This chapter is dedicated to
The Elite GHANTEES Appreciation Society. Ranvir ki GHANTEES Zindabaad!
CHAPTER 3
'AAP?!' apparently the man was in shock just like Bani.
'Ranveer, tum yehna kya kare ho?' Ranveer hadn't changed a bit; well he had gained just a tiny bit of weight. He still had a red tika on his forehead, his hair gelled back and it came just a little bit above his shoulders. But now there was a softness in his face that Bani had never seen before.
'I was driving by and I saw your house. It looks exactly like the WM, main ne soocha ke ghar ke owner se pochloon ke design khana se kiye aya, I didn't know that this was your house. I still can't believe this. Let me call Mama and tell him that I found you. Ever since you left he has been going crazy looking for you.'
'Nehi! Ranveer don't call him! Please, I don't want him to know that I am here.' Bani had taken forever to come out of depression after the worst incident of her life. That incident had left her in so much pain that she had fallen into depression, and on top of that she was pregnant with Krishna. It had taken Bani what it seemed like centuries to establish herself in Toronto. At two months pregnant she had started a magazine about the Indian and Canadian culture. Her magazine reported on the latest Indian events happening in Toronto, Bollywood, it had a teen section and everything else a hit magazine needed. She was not ready to leave what she worked so hard for and go back.
'Lekin Mamie, he misses you. Who tho khabi khabare office se ghar nehi aat hain because home reminds him of you.'
'I miss him too Ranveer but I'm not ready to go back. You don't know what I have been through, I just needed more time.'
'Mamie please-' Before Ranveer could continue he was interrupted. Ranveer was sure he was going to have a heart attack, this was his second shock of the day, and he wondered how many more he was going to have.
'Mom? I'm ready lets go!' Krishna had woken up from her nap. It was 3 o'clock, the time that Bani and Krishna would go to the office, but today they weren't going anywhere, at least not yet.
'Aaj late jaien ge hun. Come here and say hello to bahiya.' Though Bani and Ranveer were around the same age it was not Bani who had to call him bhaiya but Krishna. She was the daughter of her uncle, making her his cousin.
Krishna walked up to Ranveer and stuck her hand out, 'I know who you are. You're Ranveer Bhaiya. I'm right aren't I?'
As Krishna stood before Ranveer, her hand still out, and a big smile showing her teeth, he couldn't understand how she knew him and his name.
Bani noticed the confusion in his eyes, 'She has a picture of all of us. The family portrait. Aur main ne usko saab ke bara main bathya hai.'
Ranveer smiled, and as if Krishna was declared safe, shook her hand and took her into his arms. He kissed her on the cheek. 'And I know who you are.'
'You do? Kya aap ke pass bhi mere thare ek picture hai?'
Ranveer chuckled at her innocence, 'Nehi mere pass picture nehi hai. Lekin mujhe paatha hai ke aap ke naam Krishna hai. And you know how? Your nose is just like your dad's'
'You saw my Dad?! Kya aap China se are hain kya. Dad is gone on a long business trip, did you go with him?' No one had talked to her about her Dad other than Bani and Krishna was excited that she would now get to hear about him through someone else. But before Ranveer could answer her questions his cell rang.
'HelloâŚ' he listened for a few seconds, 'Come inside the house, I want you to meet someone' and he put the phone down.
'Ranveer who are you calling inside the house, I told you I am not ready for people to find out where I am.'
'Don't worry Mamie, you will be happy I called this person in.' Ranveer had sat down with Krishna on his lap and had answered all her questions. He had got the idea that Bani had told Krishna that her Dad was on a business trip, so he played along with it.
A clod gust of wind blew in. Someone had opened the door. Though the family room and the door were miles apart the winds were so strong it reached the family room before the doors could be closed.
'Its so cold' Ranveer who was not used to the cold started shivering.
'You get used to it after a while'
As Ranveer and Krishna talked Bani watched, it was nice to know that despite the fact that Krishna had never seen her Ranveer Bhaiya before she got along well with him. I didn't know that Ranveer was good with kids.
CLICK CLUNK CLICK CLUNK
The sound of heels could be heard as the hit the tiled floor. The noise was approaching the family room. As the owner of the heels turned the corner she came into perspective. Bani was amazed. There in front of her wearing a long white jacket, and blue jeans, with her hair a little shorter than before tied in a half pony, with a spec of sindoor in her mang was nothing like the Raashi Bani had left. Raashi hadn't noticed Bani yet, as she was trying to console a young boy in her arms. The little boy looked to be about three years or so. Ranveer sat Krishna beside him, stood up and took the boy from Raashi's hands. 'Raashi, look who it is.' As Raashi turned from Ranveer to Bani she let out a loud scream and he ran up to and started hugging Bani with tears in her eyes. Bani had none in hers; over the last four years Bani had made herself stronger.
'Bani Mamie! Oh my God! I don't know what to say. I missed you.' She then turned to Ranveer, 'Did you call Mama?'
It took 15 minutes or so to explain to Raashi why Bani didn't want their Mama to know about her whereabouts.
'Oh. Okay! Bani Mamie, inse milye,' she said pointing at the boy who was now playing with Krishna, ' yeh hain Rahul.'
Bani played with Rahul for a while. He was mini Ranveer, all his features were just like his father. It made Bani happy to see Raashi so happy. Poor girl had gone through a lot, but now Bani could tell from the look in Ranveer's eyes that he loved Raashi a lot, and would never do anything to hurt her. Ranveer was also a really good father, he took Rahul's jacket, hat, mittens, shoes off when he had come in, and fed him some milk.
'Raashi yeh hai, Krishna' Bani introduced her daughter who in turn went up to Raashi and stuck her hand out.
'You are Raashi Bhabi right?' Krishna asked the same question she had asked Ranveer, Bani went on to explain about the family protarait.
As Krishna and Rahul played Ranveer, Raashi and Bani talked. They talked about when Bani moved to Toronto and how she got to where she was today, what happened in the WM when she left, and other things. Bani had totally forgotten about work until her cell rang.
'Hello?'
'Bani where are you? Time dekha tumne? We had a meeting today. I had to cancel it! Where the hell are you?' the man at the other end seemed to be really angry at Bani.
'Forget about the meeting. Tum ghar aao, I want you to meet some people. Jaldi aao.' And Bani put the phone down. Within half an hour the man on the phone arrived at Bani's house. Ranveer and Raashi were again in shock.
Indian Idol 16
