Part-5
"We are so grateful to you Mr. Walia…I don't know how we would ever repay your kindness…" rano spoke timely glancing at nishikant who was resting in the room; he had been discharged after a few weeks…
"Rano, you should thank ranveer then…it was he who called me…I am glad Mr. Dixit is fine now…" jai smiled at her…his parents held nishikant in high regards and he had a soft corner for him…recalling the times when he had helped him to get the burnt bodies of his parents from the police custody when the accident happened a few kilometers from Mt. Abu, at that time he knew nobody and was clueless and shocked at his parents untimely death…
"But still, thank you so much…"
"Think it as a penance for being such a bad neighbor all these years…" jai joked…
"And also for being a khadoos…" jai looked at pia who was clearly embarrassed… she glared at pushkar…
"Don't kill that poor lad with your eyes pia…" he said, hiding his smile…
"I am sorry Mr.Walia…I…it…"
"It's oaky…to be honest everybody in my office does call me that and they think they are too intelligent to hide it from me…" jai said making a somber face, pia broke into a giggle…
"Why don't you people have dinner with us tomorrow…?" rano invited the three gentlemen…
"At least this much I can do…"
"Oh sure rano…" ranveer said…from behind…
"And buaji is also coming tomorrow…" pushkar added…
"Oh!!That would be nice…please Mr. Walia you must come…"
"Well, if you insist…" jai agreed not wanting to turn down an honest invitation, he would have skipped it but rano was too genuine and he didn't want to hurt her unnecessarily…
"I must go now…bye…and take care…" jai said…his eyes searching for bani, she had almost disappeared into thin air…never talked since her father got admitted in the hospital…he was walking unmindfully behind ranveer and pushkar when he heard a gentle voice…
"Mr. Walia…" bani called out…jai turned around…
"Um…thank you for everything…" bani said…jai noticed for the first time the hugeness of her eyes…the luminous brandy eyes…
"It's okay bani…I hope you are fine…" he asked…
"Ya, I am fine…and for that day I am sorry…I was muttering something…" bani said self-consciously…
"It's okay…"
"Good night…"
"Good night bani…" he looked at her and left in big strides…
Bani watched him leave…she had seen him on magazine covers and heard his interviews…he looked picture-perfect, heighted frame, typical aristocratic features, and a deep, rich baritone, over-shadowing others' existence… but in reality he was even better…the person behind the name…
*******
"Jai…" came a shrill voice…
"Bua…" jai had a big smile on his face seeing her bua coming in her usual dancing walk…he immediately reached her taking the trolley form her…
"Jai bhiyya ke samne sab bhooljati ho aap…" ranveer complained…
"Arre, chal…tere liye hi main aayi hoon…yaad hain na…" she said with a winkle in her eyes…
"Elk minute…am I missing something…" jai said looking at the two people…
"You are missing everything jai…batati hoon…" she said…
Shobhna Makhija was Uday Walia and Vijay Walia's only sister…they were a close knit family…since they had lost their parents early; it was uday who got her married. Even after her marriage she was very close to jai and ranveer…pampering hem whenever she came. Now with her husband dead and her only daughter married and settled in US, she had taken to doing social work…taking up causes especially of women and children… She always had a special liking for jai, the quiet boy who was the darling of his brother and sister-in-law, and now the only mission in her life was to see him married to a nice girl…he needed love in his life, the love which had lost after his parents death…
*******
"I can't believe this…" jai said leaning back in the seat, they were driving down from the Udaipur airport towards Mt. Abu…
"No wonder ranveer has been doing rano rano…" jai said…
"Bhaiyya…" ranveer groaned…
"But she is a nice girl…andyou…" jai shook his head…
"Chupkar, usse shaadi karne ka khayaal toh hain…par tu, 33 saal hogaya hain…kab shaadi karega…" shobhna reprimanded him…
"Zaroori hain kya…" jai said lamely…
"Kya matlab hain tera…"
"Zindagi theek toh hain…main bohot khush hoon…kaam acha hain, papa ka sapna poora kar rahaan hoon…fir…chahiye kya…I am content with life…" jai said wistfully…
"Jai…baat sirf shaadi ki nahin hain…you need someone in life…a companion…who will make a memory out of a moment…you are happy but whom will you share this happiness with…jai…bohot mushkil hain akela jeena…ek waqt aayega jab yehi akelapan katne ko dodege…"
"Kyun phupha bhi toh nahin hain…aap kush nahin hain…aap jee nahin rahin hain…"
"Haan main khush hoon…main jee rahin hoon kyunki unki yaaden hain mere saath…aaj main unko mehsoos kar sakti hoon har waqt…"
Jai kept mum…
"Beta…shaadi sirf saath rehna, aur bache hone ki baat nahin hain…ek aisa humsafar ho jo humesha tumhara paas rahega, har haal main…"
"Bua…mujhe yeh sab samajhna nahin hain…mujhe shaadi nahin karni…"
"Haan par kyun…"
"Kyunki main yeh sab nahin manta…yeh pyaar, shaadi, yeh sab bas dikhawa lagta hain…"
"Kyun beta…"
"Jo jigyasa didi ke saath hua, I don't want that..." jai looked out of the window…
"Jigyasa ke saath jo hua usme uski bhi glati thi…"
"Haan jaanta hoon…lekin main yeh sabse nahin guzarna chahta, aaj anu ko dekta hoon toh bohot bura lagta hain…maa baap hote hue bhi woh akeli hain…" jai said closing his eyes…
"Beta…ek baat ko lekar tu apni zindagi toh barabad nahin kar sakta…kya pata shayaad tujhe bohot pyaar karne waali ladki mile…"
"Bua, mujhe iske bare main aur baat nahin karni…" jai sat grimly…his elder sister jigyasa had a very bitter marriage which eventually lead to an ugly divorce…both jigyasa and aditya were to blame, he had seen that ill resentment in their lives and he didn't want to repeat that with himself and moreover he was not a great believer in relationships… …
*******
"Namaste auntji…kaisi hain aap…" rano greeted shobhna…
"Arre, rano beta kaisi ho, main bilkul theek hoon…" shobhna patted her head…she smiled at pia who waved at her….bani looked a bit unsure…
"Yeh kaun hain…pyaari si ladki…' shobhna asked rano…
"Auntiji yeh bani, humari behen…bani yeh Mr. Walia ki buaji hain…"
"Namaste..." bani said gingerly…
"Par pehle kabhi…dekha nahin…"
"Haan woh Mumbai main rehti thi, humari masi ke saath…" rano added…
"Oh!!! Papa kaise hain ebta, mujhe ranveer ne bataya…"
"Abhi theek hain auntiji, so rahen hain…"
"Araam karne do unke, abi…jab uthenge toh mil loongi…" shobhna smiled…
"Aaiye na…"
*******
Bani wheeled nishikant to the dining table, arranging his shawl properly… everyone was already seated…
"Bhaishab kasi tabiyat hain aapki…" shobhna got up and went near him…
"Shobhnaji aap kab aayin…main theek hoon…" nishikant smiled…
"Main bas aaj hi…"
"Auntiji, khaana shuru karen…" pia asked…
"Haan beta…" ranos erved all of them…shobhna observed bani, she was a silent girl, not much talkative like pia, she was more calmer in a different way…she saw her putting the bowl of soup in front of nishikant, helping him to eat it…
"Bhaisahab main jaanti hoon yeh shayaad sahi waqt nahin hain par…"
"Kya baat hain shobhnaji…"
"Baat yeh hain ki ranveer ko aapki rano bohot pasand hain aur woh usse shaadi karna chahta hain…" rano stilled as she was going to serve him something; pia gleamed with happiness, while bani seemed to be happy…
"Ji uncle…agar aapko aur rano ko koi aitraaz na ho toh…" ranveer said looking up into her eyes…rano quietly kept the vessel on the table and went inside the kitchen…
"Beta itna acho rishta, mujhe koi aitraaz nahin hain…lekin aap itne bade log hain fir…ranveer ke mata pita…" he seemed skeptical
"Bhaiyya aur bhabhi se maine baat kar lee hain…unke koi aitraaz nahin hain…ranveer ki pasand hi unki pasand hain…"
"Mujhe aur kya chahiye…mere zinda rehte hi meri bachiyon ki shaadi hojaye aur mujhe kush nahin chahiye…pia…didi se poochke ao…"
"Uncle main rano se baat karna chahoonga…" ranveer got up…nishikant nodded his head…
*******
Rano was standing looking out of the window…
"I know it was sudden…but…" she heard ranveer's voice…
"Aap mujhse shaadi kyun karna chahte hain…" rano turned around…
"Because…I like you a lot…and I think I am falling in love with you…" he said… rano bowed her head…
"Kabhi kahaan kyun nahin…" she whispered…
"Ab toh keh diya na…" he smiled…
*******
Everyone was congratulating rano and ranveer while bani served them with bowls of kheer…
"I think pushkar wants to say something…" bani said playfully…pia looked suspicious while pushkar looked at bani confused…
"Haan bani…mujhe bhi lagta hain…" ranveer sided her…
"Pushkar kya baat hain…" shobhna asked…
"Pata nahin buaji…yeh dono kya bol, rahen hain…" pushkar said stealing glances of pia…
"Kahin pe nigahen kahin pe nishaana…" ranveer sang…
"Kya bak rahaan hain…" pushkar slapped his arm…
"Tumhe kuch nahin kehna pushkar pakka…" bani said…
"Mujhe mujhe kya…kehna hain…haan mujhe thodi aur kheer chahiye pia…" pushkar said sheepishly…
Everyone looked at pia then at pushkar and burst out laughing…
"Bhaisahab lagta hain aapko do shaadiyan karni padengi…"
*******
God bless
Dhani
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