Welcome to the JB Fanfiction Corner!

Welcome to the JB Fanfiction Corner where you will hopefully find stories to your liking! I would love for you to enjoy them as I love to write them! The characters Jai Walia and Bani Dixit have inspired me so much, and continue to, that I can't ever seem to stop writing about them. So many different storylines come to mind that I always want to jot them down. I hope to gain an audience through this blog in order to express the creativity in me. And I thank you all for the kind support. I will try my very best to entertain. Enjoy!

Friday, October 14, 2011

FF: Incomplete Life ... Chapter 11 B-15


Chapter 11 B:
Closing her eyelids shut, she folds her hands together and with a bowed head offers her last prayers before gathering the aarti thali in her possession. As she heads out of the mandir, she muses over what needs to still be done for the morning before heading to the university. Holding the thali firmly in her hand, the lit lamp with burning wicks placed along with the other holy offerings, she pushes the fragrance of the fumes away from herself while walking around the house, giving off blessings everywhere she goes.
Hearing a set of hurried footsteps running down the fleet of stairs, she looks up and catches the sight of her sister-in-law's husband and son nearly flying down the steps in haste. Together they make a fine sight, both father and son, dressed in professional business wear and having their briefcases in hand. After a year of his internship, Ranveer Bali has officially joined the family business as a permanent employee. Aditya, as well as the rest of the family members, have high hopes and expectations for him.
She smiles sweetly at them, retaining the urge to laugh at them silly, finding the pair of both men far too adorable to be taken seriously. She meets them at the last step, where they both greet her rather breathlessly.
"I'm in a hurry beta, so if you will please do the honors---quickly," Aditya expresses his dire need to get a move on, his eyes glued to the watch strapped around his wrist. If he and his son do not leave now, they will not reach on time for the morning meeting. Bani does so obediently, offering the two prasad and carefully placing tikas on their foreheads. "Thanks, you are a doll," he murmurs before kissing her on the cheek and proceeding on forward. "See you later, Mami," Ranveer fleetingly says while running after his father. "Drive safely! And come home for lunch!" Bani calls out after their departing figures. "We will!" they sing out in unison before walking out the front doors.
"Ma'am, sir's breakfast is ready," Tony comments once she enters the kitchen. She smiles at him appreciatively. Over the past two years, Tony has become into her reliable partner when it deals with any sort of preparation for food. He has loyally kept the secret of her inability to cook once he walked in on her paying the delivery man from the Taj Palace, delivering the family's meals for dinner. Instead of judging her, as she was expecting him to do so, he gave her a half-crooked smile before remarking, "Ma'am, you too?" She had simply stared at him with shock on learning he occasionally ordered from the same restaurant whenever he grew lazy. Together, unofficially, they promised to carry their secret to the grave for fear of Krishna's reaction.
"And you've taken care of the receipt and bags as well?" she says in a low whisper, not affording to speak the words out loud in fear of Krishna lurking about. Tony flashes a wide smile. "Always one step ahead of you Ma'am."  She shares his smile. "Please start on setting up the table, I will just be back."
After bumping into her mother-in-law at the stairs and taking her ashirwaad, Bani continues up the steps whereas Krishna walks off in the other direction, most likely headed to the kitchen to check on everyone else's breakfast which Tony usually starts off beforehand.
She walks along the top floor of the Mansion and on the way to her bedroom, drops by Saahil's room to literally drag him out of bed in order to get ready for university and Anu's to help her pick out an outfit for the day. She is also stopped by Jigyasa, who watches her pass by her room, and pulls her in to ask what sari she should wear for the kitty party that would be held early noon. Dadi then chirped in by asking what movie she should watch.
It was twenty minutes later that she finally approached her bedroom after the many hurdles she had to go through. This, she pondered over with a smile, has become into a normal routine since the past couple years. The morning for her is never complete without hearing her name being called here and there numerous times. She opens the door by twisting on the doorknob and lets herself in. An immediate smile rises on her lips from the sight of her still snoozing son, who has grown so much. He was now her big boy, no longer the little baby she'd cradle around in her arms all day.
She approaches the bed and seating herself down on the edge of the mattress, begins to gently wake him from his sleep. In the middle of this task, she hears the bathroom door open from behind and looks over her shoulder to see her husband emerging from the steam that is released into the air. He rubs the towel in his hand against his wet hair vigorously while walking toward the mirror, having already donned on the clothes she picked out for the day. She returns her attention onto a still slumbering Yash.
"Come on Munna, wake up…. Momma has to get you ready for the day before leaving. Wake up, baby, please…" she coos at him, ignoring the amused look her husband throws her way. He always wore an amused expression whenever she begged their son to wake up. The boy acted like a king, sleeping when he wants and waking up when he wants, no matter what anyone says.
"Yash, baby, now don't make Mommy angry. I see you are awake. Come on, be a good boy and do what Mama says," she says exasperatedly on seeing her son peeping through his eyelids at her.
"You have spoiled the boy rotten. Not that it wasn't enough he didn't listen to everyone else, but now he does not even listen to you," her husband comments on the way his wife allows Yash to have his ways. He can already envision the boy growing up to be royal brat from his mother's constant pampering. His wife, like usual, ignores any one of his digs at her parenting. The man hardly pays attention to his son to begin with and is lecturing her on how to handle him.
"Sweetie, wake up and I promise I will give you your favorite chocolate…. Now be Momma's big boy and get up," she tries once more only to be pleased on seeing her son open his eyes wide from hearing "chocolate". Immediately he rises and brings out his arms to be held.
"Momma chakolaatt…. Mama chaakollaattt," he whines quickly as his mother grins at him before taking him into her arms. "Yes baby, I will give you chocolate. Now let's get you ready." While walking on toward the bathroom, she hears her husband mutter something inaudible beneath his breath. She had been running Yash's bath when she heard Jai calling for her in the room. Leaving the bathroom door wide open in which a now awake Yash sits soaking in the bath, Bani locates him standing in front of his wardrobe, looking hassled.
"Ji?" she answers to his calls once approaching him. "Where is my blue shirt?" he immediately questions without even looking her way. She stares at him quizzically and with a raised brow. "Kyun? What happened to the shirt you are wearing now?"
"The damn button broke. I need another but can't find my goddamn shirt," he answers rather aggressively, rummaging through the hung clothing. "To koi dusri shirt pehno…. Why are you after that one shirt? Haatiye," she instructs him while stepping before him, nearly pushing him out of the way. Jai steps away to allow his wife a look at his clothes. She pulls a shirt out and displays it to him. "What about this?"
"No, I do not like the color. Pick something else," he orders, making his wife grumble and ponder whether this man is even capable of dressing himself up. She shows another to which he rejects again. "No, these shirts are no good. I am getting tired of all these. It is always the same thing. Find my blue shirt, will you? I will only wear that," he states firmly.
"Aap bhi na--- it must be in the wash because I cannot see it here. Just wear this shirt for the day and you can wear the blue another time," she says while thrusting the shirt at him. She ignores his stubborn glaring and stretches out her hand to receive his other shirt that he removes, standing in front of her in only a pair of black trousers and a wife beater.
"Momma!!!" Yash calls for her from the bathroom. "Haan baacha, main yahin hoon!" she says out loud to wash away his fears, knowing that on not hearing any exchange of voices he began thinking he was all alone.
"Your breakfast is ready and I have had your lunch packed so do not forget it," Bani informs Jai, who only seems indifferent as usual. "I don't have time today. As it is, I'm already late for work. I'll get something to eat on my way there," he answers while buttoning up his new shirt. "But I already have gotten it prepared for you," she manages to complain. "Give it to your son instead. The boy's appetite has gotten outrageous lately." She continues to frown at him but is only ignored as he heads over to the mirror to comb his hair.
"And don't wait up for me tonight. I'm going to be late. I have surgeries scheduled one after another." Bani suddenly grows annoyed. "Is your hospital lacking doctors that they are constantly keeping you late and busy all the time?" she remarks, her subtle sarcasm easily detected by her husband. "In fact they are, any problem in that?" he gives her an equal reply back that silences her momentarily.
"Just make sure that you remember to eat during mealtimes. That's all I ask," she says finally with a mumble. "I'll try. And please, do not have my assistant hassling over me to do so. It is severely irritating." "Well if you wouldn't skip meals, then I wouldn't have to," she defends herself. "I will just get her number changed, you know, so you won't be able to get in reach with her," he declares.
Bani slips into another silence as she knows clearly he has won over her. She sulks quietly to herself with arms crossed against her chest.
"And for the love of god stop talking so much with Rohit all the time. I am annoyed with finding him constantly chattering with you. What is it that you two always talk about?"
"He is my son's pediatrician. I have a lot to speak with him," she responds yet again defensively. "You are a smothering mother, I will admit that, but I do not think so much that you will call him periodically."
Bani flushes under his direct gaze on her through the mirror. She avoids looking at his eyes. "Rohit Bhaiya is nice. And you are exaggerating; I only speak with him time to time. Is that so wrong?"
"Do not waste your time speaking to that moron. He is not worth it. And stop sending him lunch," he demands gruffly.  
"I cannot refuse. He requests so sweetly for me to send lunch. Besides, I do not mind. He says it makes him happy."
"I know very damn well how happy it makes him. The fool purposely comes into my cabin to rub it in my face, saying 'Bhabhi' this and 'Bhabhi' that. He does not waste a chance to do so."
"Momma!" Yash bellows for his mother's presence again, hating to be neglected in this manner. Bani throws a glance in other direction and then meets her husband's gray eyes that stare back at her.
"Well go. Your precious son is calling for you. We do not want his majesty to be upset by waiting any longer." Bani simply gives him a look for his sarcasm before going back into the bathroom and putting a stop to the flow of water.
When Bani returned from giving Yash a quick bath and wrapping him into a huge towel, she found herself in an empty room---devoid of her husband's presence. She felt herself become disheartened by this and quietly makes way to the bed to place her son down. After picking out his clothes, Bani begins to dress Yash absentmindedly as her mind drifts to other thoughts.
She would have to admit that things have gotten a lot better compared to before these past two years. Firstly her place in the house had become permanent and respected. She slowly grasped onto the importance of being the daughter-in-law of the Walia family and embraced the title. She couldn't think of herself of being anything other than that. The family showered her with love and so much respect that made her only become aware of her place among them even more. She loved this family with every being inside of her. Aditya Jiju, Jigyasa Didi, Krishna Mummyji, Dadi, Ranveer, Saahil, Anu--- all of them felt like her own… her loved ones. There is no question about her relationship to all of them. She has accepted them all wholeheartedly just like they have accepted her. But then there is Jai…..her still estranged husband.
There is no doubt in the improvement of their new relationship of being husband and wife. They had initially been awkward and uneasy in one another's presence, resulting in them to avoid each other at every possible given chance. They hardly exchanged a word at all or acknowledged the other unless absolutely necessary. But gradually with time, it all began to progress. Their silence into a word here and there, the couple of words transforming into sentences, and then those sentences changing into full-fledged conversations whenever they were in each other's presence. But even though they speak well with one another and quite in fact behave like any other typical husband and wife, there was still something amiss. Something missing in their relationship that continues to haunt her in every one of their interactions. It is subtle, but it is there nonetheless. 

And she knew what it was that was missing…. Or in fact, what it was that she was searching for.
Picking up the picture from the night stand, Bani takes the frame into her hands and smiles down at her radiating sister that smiles back up at her. It will be three years now that Ananya has passed away and her memories will continue to live on. She misses her sister dearly even today but the pain of having lost her has numbed over somewhat. She has learned to deal with it and accept that she is no longer among them. She has also learned to accept her new life as a part of this family, but still she remains cautious as to not replace her sister's importance within the family. She fears of doing so, not wishing to insult her sister's value. She'd rather make a place of her own than take her sister's.
Placing the picture back down in its former place her gaze sweeps over to the separate frame resting at the far end of the tabletop, causing the smile on her lips to deepen.
She gazes at it affectionately with bright eyes and seems to be lost in another world. Her fingers caress the glass frame as her eyes greedily take in the image of her handsome husband staring back at her with a smile of his own, his attractive features highlighted from the light cast upon him. Her heart immediately swells with sweeping warmth.
When she fell hopelessly in love with him, she does not know herself. These past two years have changed a lot for her. Initially she wouldn't even dream about thinking of Jai Walia, her sister's husband, in any romantic sense. Despite being her husband, he was officially out of bounds. She could not hope to have a happy marriage with a loving husband and children of her own; it was not possible for her she felt back then. Not just the fact that she married out of compromise, but he had been her brother-in-law. Any hopes or dreams of a beautiful future with him were out of the question. But slowly and surely, all that began to change.
She does not know why or how it all started to change, but it did nonetheless. With time she began to become more aware of the fact that he was her husband and she his wife. Even though not wanting to, they were in this marriage together---bound for life. He her life partner and she his. Maybe it was the role-play of being his wife that really struck home. Or the typical spouse relationship that had slowly begun to emerge in its own sweet time. She started to view him as her husband in a true sense.
But maybe it was all the worry and concern that she had for him. Maybe it was all those times she'd stay awake late into the night just to make sure that he'd come home and have dinner. Maybe it was all those times that she'd make sure to pack him lunch and call his assistant, fussing over to make sure that he eats. Maybe it was all those times that she'd lie awake looking at his sleeping face, so absorbed into the serenity and childish innocence of his features. Maybe it was all those times that he'd shower her with his sarcastic remarks which would provoke her to be sarcastic back, only to leave her smiling afterwards. Maybe it was all those times she'd feel something stir inside of her whenever he looked straight at her with those stormy eyes. Maybe it was all those times that she'd feel a certain sensation created whenever he touched her. Maybe it was all those times that she'd watch his silent demeanor and have the dire need to comfort him. Maybe it was all those times that whenever he seemed upset or lost she'd want to take him into her arms and never let him go. But maybe most importantly of all, she loved him simply because of him. He may not be her old Jai, the one she still misses terribly to this day, the one who'd talk, tease, and laugh with her, but she loves him nonetheless with all her heart.
"Papa?" Yash announces while pointing at the picture held tightly in her hands. Bani gives him a single smile while nodding her head in affirmative. "Yes, baby, that is Papa." Yash slips into a brief silence before looking at her wide-eyed and pointing at her instead. "Your Papa?"
The smile on her lips widen as she releases a short giggle. "No, your Papa." Yash shakes his head and points to her again. "Your Papa." Bani directs his attention onto the picture, tapping her finger against the glass. "Your Papa and my Jai."
"Jaaaii?" he says, sounding so scandalized by the foreign word that it makes Bani laugh even harder. "Your Jaaaiii???" Her laughter dying out, instead Bani becomes flushed in the face as her eyes go suddenly dreamy and lips curve into a shy smile. "Hmmm… my Jai."
"No Jai…. No Papa…. Mama--- Chookalaaatt!" he stresses, suddenly remembering his demand from before. "Aacha baba, I will give you your chookalat. Aaja." she beckons for him with outstretched hands and watches him eagerly come into her arms. Setting her husband's picture back into its place, she stares from it and over to her sister's separate picture, her gaze lingering onto there.
She does not have any reason to feel guilty about the way she feels. She knows what she has gotten herself into by falling in love with her forbidden husband. She is in love with him and not ashamed of it the least. And she knows that wherever her sister is, she will only want her happiness…..
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He stares blankly outside the glass window in his empty, spacious cabin while he remains slumped into his revolving chair---twisting the wedding band on his left ring finger. In a matter of time will be the third death anniversary of his late wife, Ananya. A full three years that he has lived without her by his side…without her presence in his life. He can hardly believe the fact. It feels forever ago that he had last seen her radiant face, witnessed her goofy smiles, heard her bubbly laughter, or drowned into those glittering black eyes. It felt forever ago that he had been happy….satisfied…and in love.
He had remembered the tiniest details of his wife when she was alive --- wanting them to be engraved into his memory, there to remain forever; the way her eyes crinkled each time she smiled, how she threw hear head back and laughed to her heart's content without a care in the world, the manner in which she bit down on her bottom lip when troubled, the way her ears turned bright pink by each of his flirtatious remarks, how she scrunched up her nose when she wasn't pleased about something, when she would cock up one eyebrow when something interested her, nibbled on her nails when anxious, and so much more... 
Occasionally he would think on the tiny facts about his late wife and feel a churning inside of him. He was slowly forgetting them one by one; his observations of her were becoming limited. He could only look back to them as distant memories, from another period, from another lifetime. Sometimes he even struggled to remember things about her. He was beginning to fear….. fear that he would gradually forget all about her. It was only her pictures now that kept the memories alive as his mind was beginning to fail him. And he tormented himself for this. She was the love of his life, how could he possibly be forgetting her? No, he wouldn't let himself to forget her. She was the light of his life, the sole reason for his happiness, the purpose for living. He felt ashamed at himself at times when he thought on how he could possibly move on without her. But he had done just that. He finally moved on.
Her death had shaken his whole world and took away all the colors from his life. He had been resorted to being a mechanical working machine, no emotions left inside of him or reason to live. He worked himself day and night to avoid thinking of his loss and suffer the unbearable pain. He was aware of the distance he created for himself with his loved ones and could care less for it. The heart ache inside of him was too self absorbing to pay attention to anyone or anything else.
They all felt like strangers to him either way, despite them being his own. They wouldn't understand. They would never be able to understand the misery….the misery of having every happiness snatched away, having the woman you loved unconditionally taken from you, being deprived of your companion who vowed to stand by you for the rest of your life, and being left with a sense of loneliness in return. No, none of them could understand.
Yet somehow and someway, she understood out of all of them. He didn't know what it was about her, but he felt that it was her only who could relate to his pain. She hadn't spoken a word to him about his wife's death nor encouraged him to open up either---yet her silent eyes spoke volumes to him. He could see the concern brimming in those pair of honey brown eyes, the worry, the care, the warmth towards him. Her silence was a golden one and in that silence he found solace. She made it known to him by her presence alone that she was there for him whenever he needed her.  
He felt stifled by everyone else, their overly expressed concerns regarding him, their hassling, their words of comfort that they felt they needed to tell him--- it all irritated him and did nothing to ease the misery inside him. However, the subtle ways in which she conveyed her concern left a grand impact on him. The duty she unceremoniously had taken upon herself of looking after him was enough to make him see this.  
If there was anyone he could remotely relate to during that dark period of his life, then it was Bani—his second wife cum ex-sister-in-law. She made no show of her own hurt concerning her sister's death, the very sister he knew who meant the world to her. She buried herself with responsibilities that did not belong to her in the first place and strove to fulfill them; the responsibility of looking after his son, his family, and himself.
She appeared so strong and brave during that particular phase---as if she could not be taken down by anything. But one close look, he could see the dullness in her face that used to glow, the strain in her forced smiles, and the brightness gone from her once sparkling eyes. At once he felt a connection with her--- one of loneliness. Many times he wanted to reach out to her, but found himself unable to. Even though he wanted to believe that Bani was the same old girl, he knew that wasn't the case. She was different; now his wife, mother of his son, and the mistress of his house.
Time heals all wounds. Perhaps this saying is right to some extent. These past three years have certainly numbed the gnawing pain that tortured him endlessly day and night. His life was now back on track, one can say. He no longer kept himself purposely busy with work at the hospital---leaving in the early hours of morning and returning late into the night. He left to work at a regular time around 8-9 and came home early whenever he could. No longer did he use work as an excuse to bury the consuming pain that besieged him initially from his first wife's death.
A sudden knock at his door disrupts his trance of thought and he roughly clears his throat before replying. "Come in." It's his assistant, who smiles at him with caution.
"Sir, your driver dropped off your lunch. Would you like it now?" she questions, watching him wearily, noting the lines on his tensed forehead. He nods absentmindedly and silently looks to the packed tiffin she places onto his desk. Seconds later she leaves.
He sees a note attached and curiously takes it into his hand, tearing it from the tiffin. He peers at it closely and instantly recognizes the small, neat handwriting.
The fact that I was able to contact your assistant tells me that you haven't gotten around to changing her phone number yet, which is good for me at least for the time being. Please finish your lunch this time instead of giving it to Mahesh ji instead. I do know these things, you know.
- Bani
p.s. I sent Rohit Bhaiya lunch as well. I've also warned him not to harass you since doing so would only result in not having lunch sent to him anymore. He was upset, but agreed. He also told me to tell you that you are not a nice man.
Without meaning to, a slow grin plays on his lips as he finishes the small note, his thoughts immediately drifting to his wife. The past two years of his marriage with his second wife have gone by in a blur. Yes, it is true that they have reached a sort of normalcy between one another; they come across as any other normal husband and wife, but the reality only the two of them knew. They may speak with one another, but they are mentally, physically, and emotionally detached on many levels. They are not who they used to be and may never be.
Whenever he thinks about Bani, he is constantly faced with a mystery of what value she holds for him. He isn't able to describe or pinpoint exactly what it is that he feels towards her. Is it appreciation? Gratitude? ---- For all that she has done for him? Is it comfort? And why is it that he feels at comfort with the mere essence of her? At ease to know that she is there and will always be? After all what is it about her that has him feeling this way? She and his own stance regarding her will remain a puzzle to him perhaps for a long while.
But for now, all he knows…. is that he has learned to live with Bani by his side and now cannot imagine her anywhere else other than with him.
Hearing a knock on his door, Jai glances up at the doorway and meets his friend's eyes. Rohit looks back to him with a big frown set on his face before demanding gloomily, "Why did you go complaining to Bhabhi about me? Maine tumhara kya bigara that you are now out to get me?" 
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Since the past couple of weeks Bani waited eagerly for her sister's arrival once receiving a call from Rano informing her of her decision to study in Mumbai. It had been ages since she last seen her little sister and she was dying to meet her again. She felt at once nostalgic on seeing Rano appearing at the front doors of the Mansion in the afternoon with a brilliant smile on her face and looking lovelier than ever. Tears sprung in Bani's eyes quickly before she embraced Rano tightly in her arms---never wanting to let her go. 
The Walias altogether smothered Rano with their never-ending attention, especially her older sister, who felt immense happiness on having someone from her own family with her. Together they all convinced Rano to stay with them for as long as she wanted and to drop the idea of joining a hostel. After many of Rano's futile denials, one look at her encouraging sister, she caved in immediately and had Tony drop off her things in one of the guest rooms.
Taking her sister away from the spotlight, Bani led Rano to her own room to have some privacy with her sister and catch up with her own life as well as her parents' wellbeing.
"Rano, how come you have suddenly decided to transfer to Mumbai? Was Mount Abu not good enough?" Bani casually asks while pulling out clothes from the wardrobe before her. Her sister, who sits on the bed with Yash playing on her lap, pushes up her glasses before turning her attention onto her Bani Di.
"I had been thinking of transferring here for awhile now, Di. There are far more opportunities in this city than in Mount Abu. I want to take up on some business courses over here. Besides, I'd have shifted to Mumbai either way sooner or later. Might as well come here to study and get to know the city and there after I can start to look for a job as soon as possible."
Bani nods her head understandingly as she walks back over to the bed and places the clothes into the large suitcase resting on the mattress.
"I see you have a point. It is good that you are thinking about your future. Searching for a job though will not be easy here, Rano. It's a jungle. It will take lots of effort and you will need to study hard. But I know you are capable of doing that," Bani dismisses her earlier apprehensions quickly, knowing not to misjudge her sister. She is a smart girl and far capable of doing many things. She will go far.
"I know Di. And I will try my best. I just wanted to come here and spread my wings. Find out what I really am capable of. Initially I didn't want to leave Mummy and Papa alone, hence I delayed my intentions of coming here, but they are well and even encouraged me to come here. But still, I can't help but to worry about them," Rano adds softly. Bani gives her a small smile.
"You are not alone---I worry for them as well however I was reassured before that you were with them. But even then we should not underestimate our parents, Rano, they are strong and will pull through whatever comes their way."
"I guess you are right, Di. It's just that I have spent the last few years protecting them that it's become into a habit."
Gazing at her sister affectionately, Bani places a hand to Rano's cheek while giving her a gentle smile.
"And they were so lucky to have you there with them, Rano. But they can take care of themselves. Besides, they have each other."
Rano smiles feebly back and watches quietly as her sister resumes in packing clothes one after another into the gray suitcase. Yash, distracted by the piles of clothes, crawls over to the suitcase and begins to pick at the belongings in there.
"Di, where is it that Jiju is going again?"
Bani heaves a sigh as she pushes down onto the stack of clothes and then begins in shoving folded socks in the sides of the case.
"Your Jiju is going to London for a medical conference. He'll be away for a week. His flight is early in the morning. Why?"
"Well it seems that you are packing his stuff as if he is going away forever. There are far too many clothes, Di," Rano sniggers while Bani simply glares back at her for being mocked. Bani places her hands on her hips. 
"Shut up. Do you even know how cold it will be there? It will be nearly freezing. He needs sets of warm clothes otherwise he will catch a cold."
Bani scowls at Rano who simply gives her a lopsided grin while replying, "Di, you are such a typical Indian wife whose thoughts solely revolve around her husband!"
Rano squeals as Bani grabs onto a pillow and smacks her with it. Yash claps his hands in excitement on seeing his mother tackling his aunt continuously before she cries for mercy.
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Jai returned home near twelve and was greeted by the sight of his wife and sister-in-law chatting with one another excitedly over cups of coffee and sitting comfortably on the furniture in the living room. He dropped his suitcase on the table nearby, drawing his wife's attention to him.
"Aap aagaye?" she questions while rising and taking his coat from him when he shrugs it off. Handing it over, he notes how her face seems unusually bright. "Nahi, bhooth hoon," he mutters sarcastically---still quite annoyed from his friend's continuous sulking throughout the whole day. Bani, instead of taking offense, bites back a grin from his usual sarcasm.
"Aap dhekiye na---- Rano aaye hai. Woh aab yahan humare saath rahenwali hai…. Teek hai, haina?" she asks last second while staring into his face intently. Jai switches his gaze onto his sister-in-law, who he hadn't spoken to in a long time. She too rises in his presence and smiles cautiously at him. 
"Hi Jiju," she offers her greetings shyly, feeling nerved at the way he blankly looks at her. He simply gives a nod of his head, acknowledging her. "Hi Rano, nice to see you again. I hope you are feeling comfortable here."
"Ji, of course. Everyone is taking good care of me, especially Di," Rano answers promptly. Jai nods his head once again and an awkward silence settles in. Bani, sensing the weirdness between her sister and husband who haven't spoken in ages, quickly disposes the uncomfortable quietness between them. She turns to her husband.
"You must be hungry, I know. Aap table peh baatiye---main abhi aati hoon aapke khaane ke saath. Rano, tum bhi aao," Bani encourages with a glance in her way. Rano nods her head and follows after her brother-in-law and sister to the dining room. As Bani quickly prepares Jai's dinner which she neglected due to being preoccupied with her sister, both Rano and Jai sit at the table and attempt to make small talk---discussing Rano's future plans.
The rest of Jai's dinner was spent in small talk about Rano, her major, and her plans for a career. Soon after dismissing her sister to bed, Bani joined Jai in the bedroom once washing off the dishes. She found him already dressed in his nightwear and searching through his blackberry. Closing the door after herself, she walked in.
"Bani, tumne kapade pack kiya?" he asks her breezily while going through many of his emails in his inbox. Joining him on the bed, slipping into the covers on her side and nestling beside a sleeping Yash, she replies in an affirmative.
"Saab kuch packed hai. Maine aapke passport aur ticket aapke bag mein rakhwaayi. Aur kuch to nahi raagaya, haina?" she questions while looking over to him with big eyes. Jai continues to keep his attention strapped to his phone, a grim set on his face.
"Hmmm. Nahi, aur kuch nahi. Thanks."
Minutes later Bani finally heard his lamp turn off and his body shift on the mattress, settling himself in order to sleep. She released a quiet sigh as she remained awake through the early hours of the morning---one thought troubling her.
Looking to her left, her eyes land on her snoozing husband who is oblivious to everything and everyone around him. She reaches over and gingerly brushes off a wisp of hair resting on his forehead. She continues to gaze at him, wanting to remember each and every feature of his handsome face. He will be away for a whole week and this thought made her restless. Having spent the last two years of her life with him always around she cannot even fathom the thought of him going off anywhere anymore. It is strange what love has done to her. It has made her so heavily attached to a man who hardly acknowledges her other than to have her tend to one of his needs. And yet, she will miss him…… terribly.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Chapter 12:
It was late afternoon when he arrived in London, suffering from jet lag and with the desire to sleep despite the sunshine outside. Turning the locks with the key, he opened the door to the given room and carried in his things with him. Placing his luggage down onto the door, his eyes swept across the spacious room furnished in an elaborate style with good sense of taste. He continued to settle himself in, indifferent to the surroundings around him and the view from his hotel room.
Just as he unzipped his suitcase and threw it open to find comfortable clothes to wear, his gaze immediately fell to an item placed flat in the center of his clothes----there solely for his attention.  Taking it in his hand, Jai stared at the picture and slowly a smile crept onto his lips as a tender expression unfolded on his handsome face.
It was a picture of his family taken a few months ago at his nephew's graduation party----in the center Aditya and Jigyasa proudly holding onto a beaming Saahil who held his diploma high in the air, Ranveer and Anu standing on each of their parents' side with grins of their own, his mother and Dadi standing off to the other side while on the opposite stood Bani with Yash on her hip and him standing next to her. It was a happy occasion that had them all in smiles, even him. 
He began to lightly chuckle at his wife's antics, knowing that she deliberately placed the picture for him to take along. He found it quite silly, considering that he would only be away for a week and forgetting any of them was highly doubtful, yet endearing at the same time. It was the gesture that counted. With a soft smile still playing on his lips, he carefully placed the frame onto the nightstand beside his bed and continued to look at it from afar----his eyes resting on one person in particular.
Suddenly he tore off his gaze and reached for his coat that he threw on the bed. Searching through his pockets, he located his cell phone and pulled it out. His thumb quickly dialed the digits to his home number and pressing the phone to his ear, he waited as the line rang.
After a few rings had gone by, the other lined picked up and Jai was greeted by his mother's voice, who set out an interrogation of whether the flight was fine. Once reassuring his mother, he asked for Bani, knowing that she would be waiting for his call to know he reached London safely.
"Paar beta, woh to ghar peh nahi hai," his mother informed him much to his surprise. Jai glanced down at his watch and noted that Bani usually was at home during this time as she would most likely be serving Dinner.
"To phir woh kahan gaayi?" he asked casually, yet intrigued on the whereabouts of his wife. She mostly didn't go out in the evenings--staying at home with the family and preparing Dinner with the butler/cook.
"Bhaar gaayi hai uski behen ke saath. Dono shopping ke plans banaaye the. Woh bus aati hogi, bataadongi ke tumne call kiya. Main usse kaedoongi tujhse baath karnliye. Teek hai, beta?"
For some odd reason, he found himself feeling rather annoyed with hearing his wife was not around and snapped back, "Nahi, koi zaroort nahi hai. I was just wondering if she was around or not. Alright, Ma, main tumse baadmein baath karloonga."
"Teek hai, beta, aapna khyaal rakhna. Aur roz phone kaarte rehna, accha?"
"Hm, teek hai. Bye," he finished abruptly before ending the call and tossing his cell phone to the side. Sitting down on the bed, he ran his fingers through his hair before heaving a sigh.  He looked back over to the picture and to his wife, wondering why he felt the need to speak with her suddenly...why he felt bad on knowing she was not there to do so.
He shook his head as if to rattle these thoughts away and lied down on the mattress, wishing to take a short nap…..
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bani returned home an hour later with bags in her hand and an equally smiling sister on her side. Having been spotted in an off-set mood, Rano suggested going out shopping to cheer her up as it always used to before. Slowly Bani pushed back thoughts of Jai being away and enjoyed spending quality time with her sister after so long. It was when she was faced by her mother-in-law, who informed her that Jai called over an hour ago for her that she ran to her room and dropped the bags before seizing the phone.
She licked her dry lips as she heard the line ring and waited for her husband to pick up. It was after a couple of rings that he did.
"…. Hello?" came his husky reply that had her face flushed and stomach tied in knots within seconds.  
"Aap---Aapne phone kiya tha….," she mustered breathlessly. "Hmm, kiya tha. Kyon?" he asked back abruptly and rather snappily once recognizing her voice. Puzzled by his sudden spout of attitude, she fumbled for a response.
"Woh mummyji neh bataaye thi….. I'm sorry that I wasn't here when you called…. Actually Rano wanted to go shopping and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer---isliye main gaayi thi uske saath…," she found herself suddenly defensive and not knowing why she felt the need to be. Somehow she had the feeling he was annoyed she wasn't around when he called.
"Jaanta hoon. Ma told me. ---Did you call for some other reason or to just say this?" he demanded subtly. Tracing the edge of the pillow next to her, Bani tried to find words.
"Nahi, woh…..  ---- aapka flight kaisa tha? Aap sahi salamat se poonchgaye haina?"
"Nahi, kissne mere taange tor diya ek accident mein…. Main abhi hospital mein hoon…. Doctor kaeh raha hai ke aab main kabhi nahi chalsaakta….. Does that answer your question?" he remarked sarcastically causing an exasperated sigh to escape from his wife's lips.
"Aap bhi na--- kabhi serious nahi hosakte. ----Aapne kuch kaaya abhi thak? Lunch kiya, kya?"
"I was sleeping, didn't have time to eat once I got here. You just woke me up," he spoke in a matter of fact tone, putting aside his sarcasm.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't kno---"
"It's okay," he states calmly, cutting into her apology. Bani clamps her mouth shut and feels the silence creeping in between them.
"…. Aap….aap wapas sonjaaye… you must be tired. Main kal phone kaarti hoon…," she begins in saying, knowing that they have run out of things to say.
"…. Bani?"
Hearing the gentleness of his voice, she clutches hard onto the phone in anticipation of what he has to say.
"Ji?"
After a long stilling moment, she hears him release a sigh before saying softly, "Nothing. I'll speak with you tomorrow."
Seeming disheartened by this, as if she were expecting him to say something more to her, Bani nods her head before replying, "Ji, aapna khyaal raakhiyega…"
"…. Tum bhi," he says before cutting off the line.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next four days went by miserably for Bani, who was missing Jai more and more by each passing day. She did not hear from him again since their last call. She supposed that he must be really busy, but couldn't help feel bad anyway. But then again, she shouldn't be. It's not as if they share a deep relationship with one another---acting more like acquaintances than husband and wife.  He probably doesn't think of her at all whereas she thinks of him every moment of the day.
At present she stands before her dresser, screwing on earrings and patting down her pretty teal colored churidar. She ties back her long hair into a ponytail and approves of her simple image in the mirror before turning and taking a hold of her purse. It was only a couple of days ago that she received a phone call from her old friends, Anamika and Pia, who mentioned they were coming into the city for a short period of time for a tour since Anamika is considering transferring here for career purposes. And Pia, like usual, would tag along for the fun of it.
She did not refute their polite invitation to meet up for coffee as it's been so long since they've last seen each other. Besides, Bani has pulled her life back together since then. She isn't weary about meeting them again after what she had gone through and how she abruptly left town. She just hopes they are not weary of her either with how her life has drastically changed. Like how she used to be, Anamika and Pia are very typical modern girls. She didn't know how they'd take to her sudden marriage and motherhood.
As Bani passes by the ground level of the mansion, headed toward the entrance, she walks by the youngsters who play a round of cards in the living room---enjoying their free Saturday afternoon together.
"Hey Mami! Come here and play with us," Anu calls out for her, wearing a brilliant smile on her face. Bani returns it while politely shaking her head in refusal. "Maybe later, Anu."
"Ah shucks, Mami. What? We are too young for you now?  Come and join us---we'll start a new game," Saahil offers with a friendly gesture, motioning to the available place beside all of them.
"Yes, come on Didi. We all are having so much fun kicking Ranveer's butt here," Rano adds with a mischievous giggle.
"Hey, I don't see you winning either," Ranveer remarks with a glower, causing Rano to giggle even further at his plight. "In fact, you have such a sad hand of cards right now."
Rano heaves out a gasp while staring back at him. "You have been looking at my cards? Ranveer Bali, you are such a cheat!" She accuses in good humor before leaning close to his side and trying to snatch his deck of cards. "Now it will only be fair if I get a look of yours!" she admonishes while struggling to get a hold of his cards which Ranveer keeps out of her reach. He chuckles at her and smiles broadly before replying, "Everything is fair in war."
"So whatdaya say Mami?" Anu questions once again. As Ranveer and Rano continue their banter, Bani simply wears an apologetic smile on her lips as she responds, "I'm sorry, but I will have to pass. I have plans."
"Oh okay, but you'll join us later, won't you?"
"Of course," she answers. "I'll see you all later then."
She dismissively says before turning back around and proceeding toward the main doors.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"---so my aunt says that she can have her friend take me in. Besides, she has such connections in the fashion world---I could become well known in no time with my designs," Pia proudly announces while stirring her cup of ice tea. Bani nods her head along with her words, showing that she is listening even though she isn't particularly interested in anything that Pia has to say. Even after two years she is the exact same, not one bit of change in her. Bani wonders why in the world she had ever been acquainted with her in the first place, seeing that they have no common ground between them to begin with.
"Okay, enough about us!" Anamika breaks off chirpily while directing a genuine smile in Bani's direction, catching her off guard and to look up from her own drink.
"Tell us about you, Bani. How have you been these past couple of years? We haven't heard a single thing about you. All we knew was that you randomly left town and got married, which I see is true with your sindoor and mangalsutra."
"Yes, and talk about being impolite for not inviting either of us to your wedding," Pia chides, suddenly growing interest on the approaching topic rather than to boast about her own dreams and aspirations.
Bani bites down on her lips and feels herself blush under their direct gazes, hating how she has been put under the spotlight. What can she say? How can she even begin to describe anything that has happened in her life? ---Would they be understanding?
"So who is the lucky guy?" Anamika questions with a friendly giggle and a wink in her way. Bani flushes even further. She stirs her drink while struggling for words.
"It…er…happened so quickly…. and quite spontaneously… I don't really know what to say," Bani offers with a slight shrug and the blush still showing in her cheeks.
"Well then, was it arranged? Were you in love?"
Bani's face grows hot with discomfort, hating this topic immensely at the moment. She bows her head and keeps her eyes firmly on her drink.
"It was arranged…."
"You ask me, you shouldn't have gotten married to begin with. You were only nineteen for god's sake. Much too young and still are. You should be focusing on a career…. Not marriage. Next thing you know you are going to be popping out with babies and taking care of those," Pia says with detest and a wrinkle of her nose. Anamika throws a glare in Pia's direction, motioning her to be quiet.
"…. You are right. I was too young. But what happened---happened. There's nothing I can change about it now."
"I thought you were a very modern girl, Bani---- not one of those traditional kind who lets anything happen to her on her parents' whims," Pia continues haughtily. Anamika nudges her hard in her ribs.
"Anyways, so how is married life for you Bani? By the way, you still haven't mentioned a word about your husband. How is he like? What does he do?"
"How in the world did you even get married to him?" Pia persists, neglecting Anamika's gestures of hushing up completely.
"Stop it Pia, you are being rude."
"Arre, how am I being rude if I am simply asking her about what had happened to her after all? I am her friend. I think I have a right to know."
"Pia---.."
"No, it's okay. I don't mind saying," Bani cuts in, finally looking up and meeting their watchful eyes. It'd be better to come out with the truth rather than to hide the true events of her marriage from them. Perhaps they did deserve to know with her abrupt disappearance and all.
"I got married because the circumstances required it…. After my sister's death, her husband and son were left alone and had no one…. Especially Yash, he needed a mother figure in his life…."
Shock quickly builds on both of the girls' faces as they stare back at Bani with horror. "You mean to say that you married your brother-in-law, Bani?" Anamika asks softly, coming to the conclusion immediately. Bani affirmatively nods her head and a stunning silence makes its way in between all of them.
"We are sorry, Bani, I had no idea that all this had happened to you," Anamika uneasily begins to say, throwing Pia a side glance who seems more intrigued than sympathetic to Bani's situation.
"Don't be--- I have no regrets."
"…. So you are happy?" Anamika continues to ask cautiously.
Bani takes a moment to think over this. She may not be perfectly happy so to say, but she is content with her life and has nothing to complain. She does wish for more though.
"… I'm content," she finishes with a gentle smile in their directions. Anamika and Pia share a look at this. Pia bites down on her lip, as if to stop herself from saying something whereas Anamika puts on a small smile.
"Well as long as you are fine."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Yeah, that'll be all. Here's my card," he says while extending his credit card over to the cashier as the other workers beside him pack up his belongings. As he left the store and walked back outside in the chilly weather, he thought over whether he got everyone what they had asked for. Before leaving, he was provided long lists from each of his family members----all wanting something or the other from London. He runs through his mind who he has gotten what, when he realizes that he has forgotten a person in particular.
He wonders how he could forget and instantly thinks of what to get, not wanting to return home with gifts for everyone but her. Perhaps he had forgotten simply because she didn't bother to ask for a single thing unlike the others.  
Having the set list of items his family specifically asked for, he did not have the difficult task of thinking what to get them. He simply got what they asked for. Perhaps he should ask her as well if she has anything certain in mind.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bani became distracted by the vibration of her phone and peered at the screen to see who it is. Seeing her husband's name flashing across the screen takes her by surprise yet enlightens her at the same time. Her conversation with her friends was becoming dreadfully boring as she soon learned they had become into such different people and had nothing in common anymore. Or perhaps she had just changed drastically and they were just how they always were. Besides, it doesn't help much that she misses him terribly since he's been away. Immediately she excuses herself and attends the call---unconscious of her friends' traveling eyes and exchange of whispers.
"Hello?" Bani attempts to answer calmly. However, her voice gives away the delight on receiving a call from him.
"Bani?---you're not busy are you?" he questions right away in his usual deep, rich voice that she hasn't heard the past few days.
"No, I am free… ," she lies. "Aap baataiye---- kya baath hai?" she asks, wondering if there is a specific reason for calling her.
"Well, I thought I'd tell you ahead of time that my flight has changed to be scheduled to leave the day after tomorrow, so I will be coming home a day later than expected."
Trying not to show her disappointment on hearing this, Bani tries to ask diffidently, "Why?"
"There are just a few things left to be taken care of. And it needs a little bit more time."
"Aap kaab aayenge? --- I mean, when would your flight be arriving?"
"I should be back home near nightfall. Let Ma know the change of plans as well. Otherwise she'll give me hell for not informing her."
"Aap khud kyon nahi bataate hai?" she questions quizzically.
"Because then that way she will have your head instead of going after mine. Smart move on my part, don't you think?"
Not meaning to, a smile erupts on her lips and she releases a good laugh on what he says. "Hmm, very smart," she agrees.
"Eer… Bani….," he begins in saying hesitantly, almost seeming discomforted by something.
"Ji?" she encourages.
"…. Maine saab ke liye gifts leya hai…. Tum… tum kuch lena chaati ho, kya?"
Feeling touched by how he has given a thought towards her, the smile on Bani's grows as she ponders on what to say. The other line grows quiet as Jai listens in on what her answer will be.
"What would I need from London?" she asks instead.
"Anything. Everyone else wants something…. There must be at least something you want too…."
Bani grows silent for a complete moment before replying softly, "I do want something."
"What?"
"….Your safe return… That is enough for me," she finishes in a hush. A moment of silence passes, one that feels like an eternity, before Jai clears his throat and rumbles, "You are sure you don't have anything in mind?"
"… Just that," she faintly responds.  
"…… Hmm. I—I'll speak with you later, then. I have to go now."
"Ji. Take care of yourself. And please don't forget to wear a jacket. It is cold there, I know."
"I know you know. You know everything apparently," he remarks dryly, causing the blush in her cheeks to redden further.
"Bye….," he dismisses before hanging up his phone. Removing her phone from her ear and disconnecting the call herself, she counts the days till he'll be back. Just two more to go…..
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jai slips his cell phone back into his pant pocket and reflects over his wife's words, the impact of them still affecting him. It has been a long time since someone has asked for something like this. Everyone has gotten so accustomed to him leaving here and there that they do not bother with it anymore. It felt strangely good to hear her concern for him, to know that she wants him to be safe at all times.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bani returned home in a slightly dejected manner, going over the events of lunch with her old friends, who she knows will now not try to contact her again. She has officially warded them off with her talks of marriage and motherhood when asked. To them she has become into this whole different person who they cannot relate to anymore. They were girls who were weary of marriage and motherhood, wanting to delay the two as much as possible---- as she once wanted to as well.
Even though she knows that she doesn't need them in her life, as she is perfectly adjusted in her new life without a care for her old one, she cannot help but feel hurt that they were not able to understand her situation and stick by her. She is reminded of the many times she did almost anything for her friends, providing support as much as she could. And when it was the time that she needed support in return, they were not willing to give it. It was clear they did not approve of how her life has turned around.
Bani walked by the group of youngsters, who were still at their play of games, and claimed to have a headache when asked to join them. She really just wanted to be let alone. She was feeling low after her encounter with old friends and the thought of an extra day her husband will be away.
Opening the doors to her wardrobe, she throws her purse carelessly into it and draws out a much more comfortable outfit to wear, wanting to get out of the tight churidar. As she bangs the door closed and turns to leave, she hears something fall within the wardrobe and curiously looks back. Reopening the door, she peers into it to see what had fallen and spots the item that falls out, slamming onto the floor. Confused, she picks it up and looks thoroughly at it. Staring at the front cover, she sees that it appears to be a scrapbook. Her hands sprawl it open and wander through the pages----her attention quickly being sucked into the bright colors and pictures of the book.
She realizes that it is her sister's old scrapbook that had been tucked on the top shelf of the wardrobe, something that she had overlooked all these years. Captivated by the thought of holding a dear possession of sister's, she eagerly glances through the pages, appreciating the hard labor her sister has put into it all. Her sister was always the kind of person to want to keep memories alive. She'd take pictures like a madwoman and plaster them everywhere, so it is no surprise to Bani to learn that she started to make a scrapbook as well.
She becomes overcome with deep emotion when her eyes take in the various pictures of her sister and her husband taken together----behaving exactly like a couple in love would be; holding hands, wrapping their arms around one another, giving each other sweet kisses. She sees how happy they used to be with one another by their glowing faces and wide smiles, especially Jai. She can see the clear twinkle in his eyes indicating how happy he had been back then. Will he ever be that happy again, she ponders to herself.
As she flips through the pages of pictures containing her husband's first marriage with her sister, she comes across clippings of baby clothes, bottles, cradles, and finally sonogram pictures of Yash. She'd labeled them all proudly with "My Baby Boy." It was clear how much her sister looked forward to Yash's birth, already dotting on him so much. He was Ananya's everything, just like how Yash is now hers.
As she proceeds forward, the rest of the pages remain blank and a hollow feeling settles in Bani's chest. Her sister never had a chance to see the baby she longed for, never got to experience the feel of him in her arms, never experienced motherhood. She feels her eyes become misty on the thought.
Closing the scrapbook shut her eyes land on the grand title pasted across the front and traces over the letters with the tips of her fingers….
Our Memories
Yes, they were all Ananya and Jai's memories….. memories that Bani found she wanted to keep alive and continue on…. It was something her sister would have done anyways.
Placing the scrapbook gently aside, she determinedly walks over to one of her drawers and rummages through it, pulling out an album a moment later. She returns and takes the scrapbook into her possession and lays both heavy books on the bed. Spreading the album wide open, she searches through the pictures she had kept of Yash since the time of his birth---pulling out one or another here and there. Soon enough she lost herself in time---too absorbed in the web of memories to pay attention to anything else…..
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Chapter 13:

He walked out of the mechanical doors and into the darkness of the calm night. Loitering on the sidewalk for a moment, he searches around the lines of cars until he locates his driver step forward and with a tip of his hat smile at him.

"Welcome back, sir."

"Thank you, Rajesh."

Rajesh, without another exchange of words, immediately takes a hold of his employer's luggage and settles them inside the trunk of his car. As he seats himself into the back of the vehicle, Jai pulls out his blackberry and turns it on after having it off during the long flight from London to Mumbai. Instantly his cell phone buzzes to life with the many messages left for him when he was unreachable. He checks through them as his driver drives out from the airport and heading straight to the mansion.

On the way home, they found themselves jammed in the middle of traffic. Running his fingers through his hair, Jai curses himself for this inconvenience. All he wanted to do at this point was climb into his bed and sleep. But it seems some more time will have to pass till that happens.

He gazes outside his window, observing the small shops standing erect alongside the streets of this busy city. He watches disinterestedly at the flurry of people walking by during this cool evening until his attention is temporarily captivated by the sight of something that strikes him.

His steel eyes rest on the particular shop and its owner, who holds the object in his hand that had his direct notice. Jai looks on as the shopkeeper hands it over to his paying customers---two little boys who eye the item as if they had hit the jackpot. A smile tugs on the corners of his mouth as he makes the comparison, but it is overcome by a somber expression that unfolds on his handsome face as a thought crosses his mind. 

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Bani had gotten out of the bathroom, drying her wet hair with a towel from taking a shower, when her eyes fell onto her son sitting on the bed with a wide smile---playing with a bulky truck in his hands. Confused, she sets the towel aside and approaches him, wondering where the yellow truck had suddenly come from. She cannot recall the toy being Yash's.

"Beta---yeh truck kahan se aya?" she questions him sweetly while patting down his jet black hair, taken after his father.
"Momma, wook!!! Tuck! Tuck! ----Vooooommmm!!!" Yash excitedly shows his mother his brand new truck, waving it in front of her high in the air.
"Hain Beta, Mama sees… paar tumhe kahan se mila?" she proceeds in asking, wondering if it was gifted to him by one of his older cousins or his Aditya Phupha, who loved to spoil Yash with boy toys. "To make certain he grows up to be a man and doesn't end up playing with dolls," they'd always say. She'd simply rolls her eyes at them in return.
"Aur tum yahan aakele kyon ho? Dadi kahan hai?" she questions hastily on noticing that he had been here in the room by himself for so long. Her son, however, ignores her queries and simply gives her a goofy smile in return while continuing to point at his "tuck."
"Momma---myyy tuck! Papa gimmy…. Papa say Yashs tuck….aaalllll mine!" he expresses with glee while hugging his new truck against his chest. Bani seems stumped on hearing her son's words, not having expected this as an answer.
"Papa? Yash---- Papa gave you this truck?"
"Papa say Yash big boyyy….Papa gimmy tuck…," her son repeats with sparkling eyes.
"Yash---- Papa is here?" Bani inquires from the almost three-year old with delight slowly settling onto her fair face.
"Momma--- Papa tuck! Papa tuck!" he indicates to his toy---shoving it into his mother's face for her to see. Bani pushes it aside with a chuckle at her son's clear excitement. Her smile grows as her face becomes bright with pleasure on hearing her husband has come home, that too, on his previous planned time. She was told by him to expect him tomorrow.
"Yash let's go and see Papa," she suggests with a sparkle of her own in her honey brown eyes. Yash, however, doesn't seem to share the same enthusiasm as his mother regarding the proposed idea.
"I play….," he whines as an answer.
"Yashu, let's go meet Papa first and then play, okay?"
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes. Yash, don't you want to say thank you to Papa? He got you such a big truck."
"I play….you go," he suggests instead and returns his attention onto his truck, rolling it across the mattress of the bed. Bani heaves a sigh and is about to gather his lost attention until she hears the opening of the bedroom door behind her. Looking over her shoulder, her gaze falls onto her haggard appearing husband who emerges through their door and shutting it after him. She springs up from the bed and stands onto her feet from his presence.
"Aap aagaye?" she breathlessly questions him, drawing his notice onto her. Dropping his hand from the back of his neck, which he had been rubbing since it had been aching due to his long flight, he nods his head in affirmative. He walks further inside and goes to stand by the dresser, removing his watch and placing it onto there.
"The conference ended earlier than I had expected to. So I took the first flight I could back home. Sorry for not informing you ahead of time," he adds his apologies at the end while glancing in her way. Bani blushes from his direct gaze on her---always finding herself unnerved when his penetrating stormy eyes rest onto her.
Seeing that he's in the act of removing his coat, Bani joins him at the dresser and takes it from him wordlessly. She heads over to his wardrobe and hangs it up while Jai begins in taking off his tie.
"It's okay…. I just wasn't expecting you……. How… How was London?" she asks shyly while casting him a look, leaning onto one of the wardrobe doors. She averts her eyes as she sees him beginning to unbutton the top buttons of his shirt, deciding to settle her attention onto her playing son while she turns pink in the face.
She catches the faint smile he throws her from the dresser when looking at her through the corner of her eye. "… It was cold," he comments. Seeing that her gaze is elsewhere, he follows it to their son. He then clears his throat.
"I… er… couldn't think of what else to get him. Boys his age usually are fascinated with big trucks so I thought I'd go ahead and get him one…."
"…. You made the right choice. He loves it."
"I'm glad…. I…. uh…"
Sensing his hesitance, Bani finally looks back to him and sees him rubbing the back of his neck again while approaching her in small steps.
"… I got everyone something…. Ma wanted some pearl earrings…. Dadi movies….. Aditya Jiju a digital camera …. Jigyasa, Anu, and Rano some dresses…. Ranveer and Saahil new iPods….."
His words linger for a moment and Bani nods her head while smiling softly to him.
"…. I'm glad….Everyone must be happy with their gifts."
Her smile fades, however, when she is caught locked into his intense gazing---his stormy gray eyes more powerful than she's ever seen them to be.  She holds in her breath in anticipation.
"…. I got you something too….," he finally says in a husky tone. Blushing red, Bani fidgets to herself before refocusing her attention onto the wardrobe and fumbling for his nightwear.
"…. I told you---- I only wanted your safe return, that's all… I didn't want anything else…. ---H-here are your clothes so you can change and go to sleep. You must be tired," she states hastily, trying to her best attempts to divert the topic. However, her husband does not go along with it. He neglects her outstretched hand that extends over his separate change of clothes.
"… Don't you want to see it?"
Finding herself speechless at this point, Bani remains in her spot dumbstruck with nothing to say. She is jolted out of her stupor, though, when she sees him walk away from her. Curiously she looks on at him and sees how he reaches for his suitcase and places it onto the mattress near an oblivious Yash, who continues to make his truck sounds.
He unzips it and reaches into it, rummaging through his things before he withdraws a velvet box. Looking back at her, he joins her side once again and presents it to her while his wife stares at it with wonder. He clasps it open and Bani is nearly blown away by what she sees. Her eyes instantly meet his, which look back at her.
"Aap…. Aap---," she begins in stammering, having nothing to say.
"I didn't know what to get you at first…. But then I saw this and… … It reminded me of you," he softly states. Seeing that she is still quiet, he continues. "I couldn't come back with nothing to give to you… no matter what you said; I had to get you something…"
 She stares into his eyes once again for a long silent moment before turning her back around. She pushes her hair to one side and with a look over her shoulder she says, "Could you put it on for me?"
He removes it from the box and brings it around her slowly, settling it around her bare neck. Once he clasps it, she turns back around and traces the beautiful sapphire pendant that now gleams under their bedroom light. She can't restrain the pleased smile that grows on her lips.
"It's beautiful….. Thank you."
She watches how his eyes linger onto her upper chest---admiring how the piece of jewelry flatteringly hangs around her creamy neck---before looking over to her once more. For a silent moment they stare at one another until they are jolted out of it by another one of Yash's truck sounds. Awkwardly, Jai switches his gaze and runs his fingers through his hair before a sudden expression crosses his face and he looks back to her.
"I have something else too…."
Surprised on hearing this, Bani completely removes her attention from her pendant---her tracing fingers coming to a stop.
"Ji?...... You—you shouldn't have. This is enough---really."
She is further taken aback to see an enigmatic look unfold on his face accompanied by a shrug as he brushes her aside and searches through the wardrobe for the coat his wife had just hanged. Reaching into the pockets of it, he withdraws another item out.
"Chokolaattt!!!!" Yash screams in cheer once spotting the dairy milk chocolate bar in his father's hands. Immediately he tosses his truck off to the side and climbs off the bed, running to Jai with his stubby little legs. He tugs on his trousers once having approached him and his mother.
"I want it chokolat! I want it! I want it!" he demands aggressively while taking a fist full of Jai's pants and pulling on them. Jai painstakingly meets his wife's eyes before she erupts into a fit of giggles seconds later from the plea and desperation in her son and the bewildered look on her husband's face. They both appeared so comical at that moment that Bani couldn't help but laugh at father and son.
"….Er….Yash…. boys your age shouldn't be eating chocolate. It will rot your teeth…. This is for your mother," Jai states uneasily while casting a look to Bani, who flushes from his expressed words----embarrassed yet pleased that he had thought of her enough to bring her favorite candy, a tradition that used to be carried out for years before her sister's death and neglected thereafter.
"Momma, pweeeaaasseeee. I want it chokolat!" Yash turns to her with his wide eyes that have his mother melt within seconds. She bends down to his level and takes a hold of his arms.
"Only if Yash promises mommy that he will be a good boy and brush his teeth before going to bed. Will you do that for me?"
Yash eagerly nods his head. Bani looks at Jai, who shakes his head.
"I should have known better than to take it out in front of him," he comments more to himself than to her. Bani smiles.
"He will have just one piece." Taking it from him, Bani opens the chocolate bar and breaking off a piece hands it over to her son who gobbles it up right away. She folds it closed, hides it behind her back, and looks to him sternly.
"Now remember our deal. Yash has to brush teeth now. Okay?"
"Okay," he chirps with a grin before running back to the bed to play with his truck.
"Yash, now. No more playing. Play tomorrow. It's bedtime."
"Awwwww," Yash whines before slipping off the mattress and stomping over to the bathroom where his mini stool was awaiting for him at the sink.
Rising back to her full height, Bani meets her husband's quiet eyes and she runs her fingers along the wrapper of the chocolate bar, fumbling for words.
"…. Thank you. You shouldn't have bothered."
"I….uh… your welcome. I just saw it and bought it out of impulse….. You still like them, don't you?" he asks, appearing sheepish for the first time since she has known him.
"Yes, it's been awhile since I've eaten one of these though."
Together they slip into silence as they realize the deeper meaning behind her words….meaning she hadn't had one of these since the time of her sister's death.
"I… I should go and check if he brushes his teeth….," she says uneasily, breaking the strong lull between them. Jai nods his head. "Yes, you should."
"Should I reheat dinner for you?" she adds after a second thought.
"No thanks, I'm good. I just need to change and get some sleep."
Bani nods her head understandingly--- knowing that he wants privacy to change in the room---and leaves toward the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He walks forward into the darkness cautiously in small steps, not knowing where he was going. All around is pitch black surrounding him that never seems to end. He just knows that he has to get out of here some way or another----his feet carry him further on.  That is until he halts on hearing a distant sound. Listening in closer, he realizes it is a voice.
"….Jai…." she calls out to him. Struck to his spot, he remains still for a long moment before racing forward, running after the person who continues to summon for him. His heart beats fast and the drumming of it fills his ears. He doesn't know where it is he is being led to, but he knows he has to find her.
The more he runs, the more he begins to think that there is no escape for this god forsaken place. Until he sees a blinding light beaming from a distance and feels hope rushing into him. His legs sprint faster as he catches the familiar figure of a woman---her vision blurry, but still there.
"Ananya," he yells for her attention. Slowly, he watches as her body turns around in order to face him….
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bani was woken up in the middle of the night by the groaning of her husband. Worriedly she turned on her lamp light and looked to him, seeing him thrashing back and forth in his place and his face a sickly white. His now sweaty shirt clanged onto him like a second layer of skin and beads of perspiration formed on his forehead. Jumping out of the comforter, she reaches to his side of the bed and kneels down beside him.
"Jai…. Jai…. Jai," she calls for him while placing her palms on each side of his face. That is when she realizes he is burning with fever. Beyond worried now, she takes a fist full of his shirt and shakes him out of whatever is gnawing at him.
"Jai---Jai, wake up! Wake up, please, wake up!" From her near shouts, she watches his eyelids fly open and his gray eyes peering right up at her. She remains still in her actions and looks on at him wearily as his eyes wander around his surroundings before landing on her once again. He brings a hand to his forehead and wipes away the sweat. The exhaustion on his face begins to settle.
"…..Bani," he breathes. She brings her hand forward and begins to smooth out the strands of hair that stick against his sweaty forehead.
"I woke up because you were moving around so much in your sleep…. Were you having a bad dream?"
Jai heaves a sigh as he settles his head back into his pillow and ignorant to the fact that his wife continues to smooth out his hair---her eyes full with worry and concern at this point. Hearing no reply to her question, Bani continues on.
"You are burning up too….," she states quietly after placing the back of her hand to his forehead. "You have a fever. I will just go and get you some medicine."
As Bani moves to leave, she is held back by his hand taking a grasp of her arm.
"Don't…. I'll be fine. It's nothing. It'll be gone by morning."
Bani bites on her lower lip while examining him silently. Perhaps she shouldn't bother with it. He is a doctor so he knows. But then again, despite being a doctor he is known for neglecting his health.
"At least have some water."
Seeing him nod after a moment to her suggestion, Bani takes a hold of a glass and pitcher resting on the night stand nearby and hands him the water. He drinks it all down and hands her back the empty glass.
"You are sure that you are fine? I will just be back with the medicines if you want me to…."
"No, I'm okay…..Don't hassle yourself…. I just need some sleep."
Seeing the disbelief present on her face and her unwillingness to move, Jai directs his gaze onto her.
"Believe me, I am fine."
Lowering her eyes, she nods and returns to her side of the bed. Switching off the lamp light, she hears the shifting of her husband's body and stares at his back faced toward her. She takes a grip onto her pendant and moves it back and forth along the chain, wondering what nightmare he had that struck him in this way.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
His fever was not gone in the morning, but wasn't as severe as it had been at night. But he would not admit this to her, Bani knew. He avoided her scrutiny since early morning and her suggestions for him to take some medicine before going off to work. He had been in his study, collecting some files, when she let herself in. Hearing a brisk knock on the door, Jai turned around and saw his wife standing at the doorway with a glass of juice and bottle of medicine in her hands. He shuts the file in his hand.
"I brought you juice and medicine. I have also complained to mummyji about you so you have no choice but to take them now or else you will have her on your case."
 "That was completely unnecessary," he says with annoyance of having his mother's likely ranting awarded to him soon.
"It was completely called for. You are only going to get worse if you don't do something about your fever….. Can't you stay home for the day and rest some more? You can always go to work tomorrow."
"No, I have to go. I've got surgeries scheduled for today."
"Well, take this before going. You're a doctor---you should know that health comes first. Besides, you wouldn't want to spread whatever it is that you have to everyone else in the hospital," she states with a winning smile. He throws her an exasperated look before conceding defeat and taking them from her. He pops in a pill and takes it down with a few sips of the juice. As he sips on the juice, his eyes fall onto the pendant he had gifted still wrapped around his wife's neck.
 "Now am I free to go, Sergeant Bani?" he questions dryly once setting the glass aside onto the table behind him. Bani nods her head gingerly while stepping aside to let him pass. He takes a hold of his files before walking out of the study room, leaving his wife behind with an amused smile lingering on her lips.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As the next couple weeks go by, Bani finds herself in a whirlpool of decisions to make for her son's third birthday party coming up the following week. It was decided unanimously to make a big bash of Yash's birthday and invite everyone the Walias were associated with. His first birthday hadn't been celebrated since it was Ananya's first death anniversary, which everyone felt it was right not to hold any sort of celebration in remembrance to her. His second had been a quiet family affair and now they felt it would only be right to have a huge celebration for the baby of the house. And the task mostly fell onto his mother, who was hassled with what to do as she never had organized such an event before in her life. But with the guidance of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, she managed to pull through.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Momma, bawooons!!!" Yash points out to the many balloons present on the ground floor of the mansion----his face depicting the clear excitement he was experiencing at that moment. "I want it, I want it, I want it!" Bani struggles to keep him steady in her arms as she climbs off the last step of the stairs and blends in with the rest of people attending the party held for her son. Just minutes before she had completed the most difficult task of the party and that was dressing up her son for the occasion in a specially designed tux that made him seem cuter than ever.  
"You want a balloon, huh?" Aditya questions once Bani arrives with Yash in tow, catching onto his last words. Yash nods his head. Bringing out his hand from his back, Aditya presents a blue balloon to his nephew and chuckles as Yash hastily snatches it from him.
"Arre, no thank you? Where are you manners, son?"
"Say thank you to your Phupha, Yash," Bani orders. Yash looks to Aditya with gleaming eyes and flashes him a silly smile. "Thanks Poopa!" Aditya smiles and ruffles the boy's hair fondly.
"Mommy! It's a baby!" Yash exclaims loudly while directing a finger at a one-year old girl, who follows after the crowd of kids running around with separate balloons in their hands. Together Aditya and Bani laugh.
"Yes, sweetie, it's a baby. Do you want to go play with her?" Yash immediately nods his head and runs out from his mother's arms once she lowers him down to the floor. Bani gazes after him as he joins the baby girl and other of his friends with his balloon trailing behind him.
"Come on Bani, let's go and join everyone else." Bani allows herself to be led towards her family who all comment on how beautiful she looks and how well she organized the party. She simply beams from their compliments. She is then introduced to many of the Walia's close friends in order to be familiarized with them all since it would be a first time in awhile that the Walias are hosting an event, hence, she hasn't been presented as the new daughter-in-law despite the well known fact in the community of Jai's second marriage.
"You have such a beautiful daughter-in-law, Mrs. Walia," a woman named Mrs. Sharma comments with a wide smile. Krishna's face brightens on hearing this compliment. "I am very lucky to have her and my son is even luckier."
"Well of course he is----he has gotten such a beautiful and young wife. ---Oh, beta, would you mind showing me that necklace you are wearing?" Mrs. Sharma directs her sole attention onto Bani, who gives a hesitant smile from the woman's close observance of her. She picks up the sapphire pendant given to her by Jai and presents it to her.
"How lovely it is! Where did you get it?"
"My son had given it to her as a gift. It is lovely, isn't it? It cost far too much as well," Krishna chirps happily and engages into a superficial conversation with Mrs. Sharma, who Bani was beginning to despise along with the many other acquaintances of the Walias. All they ever thought of was riches and nothing else.
Bani moves her pendant along the chain of her necklace while distantly listening to their conversation when in reality her thoughts were revolving around Jai. He knew about the decision to hold a party this year and she even had reminded him many times. Why hasn't he come yet? The time to cut the cake is approaching soon.
She was, however, temporarily distracted from these thoughts as Saahil approached her for a dance which she couldn't refuse. As the next few minutes or so are spent on dancing with every male member of her family, Bani found herself disheartened as the announcement of the cake ceremony was made by Jigyasa since Jai still hadn't arrived.
As they begin to assemble bringing the cake out, Bani discreetly moves off to the side and decides to pay on last phone call in order to see where Jai is.
"Hey Mami, come on. It's time to cut the cake," Ranveer calls out for her before she can even place a call. Startled, she looks behind her to see Ranveer joining her with Rano following closely behind. She throws him a forced smile.
"I'll be there in a minute, Ranveer. I just need to make a call---"
"Oh no you don't, Di. It's your son's birthday----Yash comes first. Your phone call can wait till later," Rano intervenes while taking a hold of Bani's hand and leading her back over to the center of the hall.
"But---…," Bani tries to say but only to be startled by the feel of Ranveer's hands taking a grip of her upper arms and pushing her lightly forward. "No excuses, the birthday boy is demanding for his mother," he informs her. Bani allows herself to be taken toward the rest of their family, in the center of attention, and takes Yash into her arms as he opens his arms wide for her to do so. Placing him onto her hip, she holds onto him tight and tries to direct her sole attention onto this one moment, but could not help looking over to the front entrance---waiting for her husband's arrival.
"Come on Bhabhi---Yash is eager to cut the cake," Jigyasa calls for her sister-in-law's attention who has strangely become quiet and distant despite being amongst her own. Bani is rattled out of her trance and smiles faintly.
"Yash, blow out the candles like this!" Anu says while initiating a blow from her own mouth. Yash giggles at his cousin's funny looking face. "Come on, Yashu, like this---" Saahil encourages while heaving a blow himself to demonstrate to the little boy. Yash simply laughs further.
"Bani puttar, you show him na? Poor boy is confused," Dadi chirps with a giggle of her own following with everyone else's laughter around them. "Bani, blow the candles with him," Krishna advises to her daughter-in-law who nods her head. Steering her gaze off the front doors, Bani smiles affectionately at her son and directs his attention onto the burning candles. She prods him to blow along with her and together they blow out the candles. Applause is heard all around along with cheering. In unison family and friends sing "Happy Birthday" to the happy looking toddler.
Bani takes the knife that Aditya passes in her way and from the prompting of everyone, Bani takes Yash's little hand into hers and guides him into cutting a piece of the cake---earning more claps from everyone.
As Bani watched her family feeding Yash tiny bits of the cake and taking pictures together with big smiles, she felt a hollowness creep inside of her. She longed to have her family complete---with her husband in it. Again her eyes land on the open doors…..
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
She stared into the enlarged picture of her beautiful sister hanging up on the wall with a bright orange garland bordering the edges of the frame….her eyes sparkling and her mouth formed into a humorous grin. She didn't know for how long she stood before there in the dimness of the now quiet house, but it was when she heard the unlocking of the front doors and the footsteps that followed afterward that she finally turned around…..
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jai stepped into the house half past midnight and dropped his jingling keys into the pocket of his trousers. He closed the door after himself and treaded into the dim, silent house---briefly taking in the decorations hanging around for the party that ended some hours ago….
Usually Bani greeted him at the door, but seeing that she wasn't there to do so, he assumes that she must have gone to sleep---most likely tired from the party. He carelessly throws his briefcase onto the couch in the living room, deciding that he will set to the task of preparing food for himself, until he stills in his spot once his eyes focus on the petite figure of his wife, standing only a few feet away from him. He's speechless seeing her there, half hidden in the shadows, having not expected her. It takes him a moment to gather his voice.
"Bani---I thought you went to sleep?" he asks, slightly confused by the expression on her face---one that he isn't able to pinpoint. He takes in her intense eyes, stiff form, and the thinning of her lips set into a line and knows that something is wrong. He also notices that she hasn't changed out of her clothes---still adorning a rich red colored saree draped fittingly around her slim body.
"You didn't come….," he hears her abrupt statement and is taken aback by the bleakness of her voice. However, it gets rid of his earlier confusion as he finally sees sense in her behavior.
"… It was your son's birthday and you didn't bother to come," she continues in a hollow tone. Jai suddenly finds himself feeling guilty, though, tries to cover it. He clears his throat.
"---I-I got caught up in work and there was no way out of it. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to attend the party."
She steps out from the shadows, giving him clear view of her. He becomes stumped on seeing tears brimming in her honey brown eyes.
"…. I called the hospital…. They told me you left two hours ago…"
Jai takes in a breath as he becomes trapped into his own lie. He feels himself become stifled with the look in her questioning eyes and dejection clear on her fair face. He wasn't expecting to come home to this….
"….Bani, I don't want to talk about this. All you have to know is that I couldn't come to the party."
He says firmly after a long moment of silence passes between them. He averts looking into her pained eyes and makes a movement to go past her. He is, though, denied passage to leave once Bani steps into his way---her eyes seeking his.
"Why weren't you able to come? What was so much more important than your own son's birthday?"
"Bani, please---…," he begins saying in a strangled tone as he sees a tear trickling down her cheek. "I don't want to do this…"
"You will have to---You will have to, that too, right now. I want an answer to my question…Why didn't you come?" she demands---her voice wobbling. Stubbornly Jai looks the other way, avoiding her stare. He doesn't look back until he feels her grab onto a fistful of his shirt.
"Do you know how I felt? ---Seeing my son celebrating his birthday with his whole family present with the exception of his own father?" Bani whispers. Jai stares at her, unable to look away as he becomes transfixed by the pained look on her features.
"It made me feel miserable inside…realizing that my son has never gotten his father's affections and may never will because he is too self-absorbed with himself to pay his son any attention…" she finishes with tears now streaming down her welling eyes.
Jai's throat suddenly runs dry and he finds himself speechless once more. Hearing these words from his wife's mouth brought an effective impact on him---it made him feel guilty as hell.
"…Where were you?" she starts off once again in asking about his whereabouts, tugging on his shirt. He doesn't look away, meeting her gaze as he answers slowly, "….. I went off."
 "And you didn't think to come home right away to your family?" she asks him out of disbelief. Jai brushes her hands away from him, suddenly becoming angry as to how she is making him seem like some sort of jacka**.
"No, …. I didn't," he answers coldly. Seeing her mouth open, Jai cuts her off before she can say anything else. "Bani, don't start this with me. It'll be best for you if you just let it alone."
Giving her a hard stare, he again makes an attempt to leave, but is held back by the haste grip of his arm by his wife. She steps back and peers at him closely.
"You aren't running away from this, Jai. This has been going on for too long… three years…. It's about time that we talk about this," she states with finality. Jai looks at her with flared eyes and shoves off her hand.
"…. I'm glad that you remember how long it has been…. But have you forgotten what exactly happened three years ago---right on this day?" he says, turning the tables around onto her. Bani seems bewildered by his accusation.
"…O-of course I do…. How could you possibly think that I'd forget?" she replies hoarsely. "She was my sister…"
"As was she my wife. ---Then how could you possibly think that I'd come home and celebrate on the day my wife died?"
Bani is blown away by the harshness of his words and tries her best to blink away the tears stinging in her eyes.
"How can you think like that?--- We were here celebrating your son's birth and you are accusing me of celebrating my own sister's death?" she demands incredulously.
"I am not accusing you of any such thing. I just can't believe my own family would go ahead and have a celebration on Ananya's death anniversary. She was a part of this very family, but it seems they have forgotten all about her. ----And you, Bani, I expected for you to at least understand….." he begins to blame, taking a firm hold of her arm and pulling her toward him.
"I have understood you the most for the past two years of our marriage together! Don't you dare accuse me of being anything else but understanding….. I have left you to yourself just like you wanted…. I gave you space and time to deal with Ananya Di's death…. I knew how you were shattered with her death….. It nearly killed you because you loved her so much….. I also knew that it was going to take a long time before you moved on with your life….but Jai—that time has been long overdue. Three years of grieving is enough…. --- I've had it…. I've had it with you neglecting your own son and family….. You have become so absorbed with your own misery that you are blocking out all the ones who care deeply for you… You have estranged yourself from everyone you know…. Your mother….your sister….your best friend….your nephews and niece….and especially your son….who you haven't taken the time to get to know."
Jai breathes heavily and his grip on his wife's arm grows tighter as her powerful words circle around in his head. Her own eyes ignite with a flame of its own.
"The very son who you dumped right away without looking at him even once….The very son who calls you papa only in name since he doesn't realize the emotional essence of having a father…..Is this what you call being a father, Jai? ----Giving him toys time to time and resuming to neglect him? You hardly know anything about him except for the fact that he is biologically your son….You are not fit to call yourself his father….."
Shaken by her bitter words, Jai releases her arm at once and feels a haze take over him.  
"…. This isn't why I married you, Jai…. so you are free to dump your son into someone else's care…. I married you because I wanted to create a loving environment for Yash---to let him enjoy the feeling of having the love of a father and mother in his life …. Two parents, Jai,… not one," she whispers to him---observing closely as the steely look that once adorned his face now growing soft as her words start to have the desired effect on him.
"I let you deprive him of that because you weren't ready…. But I won't let you deprive him of that anymore….My son is going to get his father's love," she says, growing an edge to her tone that draws her husband's direct attention onto her.
A stilling silence returns between them and Bani takes this to her advantage to wipe away the dampness of her tears from her cheeks. Once she clears her face and takes in a breath to calm herself, she determinedly meets his gaze once more.
"Jai…. God may have taken away from you…..but he has also given in return…. and that's Yash…."
Saying that, she gives him one last lingering look before turning on her heels and rushing away toward the stairs, leaving her husband behind to dwell in the aftermath of what had just occurred….
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He slumped into his working chair after pouring himself a drink from the mini bar in his study. Bani had moved it in here from their room saying that she didn't want any alcohol near their son now that he was getting older. Jai leaned his head against the back of his chair as he shut his eyes and placed a hand to his forehead.
He cannot deny anything his wife had said even if he wanted to. Simply because everything she had spoken to him was the absolute truth. A bitter truth he did not want to hear, but the truth nonetheless. Perhaps he is an a**… he's been a horrible son, brother, friend, uncle, father, but most importantly husband. Bani is right---she has been the most understanding and had given him time to heal in his own time. She waited for till he would be ready again---not rushing him like how the others did.
The irony of it all is that he had moved on for quite some time now. Not completely, but he has been getting himself there day by day. He no longer thought of Ananya constantly as he used to or stared at her picture for hours of a day, tormenting himself over memories of her. He has been healing---his dead wife now pushed to the farthest whelms of his mind until he thinks of her time to time in his solitude. He felt immense guilt, though, thinking that he was soon forgetting about her altogether. The woman who was the most important person in his life once upon a time was now insignificant. He couldn't bear the idea and mentally tortured himself for it---deliberately making sure to never forget her.
He had been in a rather strange mood today---fully aware that it was now his wife's third death anniversary. Instead of slipping into depression and downing himself with scotch to wash away his woes, he was reflective over his times with her. And for the first time he found himself not feeling regret or any longing. He felt at ease---as if he had finally come into terms with his loss….accepted that she was gone and will always be gone. It had been in the solitude of his car, driving aimlessly around the city with no specific destination in mind that he realized this. Ananya is a closed chapter in his life---a chapter that he hung onto for all this time until now.
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Chapter 14 A:
Jai woke up with a startle and took a good few moments to realize where he was. Pressing a hand to his throbbing head, he remembers that he had come to the study instead of going after his wife to their bedroom. He didn't know how to face her after what occurred last night---all the things she had said. He slumps his head back against his chair and heaves a sigh.
He had the dream again. The dream where he is surrounded in darkness and running to escape it all. At the end of the tunnel, he sees her waiting for him---her body faced in the other way so he cannot make out her face. Whenever he calls out to her, she begins to turn around but it is at that exact moment he always wakes up. He had a good idea who it was, but could not understand the reason for these reoccurring dreams. What could it mean?
His gaze falls onto the nearly empty bottle of whiskey resting onto his work desk that he drank himself sh*t drunk with last night.  He groans from the result of it---a massive hangover…..
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Bani had cried herself to sleep that night---heartbroken by the fact that Jai could accuse her of something so heinous that she had forgotten her sister completely. She could never forget her---she sees her all around in the pictures hung in their room and the mansion with such care. But most importantly, she saw her sister in Yash every day. They are so similar in so many ways. Yash is truly a Mama's boy. He has her wide black eyes, smooth long nose, full lips, high cheekbones, but most importantly her beautiful smile. She loved Yash even more for this very reason----he was the replica of her beloved sister.
She woke up to see her husband's side of the bed empty and still neat, showing that he hadn't slept in their room last night. Her face crumbles on the reminder of last night's encounter, but she pulls herself together and forces to not let her emotions get the better of her. She freshens up and changes for the new day. As she applies sindoor to her maang, her thoughts drift back to her husband and his absence this morning…..
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When Bani stepped out of the kitchen after helping Tony prepare Breakfast for the day (he was in a strangely good mood this morning, hence, chose to actually make food rather than order it) her eyes landed onto her husband, sitting on the front chair of the table---a brooding look overshadowing his handsome face.  Just by the look of him, she can tell he drank excessively last night. She averts her gaze when his eyes meet hers and ignores him by setting the dishes onto the table and serving the rest of the family.
Jai was in a cranky mood. Not only was he suffering from a major hangover and the soreness from all over his body by having to sleep on the chair last night, but to top it all off----his wife was bluntly ignoring him as if he didn't even exist. Perhaps he should have expected this behavior of hers when he came into their room only to find that she hadn't taken out his clothes and things for him. It nearly took him an hour to get himself ready for work.
He felt angry, annoyed, and upset for being treated in this way. She was serving the rest of his family with affection, smiles, and chatter---completely indifferent towards him. And whenever he did try to catch her attention, she'd blow him off and walk right past him. The woman is purposely going to give him hell, he grumbled to himself grumpily.
"What's wrong, Jai? Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Aditya jokingly asks, noting the scowl on his friend's face and his grave silence whereas the rest of the family was in good spirits this morning. Jai neglects to give an answer, simply giving his wife a look that expectedly goes ignored.  
"Come on man, it's the morning. Cheer up," Aditya encourages with a thump on Jai's back. As Bani makes way to return back into the kitchen, Krishna stops her.
"Arre Bahu, bhool na maat--- Jai ke lunch pack karnliye…. Jai beta can take it along with him as he goes to work."
"Mummyji, woh to kaehreh the ke aaj ghaar aake saab ke saath lunch kaarenge …," Bani comments sweetly while directing a look in her husband's way, who chokes on his food from hearing his wife's words. Jigyasa takes a glass of water and hurriedly passes it onto her brother, who takes it and drinks it instantly. Krishna seems surprised on hearing this and looks at her son as well does everyone else.
"Jai beta, you will come home for lunch?"
Before Jai has a chance to refute this, his wife continues.
"Of course woh aajaayenge. Inhone khud mujhe baataye the…" she carries on innocently. Jai stares bewilderingly at his wife, wondering what is going on in her scheming head. There will be no way he can make it home today for lunch because of his work. Besides, it's a known fact in his family that the only meals he can be present for are breakfast and sometimes dinner. Well with the exception of his crazy work hours during the period of his wife's death. That had been simply a phase. His work hours had returned back to normal----he arrived at the hospital at nine and left whenever he wasn't needed anymore. Time to time he'd have a day or two off within a week, but even then he'd lock himself in his study and look over cases or find something else productive to do.
Krishna smiles delightedly over this news, reflecting over that it had been ages since his son had lunch with any one of them or taken out time to from his busy work schedule. Especially for the past couple of years---he has distanced himself from everyone. Perhaps he is finally coming around.
"Accha? To phir teek hai. Aaj main mera beta ka maan pasand khanna bhanoongi…," Krishna says beamingly at her son. Again, before Jai has a chance to say that there is a possibility that he may not come home for lunch at all, they are interrupted by the baby of the house who comes bounding toward the dinner table----his nanny following closely behind.
"I here!" he announces with so much glee that causes everyone at the table to laugh at his adorableness. Bani reaches for him and gives him a sound kiss. "So my little prince is finally ready to eat his breakfast?"
"I wanna pancakes, Mommy…. Nimdi Didi shay I can have pancakes….," he informs his mother while pointing at his nanny. When Bani looks to her, the year and a half long nanny shrugs while replying, "He was insisting only to eat pancakes for breakfast, miss. It was the only way he'd agree to eat."
"Okay you sit right here and I will get you your pancakes," she obliges before walking back to the kitchen and ordering Tony to make a pancake quickly since her son is an impatient little guy.
"Our Yash baby is a big boy now. He's sitting with everyone like a big kid," Jigyasa comments chirpily as Yash joins them by hopping onto an available seat beside his father whom he ignores as well. But there is nothing unusual about that, which has Jai really thinking that he has failed when it comes to Yash. He may know Jai as his father, but doesn't realize the meaning of it since Jai has hardly made any advances toward him to get to know him and neither has Yash.
Within a couple of minutes Bani returned with Yash's plate of food and sets it before him.
"Momma---you gimmy," he says while directing toward his mouth. Bani smiles while ruffling his hair. "I can't feed you right now, beta. Why doesn't Papa feed you instead?"
Again his wife takes him by surprise. Jai raises his brow and replaces his lifted glass of juice down onto the table. Their eyes clash. Yash doesn't find the suggestion appealing and shakes his head vigorously while pulling on his mother's pallu. "No, you," he whines.
"Arre Yash, Papa kahlaange…. Mama ko kaam karnedo….," his grandmother explains to him with warmth. Yash pouts on hearing this and refuses to let go of his mother's pallu---giving her his puppy eyes. Bani releases herself from him after planting a kiss on the head and disappears into the kitchen once again.
"Well come on Jai, feed the boy," Aditya nudges him. Jai looks at his three-year old son who grudgingly looks back to him. With a sigh, he reaches for Yash's plate and takes the utensils into his hands---promptly cutting his food into small pieces for him to eat. Yash sits back with his arms crossed, most likely upset with how easily he was rebuffed by his mother. When Jai pushes his plate back in front of him, Yash doesn't make a move to eat his food.
"Kya hua Yash, why aren't you eating?" Jai finally asks when Yash stubbornly remains sitting. Yash, as expected, doesn't answer.
"Jiju, he probably wants you to feed him. Didi always feeds him his food herself," Rano suggests hesitantly---always behaving tentatively with her brother-in-law.
"Your son is a royal prince, Jai. You are going to have to treat him like one," Aditya jokes causing everyone else to laugh in agreement around the table.
Yes, and whose fault is that, Jai wanted to remark but didn't. If he said anything against his wife, his whole family would gang up on him in her defense. They loved her more than him.
Jai awkwardly takes the fork in his hand and offers a piece of the pancake to his son. Yash keeps his mouth clamped shut.
"Come on Yash, open your mouth," he orders firmly. "I want Mama," Yash persists with a frown. Jai grows grim. "Your mother is busy right now. Just eat your food like a good boy," he continues sternly only infuriating his son more by the tone he takes with him. Yash moves his face in the other direction, completely blowing his father off. The boy has arrogance, Jai notes.
"Jai Puttar, be patient with him. The boy will not eat if you are going to boss him around," Dadi advises him only to have her words ignored by Jai, who doesn't appreciate not being listened to.
"Look over here…. Yash, I said to look here," Jai nearly growls. Yash looks at him and glares hard. Jai moves the fork closer to his mouth. "Now open your mouth and eat it."
"No," Yash screams. This draws everyone's close attention onto the angry boy and his annoyed father. Jai is hot tempered; they all know that, they also know that Yash is exactly the same.
"Jai, be gentle. Don't upset him," Krishna soothingly informs him. Jai takes a moment to calm himself down and be patient with the boy. If he wants to make amends with his son, he certainly has to try better than this.
"Eat your food," he says calmly instead. Again there is no response. "I will get you any toy you want if you just finish your food," Jai finally bribes him in a low grumble that goes missed by everyone. Yash ponders over this for a second before promptly opening his mouth and eating the piece of pancake from the fork.  He eats the rest of his food from his father's hands without a single fit in between and everyone soon finished their own meals as well---starting to leave to their individual places. As Bani returned from making her sister and Anu lunch for university, she saw her husband feeding their son sitting by himself as everyone had left the dining table. She smiles on the endearing sight and approaches them.
"Did Yashu finish all of his food?" Bani questions, startling Jai and Yash who both look to her. Yash jumps on seeing his mother and goes into her arms.
"Yes, Mommy."
"Good, now run off to Nimdi Didi to go watch your cartoons."
"Mommy going to school?" Yash inquires. Bani nods her head. "Yes, Mama has to go to school, but she will be back real soon. Okay?"
"Okay," Yash answers understandingly while getting out of his mother's arms and running off to the living room to find his nanny there. Jai breathes a sigh of relief as his son doesn't utter a word of his bribe. He had made sure that he wouldn't otherwise Bani would think he was not making a serious attempt in getting along with his son.  After all, that is why she had suggested he feed him to begin with, isn't it?
Jai stood up from his chair as Yash ran off and looked at his wife, who returns her gaze onto him. He opens his mouth to speak, but is cut off as she hastily rushes off to get her things ready for university…..
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She is mad at him and he doesn't know how to handle this anger of hers. She hardly looks at him anymore let alone speaking to him. He has messed up big time and he is fully aware of it. He's walking on thin ice. He has to settle this out, which is why he is actually heading home for lunch despite the workload at the hospital. For some reason he can't bear the thought of Bani being upset with him. It was gnawing at him all morning.
He arrived at his front doors and was greeted by his butler, who didn't bother to hide his surprise on seeing him there. Jai walked in only to find no one present at the table as he was expecting them all to be. Had he come late?
Good job Jai, now you have given another reason for your wife to hold against you along with the many others---he groaned to himself. He lifts a hand to his head, running his fingers through his hair, and wonders what to do until he sees the image of his thoughts walking out from the kitchen. She stops on seeing him.
"Well I'm glad that you could make this commitment unlike the others," she remarks with a raise of her brow. Before Jai can make a proper reply back, she calls out for the nanny to bring Yash so he can eat his food.  From her words, he makes out that he has come early, hence, no one is around yet. He follows after her in the kitchen, not having anything else to do at present. He joins her at the island, where her back is faced toward him and states clearly, "Bani, we need to talk."
"Oh, now you want to talk….. I'm sorry, but I am not in the mood right now," she finishes abruptly while fixing the plate of few chicken nuggets and vegetables on the side.  Jai takes a hold of her arm and turns her around, making her face him.
"I said we need to talk."
"Mommy!!!" they both hear Yash's shrilling voice as he runs into the kitchen presenting himself. Together Jai and Bani look over to the intrusion. Bani releases her arm from her husband's hold and smiles beautifully at her son while opening her arms wide.
"Hi my little pumpkin," she greets him before gathering his tiny body into her arms and smothering him with kisses.
"Mommy back from school?"
"Yes I am. And look, daddy is home too," she points out Jai, who seems ticked off by this interruption. Yash seems to care less if his father is present as he wraps his stubby arms around Bani's neck and informs her, "I hungry…"
"Then go take your seat at the dining table and wait---Papa will be with you and I'll just be right out with your food. Okay?" she murmurs to him lovingly while running her fingers through his black hair. Yash wears a frown on hearing this and casts a look at his father before saying solemnly, "Okay." Bani kisses him before pushing his small frame over to Jai. Yash stares up at his father with wide, silent eyes. Jai throws Bani a look from her mission to throw both father and son at each other. She gives him a threatening glare back which he interrupts that he better go along with it or else she will cook up something worse for him to do.
Which is why he is at present sitting at the head of the dining table with a three-year old boy sitting by his side who hardly will look at him. For once in a long time, Jai wishes that his whole family were present to avoid this awkwardness with the child. He never was good with kids.
Jai clears his throat before shooting Yash a look, watching him sip the juice out of his Sippy cup.
"So…uh….how was your day….er,….son?"
Yash turns to him and looks at him for a good few seconds before blowing up a spit bubble. Jai watches with disgust as it pops and his son giggles from what he had done.
"That's….real nice," he says flatly, too repulsed to say anything else at that moment. He feels relief when he sees his wife come out from the kitchen and place Yash's plate of food in front of him.
"Here you go, baby. Be careful, it's still a little too warm," she advises quickly as Yash makes a move to snatch at his food greedily right away. Bani meets Jai's eyes once turning her attention from the little boy but hastily averts them away. She walks straight back into the kitchen ready to place the dishes for lunch on the table for everyone else. He decides not to follow after her. She clearly doesn't want to speak to him right now for whatever reasons.
"Oowwwiieee!!!" Yash yelps as one of the hot nuggets burn the tips of his fingers. He instantly lets go of it making it fall back into his plate. Jai, who was lost in thoughts about his wife, is startled out of his daze and focuses onto the boy.
"What happened?"
"It hurt me," he meekly replies while staring at his burned finger. Jai leans in close in order to see.
"Show me."
"No, I no show it. I want mommy," he says while shielding his finger away as if protecting it.
"Do not disturb your mother right now, she's busy. Just show me your finger, Yash," he orders as patiently as he can. Yash looks from Jai, over to the kitchen where his mother is, and back at his father. Surprisingly he lifts his finger and shows it to Jai, yet unsurprisingly, he wears one of his infamous frowns as he does this. Jai takes a hold of his finger and inspects it.
"It's nothing. You are fine. Just let your food cool down first and eat slowly."
"It still hurt," Yash pouts with his wide eyes gleaming. Jai wanted to taunt him by remarking that if he hadn't been so greedy on seeing the plate of food then he wouldn't have burned his fingers, but stops himself on seeing his son's eyes slightly watering.
Not knowing what else to do, Jai says reluctantly, "Okay, show it to me again," to keep him from crying and drawing his mother back in here. Bani would only be more upset with him for not preventing Yash from burning his fingers.
"It'll wear down soon, don't worry," he finally responds after pretending to give a full, close inspection of his son's fingers. He knows, at this point, that Yash is dramatizing the pain. Kids love to dramatize everything at this age.
"Blowww," Yash commands as he nearly shoves his fingers into his father's face. Jai is terribly confused by what he's suggesting.
"What?"
"I shay blow--- mommy alwayz blows on my fingas when it getz hurt….," Yash offers the explanation rather innocently. Jai, having no other choice, takes Yash's hand into his and blows softly on the tips of his fingers in order to "ease off the pain." He, however, doesn't let go of Yash's hand right away as he becomes distracted by the fact of how small his son's hand seems in the palm of his larger one. He's knocked out of this when he hears the front doors opening.
"Oye Bani Puttar kahnna baangaye kya? Zor se bhook lagi," he hears Dadi's voice immediately chirp. Soon enough he sees Dadi accompanied by his mother approaching the dining area each with thalis in their hands. They must have come straight from the mandir, Jai presumes.
"Ji Dadi, bus abhi tyaar khar rahi hoon!" they all hear Bani answering form inside the kitchen. Dadi and Krishna's attention immediately focus on Jai, who sits awkwardly in his place from their rapt focus onto him. His mother's face beams from the sight of him.
"Jai beta, tu aagaya? I was having doubts whether you would come home after all."
Well he had to come home if he didn't want to face any further wrath from his already enraged wife, but of course he did not tell his mother this. He simply put on a smile while stating that he had some free time and thought he might as well come home. This increases the smile on his mother's face.
Just as the two ladies turn their attention onto their favorite grandson, Bani returns with dishes in her hands and placing them down onto the table. She smiles fondly at how Yash's grandmothers ruffle his hair and pull on his cheeks. Yash whines from this and tries to wave them off. She had been setting the plates down with Tony's aid when the rest of their family members started to arrive as well.
"Hi Di!" Rano greets her sister cheerfully while enclosing her into a warm embrace. Bani smiles brightly at her and places a hand to her cheek fondly. Anu comes around the other side and follows in pursuit. The two girls distract Bani momentarily with their chatter about their day at the university until they take their seats to eat. Jigyasa came after them with shopping bags in her hands and informed them all that she'd return after taking her bags to her room. All who were left were Aditya, Ranveer, and Saahil who walked through the doors together and joined the rest of them at the table.
"Hi Mami," Ranveer and Saahil both greet her while each kissing her on the cheek. Bani blushes as Saahil adds, "Looking gorgeous as usual." She smiles delightfully at the two young men as they also take their individual seats.
Jai watched this interaction with a dark look not appreciating the flirtatious behavior of both his nephews with their aunt. He then grows puzzled as to why this bothers him.
"Hi Bani beta," Aditya greets her with his usual wide smiles. Bani returns it. "Hi Adi Jiju, how was work?" "Terrible as always. What's for lunch?" he inquires. She gives him a charming smile while answering, "Your favorite---pasta." "You're a god sent angel, you know that?" Bani laughs while directing to the available seat for him to sit down in.
Lunch continued like this----his family, as always, in good spirits and fooling around with one another. If they were not pulling each other's legs then they were chattering loudly about a given topic and if they weren't doing that they were back to bullying.
Jai sat silently watching their interactions and feels a hollowness creep inside of him. He remembers when he too partook in all this frolic that is a common theme during each Walia Family meal. He can't remember the last time that he sat with his family, laughing and smiling with each one of them. He suddenly begins to feel like an outcast despite these people being his own. But he had no one else to blame but himself. He had brought this upon himself.
Looking up from his plate, Jai finds himself gazing into his wife's eyes that look back at him with an intensity of her own. Without any exchange of words, he knew what she was trying to make him understand----understand what he has been missing out on these past few years…..
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Chapter 14 B:
Jai looks away from the file in front of him as he sees a paper suddenly slapped against his desk for his viewing. He glances up and stares into his wife's honey, brown eyes that look anything but pleasant at the moment. She breaks their eye contact after a moment by turning on her heels and leaving the Study without a word. Terribly confused by this, Jai redirects his attention onto the sheet of paper she had given him.
He releases a long sigh as he leans back into his chair and grips onto his head with both hands. It's one of Yash's drawings. This time he's decided to draw his family. He had drawn everyone---his mother, his grandmothers, his uncle and aunt, his older cousins, even his nanny. But there wasn't any sign of him in the picture.
What is he going to do? It's not like he isn't trying. This past week he has been taking everything his wife has thrown at him.  He feeds Yash everyday now at Breakfast and even dresses the boy when it's his bedtime whenever he comes home on time. What more does she want from him? Isn't he trying his best already? Shouldn't he be given some credit at least?
But no, the woman is difficult to please. And it doesn't help much that she is furious with him already for having bribed Yash with a toy and slipping him money here and there to cooperate with him (he is still confused as to how she found out, but she had). But still---it's an effort from his part yet she refuses to acknowledge it.
He wants to pound his head against the wall right about now. What can he do really? The boy will not cooperate with him at all. There's no way that he can get through to him when he will not let him. Jai crushes the drawing beneath his fingers and throws it into the trash bin beside him. He rises from his chair and stalks out from the study…..
Jai finds her in Yash's play room cleaning up after all the toys and rearranging them. He knows that she is deliberately ignoring his presence as she carries on in her work. He approaches her from behind and takes a grip on both her upper arms to stop her. Bani, however, immediately shrugs herself out of his hold and creates distance between them. She proceeds to move around the room placing the toys into their rightful places.
"Bani," he says with exasperation of her behavior. For how long will she continue being angry with him? It's been long enough now. He sees her still momentarily on hearing his voice.
"What do you want me to do? I'm trying…. I'm honestly trying here," he proceeds in a tiresome tone. This defensive explanation of his seems to set her off as she immediately turns to look at him.
"No you're not…. If you were then our son wouldn't have left you out of that drawing of his family. You would have been there with the rest of us. But then again why would he draw you if you're never around to begin with," she chokes over her own words.
"Bani not this again---why can't you understand that--"
"No, I don't want to understand. Jai, you are a father whether you are ready for fatherhood or not. But you have to start acting like one before it becomes too late and Yash doesn't need you in his life anymore," she intervenes quickly.
"Well what do you want me to do, god dammit? Just tell me. I can't get through to that kid no matter what I do," he gives an equal reply in anger with her lack of understanding of his situation.
"That kid is your son, Jai. The sooner you realize the fact, the sooner things can finally progress between you and Yash."
Jai resentfully looks away from his wife's accusing eyes. Before anything more can be said about the matter, they are intruded on as always. This time, however, Ranveer waltz in and halts in his steps on seeing his mamaji present in the room. He becomes visibly cautious by the looks on both his uncle and aunt's faces.
"Eeerr, Hi Mamaji….," Ranveer awkwardly greets his uncle who does not reply back, simply staring at his wife who centers her attention instead onto their nephew. Bani sends him a sweet smile---immediately recovering from her encounter with her now glowering husband.
"Hi Ranveer, you are already back from the office? That too so early?"
Ranveer returns the friendly smile while answering, "Yeah, wasn't much to do so decided to head back home. Saahil wanted to tag along too, but you know Dad. Ever since his internship, Dad's been down his throat all the time."
Together Ranveer and Bani laugh over this, further irking Jai who feels like an outsider in this conversation of theirs. He finds himself glaring at his nephew for the ease in which he speaks so freely with his wife and despising the comfortable relationship they seem to share.
"Anyways, I came in here to see if you wanted a lift to the park. Naniji was mentioning you were planning to head on over there with Yash. Rano says she'd like to tag along to," Ranveer continues politely in stating his suggestion. Bani's smile widens from his offer and is about to accept until she is interrupted by the gruff voice of her husband.
"Your Mamiji will be going with me. You don't have to bother."
Ranveer seems taken aback as does Bani, who gazes at Jai slightly dumbstruck. Not knowing what for, but Ranveer realizes he has struck a nerve somewhere in his uncle. Perhaps he had come during a wrong time. He covers up his surprise with a soft smile.
"Oh, I didn't know. I assumed you'd be busy reviewing cases, Mamaji. I'll just go and tell Nani that you are taking her and Yash."
"Ranveer thank you for your offer anyways. Maybe instead you can take Rano out somewhere? I feel bad that ever since she has come here she has rarely gone out anywhere. I hardly give her any time as it is. You wouldn't mind taking her around the city, would you?" Bani requests to cover up the tension that suddenly sprung up due to her surprisingly hostile husband. She doesn't miss the glint in his eyes from her proposal and the grin that spreads on his lips.
"Of course, I wouldn't mind. I don't have anything else to do anyways. I'll just go and let Rano know now," he ends enthusiastically before leaving the room without another word. Bani smiles to herself from his behavior---knowing very well of the particular interest Ranveer has in her little sister for years now. She becomes distracted, though, by the jingling of keys. She turns to see her husband withdrawing his car keys from his pant pocket and throwing her a look.
"Go get Yash and meet me in the car," he orders promptly before walking out ….
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He does not want to fight with her but for some reason always ends up doing so anyways. Bani brings out a strong reaction in him, one that he can't control. She provokes him causing him to react in the way he does. He wants to make things up to her but only seems to screw things up more than they already are.
He wonders for the billionth time what made him hastily step in and decide to take Yash and Bani to the park. He should be in his study going over his case for tomorrow. Yet for some reason he did not like the idea of Ranveer taking them and assuming he was too busy to do so himself. He also could not help notice the way his wife smiled brightly from his suggestion---seeming genuinely pleased. He hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time, well, to him at least. Is it possible that he is jealous? As quickly as this thought crosses his mind, he disregards it immediately and chides himself for thinking of such nonsense.
He sighs as he leans his arms against the bench he sits on whilst keeping both his wife and child in view who are only a few feet away on the swings. He observes both mother and son having a good time, Yash swinging back and forth with the help of Bani, who pushes the swing set gently to avoid sending Yash high up in the air. Every now and then Yash will squeal in excitement only to place a pleased smile on his mother's face who giggles along with him. He feels a pang somewhere inside of him from the sight they make. Would it have felt like this if Ananya were alive? If she had been here today with him? Would Yash love her with every being inside of him as he loves Bani now? Would Yash and Jai's relationship been any different? Would they as a family come here to the park like any other family and enjoy their time spent together?
Jai rattles these thoughts away, admonishing himself to stop dwelling in the past. He painfully tears his gaze away and instead stares up at the clear, bright sky. Yet he cannot help but look back on hearing the two giggle together once more.  He admires how they look together---like any other mother and son---no different from the rest who are here. No, perhaps things wouldn't be so much different if Ananya had been alive. Yash still has a mother whom he loves unconditionally and Jai does still have a family. Yes, even though they are not a family in a conventional sense, they are one nonetheless---Yash, Bani, and him---they're a family. These past couple of years he has neglected to admit this, but he is ready to acknowledge this fact now. He has a family---one whom his wife stresses---needs him.
He can say at last that he is gotten over his first wife's death and accepts that things can never go back to how they were. But is he ready to truly move forward in life? Start all over again with Bani and Yash as a true family? Can he give his marriage with her a fair shot? Can he attempt to be a good father to his son even though he perhaps doesn't have it in him to be one? He was never good with kids and could never learn how to deal with them. His own father hardly showed him or Jigyasa any affection. Uday Walia was too busy in his business and traveling all around the world to pay them any attention. His way of making up for his absence was sending them the most expensive gifts now and then. Jai could care less about his father's absence in his life, though. His mother's love and pampering made up for it all and soon enough he didn't even feel the need of his father's presence. He found that his mother was quite enough for him. Just as he reminisces this, he is hit by a revelation and sits straight up in his seat on the bench.
Wasn't this what Bani was referring to earlier in Yash's play room? That soon enough Yash will grow up and not even feel the need for him anymore in his life? Just as Jai didn't feel the need for his own father? Won't he be doing exactly what his father did to him? Does he want to create that sort of detached relationship between him and Yash? Jai had resented his father for his neglect. Can he bare Yash's resentment towards him?
He remains stumped by this revelation of his and finally concludes that he can't. He wouldn't be able to know that his own flesh and blood despised him. He couldn't live with himself knowing that he had done exactly what his own father had done----turn his own son against him.
He hadn't realized that he neglected Yash in this manner until now. It is not that he does not care about the boy. Of course he does. After all he is his son, his and Ananya's. But he never knew how to express this care of his nor knew how to act like a father when he didn't have a father figure to look up to to begin with. He does not have the natural instinct in him to be a good father. For him to be a father, he has to try….
"Jai….."
Looking up, Jai is startled out of his daze and looks to his wife, who stands directly before him by the slides, casting him a concerned look. Yash holds her hand and stares at him as well.
"…Aap teek to hai, haina?" she questions cautiously while examining his slightly pale face. Jai clears his throat and tries to recollect himself. He nods his head.
"Mama---shlide, shlide, shlide," Yash orders while pulling on Bani's hand adamantly. Bani gives Jai a beckoning glance that he does not ignore, knowing that she wants him to join them as well. He had sat on the bench in the first place because Yash refused to be pushed on the swings by him. Without any delay, Jai rises from the bench and watches Bani immediately place Yash's tiny hand into his.
"Mommy pushed you on the swings, now it's Daddy's turn to take you the slides," Bani explains to their son with a wide smile. Yash wears a grumpy look on hearing this and Bani brushes it off by ruffling his hair. Jai clasps his hand firmly around Yash's and looks down at his toddler son.
"Come on Yash," he gestures with a nod over to the slides and pulls on his hand to have him follow. Yash walks side by side with his father and climbs up the stairs with his help. Bani stands on the other side of the slide with a smile on her face. As they get to the top of the slide, Jai positions Yash in order to prepare him to go down. Bani waits at the end for him.
"Here you go. All you have to do now is slide down," Jai explains carefully as he feels Yash's tiny body begin to tremble.
"It's shooooo high," his son comments with fear laced in his small voice once seeing how far up he is from the ground. Not knowing how to handle the situation as he is not good in dealing with children to begin with, Jai wonders what Bani would say in order to ease his worries.
"You don't be afraid. I'm right here with you. ……. I… I won't let anything happen to you. And your mother is down there waiting to catch you…. You won't be hurt, I promise…. We-we're both here…" Jai murmurs for him to hear, not knowing what exactly he's saying but hoping that it'll work.
"Come on baby, slide down…. It'll be fun," Bani urges from below, waiting for him with open arms.
Yash looks up to stare at his father with his big black eyes and Jai is instantly hit with a nostalgic feeling of gazing into those set of eyes inherited by his birth mother.
"You promish?" he questions with hope. Recollecting himself, Jai nods while answering firmly, "I promise."
Yash turns back to look down the slide and at his awaiting mother.
"Ready?"
Yash gives a slight nod of his head. With a slight push on his back, Jai watches how his son slides down into Bani's arms. She wraps him tightly and kisses him for his accomplishment on going on the slide for the first time. Yash turns back to look at him and smiles broadly while exclaiming, "I did it, Papa, I did it!"
Hearing those words directed at him and seeing the complete delight on his son's face gives him an inexplicable feeling of joy right at that moment. Jai breaks out into a smile as well on seeing Yash jumping up and down from excitement, feeling good about himself for a change. His eyes dart over to Bani, who looks back at him with a smile of her own.
"Again, again!" Yash cries while running back to Jai, who helps him up the stairs once more. They continued this for a few times before Yash grew confident and conquered the fear of sliding down from such a great height. He began to insist he can do it alone making his parents move away while he enjoyed his time on the slides by himself.
"He'll be fine, Bani. Come, sit down," he calls for her from the bench as she stands, watching over Yash. She looks over her shoulder and at him. Glancing back to Yash, she sighs and turns back to join her husband on the bench. Together they sit in silence observing their son interacting with the other children and taking turns to go down the slide after them---the smile on his lips never leaving.
"He looks too much like her….," Jai states, breaking the comfortable silence between them. Bani looks to him on hearing his words and sees that his attention is still focused on Yash. She waits patiently for him to continue, not wanting to interrupt on what he has to say.
"Those same black eyes….that same goofy smile….those tiny ears…the dimples…the small nose….everything….," he breathes. Bani watches him carefully, noting the expression on his face, and finally realizes what has kept Jai away from his son all these years. Yash reminded him so much of Ananya that it became unbearable to look at him. His son became the reminder of what Jai had lost. Silently she places her hand on top of his and holds onto it tight. Jai, feeling the sudden warmth of her hand around his, breaks his gaze from his son and instead looks down at her hand clasping his. He squeezes hers back and marvels over how small and feminine her hand is compared to his larger, masculine one. Her thumb brushes against the back of his hand in a soothing manner. He looks up and meets her warm, soft eyes that stare back at him with compassion. That is when it happens…..when he is hit by something so sudden and unexpected.
He becomes transfixed by the way the sun's rays settle on his wife and highlight her features---almost making her seem heavenly at that precise moment. She glows under the bright light that enhances the attributes of her lovely, fair face. For the first time since Jai has known Bani, he takes a real good look at her, not just as the young girl he had gotten to know her by, but as a woman.  She is exceedingly attractive with beautiful, long black hair in waves that curl at the ends, a slight round face with high cheek bones, an endearingly small nose, pink cheeks, a dimple pressed into each, dark curvy lips, and sparkling honey colored eyes with long sooty eyelashes. He could feel the pounding of his racing heart in his ears as he finds himself unable to look away from her---noticing, for once, how beautiful she really is.
Suddenly becoming conscious, Bani is unnerved by how her husband looks at her so intently. A blush creeps into her cheeks and deepens when he does not look away.
"Is... Is something wrong?" she can't help but ask, growing more embarrassed by having his eyes set on her. Hearing her voice, Jai's eyes finally waver and realization crosses his face once he becomes aware of what he was doing. He hastily looks away, embarrassed himself and finds that his heart continues to drum quickly---refusing to slow down. He notices, as well, that his palm grows sweaty and he awkwardly removes his hand from her hold.
"Jai?" Bani asks worriedly by his strange behavior. Jai does not look at her, too guilty by what he was doing just seconds before. He stands up abruptly and rubs the back of his neck, still not looking her way.
"Eeerrr, let's go back…. We've been here long enough as it is," he suggests. Eyeing her husband strangely, Bani rises as well. She does not, however, bother to ask him what has suddenly happened to him. She nods her head before softly replying, "I'll just go and get Yash and then we'll go."
Jai switches his gaze back onto her retreating figure and looks after her longingly before he snaps himself out of it. He curses himself for even viewing her in that way and briskly walks to the car---hoping to get these thoughts out of his head.  
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Chapter 15:
"And—and---and then Papa put me on shlide---and Dadi it waz shoooooo big," Yash exclaims while throwing his hands in the air to dramatize his story. Krishna chuckles fondly at her grandson as does everyone else at the table. Bani smiles to herself while serving everyone dinner with help from Jigyasa and Tony as the rest of the family listen to Yash's summary of his day patiently.
"Then—then Papa push me and Momma get me then I go again again again and I no need Mama Papa----it waz fun, Dadi," Yash finishes with a bright smile. His grandmother affectionately ruffles his hair while replying, "I'm glad that you had fun, beta. You love the park?"
"Yeah---I wanna go again----Mama, I wanna go park," Yash whines to his mother, who passes right by him, filling his father's glass with water.
"Yash, hum roz to nahi jaasakte, haina?" Bani questions him sweetly, wanting to put him down gently.
Yash pouts on hearing her answer. "Mama, pweeaaaasshhhh----pwweeaaashhh," he begins to beg only to be refused by his mother once again.
"Hum dekhenge---aabhi nahi bataaskti hoon…," Bani brushes the topic aside while resuming in serving everyone all around.
Yash frowns on this before immediately turning to his father, who was watching this spectacle silently. He tugs on Jai's sleeve to draw his attention.
"Papa, I wanna go park…."
"Yash, maine kya kaha? ---Waise, Papa kal busy hai. Hum kahin aur din chaalejaayenge…teek hai?" Bani says in attempt to pacify her stubborn son.
Yash blatantly ignores his mother while tugging harder on Jai's sleeve. "Papa----pwweaasshh."
"Yash, Mummy teek kaehri hai… Hum roz nahi jaasaktee," Jai finally answers to his son's calls.
Yash begins to jump up and down in his seat while pulling on Jai's sleeve even more. "No, Papa pwweeaassh----pwweaasshhh hum jaasakte---Yash wanna go park----Yash wanna go on shhliddee."
"Yash, zidd maat karo," Bani sternly orders.
"Pwweaassh, Papa."
"Yaasshhhh," Bani calls out to him warningly.
Jai meets his son's pleading eyes and the hopeful look present on his face then finds that he just cannot refuse the boy's request. He surprises even himself with what he says next.
"I'll take you tomorrow if I get the time, okay? For now finish your food and don't give your mother a hard time."
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy!!!!" Yash screams in delight while raising his hands into the air from victory only to knock over the plate of food and glass of milk beside him causing them spill on him. The plate along with the glass crashes onto the floor seconds later---breaking into smaller pieces.
"Yash---yeh tumne kya kiya?" Bani demands in an angry tone for his carelessness. Yash immediately settles down and sits still in his place frightened by his mother's raised voice. Bani comes around and looks at Yash's drenched clothes and the muddle of spilt milk and food on the floor next to him.
"Look at the mess you have made Yash---why cannot you sit still and eat your food like everyone else? Hamesha shararat dekhana hai…..," Bani mumbles angrily while dabbing at her son's shirt with a napkin.
Yash looks genuinely apologetic for what he has done and becomes glum by his mother's scolding. He holds onto her pallu and tugs on it to get her attention.
"I shorry Mama…..," Yash speaks in a small voice. Bani ignores him and proceeds to clean off his wet pants. Yash tugs harder.
"Mama, I shorry…."
"Bahu, aab naraaz maat hojaao…. accident tha…… bechara aab maafi mangaara hai…," Krishna steps in on seeing her grandson's eyes water and the indifference his mother shows him.
"Mummyji, kya faraq paarega? Maafi daaongi aur yeh phirse koi shararti kaarega…..," Bani grumbles back, silencing her mother-in-law momentarily.
"Bani, let it go…. He's sorry…. It was an accident….," Jai says once also noticing that Yash is close to tears. The pathetic sight his son makes does something inside of him which he can't explain.
"Aap please beech mein maat boliye…. Mujhe aachi taara se jaanti hoon kaise mere bte ko sambaanliye… ," Bani answers back making Jai clamp his mouth shut for interfering in the first place.
"Bani Puttar, baacha hai----gaalti to kaarega…," Dadi comments in order to settle down the tension that seems to have come up.
"Chalo Yash----mausi will take you upstairs and change your clothes," Rano offers hesitantly a moment later while rising from her seat. She too feels bad for her nephew, who rubs at his tearing eyes. But no one would dare to step in between Bani's way of handling him. She is his mother after all.
"Nahi," Yash replies stubbornly while continuing to dab at his eyes. He continues to tug on his mother's pallu until Bani snatches it out of his hand and walks away from him to get rid of the now soiled napkins.
"Mama---I shorry," Yash yells after her and becomes quiet on seeing her disappear into the kitchen. He sniffles to himself and looks to his father, who looks back at him sympathetically---finding that his wife is being a little harsh with him.
"Papa….," Yash's voice quivers as he looks at him miserably. The next second Jai extends his hand and gestures with a nod over to the stairs.
"Let's take you upstairs and get you changed," he says gently. Yash sniffles some more before taking his father's hand and following him upstairs….
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Papa, you take me kal?" Yash questions eagerly as Jai pulls his shirt over his head---now having gotten over somewhat from his mother's scolding. Jai tucks his son's shirt into his pajamas to ensure that he is warm (just how Bani taught him) and hesitantly gives his answer.
"We'll see, Yash. Now don't mention the park in front of your mother---it will only upset her more," he advises, not wanting Bani's anger to build. Yash frowns on the mention of his mother.
"I no like Mama….she yell Yash…," he stubbornly replies while crossing his arms across his little chest. Jai gives him a look.
"Don't say that---your Mama loves you. Besides, it was your fault…. You made Mama angry…. You should have first listened to her instead of behaving so irrationally…."
"Eeeaarraaassshhh?" Yash begins to repeat the last word with confusion. A smirk plays on Jai's lips on hearing his attempt of repeating the word.
"Irrationally---- meaning…… eerr…. Well you'll learn what it means one day," Jai finally says after not knowing how to simplify the word for his son to understand.
"There---you're all changed now," he announces while stepping back and examining his son in his new change of clothes---seeing if he dressed him properly. Yash giggles while tugging on his pajama pants.
"Papa---you do it wrong….," Yash directs his father's attention onto the tag that sticks out from his front---showing that his pants are on backwards. Jai groans over the fact that he cannot even do such a small task of dressing up a three-year old yet he can perform surgery on someone blindfolded.
"You can wear your pants backwards for one day---it won't' hurt you. Just don't show Mama," Jai tells him and receives a broad smile from the toddler in return and more giggles.
"Papa, you sho shilly."
This puts a smile on Jai's face for some reason as well. He picks the boy up and places him onto the king sized bed in their room. Pulling the covers aside, Jai directs him to get under. Yash does so as he's told.
"Now you go to sleep, alright?"
"No----itz shtory time…"
"Story time?" Jai asks in puzzlement while tucking him in, just like how Bani taught him too. Yash nods his head quickly while pointing at the stack of books resting on the chair the table nearby.
"Mama alwayz read me book… then Yash goz bed…"
Jai scratches his head once hearing this. This is the first time he is hearing about this. But then again, he usually never sticks around in the bedroom around this time instead heading to his study to review last minute things or pour himself a drink. Of course he wouldn't know that Yash is read to first before going to sleep. He releases a sigh and forgoes the thought of going to his study for a nightcap.
"Alright then, I'll read till your mother gets here."
This puts a smile onto Yash's face once again and he snuggles under the covers as Jai picks out a random book. He opens the cover and glances through---satisfied to know that it is a short children's book. He flips through the pages until his son grows impatient and calls out, "Papa, read shtory!"
"Uhhh…. Okay….. Once upon a time there were three little pigs….who felt they needed a home….They talked about what they needed, but each decided for himself…. The laziest pig said he'd build a straw hut…. 'It'll only take a day' he said----" Jai reads the lines awkwardly---feeling rather foolish at the moment as he's never done this before---but is hastily interrupted.
"Noooo!….."
"What happened?" Jai asks, startled.
"You shay it wrong…. Shay it in other voish (voice) …. Mama shay it in lotz of voishes…" Yash informs him coyly with a giggle on seeing his father's face. Jai lets out a sigh and while shaking his head mumbles to himself, "Kya kya karti hai teri ma tumhare liye…."
"Papa, shay it!" Yash yells impatiently as Jai delays his time in reading the story further then dissolves into a fit of laughter by seeing the deadpan look Jai wears.
"Uh? Oh, hain… okay…. Hmm….," he clears his throat and nearly forces himself to re-read the last line.
"It'll only take a day' he said. The others disagreed. 'It's too fragile' they said disapprovingly, but he refused to listen……"
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Bani watches through the creek in the door as both father and son sit beside together on the bed, Yash leaning his head against her husband's arm as he reads in his silky voice from the book sprawled in his hands. She feels her throat clog as tears spring in her eyes. The moment was too precious, too special to interrupt. This would be the first time she is seeing her son and husband interact with one another without having to, but willingly on their own.
She, however, gives herself away by leaning forward against the door, causing it to make a creaking sound as it opens further. She stills in her place as she feels both pairs of eyes look at her from the bed.
"Momma….," Yash calls out to her. Immediately she blinks away her tears and avoids staring into the particular set of gray eyes that observe her closely. She allows herself in, walking past the door, and approaches the bed. She seats herself on the edge of the mattress next to Yash and reaches out to him, ruffling his hair tenderly with her fingers.
"Mommy's real shorry Yashu…. Will you forgive me?" she inquires from him with a pout in his direction. Yash tucks his hands in between his folded arms while stubbornly replying, "No."  
"Arre baba, I'm saying na that I'm sorry…. Mama se galti hua, baacha…," she attempts to pacify him though Yash doesn't heed to her. She sighs and thinks over what to do then holds onto her ears and apologizes once more, knowing that this usually works with him. "Pleeaaseee…. Momma's sorry…" Yash meets her sorry look before conceding to her and putting on a small smile and giving an affectionate pat on her cheek. "Itz okay… I fogive you," he answers gingerly. She returns his smile and kisses him soundly on his head.
She gazes at him fondly while asking, "Papa's reading to you, huh?"
"Yesh, but Papa don't do cool voishes like mommy," Yash says in a sulking tone making Bani giggle at his plight. Jai frowns from his son's statement and watches his wife rub her nose against Yash's endearingly.
"Is that so? Hmmm, let's see if Mommy can help your Papa," she tells him putting a gleeful smile on her son's face. She casts a look in her husband's direction, who silently gazes back at her. Bani reaches out for the book and settles it onto Yash's lap so together all of them can see. She makes herself comfortable onto the mattress, leaning into Yash's side. Having the book in clear view, Bani begins to recite the words in her normal story tone that her son has become accustomed to. Jai listens along intently to his wife's animated voices, sucked into the velvetiness of her voice, and finds himself softly smiling along with his giggling son.
'Come out!' ordered the wolf, his mouth watering. 'I want to speak to you!' 'I'd rather stay where I am' replied the little scared piggy. 'Then I will puff and huff and blow your house away!' the wolf  said right before he blew with all his might," Bani exclaims dramatically and glances at Yash, whose wide eyes stare at the drawings on the page with fascination. She smiles to herself, trying not to laugh at the expression on her son's face, and makes movement to turn the next page but finds her hand knocking into another. Looking up, she meets her husband's eyes and stares back at his tanned hand that also had moved to flip the page. She awkwardly removes her hand and flushes by the manner in which he looks at her. Consciously she watches how he turns the page and draws back his hand out of the way. Licking her dry lips, she continues reading, her voice now hoarse as she grows even more aware of his eyes lingering on her…..
"He drew in an enormous breath and went, 'WHOOOOO!' And the wooden house fell to the ground like a pack of cards……"
The rest of the story Bani finished in haste, unnerved by the attention she was receiving from her normally indifferent husband. By the end of it, she felt relief and smiled at Yash before saying, "The End." Yash claps excitedly and cheers from the happy ending.
"Now Yash has to go to sleep, okay?"
"Okay."
"Goodnight baby, I love you," Bani wishes him by planting a sweet kiss on his forehead and tucking him into bed. Yash wraps his tiny arms around her neck and kisses her on her cheek while replying, "Goodnight Mommy, I love you too…. Goodnight Papa," he adds in Jai's direction. Jai smiles back while answering, "Goodnight Yash."
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Jai had been on his blackberry, scrolling through his numerous messages, when he heard the click of the bathroom door. Looking over his shoulder, he sees his wife dressed in her usual velvet robe, the ties strapped tight around her slim waist, with her hair let out in black, silky waves. He returns his attention back onto his phone but pays notice to how she seats herself down before the dresser and begins to brush her long tresses with care.
Switching his phone onto vibrate, he places it down onto the stand's tabletop and rises from his awaiting position on the bed. His mind is set solely on going to the bathroom to change for the night, yet he instead ends up approaching his wife slowly and standing a foot away from her seated posture.  His eyes seek hers through the mirror and when he does find them, her hand stills and slowly she lowers down the brush----her eyes filled with question.
"…. You are really good with him…. With Yash I mean….," he begins, already stumbling over his words as her silent honey eyes remain locked with his. Seeing her too startled by his words to respond back, he carries on while gripping onto the back of his neck nervously.
"I just…. I just wanted to thank you….for all that you do for him…. You're a good mother, Bani… There is no doubt about that…."
A silence passes between them in which Jai observes closely as various emotions flicker across his wife's fair face. She rises from her seat and turns to look at him before speaking demurely.
"There isn't any need for gratitude, Jai…. Given that I haven't given birth to him, but Yash is my son regardless…. just as much as he is yours….," she finishes with her doe-like eyes probing his. She watches  as he nods along with her words.
"You're right…. and I'm making the effort… or at least I'm trying to…," he adds uneasily by the direction this conversation is headed.
She smiles gently at him with her honey brown eyes brimming with pleasure.
"Yes, you are…. He is already starting to adore you… I can see it," she says to him in an effort to ease his worries about his estranged relationship with his son. Jai drops his hand and stares at her with slight surprise on hearing this. "You think so?"
Bani nods her head and follows his gaze over to the bed where Yash is now sleeping peacefully by himself underneath the covers. She can see a certain longing shining clear in his orbs of stormy gray and any lingering doubts of whether he cared for his son after all die away.
"You were right about before….He looks so much like Ananya that it does become painful to look at him sometimes… but I don't let that become my weakness…instead I make it my strength to become a better parent to him… He deserves that much, don't you think?" she speaks these next words carefully while observing him closely. His shoulders grow tense as he turns to look at her with jolted eyes.  After a long moment passes, she goes back to smiling delicately at him as she says next, "It's getting late… Goodnight…"
Jai dumbly nods his head a second later, his mind feeling heavy with the weight of her words. He looks on as she casts him a fleeting glance before walking past and joining their son on the bed. Straightening his shoulders, he strides over to the bathroom and shuts the door….
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A few days later Jai stood in his Study ruffling through papers with a deep furrow creased between his thick eyebrows when his wife walked in announcing herself. He neglects her presence and continues searching through his things, seeming to be looking for something in particular.
"Jai…" she calls out to him to gather his attention. He doesn't bother to look over and acknowledges her with a simple, "Hm?" "You are going to go to work?" "No, I'm getting ready to join a circus," he replies rather gruffly. She bites back a smile and answers lightheartedly, "Don't forget your clown shoes before you go." 
Jai stills in his actions and looks over his shoulder to see her unsuccessfully covering up her creeping smile. He restrains the urge to grin back from her remark.
"What is it that you need, Bani? Make it quick, I'm getting late."
"I just wanted to ask when you'd be getting off from work…."
"I'll try and be home before midnight, but I'm not sure for now… That all?" he asks before returning to his interrupted search. He misses the frown that adorns her face.
"Can't you try coming home earlier?" she hesitantly questions him a moment later. She bites on her lip as he throws her a curious glance.
"Hmm, I doubt it. It depends how the day plays out… Why, anything special going on?"
She blushes while shaking her head and saying hastily, "… Er… I was just… asking." Jai grows even more puzzled by her odd behavior, but decides not to dig out the reason and let her be. Besides, he's running on a tight schedule today. He's already thirty minutes late for oversleeping.
"Aahh…," he softly exclaims with satisfaction on finding the case report he was looking for. He throws it into his nearly tattered, brown briefcase along with his stethoscope and other things. He closes it shut and hastily moves to leave, but is kept in his place by his wife's blocking figure.
"Jai, I wanted to say something--"
"Tell me when I get home, okay? I've got to run now. I'll see you later," he breezily tells her before walking around her and rushing out from the room. Bani watches him leave with regret and sighs resignedly before walking out herself…..
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Bani enters the kitchen in a sulking manner after having served the family members. She finds her mother-in-law already starting to clean up with Tony by her side. She tries to gather herself quickly but is too late when Krishna turns and catches her fallen face.
"Arre, kya baath hai Bahu? Tumhara chera ko kya hua?" she asks in sheer surprise on seeing her previously beaming daughter-in-law now brooding to herself. Bani shakes her head in a negative.
"Kuch nahi, mummyji," she says in an attempt to divert the attention from herself. Yet she proves to be unsuccessful as Krishna refuses to let go of the matter.
"Tum mujhe ek Ma jaise sochti ho, haina?" she inquires affectionately from her. Bani nods her head slowly while avoiding her probing gaze. "To mujhe bataa… kya baath hai? Tumne Jai ke saath baath ki?" Again Bani solemnly nods her head, keeping her eyes instead onto her favorite sapphire pendant that she begins to fiddle with.
"To?" Krishna urges for an answer. Bani heaves a sigh and meets her mother-in-law's eyes with a pouting look. "He barely gave me enough time to ask him to stay home… He was in a rush and already left….."
Krishna hides a smile on seeing the dejection on her daughter-in-law's face all because her husband is too busy to stay home for the day to celebrate Holi with the rest of them. It is evident now to Krishna how much her daughter-in-law has fallen in love with her son by how she has attached her happiness to him.
"Arre, to kya? We will call him and tell him to come home. There is still the puja to be done before the actual celebration---and by then Jai would be back," she sweetly tells her in an effort to pacify her. Bani rolls her eyes as a grumpy expression unfolds on her face.
"Hmm, I doubt it Mummyji…. He does not listen to anyone to begin with. So he definitely will not listen even now," she grumbles to her only to blush afterwards by the way she is complaining about her husband to his mother. Krishna chuckles fondly at her.
"I think he will listen to a person in particular." This raises Bani's query as she stares quizzically at a smiling Krishna with a spark in her eyes. "Who?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jai had been in the middle of speaking to a patient's family, discussing in detail about the case and his patient's recovery to length, when his phone vibrates. He ignores it at first but concedes in picking it up once the calls do not stop. He excuses himself from the family and attends it.
"Hello?"
"You come home."
"Hello? Yash?" Jai questions with surprise on hearing his son's unexpected voice.
"I shay you come home."
Jai's brows rise from his son's arrogant command. He glances over his shoulder to see that his patient's family is watching, waiting on him to finish up with the call.
"How did you get this number?"
"I no shay it. You come home. Nahi to Yash mad," Yash huffs from the other line. Instead of being irritated like he normally would be, Jai finds himself simply amused by his son's antics.
"You don't have to tell me. I know it was your Momma who dialed this number. Yash, you tell her that Papa is busy so do not disturb him," Jai speaks clearly just so his wife can hear him in case she is listening in on the call, like he knows she is.
"Papa no buzy. Papa come home. Mama shay sho," Yash exclaims in a rather hyper tone only to be shushed by someone on the other line as well---most likely his wife.
"You tell Mama that Papa can't."
"Mama, Papa shay no---," Yash begins to inform his mother, giving her away and confirming that she is after all listening in on the conversation. He is quickly hushed by another "Shhhh!!!" Jai listens in as his wife whispers something to his son and then hears Yash say right away, "Pleeaaasshhh Papa, pleeaasshh. You come home. Yash happy. Pleeaash."
"Bani, this isn't fair," Jai grumbles once figuring out that she is deliberately using Yash to get the better of him.
"Mama no here," Yash answers slyly. "Hmm, of course she isn't," Jai replies back. "Papa come home?"
Jai sighs before saying, "No. I have work."
Promptly Yash responds angrily, "Papa gunda. I no like Papa. Yash no talk to Papa."
Knowing that if he refuses to his son's request now, he will be putting serious damage to any progress he has made with him in the last few days. Ever since the time spent in the park and night time story, Yash has grown more accepting and warm compared to his previous indifference to him. Just yesterday he had insisted to draw in his study as Jai was checking emails and last minute things after dinner. Later he persisted that his father join him in coloring, approaching him at his work desk with his book and broken set of crayons with a toothy smile.
Quickly Jai mentally runs through his schedule and ponders whether he can after all bunk the rest of the day off to come home for whatever reasons his son and wife had. Perhaps Yash remembered his promise of taking him to the park again and could no longer be patient. He decides that he can afford some time off even though it'd cut into some important work time. He could, though, make it up later on one of his days off.
"Okay, no need to get angry. I'll come. And when I do, you and your mother are in for it big time, especially your mother," Jai warns yet finds that he is somewhat grinning despite himself.
"Mama, Papa shay you in big touble." "Sshhh! I am not here!" he hears Bani whisper. Jai's grin widens and it when he realizes that he has company that he regains himself.
"Alright, I have to go now. I will see you when I get home. Bye," he cuts off hastily and returns back to his seat, embarrassed by having others witness his conversation with his adamant son. His patient's parents smile at him warmly.
"Err, sorry for the interruption."
"It's okay Dr. Walia… was that your son?" the mother asks conversationally. Jai grows uncomfortable with how the attention has averted from their son onto him. He answers her question, however, not wanting to appear rude even though he wanted to redirect their focus back onto the case.
"Yes."
"How old is he?"
"He turned three recently."
"And the little boy is insisting that you come home?" the father of his patient questions with a low chuckle. By now Jai is deeply embarrassed by being put on the spot. He wonders how much they had ended up overhearing.
"He must want you back in order to celebrate Holi with him and your family," the middle-aged woman says with a hinting smile. Jai becomes surprised on hearing this.
"We can't wait ourselves to take our Dinesh home for Holi," she adds.
Realization dawns upon him as to why Bani had Yash insist for him to come home. Why couldn't she have just told him in the first place instead of beating around the bush? Count on Bani to always play games with him. He clears his throat before directing their attention back onto the patient and his recovery. Later he discharges Dinesh so he can go home and enjoy the celebration with his family, just as Jai now plans to do as he seats himself behind the wheel of his car and drives on back home.
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"Wook (Look) Momma, Papa!" Yash screams while tugging on her white pallu and pointing in the far off direction towards his father, who emerges into view amidst the spray of bright colors. Bani looks behind her and catches her husband's eye across the distance as he approaches. She blushes crimson on the thought of how she appears at the moment, covered nearly head to toe in color whereas he is dressed cleanly in a white dress shirt and black trousers. She bends down to Yash's level, taking him gently in her arms, and whispers something to him. She watches as Yash hurriedly agrees to her words and springs away.
Jai caught both his son and wife in view, standing at the far end of the vast garden surrounded by friends and their whole family all playing mirthfully together and not sparing anyone in the spirit of Holi. He sees that his wife hasn't been spared either with the vast amounts of color staining her pure white saree. He is just about to approach them when instead he sees his son rushing toward him in big strides. He stand still, wondering what he is up to, and is caught off guard as Yash hauls himself onto him, wrapping his stubby arms around his legs. He looks up to him with a goofy smile.
"Papa you here!" he screams in sheer delight on having his father heed his request. Giving him a half smile, Jai ruffles Yash's hair as an unexpected warmth surges into him by this gesture of acceptance from his estranged son---the acceptance of him as his father.
"Well I had to. You and your mother didn't give me much of a choice, did you?" Jai probes with a cocked brow. Yash simply giggles, not really understanding his father's proper way of speaking.
Suddenly Jai's vision blurs by the dust of colored powdered being showered onto him. Blinded momentarily, he turns behind him and sees his two mischievous nephews grinning broadly at him with their hands full of powder. They smear their uncle in color while laughing boisterously.
"Holi hai, Mamu!" they yell in unison and take Jai further off guard as they spray him with water. They cackle good-humoredly and run to save their lives from the wrath they know have created in their unsportsmanlike uncle.
"Saahil! Ranveer!" Jai bellows after them in frustration only to have himself ignored and be left facing their retreating backs. He begins to fume to himself but is diverted by hearing a melodious giggling ringing behind him. He follows it and finds his wife laughing gleefully with water brimming in her honey eyes. He's stunned to find both her and Yash laughing at his plight. He's further stunned as he himself crack a smile, his bubbling anger fading away.
"You think that was funny?" he questions his amused wife, who begins to settle but the smile on her lips remains. She stares back at him with her glistening eyes and answers teasingly, "Yes." His smile builds at the teasing mood she is in and finds himself suddenly being in one as well. "Oh really?"
"Yes, really," she stresses and laughs. Jai casts his son a side glance and says to him, "Yash, let's show your mother the consequence of laughing at others."
"Conseqaaayance?" Yash repeats in a puzzled manner but is ignored since Jai distracts himself by gathering fistfuls of color into his hands from the plates of powder resting on the table beside them. Bani's eyes widen as she takes a step back.
"Jai, no… please… I am already colored as it is," she says pleadingly, taking one step back each step he takes forward.
"You can never be too colored for Holi, Bani," he states his answer with a smirk. Yash hurriedly grabs some of the color as well, following his father's lead. Jai's pace quickens as does Bani and within seconds she finds herself being chased by both her husband and enthusiastic son. She squeals in laughter in between begging them to stop. Hoping to lose them, she swiftly slips in between the crowd of people, moving side to side.
They pass by their family; Aditya intent on coloring his fussing wife from head to toe, Ranveer and Saahil tackling Anu and Rano, and Dadi and Krishna standing off to the side smiling in encouragement of the happy atmosphere. Spotting her mother-in-law, Bani darts toward her to seek rescue and hides behind Krishna's back, startling her in the process.
"Arre Bahu, kya hua?" Krishna questions in surprise on seeing her daughter-in-law huddle behind her anxiously. Bani grips onto her mother-in-law's shoulders and explains hastily, "Mummyji, woh mere peeche paarge…"
"Kaun?" But Krishna finds her answer in the form of her son, who arrives within seconds. Krishna gets herself caught in a tussle between husband and wife as they circle around her (Bani wanting to surpass Jai and Jai wanting to catch her), giving her a slight headache.
"Jai, no!" "Ma, move aside!" "Mummyji, no!" "You can't hide behind her forever, Bani!" "Who says that I can't?" "Bani!"
"Arre, yeh kya ho raha hai? Mujhe chakar aarahi hai…" Krishna complains while gripping her forehead. Bani stands pressed behind her mother-in-law's back, moving her with every step she takes. "Mummyji, don't let him come near me!"
"Ma, don't protect her like this!" Jai demands while trying to reach his wife. Little Yash, finally reaching up to his parents, huffs and puffs after the long run they had made him do.
"Ma---Papa," Yash calls out for their attention in between gathering his breath. Dadi takes his hand that had been full of red powder moments before he released it all during his run. "Yash, dekho, tumhare ma baap kaise baachon ke tare kaehlareh hai…" she points out in laughter.
"Jai—Bani," Krishna begins to say but is cut off as Jai throws the color aiming it at his wife, who ducks while shrieking, causing all the green color to land on his mother's face. Krishna sputters and wipes at her eyes to remove the powder and feels the strong grips of her daughter-in-law lessen on her shoulders and once clearing her view sees that both her son and bahu have raced off. She tinkles with laughter at the sight of them behaving like kids and smiles brightly by the realization that this is the closet she has seen them since Ananya's death.
Jai follows after Bani like a predator on a hunt for his prey, his mind consumed by the frolic of the festivity. He quickens his steps and finally reaches her, grabbing her by taking a hold of her waist. Bani squeals and struggles to let herself free but is lifted off her feet and twirled briefly before Jai turns her around and smears her face in color.
"Jaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiii!" she whines while shielding herself to no avail. "That should teach you a little lesson, Mrs. Walia," he taunts while laughing victoriously. Bani holds in her breath and stares at him wide-eyed at his words. This is the first time since they have been married that he has addressed her or even acknowledged her officially as Mrs. Walia. She looks on at him mesmerized from his bright face that wears a broad smile---one she has rarely seen in a long while. Jai's laughter dies down, yet leaving a grin. His grin softens, though, as he sees her bewildered expression.
"What?"
Bani is saved from formulating an answer as their son comes trotting along and tugs hard on Jai's trousers. He glares angrily at his father and mother while crossing his arms.
"Momma! Papa! Yash mad! You leave Yash!" he declares loudly, wanting to express his displeasure of being left behind to his parents. Jai's grin widens to its fullest length as he stares at his grumpy son. "It's not our fault you are a slow runner, kiddo," Jai says with more laughter rumbling from inside of him. Yash screeches as his father covers him with the rest of the powder in his hands. He then hauls him into his arms as Ranveer, Saahil, Anu, and Rano all join them enthusiastically wanting to spray Yash with color as well. Bani watches from her spot as her son giggles with his cousins and his father and seeks payback by throwing color onto Jai and howling in laughter at the blue powder masking his face.
She feels her eyes grow moist and her heart swelling witnessing the new changed relationship between her husband and son. The two who barely acknowledged each other before were now playing side by side with smiles and laughter. She dabs at her eyes to wipe away the water from her lashes as she becomes overcome with emotion on also realizing that she is finally seeing a sign of her old Jai returning back to her….. 


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Chapter 12:
It was late afternoon when he arrived in London, suffering from jet lag and with the desire to sleep despite the sunshine outside. Turning the locks with the key, he opened the door to the given room and carried in his things with him. Placing his luggage down onto the door, his eyes swept across the spacious room that had been furnished in an elaborate style with good sense of taste. However, the room did not appeal to him as much and he continued to settle himself in, indifferent to the surroundings around him and the view from his hotel room.
Just as he unzipped his suitcase and threw it open to find comfortable clothes to wear, his gaze immediately fell onto an item placed flat in the center of his clothes----there solely for his attention.  Taking it into his hand, Jai stared into the picture and slowly a smile crept onto his lips as a tender expression unfolded on his handsome face.
It was a picture of his family taken a few months ago at his nephew's graduation party----in the center Aditya and Jigyasa proudly holding onto a beaming Saahil who held his diploma high into the air, Ranveer and Anu standing on each of their parents' side with grins of their own, his mother and Dadi standing off to the other side while on the opposite stood Bani with Yash on her hip and himself standing beside them. It was a happy occasion for them all that had them in smiles; even he had the courtesy to smile himself.
He began to lightly chuckle at his wife's antics, knowing that she deliberately placed the picture for him to take along. He found it quite silly, considering that he would only be away for a week and forgetting any of them was highly doubtful, yet endearing at the same time. It was the gesture that counted. With a soft smile still playing on his lips, he carefully placed the frame onto the nightstand beside his bed and continued to look at it from afar----his eyes resting on one person in particular.
Suddenly he tore off his gaze and reached for his coat that he had thrown onto the bed once he entered the room. Searching through his pockets, he located his cell phone and pulled it out. His thumb quickly dialed the digits to his home number and pressing the phone to his ear, he waited as the line rang.
After a few rings had gone by, the other lined picked up and Jai was greeted by his mother's voice, who set out an interrogation of whether the flight was fine. Once reassuring his mother, he asked for Bani, knowing that she would be waiting for his call to know he had reached London safely.
"Paar beta, woh to ghar peh nahi hai," his mother informed him much to his surprise. Jai glanced down at his watch and noted that Bani usually was at home during this time as she would most likely be serving Dinner.
"Accha? To phir woh kahan gaayi?" he asked casually, yet intrigued on the whereabouts of his wife. She mostly didn't go out in the evenings---staying at home with the family and preparing Dinner with the butler/cook.
"Bhaar gaayi hai uski behen ke saath. Dono shopping ke plans banaaye the. Woh bus aati hogi, bataadongi ke tumne call kiya. Main usse kaedoongi tujhse baath karnliye. Teek hai, beta?"
For some odd reason, he found himself feeling rather annoyed with hearing his wife was not around and snapped back, "Nahi, koi zaroort nahi hai. I was just wondering if she was around or not. Alright, Ma, main tumse baadmein baath karloonga."
"Teek hai, beta, aapna khyaal rakhna. Aur roz phone kaarte rehna, accha?"
"Hm, teek hai. Bye," he finished abruptly before ending the call and tossing his cell phone off to the side. Sitting down onto the bed, he ran his fingers through his hair before heaving a sigh.  He looked back over to the picture and to his wife, wondering why he felt the need to speak with her suddenly and why he felt bad on knowing she was not there to do so.
He shook his head as if to rattle all these thoughts away and lied down onto the mattress, wishing to take a short nap…..
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Bani returned home an hour later with bags in her hand and an equally smiling sister on her side. Having been spotted in an off-set mood, Rano suggested going out shopping to cheer her up as it always used to before. Slowly Bani pushed back thoughts of Jai being away and enjoyed spending quality time with her sister after so long. It was when she was faced by her mother-in-law, who informed her that Jai called over an hour ago for her that she ran to her room and dropped the bags before seizing the phone.
She licked her dry lips as she heard the line ring and waited for her husband to pick up. It was after a couple of rings that he did.
"…. Hello?" came his husky reply that had her face flushed and stomach tied in knots within seconds.  
"Aap---Aapne phone kiya tha phele….," she mustered to say breathlessly. "Hmm, kiya tha. Kyon?" he asked back abruptly and rather snappily once recognizing her voice. Puzzled by his sudden spout of attitude, she fumbled for a response.
"Woh mummyji neh bataaye thi….. I'm sorry that I wasn't here when you called…. Actually Rano wanted to go shopping and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer---isliye main gaayi thi uske saath…," she found herself suddenly defensive and not knowing why she felt the need to be. Somehow she had the feeling that he was annoyed she wasn't around when he called.
"Jaanta hoon. Ma told me. ---Did you call for some other reason or to just say this?" he demanded subtly. Tracing the edge of the pillow before her, Bani tried to find words.
"Nahi, woh…..  ---- aapka flight kaisa tha? Aap sahi salamat se poonchgaye haina?"
"Nahi, kissne mere taange tor diya ek accident mein…. Main abhi hospital mein hoon…. Doctor kaeh raha hai ke aab main kabhi nahi chalsaakta….. Does that answer your question?" he remarked sarcastically causing an exasperated sigh to escape from his wife's lips.
"Aap bhi na--- kabhi serious nahi hosakte. ----Aapne kuch kaaya abhi thak? Lunch kiya, kya?"
"I was sleeping, didn't have time to eat once I got here. You just woke me up," he spoke in a matter of fact tone, putting aside his sarcasm.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't kno---"
"It's okay," he states calmly, cutting into her apology. Bani clamps her mouth shut and feels the silence creeping in between them.
"…. Aap….aap wapas sonjaaye… you must be tired. Main kal phone kaarti hoon…," she begins in saying, knowing that they have run out of things to say.
"…. Bani?"
Hearing the gentleness of his voice, she clutches hard onto the phone in anticipation of what he has to say.
"Ji?"
After a long stilling moment, she hears him release a sigh before saying softly, "Nothing. I'll speak with you tomorrow."
Seeming disheartened by this, as if she were expecting him to say something more to her, Bani nods her head before replying, "Ji, aapna khyaal raakhiyega…"
"…. Tum bhi," he says before cutting off the line.
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The next four days went by miserably for Bani, who was missing Jai more and more by each passing day. His calls to her were now becoming very limited or he wouldn't call at all. She supposed that he must be really busy, but couldn't help feel bad anyway. But then again, she shouldn't be. It's not as if they share a deep relationship with one another---acting more like acquaintances than husband and wife.  He probably doesn't think of her at all whereas she thinks of him every moment of the day.
At present she stands before her dresser, screwing on earrings and patting down her pretty teal colored churidar. She ties back her long hair into a ponytail and approves of her simple image in the mirror before turning and taking a hold of her purse. It was only a couple of days ago that she received a phone call from her old friends, Anamika and Pia, who mentioned that they were coming into the city for a short period of time for a tour since Anamika was considering transferring here for career purposes. And Pia, like usual, would tag along for the fun of it.
She did not refute their polite invitation to meet up for coffee as it's been so long since they've last seen each other. Besides, Bani has pulled her life back together since then. She isn't weary about meeting them again after what she had gone through and how she abruptly left town. She just hopes they are not weary of her either with how her life has drastically changed. Like how she used to be, Anamika and Pia are very typical modern girls. She didn't know how they'd take to her sudden marriage and motherhood.
As Bani passes by the ground level of the mansion, headed toward the entrance, she walks by the youngsters who play a round of cards in the living room---enjoying their free Saturday afternoon together.
"Hey Mami! Come here and play with us," Anu calls out for her, wearing a brilliant smile on her face. Bani returns it while politely shaking her head in refusal. "Maybe later, Anu."
"Ah shucks, Mami. What? We are too young for you now?  Come and join us---we'll start a new game," Saahil offers with a friendly gesture, motioning to the available place beside all of them.
"Yes, come on Didi. We all are having so much fun kicking Ranveer's butt here," Rano adds with a mischievous giggle.
"Hey, I don't see you winning either," Ranveer remarks with a glower, causing Rano to giggle even further at his plight. "In fact, you have such a sad hand of cards right now."
Rano heaves out a gasp while staring back at him. "You have been looking at my cards? Ranveer Bali, you are such a cheat!" She accuses in good humor before leaning close to his side and trying to snatch his deck of cards. "Now it will only be fair if I get a look of yours!" she admonishes while struggling to get a hold of his cards which Ranveer keeps out of her reach. He chuckles at her and smiles broadly before replying, "Everything is fair in war."
"So whatdaya say Mami?" Anu questions once again. As Ranveer and Rano continue their banter, Bani simply wears an apologetic smile on her lips as she responds, "I'm sorry, but I will have to pass. I have plans."
"Oh okay, but you'll join us later, won't you?"
"Of course," she answers. "I'll see you all later then."
She dismissively says before turning back around and proceeding toward the main doors.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"---so my aunt says that she can have her friend take me in. Besides, she has such connections in the fashion world---I could become well known in no time with my designs," Pia proudly announces while stirring her cup of ice tea. Bani nods her head along with her words, showing that she is listening even though she isn't particularly interested in anything that Pia has to say. Even after two years she is the exact same, not one bit of change in her. Bani wonders why in the world she had ever been acquainted with her in the first place, seeing that they have no common ground between them to begin with.
"Okay, enough about us!" Anamika breaks off chirpily while directing a genuine smile in Bani's direction, catching her off guard and to look up from her own drink.
"Tell us about you, Bani. How have you been these past couple of years? We haven't heard a single thing about you. All we knew was that you randomly left town and got married, which I see is true with your sindoor and mangalsutra."
"Yes, and talk about being impolite for not inviting either of us to your wedding," Pia chides, suddenly growing interest on the approaching topic rather than to boast about her own dreams and aspirations.
Bani bites down on her lips and feels herself blush under their direct gazes, hating how she has been put under the spotlight. What can she say? How can she even begin to describe anything that has happened in her life? ---Would they be understanding?
"So who is the lucky guy?" Anamika questions with a friendly giggle and a wink in her way. Bani flushes even further. She stirs her drink while struggling for words.
"It…er…happened so quickly…. and quite spontaneously… I don't really know what to say," Bani offers with a slight shrug and the blush still showing in her cheeks.
"Well then, was it arranged? Were you in love?"
Bani's face grows hot with discomfort, hating this topic immensely at the moment. She bows her head and keeps her eyes firmly on her drink.
"It was arranged…."
"You ask me, you shouldn't have gotten married to begin with. You were only nineteen for god's sake. Much too young and still are. You should be focusing on a career…. Not marriage. Next thing you know you are going to be popping out with babies and taking care of those," Pia says with detest and a wrinkle of her nose. Anamika throws a glare in Pia's direction, motioning her to be quiet.
"…. You are right. I was too young. But what happened---happened. There's nothing I can change about it."
"I thought you were a very modern girl, Bani---- not one of those traditional kind who lets anything happen to her on her parents' whims," Pia continues haughtily. Anamika nudges her hard in her ribs.
"Anyways, so how is married life for you Bani? By the way, you still haven't mentioned a word about your husband. How is he like? What does he do?"
"How in the world did you even get married to him?" Pia persists, neglecting Anamika's gestures of hushing up completely.
"Stop it Pia, you are being rude."
"Arre, how am I being rude if I am simply asking her about what had happened to her after all? I am her friend. I think I have a right to know."
"Pia---.."
"No, it's okay. I don't mind saying," Bani cuts in, finally looking up and meeting their watchful eyes. It'd be better to come out with the truth rather than to hide the true events of her marriage from them. Perhaps they did deserve to know with her abrupt disappearance and all.
"I got married because the circumstances required it…. After my sister's death, her husband and son were left alone and had no one…. Especially Yash, he needed a mother figure in his life…."
Shock quickly builds on both of the girls' faces as they stare back at Bani with horror. "You mean to say that you married your brother-in-law, Bani?" Anamika asks softly, coming to the conclusion immediately. Bani affirmatively nods her head and a stunning silence makes its way in between all of them.
"We are sorry, Bani, I had no idea that all this had happened to you," Anamika uneasily begins to say, throwing Pia a side glance who seems more intrigued than sympathetic to Bani's situation.
"Don't be--- I have no regrets."
"…. So you are happy?" Anamika continues to ask cautiously.
Bani takes a moment to think over this. She may not be perfectly happy so to say, but she is content with her life and has nothing to complain. She does wish for more though.
"… I'm content," she finishes with a gentle smile in their directions. Anamika and Pia share a look at this. Pia bites down on her lip, as if to stop herself from saying something whereas Anamika puts on a small smile.
"Well as long as you are fine."
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"Yeah, that'll be all. Here's my card," he says while extending his credit card over to the cashier as the other workers beside him pack up his belongings. As he left the store and walked back outside in the chilly weather, he thought over whether he got everyone what they had asked for. Before leaving, he was provided long lists from each of his family members----all wanting something or the other from London. He runs through his mind who he has gotten what, when he realizes that he has forgotten a person in particular.
He wonders how he could forget and instantly thinks of what to get, not wanting to return home with gifts for everyone but her. Perhaps he had forgotten simply because she hadn't bothered to ask for a single thing unlike the others.  
Having the already set lists of items that his family specifically asked for, he did not have the difficult task of thinking of what to get them. He simply got what they asked for. Perhaps he should ask her as well if she has anything certain in mind.
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Bani became distracted by the vibrating of her phone and peered at the screen to see who it is. Seeing her husband's name flashing onto the screen takes her by surprise yet enlightens her at the same time. Her conversation with her friends was becoming dreadfully boring as she soon learned they had become into such different people that they had nothing in common anymore. Or perhaps she had just changed drastically and they were just how they always were. Besides, it doesn't help much that she has missed him terribly since he's been away. Immediately she excuses herself and attends the class---unconscious of her friends' traveling eyes and exchange of whispers.
"Hello?" Bani attempts to answer calmly. However, her voice gives away the delight on receiving a call from him.
"Bani?---you're not busy are you?" he questions right away in his usual deep, rich voice that she hasn't heard the past couple of days.
"No, I am free… ," she lies. "Aap baataiye---- kya baath hai?" she asks, wondering if there is a specific reason for calling her.
"Well, I thought I'd tell you ahead of time that my flight has changed to be scheduled to leave the day after tomorrow, so I will be coming home a day later than I expected."
Trying not to show her disappointment on hearing this, Bani tries to ask diffidently, "Why?"
"There are just a few things left to be taken care of. And it needs a little bit more time."
"Aap kaab aayenge? --- I mean, when would your flight be arriving?"
"I should be back home near nightfall. Let Ma know the change of plans as well. Otherwise she'll give me hell for not informing her."
"Aap khud kyon nahi bataate hai?" she questions quizzically.
"Because then that way she will have your head instead of going after mine. Smart move on my part, don't you think?"
Not meaning to, a smile erupts on her lips and she releases a good laugh on what he says. "Hmm, very smart," she agrees.
"Eer… Bani….," he begins in saying hesitantly, almost seeming discomforted by something.
"Ji?" she encourages.
"…. Maine saab ke liye gifts leya hai…. Tum… tum kuch lena chaati ho, kya?"
Feeling touched by how he has given a thought towards her, the smile on Bani's grows as she ponders on what to say. The other line grows quiet as Jai listens in on what her answer will be.
"What would I need from London?" she asks instead.
"Anything. Everyone else wants something…. There must be at least something you want too…."
Bani grows silent for a complete moment before replying softly, "I do want something."
"What?"
"….Your safe return… That is enough for me," she finishes shyly with a blush. A moment of silence passes by them, one that feels like an eternity, before Jai clears his throat and rumbles, "You are sure you don't have anything in mind?"
"… Just that," she faintly responds.  
"…… Hmm. I—I'll speak with you later, then. I have to go now."
"Ji. Take care of yourself. And please don't forget to wear a jacket. It is cold there, I know."
"I know you know. You know everything apparently," he remarks dryly, causing the blush in her cheeks to redden further.
"Bye….," he dismisses before hanging up his phone. Removing her phone from her ear and disconnecting the call herself, she counts the days till he'll be back. Just two more to go…..
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Jai slips his cell phone back into his pant pocket and reflects over his wife's words, the impact of them still affecting him. It has been a long time since someone has asked for something like this. Everyone has gotten so accustomed to him leaving here and there that they do not bother with it anymore. It felt strangely good to hear her concern toward him, to know that she wants him to be safe at all times.
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Bani returned home in a slightly dejected manner, going over the events of lunch with her old friends, who she knows will now not try to contact her again. She has officially warded them off with her talks of marriage and motherhood when asked. To them she has become into this whole different person who they cannot relate to anymore. They were girls who were weary of marriage and motherhood, wanting to delay the two as much as possible---- as she once wanted to as well.
Even though she knows that she doesn't need them in her life, as she is perfectly adjusted in her new life without a care for her old one, she cannot help but feel hurt that they were not able to understand her situation and stick by her. She is reminded of the many times she did almost anything for her friends, providing support as much as she could. And when it was the time that she needed support in return, they were not willing to give it. It was clear they did not approve of how her life has turned around.
Bani walked by the group of youngsters, who were still at their play of games, and claimed to have a headache when asked to join them. She really just wanted to be let alone. She was feeling low after her encounter with old friends and the thought of an extra day her husband will be away.
Opening the doors to her wardrobe, she throws her purse carelessly into it and draws out a much more comfortable outfit to wear, wanting to get out of the tight churidar. As she bangs the door closed and turns to leave, she hears something fall within the wardrobe and curiously looks back. Reopening the door, she peers into it to see what had fallen and spots the item that falls out, slamming onto the floor. Confused, she picks it up and looks thoroughly at it. Staring at the front cover, she sees that it appears to be a scrapbook. Her hands sprawl it open and wander through the pages----her attention quickly being sucked into the bright colors and pictures of the book.
She realizes that it is her sister's old scrapbook that had been tucked on the top shelf of the wardrobe, something that she had overlooked all these years. Captivated by the thought of holding a dear possession of sister's, she eagerly glances through the pages, appreciating the hard labor her sister has put into it all. Her sister was always the kind of person to want to keep memories alive. She'd take pictures like a madwoman and plaster them everywhere, so it is no surprise to Bani to learn that she had started to make a scrapbook as well.
She becomes overcome with deep emotion when her eyes take in the various pictures of her sister and her husband taken together----behaving exactly like a couple in love would be; holding hands, wrapping their arms around one another, giving each other sweet kisses. She sees how happy they used to be with one another by their glowing faces and wide smiles, especially Jai. She can see the clear twinkle in his eyes indicating how happy he had been back then. Will he ever be that happy again, she ponders to herself.
As she flips through the pages of pictures containing her husband's first marriage with her sister, she comes across clippings of baby clothes, bottles, cradles, and finally sonogram pictures of Yash. She'd labeled them all proudly with "My Baby Boy." It was clear how much her sister looked forward to Yash's birth, already dotting on him so much. He was Ananya's everything, just like how Yash is now hers.
As she proceeds forward, the rest of the pages remain blank and a hollow feeling settles in Bani's chest. Her sister never had a chance to see the baby she longed for, never go to experience the feel of him in her arms, never experienced motherhood. She feels her eyes become misty on the thought.
Closing the scrapbook shut her eyes land on the grand title pasted across the front and traces over the letters with the tips of her fingers….
Our Memories
Yes, they were all Ananya and Jai's memories….. memories that Bani found she wanted to keep alive and continue on…. It was something her sister would have done anyways.
Placing the scrapbook gently aside, she determinedly walks over to one of her drawers and rummages through it, pulling out an album a moment later. She returns and takes the scrapbook into her possession and lays both heavy books onto the bed. Spreading the album wide open, she searches through the pictures she had kept of Yash since the time of his birth---pulling out one or another here and there. Soon enough she lost herself in time---too absorbed in the web of memories to pay attention to anything else…..
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Chapter 13:
He walked out of the mechanical doors and into the darkness of the calm night. Loitering on the sidewalk for a moment, he searches around the lines of cars until he locates his driver step forward and with a tip of his hat smile at him.
"Welcome back, sir."
"Thank you, Rajesh."
Rajesh, without another exchange of words, immediately takes a hold of his employer's luggage and settles them inside the trunk of his car. As he seats himself into the back of the vehicle, Jai pulls out his blackberry and turns it on after having it off during the long flight from London to Mumbai. Instantly his cell phone buzzes to life with the many messages left for him when he was unreachable. He checks through them as his driver drives out from the airport and heading straight to the mansion.
On the way home, they found themselves jammed in the middle of traffic. Running his fingers through his hair, Jai curses himself for this inconvenience. All he wanted to do at this point was climb into his bed and sleep. But it seems some more time will have to pass till that happens.
He gazes outside his window, observing the small shops standing erect alongside the streets of this busy city. He watches disinterestedly at the flurry of people walking by during this cool evening until his attention is temporarily captivated by the sight of something that strikes him.
His steel eyes rest on the particular shop and its owner, who holds the object in his hand that had his direct notice. Jai looks on as the shopkeeper hands it over to his paying customers---two little boys who eye the item as if they had hit the jackpot. A smile tugs on the corners of his mouth as he makes the comparison, but it is overcome by a somber expression that unfolds on his handsome face as a thought crosses his mind. 
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Bani had gotten out of the bathroom, drying her wet hair with a towel from taking a shower, when her eyes fell onto her son sitting on the bed with a wide smile---playing with a bulky truck in his hands. Confused, she sets the towel aside and approaches him, wondering where the yellow truck had suddenly come from. She cannot recall the toy being Yash's.
"Beta---yeh truck kahan se aya?" she questions him sweetly while patting down his jet black hair, taken after his father.
"Momma, wook!!! Tuck! Tuck! ----Vooooommmm!!!" Yash excitedly shows his mother his brand new truck, waving it in front of her high in the air.
"Hain Beta, Mama sees… paar tumhe kahan se mila?" she proceeds in asking, wondering if it was gifted to him by one of his older cousins or his Aditya Phupha, who loved to spoil Yash with boy toys. "To make certain he grows up to be a man and doesn't end up playing with dolls," they'd always say. She'd simply rolls her eyes at them in return.
"Aur tum yahan aakele kyon ho? Dadi kahan hai?" she questions hastily on noticing that he had been here in the room by himself for so long. Her son, however, ignores her queries and simply gives her a goofy smile in return while continuing to point at his "tuck."
"Momma---myyy tuck! Papa gimmy…. Papa say Yashs tuck….aaalllll mine!" he expresses with glee while hugging his new truck against his chest. Bani seems stumped on hearing her son's words, not having expected this as an answer.
"Papa? Yash---- Papa gave you this truck?"
"Papa say Yash big boyyy….Papa gimmy tuck…," her son repeats with sparkling eyes.
"Yash---- Papa is here?" Bani inquires from the almost three-year old with delight slowly settling onto her fair face.
"Momma--- Papa tuck! Papa tuck!" he indicates to his toy---shoving it into his mother's face for her to see. Bani pushes it aside with a chuckle at her son's clear excitement. Her smile grows as her face becomes bright with pleasure on hearing her husband has come home, that too, on his previous planned time. She was told by him to expect him tomorrow.
"Yash let's go and see Papa," she suggests with a sparkle of her own in her honey brown eyes. Yash, however, doesn't seem to share the same enthusiasm as his mother regarding the proposed idea.
"I play….," he whines as an answer.
"Yashu, let's go meet Papa first and then play, okay?"
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes. Yash, don't you want to say thank you to Papa? He got you such a big truck."
"I play….you go," he suggests instead and returns his attention onto his truck, rolling it across the mattress of the bed. Bani heaves a sigh and is about to gather his lost attention until she hears the opening of the bedroom door behind her. Looking over her shoulder, her gaze falls onto her haggard appearing husband who emerges through their door and shutting it after him. She springs up from the bed and stands onto her feet from his presence.
"Aap aagaye?" she breathlessly questions him, drawing his notice onto her. Dropping his hand from the back of his neck, which he had been rubbing since it had been aching due to his long flight, he nods his head in affirmative. He walks further inside and goes to stand by the dresser, removing his watch and placing it onto there.
"The conference ended earlier than I had expected to. So I took the first flight I could back home. Sorry for not informing you ahead of time," he adds his apologies at the end while glancing in her way. Bani blushes from his direct gaze on her---always finding herself unnerved when his penetrating stormy eyes rest onto her.
Seeing that he's in the act of removing his coat, Bani joins him at the dresser and takes it from him wordlessly. She heads over to his wardrobe and hangs it up while Jai begins in taking off his tie.
"It's okay…. I just wasn't expecting you……. How… How was London?" she asks shyly while casting him a look, leaning onto one of the wardrobe doors. She averts her eyes as she sees him beginning to unbutton the top buttons of his shirt, deciding to settle her attention onto her playing son while she turns pink in the face.
She catches the faint smile he throws her from the dresser when looking at her through the corner of her eye. "… It was cold," he comments. Seeing that her gaze is elsewhere, he follows it to their son. He then clears his throat.
"I… er… couldn't think of what else to get him. Boys his age usually are fascinated with big trucks so I thought I'd go ahead and get him one…."
"…. You made the right choice. He loves it."
"I'm glad…. I…. uh…"
Sensing his hesitance, Bani finally looks back to him and sees him rubbing the back of his neck again while approaching her in small steps.
"… I got everyone something…. Ma wanted some pearl earrings…. Dadi movies….. Aditya Jiju a digital camera …. Jigyasa, Anu, and Rano some dresses…. Ranveer and Saahil new iPods….."
His words linger for a moment and Bani nods her head while smiling softly to him.
"…. I'm glad….Everyone must be happy with their gifts."
Her smile fades, however, when she is caught locked into his intense gazing---his stormy gray eyes more powerful than she's ever seen them to be.  She holds in her breath in anticipation.
"…. I got you something too….," he finally says in a husky tone. Blushing red, Bani fidgets to herself before refocusing her attention onto the wardrobe and fumbling for his nightwear.
"…. I told you---- I only wanted your safe return, that's all… I didn't want anything else…. ---H-here are your clothes so you can change and go to sleep. You must be tired," she states hastily, trying to her best attempts to divert the topic. However, her husband does not go along with it. He neglects her outstretched hand that extends over his separate change of clothes.
"… Don't you want to see it?"
Finding herself speechless at this point, Bani remains in her spot dumbstruck with nothing to say. She is jolted out of her stupor, though, when she sees him walk away from her. Curiously she looks on at him and sees how he reaches for his suitcase and places it onto the mattress near an oblivious Yash, who continues to make his truck sounds.
He unzips it and reaches into it, rummaging through his things before he withdraws a velvet box. Looking back at her, he joins her side once again and presents it to her while his wife stares at it with wonder. He clasps it open and Bani is nearly blown away by what she sees. Her eyes instantly meet his, which look back at her.
"Aap…. Aap---," she begins in stammering, having nothing to say.
"I didn't know what to get you at first…. But then I saw this and… … It reminded me of you," he softly states. Seeing that she is still quiet, he continues. "I couldn't come back with nothing to give to you… no matter what you said; I had to get you something…"
 She stares into his eyes once again for a long silent moment before turning her back around. She pushes her hair to one side and with a look over her shoulder she says, "Could you put it on for me?"
He removes it from the box and brings it around her slowly, settling it around her bare neck. Once he clasps it, she turns back around and traces the beautiful sapphire pendant that now gleams under their bedroom light. She can't restrain the pleased smile that grows on her lips.
"It's beautiful….. Thank you."
She watches how his eyes linger onto her upper chest---admiring how the piece of jewelry flatteringly hangs around her creamy neck---before looking over to her once more. For a silent moment they stare at one another until they are jolted out of it by another one of Yash's truck sounds. Awkwardly, Jai switches his gaze and runs his fingers through his hair before a sudden expression crosses his face and he looks back to her.
"I have something else too…."
Surprised on hearing this, Bani completely removes her attention from her pendant---her tracing fingers coming to a stop.
"Ji?...... You—you shouldn't have. This is enough---really."
She is further taken aback to see an enigmatic look unfold on his face accompanied by a shrug as he brushes her aside and searches through the wardrobe for the coat his wife had just hanged. Reaching into the pockets of it, he withdraws another item out.
"Chokolaattt!!!!" Yash screams in cheer once spotting the dairy milk chocolate bar in his father's hands. Immediately he tosses his truck off to the side and climbs off the bed, running to Jai with his stubby little legs. He tugs on his trousers once having approached him and his mother.
"I want it chokolat! I want it! I want it!" he demands aggressively while taking a fist full of Jai's pants and pulling on them. Jai painstakingly meets his wife's eyes before she erupts into a fit of giggles seconds later from the plea and desperation in her son and the bewildered look on her husband's face. They both appeared so comical at that moment that Bani couldn't help but laugh at father and son.
"….Er….Yash…. boys your age shouldn't be eating chocolate. It will rot your teeth…. This is for your mother," Jai states uneasily while casting a look to Bani, who flushes from his expressed words----embarrassed yet pleased that he had thought of her enough to bring her favorite candy, a tradition that used to be carried out for years before her sister's death and neglected thereafter.
"Momma, pweeeaaasseeee. I want it chokolat!" Yash turns to her with his wide eyes that have his mother melt within seconds. She bends down to his level and takes a hold of his arms.
"Only if Yash promises mommy that he will be a good boy and brush his teeth before going to bed. Will you do that for me?"
Yash eagerly nods his head. Bani looks at Jai, who shakes his head.
"I should have known better than to take it out in front of him," he comments more to himself than to her. Bani smiles.
"He will have just one piece." Taking it from him, Bani opens the chocolate bar and breaking off a piece hands it over to her son who gobbles it up right away. She folds it closed, hides it behind her back, and looks to him sternly.
"Now remember our deal. Yash has to brush teeth now. Okay?"
"Okay," he chirps with a grin before running back to the bed to play with his truck.
"Yash, now. No more playing. Play tomorrow. It's bedtime."
"Awwwww," Yash whines before slipping off the mattress and stomping over to the bathroom where his mini stool was awaiting for him at the sink.
Rising back to her full height, Bani meets her husband's quiet eyes and she runs her fingers along the wrapper of the chocolate bar, fumbling for words.
"…. Thank you. You shouldn't have bothered."
"I….uh… your welcome. I just saw it and bought it out of impulse….. You still like them, don't you?" he asks, appearing sheepish for the first time since she has known him.
"Yes, it's been awhile since I've eaten one of these though."
Together they slip into silence as they realize the deeper meaning behind her words….meaning she hadn't had one of these since the time of her sister's death.
"I… I should go and check if he brushes his teeth….," she says uneasily, breaking the strong lull between them. Jai nods his head. "Yes, you should."
"Should I reheat dinner for you?" she adds after a second thought.
"No thanks, I'm good. I just need to change and get some sleep."
Bani nods her head understandingly--- knowing that he wants privacy to change in the room---and leaves toward the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
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He walks forward into the darkness cautiously in small steps, not knowing where he was going. All around is pitch black surrounding him that never seems to end. He just knows that he has to get out of here some way or another----his feet carry him further on.  That is until he halts on hearing a distant sound. Listening in closer, he realizes it is a voice.
"….Jai…." she calls out to him. Struck to his spot, he remains still for a long moment before racing forward, running after the person who continues to summon for him. His heart beats fast and the drumming of it fills his ears. He doesn't know where it is he is being led to, but he knows he has to find her.
The more he runs, the more he begins to think that there is no escape for this god forsaken place. Until he sees a blinding light beaming from a distance and feels hope rushing into him. His legs sprint faster as he catches the familiar figure of a woman---her vision blurry, but still there.
"Ananya," he yells for her attention. Slowly, he watches as her body turns around in order to face him….
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Bani was woken up in the middle of the night by the groaning of her husband. Worriedly she turned on her lamp light and looked to him, seeing him thrashing back and forth in his place and his face a sickly white. His now sweaty shirt clanged onto him like a second layer of skin and beads of perspiration formed on his forehead. Jumping out of the comforter, she reaches to his side of the bed and kneels down beside him.
"Jai…. Jai…. Jai," she calls for him while placing her palms on each side of his face. That is when she realizes he is burning with fever. Beyond worried now, she takes a fist full of his shirt and shakes him out of whatever is gnawing at him.
"Jai---Jai, wake up! Wake up, please, wake up!" From her near shouts, she watches his eyelids fly open and his gray eyes peering right up at her. She remains still in her actions and looks on at him wearily as his eyes wander around his surroundings before landing on her once again. He brings a hand to his forehead and wipes away the sweat. The exhaustion on his face begins to settle.
"…..Bani," he breathes. She brings her hand forward and begins to smooth out the strands of hair that stick against his sweaty forehead.
"I woke up because you were moving around so much in your sleep…. Were you having a bad dream?"
Jai heaves a sigh as he settles his head back into his pillow and ignorant to the fact that his wife continues to smooth out his hair---her eyes full with worry and concern at this point. Hearing no reply to her question, Bani continues on.
"You are burning up too….," she states quietly after placing the back of her hand to his forehead. "You have a fever. I will just go and get you some medicine."
As Bani moves to leave, she is held back by his hand taking a grasp of her arm.
"Don't…. I'll be fine. It's nothing. It'll be gone by morning."
Bani bites on her lower lip while examining him silently. Perhaps she shouldn't bother with it. He is a doctor so he knows. But then again, despite being a doctor he is known for neglecting his health.
"At least have some water."
Seeing him nod after a moment to her suggestion, Bani takes a hold of a glass and pitcher resting on the night stand nearby and hands him the water. He drinks it all down and hands her back the empty glass.
"You are sure that you are fine? I will just be back with the medicines if you want me to…."
"No, I'm okay…..Don't hassle yourself…. I just need some sleep."
Seeing the disbelief present on her face and her unwillingness to move, Jai directs his gaze onto her.
"Believe me, I am fine."
Lowering her eyes, she nods and returns to her side of the bed. Switching off the lamp light, she hears the shifting of her husband's body and stares at his back faced toward her. She takes a grip onto her pendant and moves it back and forth along the chain, wondering what nightmare he had that struck him in this way.
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His fever was not gone in the morning, but wasn't as severe as it had been at night. But he would not admit this to her, Bani knew. He avoided her scrutiny since early morning and her suggestions for him to take some medicine before going off to work. He had been in his study, collecting some files, when she let herself in. Hearing a brisk knock on the door, Jai turned around and saw his wife standing at the doorway with a glass of juice and bottle of medicine in her hands. He shuts the file in his hand.
"I brought you juice and medicine. I have also complained to mummyji about you so you have no choice but to take them now or else you will have her on your case."
 "That was completely unnecessary," he says with annoyance of having his mother's likely ranting awarded to him soon.
"It was completely called for. You are only going to get worse if you don't do something about your fever….. Can't you stay home for the day and rest some more? You can always go to work tomorrow."
"No, I have to go. I've got surgeries scheduled for today."
"Well, take this before going. You're a doctor---you should know that health comes first. Besides, you wouldn't want to spread whatever it is that you have to everyone else in the hospital," she states with a winning smile. He throws her an exasperated look before conceding defeat and taking them from her. He pops in a pill and takes it down with a few sips of the juice. As he sips on the juice, his eyes fall onto the pendant he had gifted still wrapped around his wife's neck.
 "Now am I free to go, Sergeant Bani?" he questions dryly once setting the glass aside onto the table behind him. Bani nods her head gingerly while stepping aside to let him pass. He takes a hold of his files before walking out of the study room, leaving his wife behind with an amused smile lingering on her lips.
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As the next couple weeks go by, Bani finds herself in a whirlpool of decisions to make for her son's third birthday party coming up the following week. It was decided unanimously to make a big bash of Yash's birthday and invite everyone the Walias were associated with. His first birthday hadn't been celebrated since it was Ananya's first death anniversary, which everyone felt it was right not to hold any sort of celebration in remembrance to her. His second had been a quiet family affair and now they felt it would only be right to have a huge celebration for the baby of the house. And the task mostly fell onto his mother, who was hassled with what to do as she never had organized such an event before in her life. But with the guidance of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, she managed to pull through.
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"Momma, bawooons!!!" Yash points out to all the many balloons present on the ground floor of the mansion----his face depicting the clear excitement he was experiencing at that moment. "I want it, I want it, I want it!" Bani struggles to keep him steady in her arms as she climbs off the last step of the stairs and blends in with the rest of people attending the party held for her son. Just minutes before she had completed the most difficult task of the party and that was dressing up her son for the occasion in a specially designed tux that made him seem cuter than ever.  
"You want a balloon, huh?" Aditya questions once Bani arrives with Yash in tow, catching onto his last words. Yash nods his head. Bringing out his hand from his back, Aditya presents a blue balloon to his nephew and chuckles as Yash hastily snatches it from him.
"Arre, no thank you? Where are you manners, son?"
"Say thank you to your Phupha, Yash," Bani orders. Yash looks to Aditya with gleaming eyes and flashes him a silly smile. "Thanks Poopa!" Aditya smiles and ruffles the boy's hair fondly.
"Mommy! It's a baby!" Yash exclaims loudly while directing a finger at a one-year old girl, who follows after the crowd of kids running around with separate balloons in their hands. Together Aditya and Bani laugh.
"Yes, sweetie, it's a baby. Do you want to go play with her?" Yash immediately nods his head and runs out from his mother's arms once she lowers him down to the floor. Bani gazes after him as he joins the baby girl and other of his friends with his balloon trailing off behind him.
"Come on Bani, let's go and join everyone else." Bani allows herself to be led towards her family who all comment on how beautiful she looked and how well she organized the party. She simply beamed from their compliments. She was then introduced to many of the Walia's close friends in order to be familiarized with them all since it would be a first time in awhile that the Walias are hosting an event, hence, she hadn't been presented as the new daughter-in-law despite the well known fact in the community of Jai's second marriage.
"You have such a beautiful daughter-in-law, Mrs. Walia," a woman named Mrs. Sharma comments with a wide smile. Krishna's face brightens on hearing this compliment. "I am very lucky to have her and my son is even luckier."
"Well of course he is----he has gotten such a beautiful and young wife. ---Oh, beta, would you mind showing me that necklace you are wearing?" Mrs. Sharma directs her sole attention onto Bani, who gives a hesitant smile from the woman's close observance of her. She picks up the sapphire pendant given to her by Jai and presents it to her.
"How lovely it is! Where did you get it?"
"My son had given it to her as a gift. It is lovely, isn't it? It cost far too much as well," Krishna chirps happily and engages into a superficial conversation with Mrs. Sharma, who Bani was beginning to despite along with the many other acquaintances of the Walias. All they ever thought of was riches and nothing else.
Bani moves her pendant along the chain of her necklace while distantly listening to their conversation when in reality her thoughts revolve around Jai. He knew about the decision to hold a party this year and she even reminded him many times. Why hasn't he come yet? The time to cut the cake is approaching soon.
She was, however, temporarily distracted from these thoughts as Saahil approached her for a dance which she couldn't refuse. As the next few minutes or so are spent on dancing with every male member of her family, Bani found herself disheartened as the announcement of the cake ceremony was made by Jigyasa. Jai still hadn't arrived.
As they begin to assemble bringing the cake out, Bani discreetly moves off to the side and decides to pay one last phone call in order to see where Jai is.
"Hey Mami, come on. It's time to cut the cake," Ranveer calls out for her before she can even place a call. Startled, she looks behind her to see Ranveer joining her with Rano following closely behind. She throws him a forced smile.
"I'll be there in a minute, Ranveer. I just need to make a call---"
"Oh no you don't, Di. It's your son's birthday----Yash comes first. Your phone call can wait till later," Rano intervenes while taking a hold of Bani's hand and leading her back over to the center of the hall.
"But---…," Bani tries to say but only to be startled by the feel of Ranveer's hands taking a grip of her upper arms and pushing her lightly forward. "No excuses, the birthday boy is demanding for his mother," he informs her. Bani allows herself to be taken toward the rest of their family, in the center of attention, and takes Yash into her arms as he opens his arms wide for her to do so. Placing him onto her hip, she holds him tight and tries to direct her sole attention onto this one moment, but could not help looking over to the front entrance---waiting for her husband's arrival.
"Come on Bhabhi---Yash is eager to cut the cake," Jigyasa calls for her sister-in-law's attention who has strangely become quiet and distant despite being among her own. Bani is rattled out of her trance and smiles faintly.
"Yash, blow out the candles like this!" Anu says while initiating a blow from her own mouth. Yash giggles at his cousin's funny looking face. "Come on, Yashu, like this---" Saahil encourages while heaving a blow himself to demonstrate to the little boy. Yash simply laughs further.
"Bani puttar, you show him na? Poor boy is confused," Dadi chirps with a giggle of her own following with everyone else's laughter around them. "Bani, blow the candles with him," Krishna advises to her daughter-in-law who nods her head. Steering her gaze off the front doors, Bani smiles affectionately at her son and directs his attention to the burning candles. She prods him to blow along with her and together they blow out the candles. Applause is heard all around along with cheering. In unison family and friends sing "Happy Birthday" to the happy looking toddler.
Bani takes the knife that Aditya passes her way and from the prompting of everyone, Bani takes Yash's little hand in hers and guides him in cutting a piece of the cake---earning more claps from everyone.
As Bani watched her family feeding Yash tiny bits of the cake and taking pictures together with big smiles, she felt a hollowness creep inside of her. She longed to have her family complete---with her husband in it. Again her eyes land on the open doors…..
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She stared at the enlarged picture of her beautiful sister hung up on the wall with a bright orange garland bordering the edges of the frame….her eyes sparkling and mouth formed into a humorous grin. She didn't know for how long she stood before there in the dimness of the now quiet house, but it was when she heard the unlocking of the front doors and the footsteps that followed afterward that she finally turned around…..
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Jai stepped into the house half past midnight and dropped his jingling keys into the pocket of his trousers. He closed the door after himself and tread into the dim, silent house---briefly taking in the decorations hanging about for the party that ended some hours ago….
Usually Bani greeted him at the door, but seeing that she wasn't there to do so, he assumes that she must have gone to sleep---most likely tired from the party. He carelessly throws his briefcase onto the couch in the living room, deciding that he will set to the task of preparing food for himself, until he stills in his spot once his eyes focus on the petite figure of his wife, standing only a few feet away from him. He's speechless seeing her there, half hidden in the shadows, having not expected her. It takes him a moment to gather his voice.
"Bani---I thought you went to sleep?" he asks, slightly confused by the expression on her face---one that he isn't able to pinpoint. He takes in her intense eyes, stiff form, and the thinning of her lips set into a line and knows that something is wrong. He also notices that she hasn't changed out of her clothes---still adorning a rich red colored saree draped fittingly around her slim body.
"You didn't come….," he hears her abrupt statement and is taken aback by the bleakness of her voice. However, it gets rid of his earlier confusion as he finally sees sense in her behavior.
"… It was your son's birthday and you didn't bother to come," she continues in a hollow tone. Jai suddenly finds himself feeling guilty, though, tries to cover it. He clears his throat.
"---I-I got caught up in work and there was no way out of it. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to attend the party."
She steps out from the shadows, giving him clear view of her. He becomes stumped on seeing tears brimming in her honey brown eyes.
"…. I called the hospital…. They told me you left two hours ago…"
Jai takes in a breath as he becomes trapped in his own lie. He feels himself become stifled with the look in her questioning eyes and dejection clear on her fair face. He wasn't expecting to come home to this….
"….Bani, I don't want to talk about this. All you have to know is that I couldn't come to the party."
He says firmly after a long moment of silence passes between them. He averts looking into her pained eyes and makes a movement to go past her. He is, though, denied passage to leave once Bani steps in his way---her eyes seeking his.
"Why weren't you able to come? What was so much more important than your own son's birthday?"
"Bani, please---…," he begins saying in a strangled voice as he sees a tear trickling down her cheek. "I don't want to do this…"
"You will have to---You will have to, that too, right now. I want an answer to my question…Why didn't you come?" she demands---her voice wobbling. Stubbornly Jai looks the other way, avoiding her stare. He doesn't look back until he feels her grab onto a fistful of his shirt.
"Do you know how I felt? ---Seeing my son celebrating his birthday with his whole family present with the exception of his own father?" Bani whispers. Jai stares at her, unable to look away as he becomes transfixed by the pained look on her features.
"It made me feel miserable inside…realizing that my son has never gotten his father's affections and may never will because he is too self-absorbed with himself to pay his son any attention…" she finishes with tears now streaming down her welling eyes.
Jai's throat suddenly runs dry and he finds himself speechless once more. Hearing these words from his wife's mouth brought an effective impact on him---it made him feel guilty as hell.
"…Where were you?" she starts off once again in asking about his whereabouts, tugging on his shirt. He doesn't look away, meeting her gaze as he answers slowly, "….. I went off."
 "And you didn't think to come home right away to your family?" she asks him out of disbelief. Jai brushes her hands away from him, suddenly becoming angry as to how she is making him seem like some sort of jacka**.
"No, …. I didn't," he answers coldly. Seeing her mouth open, Jai cuts her off before she can say anything else. "Bani, don't start this with me. It'll be best for you if you just let it alone."
Giving her a hard stare, he again makes an attempt to leave, but is held back by the haste grip on his arm by his wife. She steps back and peers at him closely.
"You aren't running away from this, Jai. This has been going on for too long… three years…. It's about time that we talk about this," she states with finality. Jai looks at her with flared eyes and shoves off her hand.
"…. I'm glad that you remember how long it has been…. But have you forgotten what exactly happened three years ago---right on this day?" he says, turning the tables around on her. Bani seems bewildered by his accusation.
"…O-of course I do…. How could you possibly think that I'd forget?" she replies hoarsely. "She was my sister…"
"As was she my wife. ---Then how could you possibly think that I'd come home and celebrate the day my wife died?"
Bani is blown away by the harshness of his words and tries her best to blink away the tears stinging in her eyes.
"How can you think like that?--- We were here celebrating your son's birth and you are accusing me of celebrating my own sister's death?" she demands incredulously.
"I am not accusing you of any such thing. I just can't believe my own family would go ahead and have a celebration on Ananya's death anniversary. She was a part of this very family, but it seems they have forgotten all about her. ----And you, Bani, I expected for you to at least understand….." he begins to blame, taking a firm hold of her arm and pulling her toward him.
"I have understood you the most for the past two years of our marriage together! Don't you dare accuse me of being anything else but understanding….. I have left you to yourself just like you wanted…. I gave you space and time to deal with Ananya Di's death…. I knew how you were shattered by her death….. It nearly killed you because you loved her so much….. I also knew that it was going to take a long time before you moved on with your life….but Jai—that time has been long overdue. Three years of grieving is enough…. --- I've had it…. I've had it with you neglecting your own son and family….. You have become so absorbed with your own misery that you are blocking out all the ones who care deeply for you… You have estranged yourself from everyone you know…. Your mother….your sister….your best friend….your nephews and niece….and especially your son….who you haven't taken the time to know."
Jai breathes heavily and his grip on his wife's arm grows tighter as her powerful words circle around in his head. Her own eyes ignite with a flame of its own.
"The very son who you dumped right away without looking at even once….The very son who calls you papa only in name since he doesn't realize the emotional essence of having a father…..Is this what you call being a father, Jai? ----Giving him toys time to time and resuming to neglect him? You hardly know anything about him except for the fact that he is biologically your son….You are not fit to call yourself his father….."
Shaken by her bitter words, Jai releases her arm at once and feels a haze take over him.  
"…. This isn't why I married you, Jai…. so you are free to dump your son into someone else's care…. I married you because I wanted to create a loving environment for Yash---to let him enjoy the love of a father and mother in his life …. Two parents, Jai,… not one," she whispers to him---observing closely as the steely look that once adorned his face now growing soft as her words start to have the desired effect on him.
"I let you deprive him of that because you weren't ready…. But I won't let you deprive him of it anymore….My son is going to get his father's love," she says, growing an edge to her tone that draws her husband's direct attention onto her.
A stilling silence returns between them and Bani takes this to her advantage to wipe away the dampness from her cheeks. Once she clears her face and takes in a breath to calm herself, she determinedly meets his gaze once more.
"Jai…. God may have taken away from you…..but he has also given in return…. and that's Yash…."
Saying that, she gives him one last lingering look before turning on her heels and rushing toward the stairs, leaving her husband behind to dwell in the aftermath of what had just occurred….
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He slumped into his working chair after pouring himself a drink from the mini bar in his study. Bani had moved it in here from their room saying that she didn't want any alcohol near their son now that he was getting older. Jai leaned his head against the back of his chair as he shut his eyes and placed a hand to his forehead.
He cannot deny anything his wife said even if he wanted to. Simply because everything she had spoken to him was the absolute truth. A bitter truth he did not want to hear, but the truth nonetheless. Perhaps he is an a**… he's been a horrible son, brother, friend, uncle, father, but most importantly husband. Bani is right---she has been the most understanding and had given him time to heal in his own time. She waited for till he would be ready again---not rushing him like how the others did.
The irony of it all is that he had moved on for quite some time now. Not completely, but he has been getting himself there day by day. He no longer thought of Ananya constantly as he used to or stared at her picture for hours of a day, tormenting himself over memories of her. He has been healing---his dead wife now pushed to the farthest whelms of his mind until he thinks of her time to time in his solitude. He felt immense guilt, though, thinking that he was soon forgetting her altogether. The woman who was the most important person in his life once upon a time was now insignificant. He couldn't bear the idea and mentally tortured himself for it---deliberately making sure to never forget her.
He had been in a rather strange mood today---fully aware that it was now his wife's third death anniversary. Instead of slipping into depression and downing himself with scotch to wash away his woes, he was reflective over his time with her. And for the first time he found himself not feeling regret or any longing. He felt at ease---as if he had finally come to terms with his loss….accepted that she was gone and will always be gone. It had been at the solitude at the beach, where he escaped to right from the hospital, that he realized this. Ananya is a closed chapter in his life---a chapter that he hung onto for all this time until now.
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Chapter 14 A:
Jai woke up with a startle and took a good few moments to realize where he was. Pressing a hand to his throbbing head, he remembers that he had come to the study instead of going after his wife to their bedroom. He didn't know how to face her after what occurred last night---all the things she had said. He slumps his head back against his chair and heaves a sigh.
He had the dream again. The dream where he is surrounded in darkness and running to escape it all. At the end of the tunnel, he sees her waiting for him---her body faced in the other way so he cannot make out her face. Whenever he calls out to her, she begins to turn around but it is at that exact moment he always wakes up. He had a good idea who it was, but could not understand the reason for these reoccurring dreams. What could it mean?
His gaze falls onto the nearly empty bottle of whiskey resting onto his work desk that he drank himself sh*t drunk with last night.  He groans from the result of it---a massive hangover…..
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Bani cried herself to sleep that night---heartbroken by the fact that Jai could accuse her of something so heinous that she had forgotten her sister completely. She could never forget her---she sees her all around in the pictures hung in their room and the mansion with such care. But most importantly, she saw her sister in Yash every day. They are so similar in so many ways. Yash is truly a Mama's boy. He has her wide black eyes, smooth long nose, full lips, high cheekbones, but most importantly her beautiful smile. She loved Yash even more for this very reason----he was the replica of her beloved sister.
She woke up to see her husband's side of the bed empty and still neat, showing that he hadn't slept in their room last night. Her face crumbles on the reminder of last night's encounter, but she pulls herself together and forces to not let her emotions get the better of her. She freshens up and changes for the new day. As she applies sindoor to her maang, her thoughts drift back to her husband and his absence this morning…..
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When Bani stepped out of the kitchen after helping Tony prepare Breakfast for the day (he was in a strangely good mood this morning, hence, chose to actually make food rather than order it) her eyes landed on her husband, sitting on the front chair of the table---a brooding look overshadowing his handsome face. Just by the look of him, she can tell he drank excessively last night. She averts her gaze when his eyes meet hers and ignores him by setting the dishes on the table and serving the rest of the family.
Jai was in a cranky mood. Not only was he suffering from a major hangover and the soreness from all over his body by having to sleep on the chair last night, but to top it all off----his wife was bluntly ignoring him as if he didn't even exist. Perhaps he should have expected this behavior of hers when he came into their room only to find that she hadn't taken out his clothes and things for him. It took him more than an hour to get himself ready for work.
He felt angry, annoyed, and upset for being treated in this way. She was serving the rest of his family with affection, smiles, and chatter---completely indifferent towards him. And whenever he did try to catch her attention, she'd blow him off and walk right past him. The woman is purposely going to give him hell, he grumbled to himself.
"What's wrong, Jai? Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Aditya jokingly asks, noting the scowl on his friend's face and his grave silence whereas the rest of the family was in good spirits this morning. Jai neglects to give an answer, simply giving his wife a look that expectedly goes ignored.  
"Come on man, it's the morning. Cheer up," Aditya encourages with a thump on Jai's back. As Bani makes way to return back into the kitchen, Krishna stops her.
"Arre Bahu, bhool na maat--- Jai ke lunch pack karnliye…. Jai beta can take it along with him as he goes to work."
"Mummyji, woh to kaehreh the ke aaj ghaar aake saab ke saath lunch kaarenge …," Bani comments sweetly while directing a look in her husband's way, who chokes on his food from hearing his wife's words. Jigyasa takes a glass of water and hurriedly passes it onto her brother, who takes it and drinks it instantly. Krishna seems surprised on hearing this and looks at her son as well does everyone else.
"Jai beta, you will come home for lunch?"
Before Jai has a chance to refute this, his wife continues.
"Of course woh aajaayenge. Inhone khud mujhe baataye the…" she carries on innocently. Jai stares bewilderingly at his wife, wondering what is going on in her scheming head. There will be no way he can make it home today for lunch because of his work. Besides, it's a known fact in his family that the only meals he can be present for are breakfast and sometimes dinner. Well with the exception of his crazy work hours during the period of his wife's death. That had been simply a phase. His work hours had returned back to normal----he arrived at the hospital at nine and left whenever he wasn't needed anymore. Time to time he'd have a day or two off within a week, but even then he'd lock himself in his study and look over cases or find something else productive to do.
Krishna smiles delightedly over this news, reflecting over that it had been ages since his son had lunch with any one of them or taken out time to from his busy work schedule. Especially for the past couple of years---he has distanced himself from everyone. Perhaps he is finally coming around.
"Accha? To phir teek hai. Aaj main mera beta ka maan pasand khanna bhanoongi…," Krishna says beamingly at her son. Again, before Jai has a chance to say that there is a possibility that he may not come home for lunch at all, they are interrupted by the baby of the house who comes bounding toward the dinner table----his nanny following closely behind.
"I here!" he announces with so much glee that causes everyone at the table to laugh at his adorableness. Bani reaches for him and gives him a sound kiss. "So my little prince is finally ready to eat his breakfast?"
"I wanna pancakes, Mommy…. Nimdi Didi shay I can have pancakes….," he informs his mother while pointing at his nanny. When Bani looks to her, the year and a half long nanny shrugs while replying, "He was insisting only to eat pancakes for breakfast, miss. It was the only way he'd agree to eat."
"Okay you sit right here and I will get you your pancakes," she obliges before walking back to the kitchen and ordering Tony to make a pancake quickly since her son is an impatient little guy.
"Our Yash baby is a big boy now. He's sitting with everyone like a big kid," Jigyasa comments chirpily as Yash joins them by hopping onto an available seat beside his father whom he ignores as well. But there is nothing unusual about that, which has Jai really thinking that he has failed when it comes to Yash. He may know Jai as his father, but doesn't realize the meaning of it since Jai has hardly made any advances toward him to get to know him and neither has Yash.
Within a couple of minutes Bani returned with Yash's plate of food and sets it before him.
"Momma---you gimmy," he says while directing toward his mouth. Bani smiles while ruffling his hair. "I can't feed you right now, beta. Why doesn't Papa feed you instead?"
Again his wife takes him by surprise. Jai raises his brow and replaces his lifted glass of juice down onto the table. Their eyes clash. Yash doesn't find the suggestion appealing and shakes his head vigorously while pulling on his mother's pallu. "No, you," he whines.
"Arre Yash, Papa kahlaange…. Mama ko kaam karnedo….," his grandmother explains to him with warmth. Yash pouts on hearing this and refuses to let go of his mother's pallu---giving her his puppy eyes. Bani releases herself from him after planting a kiss on the head and disappears into the kitchen once again.
"Well come on Jai, feed the boy," Aditya nudges him. Jai looks at his three-year old son who grudgingly looks back to him. With a sigh, he reaches for Yash's plate and takes the utensils into his hands---promptly cutting his food into small pieces for him to eat. Yash sits back with his arms crossed, most likely upset with how easily he was rebuffed by his mother. When Jai pushes his plate back in front of him, Yash doesn't make a move to eat his food.
"Kya hua Yash, why aren't you eating?" Jai finally asks when Yash stubbornly remains sitting. Yash, as expected, doesn't answer.
"Jiju, he probably wants you to feed him. Didi always feeds him his food herself," Rano suggests hesitantly---always behaving tentatively with her brother-in-law.
"Your son is a royal prince, Jai. You are going to have to treat him like one," Aditya jokes causing everyone else to laugh in agreement around the table.
Yes, and whose fault is that, Jai wanted to remark but didn't. If he said anything against his wife, his whole family would gang up on him in her defense. They loved her more than him.
Jai awkwardly takes the fork in his hand and offers a piece of the pancake to his son. Yash keeps his mouth clamped shut.
"Come on Yash, open your mouth," he orders firmly. "I want Mama," Yash persists with a frown. Jai grows grim. "Your mother is busy right now. Just eat your food like a good boy," he continues sternly only infuriating his son more by the tone he takes with him. Yash moves his face in the other direction, completely blowing his father off. The boy has arrogance, Jai notes.
"Jai Puttar, be patient with him. The boy will not eat if you are going to boss him around," Dadi advises him only to have her words ignored by Jai, who doesn't appreciate not being listened to.
"Look over here…. Yash, I said to look here," Jai nearly growls. Yash looks at him and glares hard. Jai moves the fork closer to his mouth. "Now open your mouth and eat it."
"No," Yash screams. This draws everyone's close attention onto the angry boy and his annoyed father. Jai is hot tempered; they all know that, they also know that Yash is exactly the same.
"Jai, be gentle. Don't upset him," Krishna soothingly informs him. Jai takes a moment to calm himself down and be patient with the boy. If he wants to make amends with his son, he certainly has to try better than this.
"Eat your food," he says calmly instead. Again there is no response. "I will get you any toy you want if you just finish your food," Jai finally bribes him in a low grumble that goes missed by everyone. Yash ponders over this for a second before promptly opening his mouth and eating the piece of pancake from the fork.  He eats the rest of his food from his father's hands without a single fit in between and everyone soon finished their own meals as well---starting to leave to their individual places. As Bani returned from making her sister and Anu lunch for university, she saw her husband feeding their son sitting by himself as everyone had left the dining table. She smiles on the endearing sight and approaches them.
"Did Yashu finish all of his food?" Bani questions, startling Jai and Yash who both look to her. Yash jumps on seeing his mother and goes into her arms.
"Yes, Mommy."
"Good, now run off to Nimdi Didi to go watch your cartoons."
"Mommy going to school?" Yash inquires. Bani nods her head. "Yes, Mama has to go to school, but she will be back real soon. Okay?"
"Okay," Yash answers understandingly while getting out of his mother's arms and running off to the living room to find his nanny there. Jai breathes a sigh of relief as his son doesn't utter a word of his bribe. He had made sure that he wouldn't otherwise Bani would think he was not making a serious attempt in getting along with his son.  After all, that is why she had suggested he feed him to begin with, isn't it?
Jai stood up from his chair as Yash ran off and looked at his wife, who returns her gaze onto him. He opens his mouth to speak, but is cut off as she hastily rushes off to get her things ready for university…..
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She is mad at him and he doesn't know how to handle this anger of hers. She hardly looks at him anymore let alone speaking to him. He has messed up big time and he is fully aware of it. He's walking on thin ice. He has to settle this out, which is why he is actually heading home for lunch despite the workload at the hospital. For some reason he can't bear the thought of Bani being upset with him. It was gnawing at him all morning.
He arrived at his front doors and was greeted by his butler, who didn't bother to hide his surprise on seeing him there. Jai walked in only to find no one present at the table as he was expecting them all to be. Had he come late?
Good job Jai, now you have given another reason for your wife to hold against you along with the many others---he groaned to himself. He lifts a hand to his head, running his fingers through his hair, and wonders what to do until he sees the image of his thoughts walking out from the kitchen. She stops on seeing him.
"Well I'm glad that you could make this commitment unlike the others," she remarks with a raise of her brow. Before Jai can make a proper reply back, she calls out for the nanny to bring Yash so he can eat his food.  From her words, he makes out that he has come early, hence, no one is around yet. He follows after her in the kitchen, not having anything else to do at present. He joins her at the island, where her back is faced toward him and states clearly, "Bani, we need to talk."
"Oh, now you want to talk….. I'm sorry, but I am not in the mood right now," she finishes abruptly while fixing the plate of few chicken nuggets and vegetables on the side.  Jai takes a hold of her arm and turns her around, making her face him.
"I said we need to talk."
"Mommy!!!" they both hear Yash's shrilling voice as he runs into the kitchen presenting himself. Together Jai and Bani look over to the intrusion. Bani releases her arm from her husband's hold and smiles beautifully at her son while opening her arms wide.
"Hi my little pumpkin," she greets him before gathering his tiny body into her arms and smothering him with kisses.
"Mommy back from school?"
"Yes I am. And look, daddy is home too," she points out Jai, who seems ticked off by this interruption. Yash seems to care less if his father is present as he wraps his stubby arms around Bani's neck and informs her, "I hungry…"
"Then go take your seat at the dining table and wait---Papa will be with you and I'll just be right out with your food. Okay?" she murmurs to him lovingly while running her fingers through his black hair. Yash wears a frown on hearing this and casts a look at his father before saying solemnly, "Okay." Bani kisses him before pushing his small frame over to Jai. Yash stares up at his father with wide, silent eyes. Jai throws Bani a look from her mission to throw both father and son at each other. She gives him a threatening glare back which he interrupts that he better go along with it or else she will cook up something worse for him to do.
Which is why he is at present sitting at the head of the dining table with a three-year old boy sitting by his side who hardly will look at him. For once in a long time, Jai wishes that his whole family were present to avoid this awkwardness with the child. He never was good with kids.
Jai clears his throat before shooting Yash a look, watching him sip the juice out of his Sippy cup.
"So…uh….how was your day….er,….son?"
Yash turns to him and looks at him for a good few seconds before blowing up a spit bubble. Jai watches with disgust as it pops and his son giggles from what he had done.
"That's….real nice," he says flatly, too repulsed to say anything else at that moment. He feels relief when he sees his wife come out from the kitchen and place Yash's plate of food in front of him.
"Here you go, baby. Be careful, it's still a little too warm," she advises quickly as Yash makes a move to snatch at his food greedily right away. Bani meets Jai's eyes once turning her attention from the little boy but hastily averts them away. She walks straight back into the kitchen ready to place the dishes for lunch on the table for everyone else. He decides not to follow after her. She clearly doesn't want to speak to him right now for whatever reasons.
"Oowwwiieee!!!" Yash yelps as one of the hot nuggets burn the tips of his fingers. He instantly lets go of it making it fall back into his plate. Jai, who was lost in thoughts about his wife, is startled out of his daze and focuses onto the boy.
"What happened?"
"It hurt me," he meekly replies while staring at his burned finger. Jai leans in close in order to see.
"Show me."
"No, I no show it. I want mommy," he says while shielding his finger away as if protecting it.
"Do not disturb your mother right now, she's busy. Just show me your finger, Yash," he orders as patiently as he can. Yash looks from Jai, over to the kitchen where his mother is, and back at his father. Surprisingly he lifts his finger and shows it to Jai, yet unsurprisingly, he wears one of his infamous frowns as he does this. Jai takes a hold of his finger and inspects it.
"It's nothing. You are fine. Just let your food cool down first and eat slowly."
"It still hurt," Yash pouts with his wide eyes gleaming. Jai wanted to taunt him by remarking that if he hadn't been so greedy on seeing the plate of food then he wouldn't have burned his fingers, but stops himself on seeing his son's eyes slightly watering.
Not knowing what else to do, Jai says reluctantly, "Okay, show it to me again," to keep him from crying and drawing his mother back in here. Bani would only be more upset with him for not preventing Yash from burning his fingers.
"It'll wear down soon, don't worry," he finally responds after pretending to give a full, close inspection of his son's fingers. He knows, at this point, that Yash is dramatizing the pain. Kids love to dramatize everything at this age.
"Blowww," Yash commands as he nearly shoves his fingers into his father's face. Jai is terribly confused by what he's suggesting.
"What?"
"I shay blow--- mommy alwayz blows on my fingas when it getz hurt….," Yash offers the explanation rather innocently. Jai, having no other choice, takes Yash's hand into his and blows softly on the tips of his fingers in order to "ease off the pain." He, however, doesn't let go of Yash's hand right away as he becomes distracted by the fact of how small his son's hand seems in the palm of his larger one. He's knocked out of this when he hears the front doors opening.
"Oye Bani Puttar kahnna baangaye kya? Zor se bhook lagi," he hears Dadi's voice immediately chirp. Soon enough he sees Dadi accompanied by his mother approaching the dining area each with thalis in their hands. They must have come straight from the mandir, Jai presumes.
"Ji Dadi, bus abhi tyaar khar rahi hoon!" they all hear Bani answering form inside the kitchen. Dadi and Krishna's attention immediately focus on Jai, who sits awkwardly in his place from their rapt focus onto him. His mother's face beams from the sight of him.
"Jai beta, tu aagaya? I was having doubts whether you would come home after all."
Well he had to come home if he didn't want to face any further wrath from his already enraged wife, but of course he did not tell his mother this. He simply put on a smile while stating that he had some free time and thought he might as well come home. This increases the smile on his mother's face.
Just as the two ladies turn their attention onto their favorite grandson, Bani returns with dishes in her hands and placing them down onto the table. She smiles fondly at how Yash's grandmothers ruffle his hair and pull on his cheeks. Yash whines from this and tries to wave them off. She had been setting the plates down with Tony's aid when the rest of their family members started to arrive as well.
"Hi Di!" Rano greets her sister cheerfully while enclosing her into a warm embrace. Bani smiles brightly at her and places a hand to her cheek fondly. Anu comes around the other side and follows in pursuit. The two girls distract Bani momentarily with their chatter about their day at the university until they take their seats to eat. Jigyasa came after them with shopping bags in her hands and informed them all that she'd return after taking her bags to her room. All who were left were Aditya, Ranveer, and Saahil who walked through the doors together and joined the rest of them at the table.
"Hi Mami," Ranveer and Saahil both greet her while each kissing her on the cheek. Bani blushes as Saahil adds, "Looking gorgeous as usual." She smiles delightfully at the two young men as they also take their individual seats.
Jai watched this interaction with a dark look not appreciating the flirtatious behavior of both his nephews with their aunt. He then grows puzzled as to why this bothers him.
"Hi Bani beta," Aditya greets her with his usual wide smiles. Bani returns it. "Hi Adi Jiju, how was work?" "Terrible as always. What's for lunch?" he inquires. She gives him a charming smile while answering, "Your favorite---pasta." "You're a god sent angel, you know that?" Bani laughs while directing to the available seat for him to sit down in.
Lunch continued like this----his family, as always, in good spirits and fooling around with one another. If they were not pulling each other's legs then they were chattering loudly about a given topic and if they weren't doing that they were back to bullying.
Jai sat silently watching their interactions and feels a hollowness creep inside of him. He remembers when he too partook in all this frolic that is a common theme during each Walia Family meal. He can't remember the last time that he sat with his family, laughing and smiling with each one of them. He suddenly begins to feel like an outcast despite these people being his own. But he had no one else to blame but himself. He had brought this upon himself.
Looking up from his plate, Jai finds himself gazing into his wife's eyes that look back at him with an intensity of her own. Without any exchange of words, he knew what she was trying to make him understand----understand what he has been missing out on these past few years…..
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Chapter 14 B:
Jai looks away from the file in front of him as he sees a paper suddenly slapped against his desk for his viewing. He glances up and stares into his wife's honey, brown eyes that look anything but pleasant at the moment. She breaks their eye contact after a moment by turning on her heels and leaving the Study without a word. Terribly confused by this, Jai redirects his attention onto the sheet of paper she had given him.
He releases a long sigh as he leans back into his chair and grips onto his head with both hands. It's one of Yash's drawings. This time he's decided to draw his family. He had drawn everyone---his mother, his grandmothers, his uncle and aunt, his older cousins, even his nanny. But there wasn't any sign of him in the picture.
What is he going to do? It's not like he isn't trying. This past week he has been taking everything his wife has thrown at him.  He feeds Yash everyday now at Breakfast and even dresses the boy when it's his bedtime whenever he comes home on time. What more does she want from him? Isn't he trying his best already? Shouldn't he be given some credit at least?
But no, the woman is difficult to please. And it doesn't help much that she is furious with him already for having bribed Yash with a toy and slipping him money here and there to cooperate with him (he is still confused as to how she found out, but she had). But still---it's an effort from his part yet she refuses to acknowledge it.
He wants to pound his head against the wall right about now. What can he do really? The boy will not cooperate with him at all. There's no way that he can get through to him when he will not let him. Jai crushes the drawing beneath his fingers and throws it into the trash bin beside him. He rises from his chair and stalks out from the study…..
Jai finds her in Yash's play room cleaning up after all the toys and rearranging them. He knows that she is deliberately ignoring his presence as she carries on in her work. He approaches her from behind and takes a grip on both her upper arms to stop her. Bani, however, immediately shrugs herself out of his hold and creates distance between them. She proceeds to move around the room placing the toys into their rightful places.
"Bani," he says with exasperation of her behavior. For how long will she continue being angry with him? It's been long enough now. He sees her still momentarily on hearing his voice.
"What do you want me to do? I'm trying…. I'm honestly trying here," he proceeds in a tiresome tone. This defensive explanation of his seems to set her off as she immediately turns to look at him.
"No you're not…. If you were then our son wouldn't have left you out of that drawing of his family. You would have been there with the rest of us. But then again why would he draw you if you're never around to begin with," she chokes over her own words.
"Bani not this again---why can't you understand that--"
"No, I don't want to understand. Jai, you are a father whether you are ready for fatherhood or not. But you have to start acting like one before it becomes too late and Yash doesn't need you in his life anymore," she intervenes quickly.
"Well what do you want me to do, god dammit? Just tell me. I can't get through to that kid no matter what I do," he gives an equal reply in anger with her lack of understanding of his situation.
"That kid is your son, Jai. The sooner you realize the actuality of the fact then things can finally progress between you and Yash."
Jai face distorts into a look of resentment as he looks away from his wife's accusing eyes. Before anything more can be said about the matter, they are intruded on as always. This time, however, Ranveer waltz in and halts in his steps on seeing his mamaji present in the room. He becomes visibly cautious by the looks on both his uncle and aunt's faces.
"Eeerr, Hi Mamaji….," Ranveer awkwardly greets his uncle who does not reply back, simply staring at his wife who centers her attention instead onto their nephew. Bani sends him a sweet smile---immediately recovering from her encounter with her now glowering husband.
"Hi Ranveer, you are already back from the office? That too so early?"
Ranveer returns the friendly smile while answering, "Yeah, wasn't much to do so decided to head back home. Saahil wanted to tag along too, but you know Dad. Ever since his internship, Dad's been down his throat all the time."
Together Ranveer and Bani laugh over this, further irking Jai who feels like an outsider in this conversation of theirs. He finds himself glaring at his nephew for the ease in which he speaks so freely with his wife and despising the comfortable relationship they seem to share.
"Anyways, I came in here to see if you wanted a lift to the park. Naniji was mentioning you were planning to head on over there with Yash. Rano says she'd like to tag along to," Ranveer continues politely in stating his suggestion. Bani's smile widens from his offer and is about to accept until she is interrupted by the gruff voice of her husband.
"Your Mamiji will be going with me. You don't have to bother."
Ranveer seems taken aback as does Bani, who gazes at Jai slightly dumbstruck. Not knowing what for, but Ranveer realizes he has struck a nerve somewhere in his uncle. Perhaps he had come during a wrong time. He covers up his surprise with a soft smile.
"Oh, I didn't know. I supposed you'd be busy reviewing over cases, Mamaji. I'll just go and tell Nani that you are taking her and Yash."
"Ranveer thank you for your offer anyways. Maybe instead you can take Rano out somewhere? I feel bad that ever since she has come here she has rarely gone out anywhere. I hardly give her any time as it is. You wouldn't mind taking her around the city, would you?" Bani requests to cover up the tension that suddenly sprung up due to her surprisingly hostile husband. She doesn't miss the glint in his eyes from her proposal and the grin that spreads on his lips.
"Of course, I wouldn't mind. I don't have anything else to do anyways. I'll just go and let Rano know now," he ends enthusiastically before leaving the room without another word. Bani smiles to herself from his behavior---knowing very well of the particular interest Ranveer has in her little sister for years now. She becomes distracted, though, by the jingling of keys. She turns to see her husband withdrawing his car keys from his pant pocket and throwing her a look.
"Go get Yash and meet me in the car," he orders promptly before walking out ….
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He does not want to fight with her but for some reason always ends up doing so anyways. Bani brings out a strong reaction from him, one that he can't control. She provokes him causing him to react in the way he does. He wants to make things up to her but only seems to screw things up more than they already are.
He wonders for the billionth time what made him hastily step in and decide to take Yash and Bani to the park. He should be in his study going over his case for tomorrow. Yet for some reason he did not like the idea of Ranveer taking them and assuming he was too busy to do so himself. He also could not help notice the way his wife smiled brightly from his suggestion---seeming genuinely pleased. He hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time, well, to him at least. Is it possible that he is jealous? As quickly as this thought crosses his mind, he disregards it immediately and chides himself for thinking of such nonsense.
He sighs as he leans his arms against the bench he sits on whilst keeping both his wife and child in view who are only a few feet away on the swings. He observes both mother and son having a good time, Yash swinging back and forth with the help of Bani, who pushes the swing set gently to avoid sending Yash high up in the air. Every now and then Yash will squeal in excitement only to place a pleased smile on his mother's face who giggles along with him. He feels a pang somewhere inside of him from the sight they make. Would it have felt like this if Ananya were alive? If she had been here today with him? Would Yash love her with every being inside of him as he loves Bani now? Would Yash and Jai's relationship been any different? Would they as a family come here to the Park like any other family and enjoy their time spent together?
Jai rattles these thoughts away, admonishing himself to stop dwelling in the past. He painfully tears his gaze away and instead stares up at the clear, bright sky. Yet he cannot help but look back on hearing the two giggle together once more.  He admires how they look together---like any other mother and son---no different from the rest who are here. No, perhaps things wouldn't be so much different if Ananya had been alive. Yash still has a mother whom he loves unconditionally and Jai does still have a family. Yes, even though they are not a family in a conventional sense, they are one nonetheless---Yash, Bani, and him---they're a family. These past couple of years he has neglected to admit this, but he is ready to acknowledge this fact now. He has a family---one whom his wife stresses---that needs him.
He can say at last that he is gotten over his first wife's death and accepts that things can never go back to how they were. But is he ready to truly move forward in life? Start all over again with Bani and Yash as a true family? Can he give his marriage with her a fair shot? Can he attempt to be a good father to his son even though he perhaps doesn't have it in him to be one? He was never good with kids and could never learn how to deal with them. His own father hardly showed him or Jigyasa any affection. He was too busy in his business and traveling all around the world to pay them any attention. His way of making up for his absence was sending them the most expensive gifts now and then. Jai could care less about his father's absence in his life, though. His mother's love and pampering made up for it all and soon enough he didn't even feel the need of his father's presence. He found that his mother was quite enough for him. Just as he reminisces this, he is hit by a revelation and sits straight up in his seat on the bench.
Wasn't this what Bani was referring to earlier in Yash's play room? That soon enough Yash will grow up and not even feel the need for him anymore in his life? Just as Jai didn't need the need for his own father? Won't he be doing exactly what his father did to him? Does he want to create that sort of detached relationship between him and Yash? Jai had resented his father for his neglect. Can he bare Yash's resentment towards him?
He remains stumped by this eye-opener of his and finally concludes that he can't. He wouldn't be able to know that his own flesh and blood despised him. He couldn't live with himself knowing that he had done exactly what his own father had done----turn his own son against him.
He hadn't realized that he neglected Yash in this manner until now. It is not that he does not care about the boy. Of course he does. After all he is his son, his and Ananya's. But he never knew how to express this care of his nor knew how to act like a father when he didn't have a father figure to look up to to begin with. He does not have the natural instinct in him to be a good father. For him to be a father, he has to try….
"Jai….."
Looking up, Jai is startled out of his daze and looks to his wife, who stands directly before him by the slides, casting him a concerned look. Yash holds her hand and stares at him as well.
"…Aap teek to hai, haina?" she questions cautiously while examining his slightly pale face. Jai clears his throat and tries to recollect himself. He nods his head.
"Mama---shlide, shlide, shlide," Yash orders while pulling on Bani's hand adamantly. Bani gives Jai a beckoning glance that he does not ignore, knowing that she wants him to join them as well. He had sat on the bench in the first place because Yash refused to be pushed on the swings by him. Without any delay, Jai rises from the bench only to have Bani immediately placing Yash's tiny hand into his.
"Mommy pushed you on the swings, now it's Daddy's turn to take you the slides," Bani explains to their son with a wide smile. Yash wears a grumpy look on hearing this and Bani brushes it off by ruffling his hair. Jai clasps his hand firmly around Yash's and looks down at his toddler son.
"Come on Yash," he gestures with a nod over to the slides and pulls on his hand to have him follow. Yash walks side by side with his father and climbs up the stairs with his help. Bani stands on the other side of the slide with a smile on her face. As they get onto the top of the slide, Jai positions Yash in order to prepare him to go down. Bani waits at the end for him.
"Here you go. All you have to do now is slide down," Jai explains carefully as he feels Yash's tiny body begin to tremble.
"It's shooooo high," his son comments with fear laced in his small voice once seeing how far up he is from the ground. Not knowing how to handle the situation as he is not good in dealing with children to begin with, Jai wonders what Bani would say in order to ease his worries.
"You don't be afraid. I'm right here with you. ……. I… I won't let anything happen to you. And your mother is down there waiting to catch you…. You won't be hurt, I promise…. We-we're both here…" Jai murmurs for him to hear, not knowing what exactly he's saying but hoping that it'll work.
"Come on baby, slide down…. It'll be fun," Bani urges from below, waiting for him with open arms.
Yash looks up to stare at his father with his big black eyes and Jai is instantly hit with a nostalgic feeling by gazing into those set of eyes inherited by his mother.
"You promish?" he questions with hope. Recollecting himself, Jai nods while answering firmly, "I promise."
Yash turns back to look down the slide and at his awaiting mother.
"Ready?"
Yash gives a slight nod of his head. With a slight push on his back, Jai watches how his son slides down into Bani's arms. She wraps him tightly and kisses him for his accomplishment on going on the slides for the first time. Yash turns back to look at him and smiles broadly while exclaiming, "I did it, Papa, I did it!"
Hearing those words coming from his mouth directed at him and seeing the complete delight on his son's face gives him an unexplainable feeling of overwhelming joy right at that moment. Jai breaks out into a smile as well on seeing Yash jumping up and down from excitement, feeling good about himself for a change. His eyes dart over to Bani, who looks back at him with a smile of her own.
"Again, again!" Yash cries while running back over to Jai, who helps him up the stairs once more. They continued this for a few times before Yash grew confidence and gotten over the fear of sliding down from such a great height for him. He began to insist he can do it alone making his parents move away while he enjoyed his time on the slides by himself.
"He'll be fine, Bani. Come, sit down," he calls for her from the bench as she stands, watching over Yash. She looks over her shoulder and at him. Looking back over to Yash, she sighs and turns back to join him on the bench. Together they sit in silence observing at their son interacting with the other children and taking turns to go down the slide after them---the smile on his lips never leaving.
"He looks too much like her….," Jai states, breaking the comfortable silence between them. Bani looks to him on hearing his words and sees that his attention is still focused onto Yash. She waits patiently for him to continue, not wanting to interrupt on what he has to say.
"Those same black eyes….that same silly smile….those tiny ears…the dimples…the perfectly straight nose….everything….," he breathes. Bani watches him carefully, noting the expressions on his face, and finally realizes what has kept Jai away from his son all these years. He reminded him so much of Ananya that it became unbearable to look at him. Yash became the reminder of what he had lost. Silently she places her hand on top of his and holds onto it tight. Jai, feeling the sudden warmth of her hand around his, breaks his gaze away from his son and instead looks down at her hand clasping his. He squeezes hers back and marvels over how small and feminine her hand is compared to his larger, masculine one. Her thumb brushes against the back of his hand in a soothing manner. He looks up and meets her warm, soft eyes that stare back at him with compassion. That is when it happens…..when he is hit by something so sudden and unexpected.
He becomes transfixed by the way the sun's rays settle onto his wife and highlights her features---almost making her seem heavenly at that precise moment. She glows under the bright light that enhances the attributes on her lovely, fair face. For the first time since Jai has known Bani, he takes a real good look of her, not just as the young girl he had gotten to know her by, but as a woman.  She is exceedingly attractive with beautiful, long black hair that curl at the ends, a slight round face with high cheek bones, an endearingly small nose, lovely pink cheeks, a dimple on each cheek, pink curvy lips, and sparkling honey colored eyes with long sooty eyelashes. He could feel the pounding of his racing heart in his ears as he finds himself unable to look away from her---noticing how beautiful she really is.
Suddenly becoming conscious, Bani becomes unnerved by how her husband looks at her so intently. A blush creeps onto her cheeks by this and deepens when he does not look away.
"What…What are you looking at?" she can't help but ask, growing more and more embarrassed by having his eyes set on her. Hearing her voice, Jai's eyes finally waver and realization crosses his face once he becomes aware of what he was doing. He hastily looks away, embarrassed himself and finds that his heart continues to drum quickly---refusing to slow down. He notices, as well, that his palm grows sweaty and he awkwardly removes his hand from her hold.
"Jai?" Bani asks worriedly by his strange behavior. Jai does not look at her, too guilty by what he was doing just seconds before. He stands up abruptly and rubs the back of his neck, still not looking in her way.
"Eeerrr, let's go back…. We've been here long enough as it is," he suggests. Eyeing her husband strangely, Bani rises as well. She does not, however, bother to ask him what has suddenly happened to him. She nods her head before softly replying, "I'll just go and get Yash and then we'll go."
Jai switches his gaze back onto her retreating figure and looks after her longingly before he snaps himself out of it.
"Dammit, pull yourself together. She's Bani, Bani," he stresses to himself. He curses himself for even viewing her in that way and briskly walks to the car---hoping to get these thoughts out of his head.  
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Chapter 15:
"And—and---and then Papa put me on shlide---and Dadi it waz shoooooo big," Yash exclaims while throwing his hands in the air to dramatize his story. Krishna chuckles fondly at her grandson as does everyone else at the table. Bani smiles to herself while serving everyone dinner with help from Jigyasa and Tony as the rest of the family listen to Yash's summary of his day patiently.
"Then—then Papa push me and Momma get me then I go again again again and I no need Mama Papa----it waz fun, Dadi," Yash finishes with a bright smile. His grandmother affectionately ruffles his hair while replying, "I'm glad that you had fun, beta. You love the park?"
"Yeah---I wanna go again----Mama, I wanna go park," Yash whines to his mother, who passes right by him, filling his father's glass with water.
"Yash, hum roz to nahi jaasakte, haina?" Bani questions him sweetly, wanting to put him down gently.
Yash pouts on hearing her answer. "Mama, pweeaaaasshhhh----pwweeaaashhh," he begins to beg only to be refused by his mother once again.
"Hum dekhenge---aabhi nahi bataaskti hoon…," Bani brushes the topic aside while resuming in serving everyone all around.
Yash frowns on this before immediately turning to his father, who was watching this spectacle silently. He tugs on Jai's sleeve to draw his attention.
"Papa, I wanna go park…."
"Yash, maine kya kaha? ---Waise, Papa kal busy hai. Hum kahin aur din chaalejaayenge…teek hai?" Bani says in attempt to pacify her stubborn son.
Yash blatantly ignores his mother while tugging harder on Jai's sleeve. "Papa----pwweaasshh."
"Yash, Mummy teek kaehri hai… Hum roz nahi jaasaktee," Jai finally answers to his son's calls.
Yash begins to jump up and down in his seat while pulling on Jai's sleeve even more. "No, Papa pwweeaassh----pwweaasshhh hum jaasakte---Yash wanna go park----Yash wanna go on shhliddee."
"Yash, zidd maat karo," Bani sternly orders.
"Pwweaassh, Papa."
"Yaasshhhh," Bani calls out to him warningly.
Jai meets his son's pleading eyes and the hopeful look present on his face then finds that he just cannot refuse the boy's request. He surprises even himself with what he says next.
"I'll take you tomorrow if I get the time, okay? For now finish your food and don't give your mother a hard time."
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy!!!!" Yash screams in delight while raising his hands into the air from victory only to knock over the plate of food and glass of milk beside him causing them spill on him. The plate along with the glass crashes onto the floor seconds later---breaking into smaller pieces.
"Yash---yeh tumne kya kiya?" Bani demands in an angry tone for his carelessness. Yash immediately settles down and sits still in his place frightened by his mother's raised voice. Bani comes around and looks at Yash's drenched clothes and the muddle of spilt milk and food on the floor next to him.
"Look at the mess you have made Yash---why cannot you sit still and eat your food like everyone else? Hamesha shararat dekhana hai…..," Bani mumbles angrily while dabbing at her son's shirt with a napkin.
Yash looks genuinely apologetic for what he has done and becomes glum by his mother's scolding. He holds onto her pallu and tugs on it to get her attention.
"I shorry Mama…..," Yash speaks in a small voice. Bani ignores him and proceeds to clean off his wet pants. Yash tugs harder.
"Mama, I shorry…."
"Bahu, aab naraaz maat hojaao…. accident tha…… bechara aab maafi mangaara hai…," Krishna steps in on seeing her grandson's eyes water and the indifference his mother shows him.
"Mummyji, kya faraq paarega? Maafi daaongi aur yeh phirse koi shararti kaarega…..," Bani grumbles back, silencing her mother-in-law momentarily.
"Bani, let it go…. He's sorry…. It was an accident….," Jai says once also noticing that Yash is close to tears. The pathetic sight his son makes does something inside of him which he can't explain.
"Aap please beech mein maat boliye…. Main aachi taara se jaanti hoon kaise mere beta ko sambaanliye… ," Bani answers back making Jai clamp his mouth shut for interfering in the first place.
"Bani Puttar, baacha hai----gaalti to kaarega…," Dadi comments in order to settle down the tension that seems to have come up.
"Chalo Yash----mausi will take you upstairs and change your clothes," Rano offers hesitantly a moment later while rising from her seat. She too feels bad for her nephew, who rubs at his tearing eyes. But no one would dare to step in between Bani's way of handling him. She is his mother after all.
"Nahi," Yash replies stubbornly while continuing to dab at his eyes. He continues to tug on his mother's pallu until Bani snatches it out of his hand and walks away from him to get rid of the now soiled napkins.
"Mama---I shorry," Yash yells after her and becomes quiet on seeing her disappear into the kitchen. He sniffles to himself and looks to his father, who looks back at him sympathetically---finding that his wife is being a little harsh with him.
"Papa….," Yash's voice quivers as he looks at him miserably. The next second Jai extends his hand and gestures with a nod over to the stairs.
"Let's take you upstairs and get you changed," he says gently. Yash sniffles some more before taking his father's hand and following him upstairs….
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"Papa, you take me kal?" Yash questions eagerly as Jai pulls his shirt over his head---now having gotten over somewhat from his mother's scolding. Jai tucks his son's shirt into his pajamas to ensure that he is warm (just how Bani taught him) and hesitantly gives his answer.
"We'll see, Yash. Now don't mention the park in front of your mother---it will only upset her more," he advises, not wanting Bani's anger to build. Yash frowns on the mention of his mother.
"I no like Mama….she yell Yash…," he stubbornly replies while crossing his arms across his little chest. Jai gives him a look.
"Don't say that---your Mama loves you. Besides, it was your fault…. You made Mama angry…. You should have first listened to her instead of behaving so irrationally…."
"Eeeaarraaassshhh?" Yash begins to repeat the last word with confusion. A smirk plays on Jai's lips on hearing his attempt of repeating the word.
"Irrationally---- meaning…… eerr…. Well you'll learn what it means one day," Jai finally says after not knowing how to simplify the word for his son to understand.
"There---you're all changed now," he announces while stepping back and examining his son in his new change of clothes---seeing if he dressed him properly. Yash giggles while tugging on his pajama pants.
"Papa---you do it wrong….," Yash directs his father's attention onto the tag that sticks out from his front---showing that his pants are on backwards. Jai groans over the fact that he cannot even do such a small task of dressing up a three-year old yet he can perform surgery on someone blindfolded.
"You can wear your pants backwards for one day---it won't' hurt you. Just don't show Mama," Jai tells him and receives a broad smile from the toddler in return and more giggles.
"Papa, you sho shilly."
This puts a smile on Jai's face for some reason as well. He picks the boy up and places him onto the king sized bed in their room. Pulling the covers aside, Jai directs him to get under. Yash does so as he's told.
"Now you go to sleep, alright?"
"No----itz shtory time…"
"Story time?" Jai asks in puzzlement while tucking him in, just like how Bani taught him too. Yash nods his head quickly while pointing at the stack of books resting on the chair the table nearby.
"Mama alwayz read me book… then Yash goz bed…"
Jai scratches his head once hearing this. This is the first time he is hearing about this. But then again, he usually never sticks around in the bedroom around this time instead heading to his study to review last minute things or pour himself a drink. Of course he wouldn't know that Yash is read to first before going to sleep. He releases a sigh and forgoes the thought of going to his study for a nightcap.
"Alright then, I'll read till your mother gets here."
This puts a smile onto Yash's face once again and he snuggles under the covers as Jai picks out a random book. He opens the cover and glances through---satisfied to know that it is a short children's book. He flips through the pages until his son grows impatient and calls out, "Papa, read shtory!"
"Uhhh…. Okay….. Once upon a time there were three little pigs….who felt they needed a home….They talked about what they needed, but each decided for himself…. The laziest pig said he'd build a straw hut…. 'It'll only take a day' he said----" Jai reads the lines awkwardly---feeling rather foolish at the moment as he's never done this before---but is hastily interrupted.
"Noooo!….."
"What happened?" Jai asks, startled.
"You shay it wrong…. Shay it in other voish (voice) …. Mama shay it in lotz of voishes…" Yash informs him coyly with a giggle on seeing his father's face. Jai lets out a sigh and while shaking his head mumbles to himself, "Kya kya karti hai teri ma tumhare liye…."
"Papa, shay it!" Yash yells impatiently as Jai delays his time in reading the story further then dissolves into a fit of laughter by seeing the deadpan look Jai wears.
"Uh? Oh, hain… okay…. Hmm….," he clears his throat and nearly forces himself to re-read the last line.
"It'll only take a day' he said. The others disagreed. 'It's too fragile' they said disapprovingly, but he refused to listen……"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bani watches through the creek in the door as both father and son sit beside together on the bed, Yash leaning his head against her husband's arm as he reads in his silky voice from the book sprawled in his hands. She feels her throat clog as tears spring in her eyes. The moment was too precious, too special to interrupt. This would be the first time she is seeing her son and husband interact with one another without having to, but willingly on their own.
She, however, gives herself away by leaning forward against the door, causing it to make a creaking sound as it opens further. She stills in her place as she feels both pairs of eyes look at her from the bed.
"Momma….," Yash calls out to her. Immediately she blinks away her tears and avoids staring into the particular set of gray eyes that observe her closely. She allows herself in, walking past the door, and approaches the bed. She seats herself on the edge of the mattress next to Yash and reaches out to him, ruffling his hair tenderly with her fingers.
"Mommy's real shorry Yashu…. Will you forgive me?" she inquires from him with a pout in his direction. Yash tucks his hands in between his folded arms while stubbornly replying, "No."  
"Arre baba, I'm saying na that I'm sorry…. Mama se galti hua, baacha…," she attempts to pacify him though Yash doesn't heed to her. She sighs and thinks over what to do then holds onto her ears and apologizes once more, knowing that this usually works with him. "Pleeaaseee…. Momma's sorry…" Yash meets her sorry look before conceding to her and putting on a small smile and giving an affectionate pat on her cheek. "Itz okay… I fogive you," he answers gingerly. She returns his smile and kisses him soundly on his head.
She gazes at him fondly while asking, "Papa's reading to you, huh?"
"Yesh, but Papa don't do cool voishes like mommy," Yash says in a sulking tone making Bani giggle at his plight. Jai frowns from his son's statement and watches his wife rub her nose against Yash's endearingly.
"Is that so? Hmmm, let's see if Mommy can help your Papa," she tells him putting a gleeful smile on her son's face. She casts a look in her husband's direction, who silently gazes back at her. Bani reaches out for the book and settles it onto Yash's lap so together all of them can see. She makes herself comfortable onto the mattress, leaning into Yash's side. Having the book in clear view, Bani begins to recite the words in her normal story tone that her son has become accustomed to. Jai listens along intently to his wife's animated voices, sucked into the velvetiness of her voice, and finds himself softly smiling along with his giggling son.
'Come out!' ordered the wolf, his mouth watering. 'I want to speak to you!' 'I'd rather stay where I am' replied the little scared piggy. 'Then I will puff and huff and blow your house away!' the wolf  said right before he blew with all his might," Bani exclaims dramatically and glances at Yash, whose wide eyes stare at the drawings on the page with fascination. She smiles to herself, trying not to laugh at the expression on her son's face, and makes movement to turn the next page but finds her hand knocking into another. Looking up, she meets her husband's eyes and stares back at his tanned hand that also had moved to flip the page. She awkwardly removes her hand and flushes by the manner in which he looks at her. Consciously she watches how he turns the page and draws back his hand out of the way. Licking her dry lips, she continues reading, her voice now hoarse as she grows even more aware of his eyes lingering on her…..
"He drew in an enormous breath and went, 'WHOOOOO!' And the wooden house fell to the ground like a pack of cards……"
The rest of the story Bani finished in haste, unnerved by the attention she was receiving from her normally indifferent husband. By the end of it, she felt relief and smiled at Yash before saying, "The End." Yash claps excitedly and cheers from the happy ending.
"Now Yash has to go to sleep, okay?"
"Okay."
"Goodnight baby, I love you," Bani wishes him by planting a sweet kiss on his forehead and tucking him into bed. Yash wraps his tiny arms around her neck and kisses her on her cheek while replying, "Goodnight Mommy, I love you too…. Goodnight Papa," he adds in Jai's direction. Jai smiles back while answering, "Goodnight Yash."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jai had been on his blackberry, scrolling through his numerous messages, when he heard the click of the bathroom door. Looking over his shoulder, he sees his wife dressed in her usual velvet robe, the ties strapped tight around her slim waist, with her hair let out in black, silky waves. He returns his attention back onto his phone but pays notice to how she seats herself down before the dresser and begins to brush her long tresses with care.
Switching his phone onto vibrate, he places it down onto the stand's tabletop and rises from his awaiting position on the bed. His mind is set solely on going to the bathroom to change for the night, yet he instead ends up approaching his wife slowly and standing a foot away from her seated posture.  His eyes seek hers through the mirror and when he does find them, her hand stills and slowly she lowers down the brush----her eyes filled with question.
"…. You are really good with him…. With Yash I mean….," he begins, already stumbling over his words as her silent honey eyes remain locked with his. Seeing her too startled by his words to respond back, he carries on while gripping onto the back of his neck nervously.
"I just…. I just wanted to thank you….for all that you do for him…. You're a good mother, Bani… There is no doubt about that…."
A silence passes between them in which Jai observes closely as various emotions flicker across his wife's fair face. She rises from her seat and turns to look at him before speaking demurely.
"There isn't any need for gratitude, Jai…. Given that I haven't given birth to him, but Yash is my son regardless…. just as much as he is yours….," she finishes with her doe-like eyes probing his. She watches  as he nods along with her words.
"You're right…. and I'm making the effort… or at least I'm trying to…," he adds uneasily by the direction this conversation is headed.
She smiles gently at him with her honey brown eyes brimming with pleasure.
"Yes, you are…. He is already starting to adore you… I can see it," she says to him in an effort to ease his worries about his estranged relationship with his son. Jai drops his hand and stares at her with slight surprise on hearing this. "You think so?"
Bani nods her head and follows his gaze over to the bed where Yash is now sleeping peacefully by himself underneath the covers. She can see a certain longing shining clear in his orbs of stormy gray and any lingering doubts of whether he cared for his son after all die away.
"You were right about before….He looks so much like Ananya that it does become painful to look at him sometimes… but I don't let that become my weakness…instead I make it my strength to become a better parent to him… He deserves that much, don't you think?" she speaks these next words carefully while observing him closely. His shoulders grow tense as he turns to look at her with jolted eyes.  After a long moment passes, she goes back to smiling delicately at him as she says next, "It's getting late… Goodnight…"
Jai dumbly nods his head a second later, his mind feeling heavy with the weight of her words. He looks on as she casts him a fleeting glance before walking past and joining their son on the bed. Straightening his shoulders, he strides over to the bathroom and shuts the door….
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A few days later Jai stood in his Study ruffling through papers with a deep furrow creased between his thick eyebrows when his wife walked in announcing herself. He neglects her presence and continues searching through his things, seeming to be looking for something in particular.
"Jai…" she calls out to him to gather his attention. He doesn't bother to look over and acknowledges her with a simple, "Hm?" "You are going to go to work?" "No, I'm getting ready to join a circus," he replies rather gruffly. She bites back a smile and answers lightheartedly, "Don't forget your clown shoes before you go." 
Jai stills in his actions and looks over his shoulder to see her unsuccessfully covering up her creeping smile. He restrains the urge to grin back from her remark.
"What is it that you need, Bani? Make it quick, I'm getting late."
"I just wanted to ask when you'd be getting off from work…."
"I'll try and be home before midnight, but I'm not sure for now… That all?" he asks before returning to his interrupted search. He misses the frown that adorns her face.
"Can't you try coming home earlier?" she hesitantly questions him a moment later. She bites on her lip as he throws her a curious glance.
"Hmm, I doubt it. It depends how the day plays out… Why, anything special going on?"
She blushes while shaking her head and saying hastily, "… Er… I was just… asking." Jai grows even more puzzled by her odd behavior, but decides not to dig out the reason and let her be. Besides, he's running on a tight schedule today. He's already thirty minutes late for oversleeping.
"Aahh…," he softly exclaims with satisfaction on finding the case report he was looking for. He throws it into his nearly tattered, brown briefcase along with his stethoscope and other things. He closes it shut and hastily moves to leave, but is kept in his place by his wife's blocking figure.
"Jai, I wanted to say something--"
"Tell me when I get home, okay? I've got to run now. I'll see you later," he breezily tells her before walking around her and rushing out from the room. Bani watches him leave with regret and sighs resignedly before walking out herself…..
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bani enters the kitchen in a sulking manner after having served the family members. She finds her mother-in-law already starting to clean up with Tony by her side. She tries to gather herself quickly but is too late when Krishna turns and catches her fallen face.
"Arre, kya baath hai Bahu? Tumhara chera ko kya hua?" she asks in sheer surprise on seeing her previously beaming daughter-in-law now brooding to herself. Bani shakes her head in a negative.
"Kuch nahi, mummyji," she says in an attempt to divert the attention from herself. Yet she proves to be unsuccessful as Krishna refuses to let go of the matter.
"Tum mujhe ek Ma jaise sochti ho, haina?" she inquires affectionately from her. Bani nods her head slowly while avoiding her probing gaze. "To mujhe bataa… kya baath hai? Tumne Jai ke saath baath ki?" Again Bani solemnly nods her head, keeping her eyes instead onto her favorite sapphire pendant that she begins to fiddle with.
"To?" Krishna urges for an answer. Bani heaves a sigh and meets her mother-in-law's eyes with a pouting look. "He barely gave me enough time to ask him to stay home… He was in a rush and already left….."
Krishna hides a smile on seeing the dejection on her daughter-in-law's face all because her husband is too busy to stay home for the day to celebrate Holi with the rest of them. It is evident now to Krishna how much her daughter-in-law has fallen in love with her son by how she has attached her happiness to him.
"Arre, to kya? We will call him and tell him to come home. There is still the puja to be done before the actual celebration---and by then Jai would be back," she sweetly tells her in an effort to pacify her. Bani rolls her eyes as a grumpy expression unfolds on her face.
"Hmm, I doubt it Mummyji…. He does not listen to anyone to begin with. So he definitely will not listen even now," she grumbles to her only to blush afterwards by the way she is complaining about her husband to his mother. Krishna chuckles fondly at her.
"I think he will listen to a person in particular." This raises Bani's query as she stares quizzically at a smiling Krishna with a spark in her eyes. "Who?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jai had been in the middle of speaking to a patient's family, discussing in detail about the case and his patient's recovery in length, when his phone vibrates. He ignores it at first but concedes in picking it up once the calls do not stop. He excuses himself from the family and attends it, rising from his chair and loitering by the doorway.
"Hello?"
"You come home."
"Hello? Yash?" Jai questions in surprise on hearing his son's unexpected voice.
"I shay you come home."
Jai's brows rise from his son's arrogant command. He glances over his shoulder to see that his patient's family is watching, waiting on him to finish up with the call.
"How did you get this number?"
"I no shay it. You come home. Nahi to Yash mad," Yash huffs from the other line. Instead of being irritated like he normally would be, Jai finds himself simply amused by his son's antics.
"You don't have to tell me. I know it was your Momma who dialed this number. Yash, you tell her that Papa is busy so do not disturb him," Jai speaks clearly just so his wife can hear him in case she is listening in on the call, like he knows she is.
"Papa no buzy. Papa come home. Mama shay sho," Yash exclaims in a rather hyper tone only to be shushed by someone on the other line as well---most likely his wife.
"You tell Mama that Papa can't."
"Mama, Papa shay no---," Yash begins to inform his mother, giving her away and confirming that she is after all listening in on the conversation. The boy is quickly hushed by another "Shhhh!!!" Jai listens in as his wife whispers something to his son and then hears Yash say right away, "Pleeaaasshhh Papa, pleeaasshh. You come home. Yash happy. Pleeaash."
"Bani, this isn't fair," Jai grumbles once figuring out that she is deliberately using Yash to get the better of him.
"Mama no here," Yash answers slyly. "Hmm, of course she isn't," Jai replies back. "Papa come home?"
Jai sighs before saying, "No. I have work."
Promptly Yash responds angrily, "Papa gunda. I no like Papa. Yash no talk to Papa."
Knowing that if he refuses to his son's request now, he will be putting serious damage to any progress he has made with him in the last few days. Ever since the time spent in the park and night time story, Yash has grown more accepting and warm compared to his previous indifference to him. Just yesterday he had insisted to draw in his study as Jai was checking emails and last minute things after dinner. Later he persisted that his father join him in coloring, approaching him at his work desk with his book and broken set of crayons with a toothy smile.
Quickly Jai mentally runs through his schedule and ponders whether he can after all bunk the rest of the day to come home for whatever reasons his son and wife had. Perhaps Yash remembered his promise of taking him to the park again and could no longer be patient. He decides that he can afford some time off even though it'd cut into some important work time. He could, though, make it up later on one of his days off.
"Okay, no need to get angry. I'll come. And when I do, you and your mother are in for it big time, especially your mother," Jai warns yet finds that he is somewhat grinning despite himself.
"Mama, Papa shay you in big touble." "Sshhh! I am not here!" he hears Bani whisper. Jai's grin widens and it when he realizes that he has company that he regains himself.
"Alright, I have to go now. I will see you when I get home. Bye," he cuts off hastily and returns back to his seat, embarrassed by having others witness his conversation with his adamant son. His patient's parents smile at him warmly.
"Err, sorry for the interruption."
"It's okay Dr. Walia… was that your son?" the mother asks conversationally. Jai grows uncomfortable with how the attention has averted from their son onto his. He answers her question, however, not wanting to appear rude even though he wanted to redirect their focus back onto the case.
"Yes."
"How old is he?"
"He turned three recently."
"And the little boy is insisting that you come home?" the father of his patient questions with a low chuckle. By now Jai is deeply embarrassed by being put on the spot. He wonders how much they had ended up overhearing.
"He must want you back in order to celebrate Holi with him and your family," the middle-aged woman says with a hinting smile. Jai becomes surprised on hearing this.
"We can't wait ourselves to take our Dinesh home for Holi," she adds.
Realization dawns upon him as to why Bani had Yash insist for him to come home. Why couldn't she have just told him in the first place instead of beating around the bush? Count on Bani to always play games with him. He clears his throat before directing their attention back onto the patient and his recovery. Later he discharges Dinesh so he can go home and enjoy the celebration with his family, just as Jai now plans to do as he seats himself behind the wheel of his car and drives on back home.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Wook (Look) Momma, Papa!" Yash screams while tugging on her white pallu and pointing in the far off direction towards his father, who emerges into view amidst the spray of bright colors. Bani looks behind her and catches her husband's eye across the distance as he approaches. She blushes crimson on the thought of how she appears at the moment, covered nearly head to toe in color whereas he is dressed cleanly in a white dress shirt and black trousers. She bends down to Yash's level, taking him gently in her arms, and whispers something to him. She watches as Yash hurriedly agrees to her words and springs away.
Jai caught both his son and wife in view, standing at the far end of the vast garden surrounded by friends and their whole family all playing mirthfully together and not sparing anyone in the spirit of Holi. He sees that his wife hasn't been spared either with the vast amounts of color staining her pure white saree. He is just about to approach them when instead he sees his son rushing toward him in big strides. He stands still, wondering what he is up to, and is caught off guard as Yash hauls himself onto him, wrapping his stubby arms around his legs. He looks up to him with a goofy smile.
"Papa you here!" he screams in sheer delight on having his father heed his request. Giving him a half smile, Jai ruffles Yash's hair as an unexpected warmth surges into him by this gesture of acceptance from his estranged son---the acceptance of him as his father.
"Well I had to. You and your mother didn't give me much of a choice, did you?" Jai probes with a cocked brow. Yash simply giggles, not really understanding his father's proper way of speaking.
Suddenly Jai's vision blurs by the dust of colored powder showered onto him. Blinded momentarily, he turns behind him and sees his two mischievous nephews grinning broadly at him with their hands full of powder. They smear their uncle in color while laughing boisterously.
"Holi hai, Mamu!" they yell in unison and take Jai further off guard as they spray him with water. They cackle and run to save their lives from the wrath they know they created in their unsportsmanlike uncle.
"Saahil! Ranveer!" Jai bellows after them in frustration only to have himself ignored and be left facing their retreating backs. He begins to fume to himself but is diverted by hearing a melodious laughter ringing from behind. He follows it and finds his wife giggling gleefully with water brimming in her honey eyes. He's stunned to find both her and Yash laughing at his plight. He's further stunned as he himself cracks a smile, his bubbling anger fading.
"You think that was funny?" he questions his amused wife, who begins to settle but the smile on her lips remains. She stares back at him with her glistening eyes and answers teasingly, "Yes." His smile builds at the teasing mood she is in and finds himself suddenly being in one as well. "Oh really?"
"Yes, really," she stresses, scrunching her nose at him. Jai casts his son a side glance and says to him, "Yash, let's show your mother the consequence of laughing at others."
"Conseqaaayance?" Yash repeats in a puzzled manner but is ignored since Jai distracts himself by gathering fistfuls of color into his hands from the plates of powder resting on the table beside them. Bani's eyes widen as she takes a step back.
"Jai, no… please… I am already colored as it is," she says pleadingly, taking one step back each step he takes forward.
"You can never be too colored for Holi, Bani," he states his answer with a smirk. Yash hurriedly grabs some of the color as well, following his father's lead. Jai's pace quickens as does Bani and within seconds she finds herself being chased by both her husband and enthusiastic son. She squeals in laughter in between begging them to stop. Hoping to lose them, she swiftly slips in between the crowd of people, moving side to side.
They pass by their family; Aditya intent on coloring his fussing wife from head to toe, Ranveer and Saahil tackling Anu and Rano, and Dadi and Krishna standing off to the side smiling in encouragement of the happy atmosphere. Spotting her mother-in-law, Bani darts toward her to seek rescue and hides behind Krishna's back, startling her in the process.
"Arre Bahu, kya hua?" Krishna questions in surprise on seeing her daughter-in-law huddle behind her anxiously. Bani grips onto her mother-in-law's shoulders and explains hastily, "Mummyji, woh mere peeche paarge…"
"Kaun?" But Krishna finds her answer in the form of her son, who arrives within seconds. Krishna gets herself caught in a tussle between husband and wife as they circle around her (Bani wanting to surpass Jai and Jai wanting to catch her), giving her a slight headache.
"Jai, no!" "Ma, move aside!" "Mummyji, no!" "You can't hide behind her forever, Bani!" "Who says that I can't?" "Bani!"
"Arre, yeh kya ho raha hai? Mujhe chakar aarahi hai…" Krishna complains while gripping her forehead. Bani stands pressed behind her mother-in-law's back, moving her with every step she takes. "Mummyji, don't let him come near me!"
"Ma, don't protect her like this!" Jai demands while trying to reach his wife. Little Yash, finally reaching up to his parents, huffs and puffs after the long run they had made him do.
"Ma---Papa," Yash calls out for their attention in between gathering his breath. Dadi takes his hand that had been full of red powder moments before he released it all during his run. "Yash, dekho, tumhare ma baap kaise baachon ke tare kaehlareh hai…" she points out in laughter.
"Jai—Bani," Krishna begins to say but is cut off as Jai throws the color aiming it at his wife, who ducks while shrieking, causing all the green color to land on his mother's face. Krishna sputters and wipes at her eyes to remove the powder and feels the strong grips of her daughter-in-law lessen on her shoulders and once clearing her view sees that both her son and bahu have raced off. She tinkles with laughter at the sight of them behaving like kids and smiles brightly by the realization that this is the closet she has seen them since Ananya's death.
Jai follows after Bani like a predator on a hunt for his prey, his mind consumed by the frolic of the festivity. He quickens his steps and finally reaches her, grabbing her waist to overtake her. Bani squeals and struggles to let herself free but is lifted off her feet and twirled briefly before Jai places her back down and smears her face in color.
"Jaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiii!" she whines while shielding herself to no avail. "That should teach you a little lesson, Mrs. Walia," he taunts while laughing victoriously. Bani holds in her breath and stares at him wide-eyed at his words. This is the first time since they have been married that he has addressed her or even acknowledged her officially as Mrs. Walia. She looks on at him mesmerized from his bright face that wears a broad smile---one she has rarely seen in a long while. Jai's laughter dies down, yet leaving a grin. His grin softens, though, as he sees her bewildered expression.
"What?"
Bani is saved from formulating an answer as their son comes trotting along and tugs hard on Jai's trousers. He glares angrily at his father and mother while crossing his arms.
"Momma! Papa! Yash mad! You leave Yash!" he declares loudly, wanting to express his displeasure of being left behind to his parents. Jai's grin widens to its fullest length as he stares at his grumpy son. "It's not our fault you are a slow runner, kiddo," Jai says with more laughter rumbling from inside him. Yash screeches as his father covers him with the rest of the powder in his hands. He then hauls him into his arms as Ranveer, Saahil, Anu, and Rano all join them enthusiastically wanting to spray Yash with color as well. Bani watches from her spot as her son giggles with his cousins and his father and seeks payback by throwing color onto Jai and howling in laughter at the blue powder masking his face.
She feels her eyes grow moist and her heart swell witnessing the new changed relationship between her husband and son. The two who barely acknowledged each other before were now playing side by side with smiles and laughter. She dabs at her eyes to wipe away the water from her lashes as she becomes overcome with emotion on also realizing that she is finally seeing a sign of her old Jai returning back to her….. 


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