appreciate the way the entire bedroom seemed to have been decorated around that huge dominating oil painting. The patchwork of the brocade bedcover; now spilling its rich colours in a careless slide in the white arm chair; was entirely in the varying shades of red. And the heavy, old fashioned teak nightstands, matching the simple teak bedstead, and the elegantly carved wooden lamp bases topped by cinnamon brown shades, complemented the warmly glinting brown of the flower stem. The small bedside rugs were in matching geometric patterns of greens and browns. The grey of the sliding doors were outlined in the same dark green of the leaves.
In disbelief he turned towards the Oil painting over the sofa. It was a painting of a garden outside. Common place in its theme. But utterly, magically transformed in the hands of a true artist, caught in the light of a waning, crescent moon, the garden was transformed into a disturbing, alluring half shadowed landscape that hinted at endless secrets. Again, he got the sense that the living room and all its accessories were assembled with the painting in mind. From the deep blue of the sofa and the two lampshades; which brought out the blue sheen of night sky in the painting; to the silver lamp stands and the silver bowls, which flanked the sofa and even the few object d'arts, which were spread around the lamp bases. Curious, Jai took a closer look. One was an antique silver photo frame with Bani and Rano's picture in it. The tall vase next to it, empty at the moment, was of the finest hand blown glass. The other side of the sofa boasted of a miniature zoo; different animals, in silver, in hand crafted iron, in crystal, in hand blown glass all nestled around the lamp base. The identical silver bowls on both sides were ornately carved.
Completely consumed by curiosity he made his way over to the third Oil painting, over the sideboard. It was a whimsical, fantasy garden, painted entirely without perspective, and done entirely in shades of pinks with splashes of brown and green. Without surprise, he took in the green baize cloth that covered the dining table in its square wooden frame. The four, comfortable wooden chairs were padded in the same green. The lampshade was a neutral beige, forcing focus on the painting just above it. The table he noted for the first time in surprise was set with a place setting and breakfast. A covered plate of sandwiches and a pitcher of what seemed like freshly squeezed orange juice. His stomach growled obediently, reminding Jai that he was hungry. But Jai was too unsettled to eat. He returned to the source of his unease. The painting in the bedroom.
The house and everything in it had cost a great deal of serious money and betrayed taste. Having grown up in the utmost luxury, no one knew better than Jai how expensive such elegant simplicity was. Having a sister who was a successful interior decorator helped. While no art expert, Jai was a connoisseur of art and he had immediately recognised the paintings in the living room and the dining room as being the works of a painter he himself owned paintings by. And that put the owner of this house into a very well off category indeed.
The line drawings and the water colours that graced the other walls were seriously good; some witty- like the ones of bugs bunny, some thought provoking like the abstract in shades of red, some were just beautiful in their focused concentration- like the series of three studies each focusing on a single flower: a frangipani, a white lily and a narcissus lily; but nowhere near the oils in technical perfection, talent or depth.
But what nagged at him was the painting over the bed.
He went back and studied it for a long time, the vitality of the rough, almost violent brushwork, the luminous richness of the colour, the sharpness of its concentrated details…….and as he did so it almost seemed to come alive…..it's warm colours gleaming and pulsating with seductive life. Beckoning him, stirring memories…..enthralled, he reached a hand out as if to touch it, and go back ….magically go back in time…..
Just as he was about to touch it a voice called out.
"sahib?" in slight surprise to see him standing on the unmade bed.
"..Er….haan….woh Bani kahan hai?" Jai asked after a moment.
"pata nahin sahib…..memsahib to subeh hi chali gayin thee…..keh ke nahin gayi kab tak lauteingi. Par unhone kaha tha ki aapka khayal rkhana….aapko kuch chahiye sahib? Lunch meri patni aakar ded (1:30 p.m.) baje tak laga degi…."
"ded nahin…..mujhe 2 baje lunch karna hai," Jai said peevishly, before dismissing Bahadur.
And then turned to step down from the bed. And it was only then that he noticed the artist's signature at the bottom. It was, like the other two, also by Saraswati.
So, he concluded in surprise, Bani lives in a house, which boasts of three original Oil paintings by Saraswati. One of which is so unlike her signature style in its raw seeming sharpness that it must either be one of her earliest works or her latest.
Curioser and curioser, Jai thought to himself as he finally sat down and ate the sandwhiches. And drank the juice. Just as he was finishing a middle aged lady, who identified herself as Bahadur's wife Jaya, came in to clean and set the house to order. Must've been alerted by her husband that I'm awake and dressed Jai concluded as he tried to stay out of her way. Not an easy task given the small size of the house. Finally he settled outside, under the speckled shade of a kikar tree, on a comfortable arm chair he purloined from the verandah.
He amused himself for a while by mentally rehearsing the scathing speech with which he would flay the very skin off her body when he next saw Bani. Then he just lazed in the warmth of the winter sun, while watching the birds go about their birdy business and listening to soft occasional tinkle of the traditional wind chime, a string of beads and cloth birds ending with tine bells that hung from one of the tree branches. Around him the maalis worked in companionable silence. Jai knew that he should rouse himself from this escapist lethargy and tackle his never ending paperwork, which his abductress had been thoughtful enough to pack in his overnight case. At least switch on his cell phone and get in touch with the outside world. But as the lazy bees droned and the solitary peacock trilled shrilly walking on the stone wall, Jai found himself lulled into a peaceful contemplation, where it became downright impossible to do anything except doze and put it all off.
As he woke up and stretched he realised with a start that he had no idea of what time it was. Good heavens, he had not even bothered to put on his watch from where he had dropped it last night, the bed stand.
This was definitely a first, Jai decided in shock. He was man whose life was lived by the precept that time was money. He went back inside to find the house gleaming in pristine order. Lunch was on the table, the bed was made, a huge glass jar filled with an odd, clashing assortment of fresh flowers rested on top of the shallow in built wall shelf, the lower shelves of which, he noted housed a Bose music system and music cd's. Turning he located the speakers, placed so skilfully that not only did they escape cursory attention but that they would ensure fantastic acoustics no matter where you stood in the house.
Without getting sidetracked he made his way into the bedroom, and snapped his Breitling back on his wrist. As if that released him from the spell this house had cast on him, he now picked up his folder of paperwork and settled onto the living room sofa. Where he fond it difficult to work until he spotted the set of tables tucked next to the wall, between the wall shelf and the door. It was one of those sets of three, where the smaller tables were tucked under the larger ones when not in use. Dragging the largest in front of the sofa, he switched on a side lamp and settled down to serious work. And found himself unable to do so.
Until now he'd had either his rage at Bani or his curiosity over the house, or both together, to sidetrack him. But now he could not avoid Roshni any longer.
Throwing things at the ff writer is not advisable!
Scenes have to be set, fillers filled and your expectations tweaked…….
Part VII
Roshni's mere presence was always an irritant. A constant reminder as it was of betrayal and lies. But their chance meetings, after the first six months, been very, very infrequent over the last five and a half years. In fact their encounter last night was the first in nearly two and a half years. But it more than made up for the time lag, with its lethal punch that still floored him hours later.
Roshni, how inappropriately named she was, he mused. Literally meaning light she had brought nothing but darkness in his. What had he seen in her?
It seemed like he's always known her. Her father was a fairly successful businessman, no where successful enough to be in the Walia's league but her mother, an inveterate social climber had forged all the right connections that allowed Roshni access into a circle of society, which was financially well out of the Chopra's league. Where her beauty and charming manners assured her place.
He still remembered the fatal evening when he'd mistaken the glitter for gold.
Six Years Ago- 2000
Mumbai
21 st December, 2000
The Annual Christmas Charirty Ball.
Jai was bored and tired. But since the Walia Group was an important contributor towards the charities supported by the Ball, at least an appearance was mandatory. Just that reason alone, however, would have seen Jai registering his presence and then doing a vanishing act, as had become his wont since the death of his father. But this year it was important that he stay the length to ensure that Mumbai society truly accepted Nachiket Walia as a legitimate member of its elite club. Jai knew enough of societal working to correctly realise that Nachiket would cease to be an oddity, that as his parentage would cease to be a matter of titillation as long as it was obvious that he, Jai Walia, Nachiket's elder half brother, and tacitly all the Walia wealth and clout were firm on accepting Nachiket as a full fledged member of the Walia Clan.
Even though he had informally met many of the people present here, facing them all and other strangers, all at one go, and that too on such a formal, well-publicised occasion unnerved 19 year old Nachiket.
"Bhai, I'm a little nervous…..do we have to go?"
"yes, Nachiket. It's important. Trust me you'll be fine," Jai had reassured him while tying his bow.
"Par Bhai…."
"Stand still, will you?"
"sorry. But Bhai, you will be there na?"
"haan baba, I will…..and now if you don't stop talking long enough for me to tie this tuxedo bow, I'll desert you there!" Jai threatened.
From the verandah, where Jai had escaped to smoke a cigarette in peace, he could see Nachiket having a good time. And that made him happy even in the midst of his slightly melancholic musings.
What stroke of good fortune had guided him to make the right decision with regards to nachiket? He knew the answer even as he thought the question. It was because of her, his long gone but not forgotten angel. She had shown him the way and he had been smart enough to follow.
But today, for the first time he found himself wishing that she had accompanied him instead of pointing the way. Nachiket filled the empty corners of his house and his heart, along with his nephews and nieces but there was something missing. One corner which still cried for occupation.
Strange, how he had never thought of himself as lonely before meeting her. And how after it, he suddenly realised just how lonely he was. That was when he had begun to lose interest in parties, where all the girls talked too much, giggled a little too loudly, and agreed a little too promptly with him.
Roshni interrupted his solitary musings.
"Hiding again? Seriously Jai…you are becoming anti social…" she'd pouted, looking beautiful as always.
She stepped out into the verandah a vision in a striking red and green couture dress. Her short wavy hair flirted enticingly with her shoulders and her long fingers sparkled with their collection of rings as they toyed restlessly with the flower decorations that outlined the frame of the door that led to the verandah.
"Oh hi Roshni…..i just stepped out for a smoke," Jai replied pleasantly.
"hmmm…I came to take you back inside….Nachiket looked like he could do with some rescuing…..but I've changed my mind!" she flirted with such beguiling honesty that inspite of himself Jai was charmed.
"Oops….oh you poor flower…" Roshni said as her fingers inadvertently dislodged a red poinsettia to fall on the ground.
Bending to pick it up she went on, "oh you pretty thing, I am so sorry….there," she added tucking it into her hair, "since you can't be tucked back in you can stay here!" and turning to look at Jai she asked, "how do I look?"
It stuck out clownishly in its oversized glory over her right ear, making her look rather silly but to Jai the flower was a poignant reminder. Perhaps, he told himself, it's a sign. And as he reached out to tenderly set it straighter, he said, "very endearing actually."
And she had worn the flower for the rest of the evening, stubbornly ignoring the strange looks and giggles it elicited.
Starting that night Jai and Roshni began going out.
A week later they became lovers.
On New Year's eve he proposed over a candle light dinner.
He had, he thought, found someone to share his life with. They came form the same background, she was charming and fun, and socially adept. She liked Nachiket. And she had worn that flower.
Massi, who since the death of his mother had been like a mother to him, had been reserved in her welcome of Roshni.
Jigyasa had sighed and pointed out that she had been seeing an awful lot of Vijay Mehra, the 25 year old son of a well known liquor baron, however the father according to Jigyasa was none too thrilled about it.
Jai had believed Roshni's, "oh Vijay and I are just very good friends. All this gossip about us! when the truth is that he's 3 years younger than me! I swear Jai, people in this town have nothing better to do!"
And then that fateful, chance encounter, two months later, at the hospital where he had gone to attend the meeting of the Trustees.
"Mr.Walia…Aap yahan? I thought aap Roshni ji ke saath honge…" Dr. Mehrotra had said.
"Roshni ke saath?"
"haan, unka aaj hi ki to appointment hai….meri wife ke clinic main…..main samajta hoon ki aaj kal ladies sab kuch khud karna pasand karti hainn par main apni umar ki tarah khayalon main bhi bhuda hoon…..aise waqt par aapko unke saath hona chahiye…."
A rushed trip to Dr.Mehrotra's clinic had been a real eye opener. Roshni was undergoing an abortion and Vijay Mehra was already present to hold her hand through it.
Jai was not that stupid. He put two and two together, came up with the correct answer and retreated noiselessly from the scene.
A week later, without giving any reason he broke the engagement and called the wedding off. He never explained, not even to Roshni who ran the gamut from tears, tantrums to suicide bids.
He had escaped yes, but not without paying a very bitter price. His faith and trust in humanity. Everyone had a motive and everyone had a price. The trick was to discover either one and everything else fell into place.
And soon afterwards he had begun to dream of a child with ears that stuck out, and hair like rough silk, and angel voice.
But it was too late. He could no longer bring himself to trust any woman, let alone contemplate having a child with one.
And now Roshni had walked back in and calmly announced that Vijay had not been the father. He had been.
As he rubbed his aching head Jai wondered why she had bothered. It couldn't possibly be the need to clear his misconception. That was far too selfless and Roshni, he'd concluded a long time ago, was selfish. To make him feel guilty? Yes, that fit. But to what purpose? What was the point? It would not change the past. Then why?
In any case he told himself, it no longer mattered. If he had been wrong in his assumption of the child's paternity, then it was an even more painful past to contemplate. Because then he had been deprived of his child without even being informed. And that made his blood boil with rage.
And the sight of that painting over the bed made him angrier. Striding over he dragged the sliding doors into place, blocking it from view.
Trying to calm himself he went out for a smoke.
Much more in control of himself he came back in. The past was over and done with. And Roshni could go to hell with all her schemes and revelations. He didn't give a bloody damn.
Finally he got down to his work and soon lost himself in the intricacies of the takeover he was planning. It was an audaciously outrageous plan. But to pull it off he needed to do a lot. And ensure that most of it remained strictly confidential.
An hour later he got up. At a bit of a loss to fend for himself, he awkwardly explored the kitchen, gave up in defeat and opted instead for the much more familiar contents of the liquor cabinet. Where to his irritation, there was no whiskey. Only a selection of wines, livened by the odd bottle of Vodka, Tequila and such like. He settled for a Vodka and tonic. He was about to seat himself when he changed his mind and wandering over to the shelf he studied the music cd's, pleasantly surprised. Finally he made his selections and loaded the three cd's and sat down to work again. Getting up to refresh his drink, he wandered onto the verandah and stood admiring the serene perfection of a late winter afternoon slowly departing from the gardens. And then a sudden thought struck him. Once inside he retrieved his cell phone and switching it on made a call.
"good afternoon, Alpha Services, how may I help you?" the receptionist intoned mechanically.
"Dilip Cherian please," Jai requested.
"Mr.Walia, how may I be of service?" the courteous voice asked less than 30 seconds later.
"Mr.Cherien I want some information in a hurry. Everything you can find out about a Miss Bani Dixit. No, I don't know anything about her. Not even her address. I suspect she owns a farmhouse but I am not sure in what part of Delhi it is. Oh, she also owns three original paintings by Saraswati."
……
"yes, I understand this is very short notice. No the detailed report I will wait for. But you have one hour to send me all that you can find immediately."
…..
"no, send the file to my Mumbai office but give me the immediate version on my cell phone. Thank you."
Mr.Cherien hung up with a sigh. Mr.Walia was one of their most important customers and that meant this was urgent priority but the shortness of the time frame and the lack of details harassed him. Usually Mr.Walia's request's were a lot more detailed and business related. For a moment Mr.Cherien wondered why Mr. Walia wanted a woman investigated and not just her professional life. But the next instant he assumed she must be a business executive, probably someone he was trying to lure to work in his company, and got down to work, rather set a team on the job. As CEO of one of India's best investigative firms, he did not actually do this sort of work himself.
Jai got back to his work.
As Bani tiredly hoisted all the packages and fobbed off Bahadur kaka's help determinedly, she was more than a little nervous.
It was nearly 5 and correspondingly the winter evening had not only turned cold but darkness had begun to descend.
As she climbed the two shallow verandah steps, she came to an unplanned halt. Jai had not bothered closing the doors.
Chopin's "Preludes" softly welcomed the imminent nightfall while Jai; dressed casually in a pair of khaki trousers, and white shirt with a black pullover; was sprawled at his ease on the sofa. His feet comfortably up on the table, a tall glass of something placed within easy reach on the marble side table, he looked utterly at home. The soft light from the solitary lamp that had been turned on, pooled invitingly around him, but left his face half shadowed.
As if sensing her presence he suddenly turned his head. And seeing her standing at the threshold, put his papers down, leaned back and asked with ominous sweetness, "and how was your day, dear?"
Oh dear, I've gone and done it again!
Whoops?
Or shall I call it revenge on all the silent readers 'out there' who never bother?
In which case, to all those of you who do drop in, my sincere apologies, and the promise of a proper J&B instalment in the next part, only for the encouragement you never fail to provide. Cross my heart and hope to die kind of a promise…..
And the torture ends right now......
Again the choice was between replying and updating.
I do so hope i made the right choice!
Happy Holi to all of you.
Part VIII
"……Baby I've been here before
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew ya
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
and love is not a victory march
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah……"
Bani opened her mouth and realised that her vocal chords had imbibed her shock. Clearing her throat she tried again.
"Exhausting actually. Your's?" she said with far more confidence she actually felt, finally walking in and depositing the packages on the floor before turning to shut the doors, trapping them both in the intimacy of a dimly lit house.
As she did so Jai picked up his glass, sipped his Vodka and appraised her as she finished shutting the door and took off her knee length red coat
Dressed in a pair of corduroy trousers, the colour of warm, molten honey, topped by a caramel coloured sweater, a jaunty red woollen cap, and a long tasselled brown muffler, she did not look like your average kidnapper. On the contrary, she looked like an advert for healthy living and squeaky-clean honesty. Jai's mouth twisted derisively at the thought and then he heard her answer. So the little Miss Dixit liked playing games did she?
"rather strange actually," he drawled, waiting just that extra moment; calculated precisely enough to make her begin to wonder if he was going to reply at all; before doing so.
Bani was feeling more nervous by the minute. An explosion was what she had been expecting, preparing for and dreading the whole day. But this? It unnerved her. Awkwardly standing, unsure of what to do next, she cleared her throat, croaked, "I see," and headed towards the bedroom. Deliberately not opening the sliding doors, but using the doorway from the dining room. The illusion of privacy allowed her to draw in a deep breath and attempt to regain her closure as she hung her coat and put her cap away in the closet in her bathroom cum dressing room. She emerged into the bedroom to find Jai standing there and the doors opened. Nervously she switched the nearest bedside lamp on. And made her way to the other side of the room, putting the some space and the physical barricade of the bed between them.
As she sat down in the chair, he asked softly, "well, aren't you going to ask me about it?"
Bani opened her mouth to politely, innocuously say what he expected her to ask, but found herself, to her utter horror, quoting a much loved line from Austen, 'you want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.'
Aghast she looked at him for an instant, hand on mouth and then, at a loss for words she just bent her head and addressed herself to the task of unzipping her high heeled boots. Damn, damn, she muttered to herself, what on earth was wrong with her? This was not the moment to play silly word games….
Jai's eyes narrowed in surprise and a sudden spurt of amusement at her daring since he recognised the context.
In the midst of unzipping her boot she was startled out of her wits, as the clunk of an empty glass being placed on the floor next to her feet was followed by Jai hunkering in front of her and gently pushing her hands aside with a murmured, "allow me." Her head jerked upwards too quickly to meet his bland face and her hair, which she had twisted into a loose top knot under her cap, came cascading down. Caressing his face as it fell down. Looking straight at her he smiled. And caused her heart beat to hasten. And holding her eyes captive with his obsidian eyes, he unzipped both her boots and slowly slid them off her feet, his warm hands lingering over the arches, causing her toes to curl.
"er…thanks.." she said as she stood up, pushing her hair behind her ears. But Jai who stood up too, did not step back as she expected him too. Instead he just stood, overwhelming her physical space, invading it, dominating it.
Licking her lips nervously, she finally asked, "so…er…what was strange about your day?"
"you have a lovely house," he replied evenly, " I really like it."
"er..thanks," she said; surprised at the change of topic but not questioning it; stepping around him as she went on, "you must be hungry…..i'll go and see abo…"
He interrupted her, without turning around to look at her, "it's also a very expensive house."
She stopped mid step, taken aback and turned around and found herself facing his back.
Turning around leisurely, he continued, "so tell me Bani, how exactly do you earn it, this house?"
"I work," she answered concisely, unsure of where exactly this conversation was headed but wary.
"what is this work that you do?"
"I illustrate children's books," she answered warily.
"Must pay really well."
"I am not complaining."
"and I am not a fool," he said in a cutting voice, " to believe that illustrating children's books pays well enough to allow you to afford this house and all that's in it."
"you can believe what you like Jai," she said in irritation and turned to leave, only to find herself roughly turned around by the arm.
Without letting go of her arm, he leaned towards her and bringing his face closer sneered, "thank you honey, for giving me your permission. But don't you want to hear what I believe?"
"I'm not particularly interested." she snapped back, standing her ground.
"well you should be, it might even turn out to your advantage."
"what?"
"you are in between 'clients' aren't you?"
"Clients?"
"I'm sorry, you prefer to call them something else?"
"call whom?"
"the men who pay for this very lavish lifestyle that you lead."
"hang on just a minute, I pay for my own lifestyle, everything, every single thing in it!"
"Oh come on Bani, stop playing games! You had me puzzled for quite a while but I have you figured quite well now. The inheritance you got from your mother might have allowed you to buy this land and build this house, but it wasn't that big a sum. And I know you did not invest it, spent it all on buying this land and building this house."
"how the hell do you know about all that?" she asked in angry shock.
"I had you investigated."
"just who the hell do you think you are?"
"the man you forcibly brought back to your bed," he threw the words in such silky contempt that Bani would have stepped back had his hand not been gripping her upper arm in a punishing grip.
"Nothing to say Bani?" he asked. "that was why you kidnapped me yesterday wasn't it? Because you saw an opportunity and couldn't wait to capitalise on it. I was just another possibility for you wasn't i?"
"you think that I am….i am a …." Bani could not even bring herself to complete the horrifying thought, "oh my god!"
The sound of her hand coming into bone jarring contact with his cheek sounded overly loud.
"You are disgusting!"
Catching both of her hands and twisting them behind her back, an action which brought their bodies flush against one another, he challenged softly, "prove me wrong. Tell me how you earn your living, if not by following the world's oldest profession."
A part of Bani wanted to fling the truth in his face, just to watch him eat his words. But more than the habits of nature it was that part of her, which wanted; in all its innocent longing and hopes and dreams; for Jai to know her without any props and promptings, that stopped her.
Suddenly she was no longer angry. Just heart broken. What has time done to you Jai, her eyes asked him silently? When did you become so blind? Or was I blind for so many years? Perhaps you were more right than you realised. Strangers should remain strangers. I was a fool to dream otherwise.
Jai was puzzled at the change that came over her. One minute she was spitting mad, slapping him, raging at him with such intensity that he was beginning to doubt his own conclusions and the next moment all the anger just drained away from her face. Leaving it curiously vulnerable and sad.
Lifting suddenly luminous eyes up to his frowning ones, she said slowly, deliberately, "I earn my living with my art work."
Jai was suddenly at a loss for words and he cut to the heart of it all.
"why did you bring me back here last night?"
She countered with a question of her own, "if I tell you, do you promise to leave once you have your answer?"
"yes."
The answer startled him.
Straightening she leant into his body and reaching up, kissed him.
With incredible tenderness.
Telling him everything that was in her heart but saying nothing.
After the first startled moment Jai, responded.
She had planned only to kiss him goodbye. To say farewell to the dream that had been so cruelly shattered by his harsh words. But found herself unable to stop.
Caught in kissing her, he let of her hands in order to put his arms around her and drag her closer to him. Instead of ending the kiss, and stepping out of his arms, she found herself twining her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair.
Without conscious thought or pre- mediation both found themselves deepening the kiss. Until sinking onto the bed was a natural progression.
Even though its genesis lay in anger, their coming together was an ecstatic union unlike anything either had ever experienced.
It was like falling off a cliff and discovering that you had wings, Bani thought with a sense of wonder.
It was perfect, so bloody perfect. Like finding your missing half, Jai thought in shock.
Then he only showed me the stars, today he took me to the stars.
As they returned to the here and now of the moment, Jai was experienced enough to realise both things.
Bani had not been a virgin. But she had been close enough to it that he was ashamed as hell about the accusations he had flung at her. He turned onto his side, to face her. To discover that she was curled up onto her side, with her arms wrapped tightly around her as if for warmth.
"Bani….I…"
Her body stiffened and then without turning around she said in a softly, "just go. The car keys are in my handbag. Leave them at the reception desk of your hotel."
He put a hand on her shoulder, intending to refuse, to explain when she spoke again, this time in a voice husky with unshed tears, "You promised. Please."
It was not the promise which compelled him to go. But the desperate painful, self respecting dignity of that 'please.'
Tenderly, remorsefully tucking the duvet around her body, he got out of bed.
It was not until she heard the car leave that Bani allowed herself to turn over. Burying her face in the pillow, which smelled faintly of him she finally let herself cry.
After seven long years.
Strange, she thought, then it had been Jai who wiped my tears and now it is Jai who is making me cry.
Why did you have to be my "bright foreigner" Jai and why did you have to be so right about love being the grandest illusion of all?
On reaching the gate of the farmhouse complex, helpfully guided by the fact that the narrow, single road had no turnoffs except entrances to farmhouses, Jai found out where he was. In the exclusive Serenity Farmlands. Delhi was about 3o kms away and the directions fairly uncomplicated.
As he drove in the dwindling night traffic, Jai found it increasingly difficult to come to terms with his own stupidity and unwitting cruelty. How could I have been such a fool? He asked himself. My instincts told me that she was innocent. Why did I not believe them? He was tempted to turn back every minute of the long drive back to delhi. But each time that 'please' rang in his ears and stopped him. He had done enough without adding serious insult to injury.
Suddenly he found himself remembering the real shape and value of innocence. Another example of which he had unwittingly insulted and besmirched, perhaps beyond repair tonight.
I messed up Angel, he heard himself saying out loud. I messed up so badly today. if you could see me today what would you say? What would you do? Would you even recognise me? Would I still be your "bright foreigner?"
As he deposited the keys at the reception desk in an envelope with her name, he was too engrossed in his thoughts to observe the desk manager.
"…..Well maybe there's a God above
but all I've ever learned from love
was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
it's not somebody who's seen the light
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah….."
Lyrics from Hallelujah.
Part IX onwards is on a new thread. Here is the Link:
http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=559333& ; ;TPN=1�
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