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!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

FF: Incomplete Life ... Chapter 23 [2/14/13] NEW UPDATE!


First, I would like to dedicate this chapter (a very long chapter I believe, it was 28 pages on word!) to my good friend, Archie. Archie, thank you so much for always being so encouraging and kind! Not to mention, extremely patient! Sorry for the long wait! I also apologize if the update does not meet up to your expectations, I tried my best. 

As for the rest of my wonderful readers, thank you for being patient with me as well! I understand that it can be frustrating waiting so long for updates. Especially that I've taken a whole year to update this FF--I didn't even realize this till some time back. It's just that I've become busier with school work increasing, having a job, and having other commitments as well. I really try to take out whatever time I have to give you guys updates. And I do not intend on leaving any of my stories unfinished unless for entirely creative purposes--so you do not have to worry about me not giving endings to any of my stories. I truly want to finish them all. I'm just having to struggle with time-managing so updates will not come so frequently as hoped, but still I will put my very best efforts into doing so. 

Anyway, moving on, here is the next installment to Incomplete Life FINALLY! I just want to warn you guys that it may not be one of my best works, I'm not too happy with this update. If I had more time to focus on it, I'm sure I could have shaped it up to be something better. So forgive me if you're disappointed with this update, I'll make sure to make up for it in the next. Still, I hope you enjoy! And please do leave comments! I read them all and they always encourage me to do better! 



Chapter 23: 

He woke up before his alarm the next morning. The sunlight streaming from the open curtains disrupted his sleep. He shifted many times, trying to avoid the light, but his irritation finally got the better of him. 

“Banneeee,” he growls into his pillows. There is no reply. He ducks his head under the covers in agitation. He hardly slept well during the night and now was exhausted. And somehow he knows, from routine, that he has less than an hour to rest before his clock blares loudly—and then he’d have to get out of bed. 

“Bannneee,” he calls again. “Close the curtains, will you? The damn sun is coming in...” 

Only silence greets him back. He expels a sigh before opening his eyes and raising his head. 

“Bani, are you liste---…”

He halts in his words when his eyes search the room and find she is nowhere in sight. His gaze then falls to the left side of the bed… empty and unslept in. Realization dawns on him and his head sinks back down on the pillows. Rolling onto his back, he stares up at the ceiling. 

He forgot. She left only yesterday. With Yash. For three weeks. He shoves his hands into his tousled hair. 

Three weeks. That’s not too bad. They’ll be back as soon as he knows it. It’ll all go by so fast. 

Then why does he feel like he’s been sucker punched in the stomach? And it doesn’t help that Bani didn’t call last night to let him know whether she made it there safely. Or answer his call. 

Jai glances at the clock, reading 7:07. He may as well get up and prepare for work. There’s no chance he’d be able to sleep now. Throwing the covers off his body, he rises from the mattress and heads to the bathroom…. 


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“I’m sorry, but the line you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try again.” 

“Come on, why aren’t you picking up?” he mutters, hanging up his phone. He already tried her cell phone to no avail; it only went straight to her voicemail, just like yesterday. And her parents’ home line is not going through. 

“Jai beta, you are still not dressed?” 

Turning around, he finds his mother by the doorway of his bedroom, holding a thali in her hands. She must be taking over for Bani and conducting the morning aarti. She looks to him with concern. He grimaces at her. He will not admit that he has spent the morning thus far trying to contact his wife and wondering why she hasn’t called instead of getting ready for work.  

 “Hmm. I woke up late, I’m getting ready now,” he lies, turning his attention back to his phone. 

“Well come downstairs after, breakfast is just about to be served,” she informs sweetly. He sets down his phone on the dresser and grabs the hairbrush nearby. 

“Alright Ma,” he unmindfully replies, her words a mere buzz in his ears. She leaves as he sets to combing his hair, his eyes fleeting to his cell phone in between. His grimace deepens. If he knows his wife at all, she’d be awake by now. So what is keeping her from calling him? It’s not like her. 

Setting the brush down, he glances at his watch—if he ponders anymore over this, he will definitely be late for work. He decides to officially put the pondering to a rest and just wait for her to call. She will definitely call—she wouldn’t be the Bani he knows if she doesn’t. 

Walking to his wardrobe, he opens its door and peers inside. 

“Damn, now what do I wear?” 


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“Beta, come sit and eat your breakfast… I have made it for you specially,” his mother chirps to him with a sunny smile on her face. 

Krishna Walia made the resolve to set time aside to take care to her only son now with her daughter-in-law gone for the next three-four weeks. So far it is proving somewhat of a challenge since she hasn’t had to worry for him for almost three years now with Bani taking over the responsibility. She forgot how terribly stubborn he can be. Just last night, he cribbed over the food Krishna presented to him for dinner, stating some lame excuse and went to bed with nothing. He paid no heed to her pleas. She hoped he’d be in a better mood today, her suspicions concluded that he is missing Bani and Yash more than he is letting on…. 

“Ma, I have to run to the hospital now… If you made it earlier, perhaps I could have had it,” he replies sharply, already in a terrible mood after having struggled with getting ready on scheduled time without Bani there to lay out his things for him. He could not figure out what to wear (Bani habitually picking out his clothing for him) or where his things were in the bedroom (something Bani was, he now realized, in control of). 

Krishna’s face falls just a little before she recovers from the slight snub. 

“Oh, I have forgotten how your schedule is like… Bani always took care to work around it, I do not even remember what it is like anymore… Tomorrow I will remember. But for now, you can eat just a little, can’t you?” she proposes hopefully, wanting to appease her visibly upset son. 

Jai refrains from openly frowning at her. “I’ll run late if I stay. A glass of orange juice would be okay, though,” he says as an afterthought, knowing that his mother would only fuss in his absence if he left without having anything. He knows he practically gave her an anxiety attack last night by refusing dinner. 

“Hain hain, beta. I will just go and get it for you,” she replies enthusiastically. Jai glances at his watch, grimacing. 

“Real quick, Ma,” he says to her when she takes her time to walk to the kitchen. He taps his foot impatiently, lingering by the dining table occupied by the rest of his family members who each look at him musingly. Everyone has begun to notice his irritable mood that has developed rather quickly since yesterday afternoon with Bani and Yash’s departure. 

“… Jai, how are Bani and Yash? Did they all reach Mount Abu safely? None of us have heard anything yet. We were wondering if you have spoken to any of them,” his sister speaks up, wanting to engage her brother into light conversation as well as gather whereabouts about her sister-in-law and her family. 

Jai casts a glance to his older sister, who seems taken aback with how he suddenly becomes irritated by her question. 

“I don’t know,” he simply grumbles as a response, his face darkening. Jigyasa shares a weary look with her husband, who shoots a bewildered expression in return. Aditya fixes his gaze on Jai. 

“She didn’t call you, Jai? That doesn’t sound like Bani,” he quips wonderingly, finding it odd that Bani would not inform anyone in the family of her safe arrival. They all concluded that at least Jai would know. 

As soon as Jai’s gray eyes shift to him, Aditya knows he has struck a nerve. He realizes he has made a mistake by prying. Not that it has ever stopped him from doing so before. 

“Yeah, well your precious Bani isn’t as perfect as you think she is, Aditya,” Jai snaps rudely, a scowl now visible on his handsome face. A tense silence makes its way into the dining area, causing every family member to clamp their mouths shut in his presence, even Aditya. 

His impatience reaching its height, Jai turns to look behind him to call out for his delaying mother. 

“Ma, I have to go!” 

“… Hain, hain beta… I am coming,” his mother replies soothingly, finally making a reappearance with a glass of orange juice in hand. She smiles uneasily at her youngest child, who seems to be near the edge of a tantrum. She hands over the glass and watches him put it against his lips. After the first sip, however, he lowers it from his mouth. 

“Ma, what is this?” he asks, his voice rough. 

Krishna seems taken aback by the question, staring back at him with confusion. 

“Jai, what do you mean? It is juice.” 

“No, it tastes different,” he affirms, examining the drink as if it is completely foreign to him.

On a second look, he sees why it is. “It has pulp in it, Ma. You know I don’t like pulp.” 

Krishna appears scandalized by this piece of information. She continues to watch him place the glass down onto the dining table. 

“But beta, it is not much…,” she attempts to argue. However, her adamant son refuses to cave. 

“I can’t stand pulp… What happened to the juice that Bani always gives me?” he carries on, ignorant to the exchanged glances the rest of his family members give one another accompanied with a few sniggers.  

“Beta, but this is freshly squeezed juice… just like how Bani always does… I suppose, though, she takes out the pulp for you then,” Krishna adds as an afterthought, grimacing slightly to herself for once again letting her son down. 

“I will just go back into the kitchen and get you another,” she offers kindly, but is rebuffed by her impatient son. 

“Forget it, Ma. It’s fine. I have to go,” he dismisses gruffly, stalking out of the dining area in long strides. 

“Arre Jai—…,” his mother attempts to stop him but to no success. She watches his departing figure with a building frown. She is at unease with the thought her son has gone off to work without anything in his stomach. Also, he has left without her having prepared lunch for him to take along. Sighing, she slumps down onto an available seat at the table, shaking her head.

“Yeh ladka bhi nah… I don’t know how Bahu handles him,” she resigns, earning laughter from her family. 

“Ma, Jai is such a brat. I am surprised that Bani even puts up with his demands,” Jigyasa pitches in, giggling at the distraught state of her younger brother. 

“She doesn’t. If anything, she keeps him in line. He has gotten bratty now in her absence,” Aditya jibes, can’t help but to add in his two cents to the conversation. 

“He is going to raise hell, I’m telling you,” he warns the rest of the Walias, who do not refute as they soon discover the truth to his words…. 

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As lunchtime strolled by, Jai’s mood went further downhill. He picks at the lunch sent to him from his mother via one of the house servants on her behest. It is his mother’s usual home cooked meals that are delicious, yet he finds that he oddly misses his wife’s rather bland foods—the pastas, the salads, the painstakingly made paranthas time to time that he’d usually throw out after eating just one bite, or give to Rohit (he’ll eat just about anything). But mostly, he misses the tiny notes she writes, filled with her routine scolding--telling him to eat her food else she wouldn’t speak to him and not to be too hard on Rohit that day. He had in fact even expected one when his assistant arrived in his office with his lunch in tow before he remembered again that Bani left just the other day. 

Though he would not admit it to anyone, he was unsettled over the fact that Bani hadn’t called him yet to let him know how her journey was. She must have arrived last night so he let it slide believing perhaps she was too tired and went ahead to sleep, but it is now the afternoon and he hasn’t heard anything. He didn’t bother to think of calling once more; stubbornly thinking that he’d wait for her to call instead. After all, the phone worked both ways. But he now toys with the idea of letting go of his pride and ring her again. There must be a reason as to why she hasn’t called. It’s not like Bani not to. Just as he scrolls through his contact list, locating her parents’ number, the door to his cabin opens, distracting him. 

“Hey yaar, was wondering whether you had lunch yet,” Rohit quips from the doorway with his usual broad smile. Jai places his phone back down, his irritation provoked more. 

“You can forget it Rohit. Bani hasn’t sent me any lunch today. She is away at her parents’ for the next few weeks till the wedding,” Jai nearly barks, knowing the reason why Rohit always stops by his office near lunchtime. 

“I know, that’s why I was proposing we go out to that restaurant that just opened nearby. I heard their food is fantastic!” he offers eagerly, at his food-fanatic best. 

“I don’t have the time to make a trip outside the---…,” Jai halts in his words, though, when recalling his friend’s earlier words. He then narrows his gaze at him suspiciously. 

 “What do you mean, you know? I didn’t even know she was leaving till the day before,” he lightly accuses. He lifts a brow when Rohit seems slightly taken aback by his demanding question. 

“Well she mentioned it a week or so ago…said she wouldn’t be able to bring me in food for quite a while in those little cute notes she writes with lunch, you know? I spoke to her about it the other night as well at Ranveer’s engagement, so I remembered today. And the place isn’t too far out, we can make it back to the hospital on time. They have been getting particularly good reviews for their appetizers that I want to try out,” Rohit continues jovially on the thought of food. He, however, is more than confused when witnessing the clear change on Jai’s face, watching it form into hard, harsh lines with anger sprouting in his dark eyes. 

“Get out, Rohit. Now,” he steely commands. Rohit appears stupefied, not knowing what he possibly has done to anger him. 

“Arre, yeh kya baath hai? Accha baba, we can skip the appetizers and go straight to the entrees if you want, I have no complaints,” he shrugs defensively. 

“Rohit, out!” Jai bellows, alarming Rohit by his quickly flaring temper that has erupted out of nowhere. He gives him a wide-eyed look before complying and walking out of the doorway. 

“Fine, no appetizers for you then… I will take Mahesh instead,” he haughtily remarks, neglecting to see the darkening look on Jai’s face, and shuts the door after himself. 

Jai expels a hefty sigh whilst combing his fingers through his dark locks of hair. His attention shifts back to his cell phone lying idly on his desk top. He scowls.  

“… She tells every Tom, Dick, and Harry that she is leaving, but me…,” he grumbles to himself, taking his phone and stashing it into his drawer. He rises from his chair and heads out of his office, deciding on busying himself with some pre-op preparations. 

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“Di, come nah! Now stop sulking and sitting by the phone all day. Jiju will call you back when he has the time. Ma and Ridhi Mausi are taking us shopping! Papa says he will take Yash to the park so you don’t have to worry for him,” Rano announces to her older sister, who sits up in her place when hearing her voice. Bani flashes a meek smile in an attempt to cover the previous frown adorning her face since morning. 

“I am not sulking… And I wasn’t calling your Jiju again… I have been trying the house landline but no one is picking up. Someone should be picking up. What if something is wrong?” Bani expresses the worry that has been consuming her since early afternoon. Rano rolls her eyes.  

“Di, please… It has not even been an entire day that we have been in Mount Abu and already you are having separation anxiety. Everything is fine, I am sure. Perhaps they are all busy too… preparing for the wedding like we are. They will call back, don’t worry. Now please come downstairs so we can go. I need my sister’s opinion rather than Ma and Mausi’s old fashion preferences,” Rano states with a crinkle of her nose, successfully causing a genuine smile to spread on Bani’s lips. 

“Accha teek hai… Let me return Papa’s cell to him and make sure he answers it while we are gone, first,” Bani chirps whilst getting off the bed in her old bedroom and leaving the room to do just that. She misses how her younger sister slaps her forehead, marveling at how much of a typical Hindustani woman her sister has turned out to be… 

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A frown lines her face while she ignores her surroundings. Her leg crossed over the other, Bani slumps her head into her hand that is held upright from the support of her thigh. She sighs, neglecting the wedding excitement that has captivated her mother, sister, and aunt. It is the third store they have visited today; browsing through sarees, lehengas, anarkalis one after another. She casts a fleeting glance to her sister, who holds an intricate gold saree against her frame, smiling widely as their mother and aunt gush over how it compliments her skin tone.  

Bani smiles faintly on the sight, not helping herself. She had been more enthusiastic in the beginning, but as time passed on, it began to wane. It was starting to worry her why she hasn’t been able to speak to anyone back home, but more importantly unable to get through to Jai. She realizes she is to blame. Due to her carelessness, she left her phone charger back in Mumbai and her cell died during the trip to Mount Abu. Her father promised to accompany her to the store on Monday to get another charger. That did little to appease her. 

And on top of that, her parents’ home lost its power since last night. They returned to Mount Abu to a dark house. Her father unfortunately forgot to pay past month’s bills for the electric and house phone. He defensively complained that without Rano around he has difficulty in remembering things. An argument was ensued between her parents; her mother aggravated with her father’s negligence. Before taking Yash to the park, Nishikant guaranteed he would speak to the company about the power situation. For now they have been making due with cracked windows and candles. 

When her father eventually offered his own cell for her use, she dialed Jai’s number immediately but received no answer to her calls. She then incessantly rang their home landline to find that it was engaged. Frustrated, she sat by staring at Nishikant’s cell for most of the early afternoon waiting for a callback. 

Again, she knows she’s being silly. She’ll eventually get through to someone. But she has been feeling restless since early morning. She will not be at peace till she speaks to Jai, who requested that she call him (even if it was indirectly said). 

“Di, what do you think?” Rano inquires, presenting the same gold saree with an eager look. Bani forces a smile, looking kindly at her sister. 

“It’s beautiful Ran…”

“Ma is suggesting that I wear it for the reception… Should I?” Rano persists with expectant eyes. 

Before Bani can speak again, Ridhi Mausi cuts in and grabs a hold of the beautiful fabric from Rano’s hands. 

“Arre, what is there to ask? You will look beautiful in it darling! You must wear it for the reception and make your mother and I happy,” she insists, draping it properly around Rano and admiring it on her. Kiran smiles elatedly like their aunt, placing a hand on her sister’s head and confirming Ridhi’s words. But still Rano looks to her older sister hopefully….and Bani knows then that Rano values her opinion above everyone else’s. 

Guilt trickles in her when meeting her younger sister’s brown eyes. Here she is, supposed to be partaking in Rano’s happiness, but instead moping because she misses Jai.  She’s being ridiculous. It hasn’t even been a full day since they’ve been apart. The whole purpose of coming to Mount Abu was to be here for Rano and her parents—so far she has been choosing to spend that time thinking about her husband and family back home. Brushing her worries aside, Bani smiles sincerely at Rano; deciding to engage more into their search for her sister’s wedding clothes. 

“Yes Rano, Mausi and Ma are right… It really looks great on you…. I’m just jealous that I can’t have it for myself,” Bani adds sweetly. She’s pleased to see how Rano’s eyes light up from her compliment. 

“Really Di? Okay, I will wear this for the reception then…,” Rano declares happily, looking back down to the gorgeous saree. 

“Yeh loh… When your mother and I are sitting right here telling you the same thing, you don’t agree…But as soon as your Bani Di says it, you are okay with it… Kamal hai,” Ridhi Mausi complains, making Rano and Kiran giggle. Even Bani wears an amused smile.  

“My daughters are like this, Ridhi… never doing anything without the other consenting to it….,” Kiran informs while Bani and Rano exchange knowing grins. 

“Bani used to be the same with Ananya too… running to her for every little thing… Di what should I wear to school today? Di should I take art or music class? Di should I eat this or that?” Kiran continues giggling lightheartedly. 

Both Bani and Rano’s smiles grow wider from the memory, reflecting back on their childhood fondly. It’s true; the three sisters were inseparable when growing up. They wouldn’t do anything without the other knowing or what their input was on the matter. Even Ananya would seek her little sisters’ approval despite being much older. In fact, Bani remembers clearly when Ananya pestered for her opinion about the name Yash for her unborn child.  

“It’s after Yash Nana ji of course… You remember him, don’t you? He was such a funny old bat… but so full of energy and life. You remind me of him… You’re both so much alike since you’re a little funny too. It’s too bad he died when you were so young. I really like his name, though… It just came to me the other day… Yash… And it has the same meaning as Jai’s… Victory… Yash Walia, that sounds perfect, doesn’t it Bani?” 

“May you two keep loving each other just like this,” Ridhi Mausi chimes in, cupping both of the girls’ faces affectionately. Bani returns her aunt’s smile but keenly observes how the laughter from her mother’s face begins to die and her smile wanes. 

Before her mother delves further down memory lane and make herself miserable over Ananya’s memories, Bani places a hand on hers. Kiran looks up at her with dim eyes. 

“Ma, what do you think? Mausi is saying that Rano should wear an anarkali for the day after her wedding. But I was thinking she can wear this lehenga right here… I think it’d truly show how beautiful our Rano is…. Sure the style is a little different, but it’s important for her to try new things,” Bani chirps, presenting an old fashioned musky green lehenga with heavy material and bulky long sleeves. 

Rano’s eyes almost pop out of its sockets from the atrocious looking outfit. She glares accusingly at her older sister, who tries her best to stifle her oncoming laughter. 

“Oh Kiran! It just takes me back to the fashion in our days…. Doesn’t it?” Ridhi announces excitedly, reaching for the lehenga that Rano has decided she’d rather be buck naked than wear. 

Ridhi engages Kiran into a lengthy reflection of their youthful days—the clothes they wore, the accessories, their hair, and the countless admirers they had. Bani sighs in relief as her mother is successfully distracted by her younger sister’s talks. She is thankful for Ridhi Mausi’s presence at the particular moment; a jolly woman who chatters a lot, but means well. She knows these wedding preparations will be exceptionally hard on her mother. Now with Rano officially leaving home, Kiran will find herself alone for the first time without a child to care for. It is for this very reason that she was keen on going to Mount Abu with her parents and Rano—to be a pillar of strength for her mother to bear through the pain of another daughter leaving her. 

Bani looks on fondly as the smile that threatened to leave Kiran’s face returns when actively engaging into conversation with her sister…. 

A nudge from Rano takes her attention off of her mother and onto her. Rano grimaces at her.

“Di, if Mama and Mausi start insisting that I wear this lehenga because of you then I am disinviting you to the wedding,” her sister puffs, glaring at Bani through her thick-rimmed glasses. 

“Accha? Is that the case?” Bani prods with a raised brow—tickled by her sister’s childish anger. She knows it is an empty threat and that Rano certainly doesn’t mean it, but she decides to have some fun with her sister anyway. 

“Yes,” Rano firmly states, pushing her chin high in the air. 

“Rano ki baachi--you just watch what I’ll do then,” Bani issues ominously. 

“Ma, Mausi! Rano was just saying that she loves this burnt orange saree right here and insists she will wear only this to her reception,” Bani announces, drawing both women’s attention to her as she presents another ridiculously tacky outfit that makes Rano look at it in horrified disgust. 

“Dii!!” she squeaks in protest….. 


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“Walia, where you headed?” Mahesh barks from behind, causing Jai to look over his shoulder. He gives a bored look. 

“Home, Mahesh,” Jai replies tiredly, stalling by the waiting room to allow Mahesh to catch up to him. 

“Any rush? A few of us are headed across the street for a drink… You’re more than welcome,” his good friend offers. Jai opens his mouth to refute, as he normally does, but Mahesh beats him to it. 

“Now, before you say no… Rohit is going off the clock soon, said he’d head over there as well… It’ll be a good chance to relax with some familiar faces, don’t you think? And besides, who are you in such a rush to get home to anyway? It’s only eight,” he adds. 

Jai stares at his inquisitive friend’s face and takes a moment to think over his invitation. He casts a discreet look at the mechanic glass doors that would lead him out to the parking garage and to his car. Looking back to Mahesh, who waits for his answer, he sighs in defeat. He has a point, there is no rush to leave for home—not when Bani and Yash won’t be there to go to.  

“I can afford an hour or two to spare, I guess,” Jai concedes, thinking he may as well since Mahesh and his co-workers have been convincing him to go out for drinks weeks now. 

Mahesh smirks, pleased with his change of mind. “Atta boy, it’s about time you hang with the big boys and let loose,” he encourages with a thump on Jai’s back. 


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“Another round?” 

Steering his gaze from the television, Jai nods and watches Mahesh order another set of beers. Passing one to him, Jai tips the rim of his bottle at Mahesh in acknowledgement before guzzling the cold drink down his throat. Both men set their bottles down on the bar’s countertop in unison as their co-workers are invested in the cricket match appearing on the box behind the bar. 

“Rough day?” 

“… You can say that,” Jai shrugs. 

“A case?” Mahesh prods. 

“It’s just been a long day,” he replies. 

“Isn’t it always?” Mahesh poses with an amused grin. Jai looks his way and shares the grin, faintly. 

“Yeah…”

“It’s good you came out… get your mind off things.” 

Jai just jerks his head and takes a sip of his beer. He’s oblivious to how his colleague keenly observes him, gauging his body language and silence. Mahesh takes a grip of his own beer, bringing it to his lips. 

“… So… I heard from Rohit that your wife and kid are out of town?” 

Jai sharply looks to Mahesh. His friend smirks knowingly and points his beer bottle at him. 

“Is that why you’re in such a slump today?” 

Jai simply goes back to drinking his beer, his silence answering Mahesh for him. Their co-workers and others in the bar shout and cheer over the happenings of the match, indicating that India is in the lead. 

Mahesh props his elbow onto the counter and keeps his gaze on his withdrawn friend. 

“… How long has it been since they left?” he asks understandingly. Jai meets his eyes and sighs in defeat. He decides he may as well make conversation if he’s already out drinking. 

“They left yesterday…,” Jai drawls.  

This makes Mahesh laugh boisterously in disbelief. “They’ve been gone a day and you’re already a grouch about it?” 

Jai sets his drink back down. “No need to laugh… I already know how ridiculous I’m being,” he grumbles, and out of old habit, runs his hand through his hair—tousling it. 

“Jai, my friend… at least you know you are being ridiculous,” Mahesh continues chuckling. Jai glowers in annoyance. 

“She hasn’t called,” he defensively explains. “It’s not like her to not call…”

“Maybe something came up? I’m sure she’ll call you when she can, Jai… Now, just relax. There’s no point in worrying over it and only making yourself more upset…,” Mahesh suggests with a kind smile. 

“I’m not upset,” Jai declares firmly much to Mahesh’s amusement. 

Just aggravated, he thinks while taking another sip. After all, what could be keeping her from speaking to him? Frustrated with his many attempts in reaching her, he stubbornly came up with the resolve not to contact her again. He would wait for her to call him back. Also, discovering that Rohit knew of Bani and Yash’s departure before even he did put him in a rather spoilt mood. Making the resolve not to call her became rather easy after that. 

“Hey Rohit!” Mahesh suddenly exclaims, his eyes shifting behind Jai. “Nice of you to finally join us.”

Rohit lays a hand on both men’s shoulders, grinning ear to ear. “Got something to warm me up boys?” 

Mahesh passes him a beer as he takes a seat on the stool available to the left of Jai. Popping open the cap to his drink, Rohit raises the bottle in the air. 

“Now look at this… the three of us out together in god knows how long. I’ll drink to that!” he cheers and clinks his bottle against theirs before taking his first sip. 

“What wouldn’t you drink to, Rohit?” Jai says with a roll of his eyes. Mahesh laughs heartily at this. 

“And what, might I ask, are you drinking to tonight?” Rohit poses instead. “Are you by any chance repenting how you missed out on awesome appetizers that Mahesh and I shared at the new restaurant downtown? That you could have joined in on had you not viciously kicked me out of your office earlier today, hm?” 

“You deserved it,” is all Jai says, resuming in finishing his drink. 

“Like hell I did… What’s got your panties in a bunch?” 

Jai glowers at him and Mahesh steps in. 

“His wife hasn’t called yet…”

Jai throws a glare at Mahesh for disclosing this information while a smirk unfolds on Rohit’s face. A spark lights his mischievous dark eyes. 

“Oh, so that’s what’s been bothering you all day… missing your wifey, are you?” Rohit teases, poking his finger into Jai’s ribs. Jai gives him a hard look before pushing off his hand. 

“Shut it… both of you,” he scowls, making both men snigger at his plight. He grouchily stares at the bar, his fingers fiddling with the wrapper of his beer bottle—his shoulders tense. Jai grumbles to himself, regretting saying anything to his friend Mahesh in the first place. 

“Walia, we’re just taking the mickey out of you… god knows we never get an opportunity to do so!” Mahesh exclaims with a laugh. 

“True. You’ve given me kryptonite, my friend. I’m going to harass you with this for years to come!” Rohit chirps, sipping on his beer gleefully. 

“Go to hell,” Jai growls, only entertaining Rohit further. Rohit grins at Mahesh while pointing the rim of his bottle in Jai’s direction. 

“My best friend, this guy right here…. Always wishing the best for me,” he sighs dramatically, earning chuckles from an amused Mahesh. 

“On a serious note, though… Bhabhi hasn’t called you?” Rohit inquires, grabbing the bowl of mixed nuts at the bar closer to him. He takes a handful, shoving it greedily into his mouth. 

“Can we just drop this already?” Jai says darkly, eying Rohit in disgust for eating the nuts that must have been out for hours…days…not to mention trifled with different hands. 

“No,” he simply replies back, munching on the nuts contently. Again Jai rolls his eyes, swearing under his breath. How did he even get himself into this in the first place? He’s regretting joining the two out for drinks—it was not meant as an invitation to discuss openly about his personal life. His business is his own. 

“That doesn’t sound at all like Bhabhi, Jai… Are you sure she hasn’t called yet? Maybe you missed her call? Did you check?” Rohit persists, taking another fistful from the nut bowl. 

His annoyance getting the better of him—mostly since he is discomforted by their probing into his private affairs and from the intoxication of the beer that is starting to set—Jai snaps at him. 

“Don’t tell me how she’s like—she hasn’t called, so it means she hasn’t called,” he expresses and digs a hand into his coat pocket, reaching for his phone. 

“And of course I’ve chec---..” his words quickly falter when finding his pocket empty. Taken aback, he searches his other pocket to discover it also contains nothing but his keys.  Both of the men’s brows shoot up on seeing his frustration die down almost instantly and instead confusion take over. They share a look while Jai, frowning, rises from the stool and feels his pant pockets. Nothing there as well. 

“Where the hell is my---..” he stumbles over his words, patting down his body in an effort to find the bulky item. His hands still on his lower torso when realization suddenly hits him… 

“Damn!” 

“What’s up, Jai? What are you looking for?” Mahesh finally questions, watching a dumbstruck expression settle on Jai’s face while Rohit looks curiously on, still munching—his hand digging further into the bowl. 

Without meeting either of the men’s gazes, Jai mutters something inaudible to their ears, his gray eyes now fixed to doors at the other end of the bar. Before either Mahesh or Rohit have the chance to ask for clarification, Jai stalks off from the bar, leaving the two behind as he breaks out into a fast stride in the direction of the exit—bypassing tables on the way. Baffled, they stare at his retreating back. 

“Oye! Where are you going?” Rohit bellows after him, but left ignored when Jai pushes through the doors and vanishes from sight…

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Shit. How could he forget his cell in the office? How could he forget to check his phone after his last procedure? Jai muses to himself while dashing across the busy street, bringing the lapels to his coat close to his chest to shield his body from the cold. When the hospital building comes to view, his feet pace faster… 

He was so caught up in leaving the hospital as soon as he could and completely neglected to retrieve his cell from the drawer—packing whatever was in sight and promptly exiting the office. Jai simply assumed it was stashed in his coat pocket, but did not give a thought to check since he was too mentally exhausted to think of anything else but leaving. He was also mildly annoyed with Bani; forgoing his inclination to call again or wait for her call. 

Reaching his office, he barges through the door and flicks the light switch on. Immediately the room floods with light and he briskly makes way to his work desk. Pulling out the top drawer, he rummages through it and grasps onto his cell. His chest heaves when his eyes fall to the screen of his phone—three voicemails from numbers he does not recognize to be Bani’s cell or her parents’ house number. 

Jai’s face falls, the hope he felt when rushing to the hospital leaving him. He slumps down onto his chair, his shoulders sagging. Dismayed, his eyes bore into the screen, reading the set of strange numbers listed. Figuring that he has come all this way, he calls his voicemail and places the phone to his ear. The alcohol hazing over slightly, he pinches the bridge of his nose and shuts his eyes. The line rings…

“You have three new messages… First message,” the automated voice greets him. A silence lingers for a short moment… 

“… Jai, it’s me...” 

Immediately his eyelids fly open and his insides lurch from the sound of her voice—Bani. He sits up in his chair, his focus now solely on her next words… 

“I’m calling from Papa’s cell. My phone died and I left the charger home—I know, I know, it was stupid of me. But Papa says he’ll take me to get another this Monday… so hopefully then my cell will work again. I’m sorry if I missed any of your calls… I don’t know if you or anyone else has tried to, but we’re not getting any calls from the houseline either… Papa forgot to the pay the bills last month so the power and phone line went out and then he and Mama got into this fight since we’ve had to use candles since coming here…and then he started blaming Rano, and it was this big thing… But anyway, yes… so that is why I’m calling from Papa’s number… And I know you’re busy at the hospital now, but I wanted to let you know that we’re just fine.. The trip was good, but tiring. Yash slept through most of it—he asked about you again. I told him I’d get you to talk to him as soon as I could reach you but I guess it will be later then… I’m going to stop rambling now, but call when you get the time so I know you got my message… Okay, bye,” she finishes…

He eases into the support of his chair, relaxed from the message left by her. Feeling light on finally hearing from her, Jai’s lips twitch… a hint of a smile showing… pushing away the previous frown lines on his face. 

“End of message. Next message….”

“Jai, it’s Bani again. I was hoping I’d catch you… I figured you’d have some break time in between somewhere… Never mind. But I did forget to mention earlier to call Papa’s number to reach me the next couple of days… It’s not the old number—he changed it some time ago. It’s 555-691-8448. Also, I wanted to remind you to eat your meals on time. I asked Mummyji to pack your lunch for today before I left… so hopefully you did eat it for lunch and not give it to Rohit Bhaiya instead… I specifically told her to make your favorites… Hmmm… now what else? …. I’ve been trying to call home, but no one is picking up or it does not go through. I’m starting to get worried. If you get the chance to speak to anyone, let them know that they can call Papa’s number as well to reach us… I’m sure they want to know that we reached safely.  … Jai—I have to leave. We are going shopping for Rano’s clothes… Call when you’re free, okay? Bye….”

He catches each word, listening to the silky flow of her voice… a voice, he realizes, he misses. 

“End of message. Next message…”

“Hello, Jai? It’s Bani… I’m calling from a payphone. I’m out with Mama, Rano, and Mausi right now… thought of giving you a call to say to discard what I said in the last message. I finally spoke to Mummyji. I explained to her about things here and gave her Papa’s number. She told me that Anu was speaking to a friend of hers for a long while, so my call was not going through. Mummyji also told me that you did not have something to eat this morning or the night before. She was very upset. If I find out you did not eat lunch either, Jai, I am not speaking to you anymore… You are always neglecting your health.. I do not like it. You are going to fall ill if you keep on like this.. I gave Mummyji the task to force food down your mouth if you refuse dinner tonight again. No more skipping meals. Mummyji is going to keep a close watch on you from now on for me… I am serious Jai, I will know if you didn’t ..… I have to go now, but I will talk to you hopefully soon…Bye.” 

 “End of message… No more new messages. To listen to your old messages, press 1… to be directed to your--…”

Exiting his inbox, Jai shoves a hand to his head, fingers combing through his hair…his grin now having settled into a content smile…her messages tickling him with amusement yet igniting a spark inside him…filling him with a certain warmth. God, it feels so good to hear her voice. He didn’t realize till now how much he misses it… misses her.  

He reflects on how ridiculous he has been. It’s not like Jai to get upset by something so trivial. He would have eventually heard from her, there was no need to hassle himself with worry. But there was a certain uneasiness in him that did not leave him…an uneasiness he knew would settle only when hearing from her. 

Now alert, rejuvenated by her equal eagerness to get in touch with him, Jai hastily locates the number and dials the digits onto his keypad. Placing the phone to his ear, he listens as the line rings while his fingers drum against his work desk impatiently…. 

“Hello?...” 

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After washing the last of the dishes from dinner, Bani sought out the whereabouts of her son. He did not eat as much as she’d have liked him to, picking at his food rather than eating it. She holds a glass of warm milk in her hand, intending to have him drink it. She learned from her mother that he was in Rano’s bedroom, playing with his Mausi. As she climbs the last of the steps and passes through the hallway, something draws her attention…and her feet stop. 

Bani halts by the doorway of her parents’ open bedroom and listens to the sound of her father’s booming voice… 

“What can I say son? I am getting old now… do not remember things like I used to… Before Rano would remind me on time, but she has been away that is why…”

There is a brief pause till she hears her father laugh heartily. “Yes, yes, Kiran was very upset with me. Did not speak to me for the rest of the night or the next morning.”

Another pause. Bani hovers by the doorframe, peering quietly inside. She stares into her father’s back as he sits upright on his bed, chatting into his cell phone whereas her mother roams around the room, tidying it. Biting on her bottom lip, Bani ponders whether the person on the line is who she thinks it… 

“Power is back on, but the landline is still yet to work. The company told me it will be back up in a day or two after charging a late fee…. For now you can reach us by my cell. ……… Hain beta, I am just fine… …. Yes, she is too…. She is right here in fact….should I put you through?”

She watches as Nishikant lifts the cell from his ear and extends it to his wife, who turns on being acknowledged. 

“Kiran, Jai beta wishes to speak to you….” 

Bani’s eyes light up. She unconsciously draws closer; captivated by an excitement to speak to her husband. A soft smile plays on her mother’s lips as she takes the phone from her father. 

“Hello, Jai? ….. How are you beta?” she asks warmly. 

“…. Hain hain, the trip was good. We got here just fine….. No, Yash was no trouble at all. He fell asleep for most of it….. …. He is enjoying it here so far---..”

“Momma!” a sudden cry takes Bani’s attention off of her parents and to the sight of her toddler running in fast strides to her. On reaching her at her parents’ door, Yash takes a hold of her dupatta, tugging on it. 

“Momma, play pleaassh? Maushi no play....,” Yash pouts at his mother, blinking his wide dark eyes at him. Bani hurriedly presses a finger to her lip, attempting to quiet her son in order to not give her presence away. But it is too late since she hears her father’s voice suddenly speak. 

“Yash? Bani? … Beta is that you?”

Taking a hold onto her clinging son, Bani reveals both herself and Yash, standing in full view. She smiles lightly at her father. 

“Ji, Papa. I was just passing by.”

“Arre, come in. Jai is on the phone. He is speaking to your mother. I told him I would give the phone to both of you,” Nishikant urges, ushering both his daughter and grandson into his bedroom with a wave of his hand. Bani complies, Yash following after her. Kiran smiles kindly at her daughter whilst speaking to her son-in-law. 

“Yes beta, she and Yash just walked in. I will hand the phone over to them….” 

Bani bashfully smiles back, anticipation bubbling in her stomach. Just as her mother is about to hand the phone to her, Yash tugs on his mother’s arm, wanting her attention. 

“Momma play…” he demands. 

“Yashu, your Papa is on the phone. Don’t you want to talk to him first?” his grandfather questions sweetly. 

Yash, on hearing this, forgoes the thought of playing and springs up in excitement. He now pulls on his mother’s arm, shaking the milk in her hand. 

“Yash, careful beta. You will spill the milk,” Bani admonishes with a grimace, temporarily distracted from the phone. 

“Momma, I wanna the phone! Yash wanna talk to Papa!” he pleads to Bani. Kiran laughs endearingly at her grandson, ruffling his hair. 

“Accha baba, yeh loh…. Talk to your Papa,” his grandmother obliges, granting him the phone instead. Bani looks on as Yash latches onto the cell and chirps into the speaker piece. A smile tugs on her lips from his clear enthusiasm to speak to his father. She glances at her mother and father, who share her smile—tickled by the boy’s antics as always. 

“Papa!”

As Yash talks animatedly to Jai, Bani places a hand fondly on the top of his head—her heart bustling from joy. Seeing the growing love her son has for her husband makes her incredibly happy. Not just a few months back they hardly spoke. And now Yash treasures Jai just as much as he treasures her. It is all that she has ever wanted… for Yash to have his father’s love and affection.  

“Did he call just now Papa?” Bani finds herself asking. 

“Hain, not too long ago....,” Nishikant answers. 

Looking back at Yash and noting that the conversation may last for some time, she addresses both her parents. 

“Ma… Papa… it is getting late now, you can sleep. I will take Yash back to my room so he does not bother you…”


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Bani now waits impatiently as Yash goes on with his endless talks. He is not willing to let his Papa go—speaking whatever comes to mind. She had tried to intervene some time ago, only to have her son pout at her with his big eyes. She frowns; the desire to speak with Jai incessantly gnawing at her. The echo of his deep voice as Yash speaks to him taunts her. 

“And then… and then Papa …. Nana, he push me again on shwing…. I go high… Nana took me shlides… and ….ice cream,” Yash continues gleefully, recounting his day at the park with his grandfather. 

Bani hears the faint rumble of Jai’s words conversing back. She expels a sigh and listens unmindfully to father and son’s conversation for another few minutes till Yash calls for her.

“Momma? … Papa wanna talk,” he simply states, extending the phone out to her. Relief trickles fast into her as she straightens her previous slouched form on the bed. When taking the cell in a haste, Yash jumps off the bed and races out of their bedroom. Bani forgets to remind him to drink his milk, instead, all thought focused on the call. She presses the phone to her ear, thankful of finally having her chance to speak…

“Hello?” she attempts to greet coolly, when really, her stomach is tied in knots… 

“Hi…” he greets back, his voice husky. 

“…Hi,” she repeats shyly, a smile now adorning her curvy lips. 

A brief silence settles between them; one in which the both bask in the satisfaction of finally catching one another. Bani wrestles with the urge to express how much she already misses him while Jai is determined not to reveal how long he has been waiting for her call. 

He slumps his head against the backrest of his chair, the restlessness spent on impatiently waiting to speak to Bani now easing. The corners of his mouth lift upward, a smile threatening to show on finally hearing her voice… after going through the ordeal of speaking to both her parents and his son’s lengthy talks. But it fades quickly when a thought crosses his mind… 

“You told Rohit before even me that you were leaving to your parents?” he accuses suddenly, annoyance evident in his tone. 

He curses himself once the words leave him. Why can’t he have a single conversation with Bani where his emotions do not get the better of him? His intention was not to start off their conversation like this, but something about Bani always gets another reaction out of him…. 

Bani’s smile drops when hearing his words. And suddenly she too is reminded of her own frustration with him. He is not surprised when instead of being hurt from his harshness, his wife immediately fires back.

“Why haven’t you been eating? Do you want to get sick? You know you work long hours, it is completely irresponsible of you to be behaving like this Jai—..” she admonishes ardently. 

“Oh, I’m being irresponsible? And what do you call a wife who neglects to tell her own husband that she is leaving for the next three weeks?” he charges defensively. 

“I already apologized for that. Besides, if you were home more often, I wouldn’t have forgotten to tell you,” she shoots back. 

“Don’t use that as an excuse, you had plenty of time to tell me,” he insists. 

“Did you have lunch?”

“Don’t change the topic.”

“Jai, it was an honest mistake,” she sighs, hating to rehash this over with him. 

“You told Rohit,” he persists heatedly, refusing to let this go. “I was the bloody last person to know,” he continues resentfully. “I mean, God--Rohit, Bani, really? You told him before me?” 

“It just happened to come up, I briefly mentioned it. It’s not like I ran off to tell him the news,” she answers flatly. 

“You may as well have,” he haughtily remarks. 

Bani frowns, her previous good mood on hearing his voice now spoiled. 

“Like I said before,” she stresses, “if you were around more for the engagement preparations, you would have known on time like everyone else…”

“There were other times to tell me, you know… We share a room for god’s sake—you didn’t think of telling me there before bed or in the mornings?” he questions incredulously. 

Her cheeks now turn red as she passionately argues back to him.  

“Jai, the entire engagement process was so hectic… My mind was cluttered with so many things to remember and do. It slipped. But I really did think you knew. How many times do you want me to apologize for this?”

He’s momentarily stumped; not knowing how to respond to this. It’s true; they’ve discussed this before. He had already been angry with her the day before over this. He cannot help it though. He can’t for some reason explain why he takes such an offense that she did not inform him… upset that he didn’t know earlier… upset that she’s gone for weeks. 

“I just don’t understand it is all… A head’s up would have been nice… which you clearly gave to everyone, but me,” he emphasizes darkly. 

“Okay, you win… I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Khush? Now tell me, did you or did you not have something to eat today?” not caring to pursue this any longer, wanting to check on his health. 

“So what if I didn’t? What are you going to do about it?” he challenges. 

Bani’s brows shoot up on hearing this. “Well for starters, I’m going to give Mummyji both your office phone number and your assistant’s number so she can have access to you at work whenever she wants… then I will call up Rohit Bhaiya and insist that you’ve requested to be taken out to lunch for the rest of the week and—..”

“I ate,” he grumbles. “Ma sent something for lunch and I had an early dinner at the cafeteria…” 

“Then why did you skip dinner last night and breakfast this morning?” she persists crossly. 

“I didn’t feel like eating then, that’s why,” he replies gruffly. 

“Jaiiii,” she sighs exasperatedly. “How many times do I have to tell you that you can’t just skip meals like this?” she reprimands. 

“Hmmm, yeah, I know… Now tell me, why did you leave your charger behind?” not helping himself but to express his further displeasure. 

“The phone charger?” she echoes in confusion. 

“Yes, the charger,” he repeats impatiently. 

“I forgot to pack it. I already explained in the voicemail I left you… Did you not hear it?”

“No, I heard. All three of them, in fact. I still don’t understand how you can forget it… I didn’t get you a cell phone as a mere accessory, you know. It’s supposed to be a means of communication with each other,” he sardonically quips.  

“Now you are going to fight with me about the phone charger? Jai, did you call to speak to me or fight with me?” she demands. 

“I am not fighting with you,” he refutes stubbornly. 

“Yes, you are,” she insists. 

“No, I’m not. It’s just a question, Bani.” 

“You are still angry about the Rohit thing…,” she states knowingly. 

“Just stop telling him every little thing about our lives,” he stresses, his irritation flaring up again—confirming her suspicion. “It’s none of his business… You are always tittering with him about everything,” he grouchily expresses. 

“That is not true,” she defends. “Besides, it’s not like you listen to anything I have to say… who else am I going to talk to?” 

“I listen,” he argues. 

He hears his wife chortle as a response and grows incredibly defensive. “I do,” he insists. He hears a prolonged silence from her side of the line and can clearly envision her being incredibly amused at this point; perhaps even biting down a smile. He grimaces from this.  

“Can you at least find someone else to speak to? Why does it always have to be Rohit?…,'” he relents in defeat and listens to the sudden resounding laughter of his wife echoing from the other end. He is at first taken aback but his features soften on hearing the sound, his grimace leaving… 

“Jai,… you are always after Rohit Bhaiya… Are you sure he is one of your closest friends?” she teases, giggling fully at this point—forgoing her previous heated banter with him. He is too cute to be angry with, she concludes to herself. 

Her light laughter eases his annoyance down a notch and he too resolves to discontinue their bickering. It is one of the quirks of his marriage with Bani that he has found to be quite intriguing… as quickly as they get riled up, they are just as quick to simmer down… 

“Whatever…. Bottom line is, I’m your husband, not him. If there’s anyone you’re going to be speaking to that much, it’s going to be me,” he declares in finality. 

Bani is left speechless for a brief moment and her cheeks burn when hearing him rumble these words. She plays with the pillow in her lap, tugging on its edges. 

“Okay…,” she simply concedes. 

Jai raises a brow in surprise; uncertain whether he heard her right. “Okay?”

Tickled with further amusement, she giggles again and nods even though he cannot see. 

“Okay,” she repeats clearly; knowing that he must be in disbelief by how easily she has complied when usually it is not the case. 

Baffled, Jai listens to her concession that he did not expect to come so easily. He was sure she would further argue her case; he was being unreasonable and knew it. Instead of probing the issue more, he takes it. 

“Okay…,” he confirms gently, letting the subject drop. 

“Thank you for making it clear that you are my husband… I was just so confused…,” she can’t help but jibe a moment later. 

Jai rolls his eyes; knowing all along that his wife would not spare him this chance to have his way. 

“Banee…,” he growls into the phone. She laughs some more at his expense and Jai cannot help it that his insides hum from the sound…how his chest swells. 

“Now tell me… what’s wrong?” she inquires expectantly, moving their conversation along…

“What’s wrong?” he poses back, puzzled by what she is getting at; distracting him from reflecting on the sensations that have embodied him since speaking to her…  

“Why are you upset?” she clarifies, making it clear to him… 

“I’m not upset…,” Jai refutes promptly. 

Bani smiles despite his stubbornness. “Jai, I know you…,” she chimes in her silky voice. 

It is all that she has to say in order for him to comply, a little bit begrudgingly. He doesn’t know how she does it; what this effect she has on him… He sighs, knowing there is no point in hiding it. 

“It’s just been a long day….,” he concedes, “and….”

“And?” she prods gently. 

And… He misses her, is what he finds himself wanting to say, but unable to. Suddenly feeling sheepish by the thought, he ignores the building warmth in his face and roughly clears his throat while straightening his posture on his chair. 

“And … nothing…,” he ends briskly, not wanting to give anything else away. 

Silence. Bani bites down on her lower lip, trying to gauge the reason behind his somber tone. She can tell he is troubled by something; he only ever picks a fight with her when already upset over an issue. She decides, however, not to dig further. It is clear he does not want to go into it.  

“Are you at the hospital?” 

“Hmmm… in my office.”

“Are you still working?”

“No…”

“Then how come?”

Jai again sighs, wearily. “Mahesh dragged me out to get drinks with him and Rohit… I’m a bit drunk so waiting for it to wear off before driving home,” he explains. 

“That must have been nice, it’s been awhile since you’ve spent time with either of them…” Bani comments encouragingly. “Did you have fun?” 

“Actually no, the both irritated the hell out of me…”

“Oh? And why’s that?”

“They’re bloody idiots, that’s why…” he wastes no time in professing. 

“Jai,” she says his name in exasperation, yet amusement reappearing in her tone. “How are these people your friends if you cannot even stand them half the time? Who are you going to have left if you are constantly badmouthing them, hm?”she inquires sweetly with a humorous grin. 

“… I have you, don’t I?” he rumbles back in his baritone voice… 

There is a silence from the other end of the line. Bani’s heart flutters and she holds in her breath. Her face burning, lips left parted, she is so caught off guard that she cannot even formulate her next words… 

As soon as he said it, Jai realized he had said too much… has been saying too much. Things he would not say if sober. The alcohol has loosened his tongue, making him unconsciously slip out words that come to mind…  He clears his throat, trying to regain his composure. 

“Anyway…  uh… how is Mount Abu? Has it snowed there yet?” he quickly asks, quite lamely, to thwart the topic, combing his fingers through his thick hair and ruffling it greatly from the nerves that suddenly siege him. What hell is going on with him? He wonders… 

Bani blinks wide-eyed for another moment before gathering her lost voice… feeling quite warm all over from his past expressed words. 

“… M-Mount Abu is just fine… And no it hasn’t snowed yet, unfortunately… I’m looking forward to the first snowfall here, though,” she chirps lightly when carrying the conversation forward, deciding to move past their last exchange. She chides herself to not make a mountain out of a molehill. He perhaps did not mean it in the way she took it to mean… He could never know what effect those words have on her… 

Despite his oddly nerved state, Jai smirks, his hand stilling in his hair… “I remember how much you loved the winter over there… No one could ever get you inside the house once it started to snow…,” he murmurs reflectively… remembering the times Bani would frolic and play endlessly in the snow, twirling beneath the showering snowflakes…chucking snowballs and making snow angels…. 

Bani smiles when he points this out, warmth seeping into every nook inside her… flattered that he remembers this much about her. “Well it’s always been my favorite season… and I figure with Yash now here, he may enjoy it too…” 

“Hmm… true. I’m sure he’ll like it.”

“Hmmm…” she hums in agreement. 

They don’t say anything else to each other for a long moment; a comfortable hush setting… in which both listen in on one another’s silence… and the many things that hang between them that are not put into words…. 

“Woh—"

“Tum—"

Another pause. 

“Tell me…” Jai urges softly… wanting to hear what she says… 

“… Woh… Main…. It’s just … I meant to say earlier… I’m sorry for leaving you so many messages… I knew you would most likely be busy with work, but I was worried if I by any chance missed a call of yours… and I wanted to let you know that Yash and I arrived safely here…” she explains, matching his gentle tone… 

“And threaten me to eat my food, tell me that Mama and Papa got into a fight, and that Anu was speaking to her friend—..” he cannot help but jibe with a soft grin. 

“Well yes, all that too…,” she admits sheepishly, making her husband’s smile broaden. 

“It’s fine… I’m just sorry I couldn’t take any of them,” he replies sincerely, regretting that he let his frustration and annoyance get the better of him and hence missed her calls. 

“…. So did you?” she questions hesitantly, her fingers still tracing the edges of her pillow.  

“Did I what?” 

“… Call….” Bani continues rather sheepishly; not knowing why she seeks this from him but wanting to know the answer. Was it only her who had been so restless since leaving the station in Mumbai? Did he feel it by any chance too? Does he miss her at all like she does him? She bites down on her lip while intently listening to the line from his end. 

“… Uh… yeah… once or twice,” he attempts to say coolly, not wanting to reveal how he obsessively rang her and her parents’ landline. He feels it again…. the nerves bundling inside him, making him uncomfortable. He rubs the back of his neck. 

“You did?” Bani voices in slight awe, yet delight laced in her words. She can barely contain the huge grin that erupts on her lovely face. Her honey eyes turn bright. 

“Why do you sound so surprised by that?” he drops his hand, slightly affronted by her blatant amazement that he would do such a thing. 

“Well I figured you would be busy with your work…” she lamely offers, still smiling goofily ear to ear… beaming. She knows it’s silly, but cannot help being overjoyed by the fact that he has tried to contact her… that he is not as indifferent to her as she previously thought. 

“I wouldn’t be that busy to not check up on my wife and child, Bani,” he rebukes with a frown, upset that she thinks this of him. Does she really think him to be that indifferent? 

 “What do I know? I am so used to you putting your work first… ,” she chirps good-humoredly, tickled with pleasure at the moment. 

“Hmmm… Now it’s you who wants to start a fight… Why bring up this same old issue over and over again?” Jai mutters to her. 

He hears his young wife giggle. “Accha, I won’t. Don’t worry.” 

“…. How’s your wrist?” he carries on when this thought crosses his mind. 

“It’s fine… Doesn’t hurt at all anymore.”

“Still… don’t do any heavy lifting with it… Especially do not pick up Yash… I will hear of it if you do…. I’ve already spoken to Mama and Papa about it… Also make sure you go in for a checkup sometime soon to see how it is healing since I am not there to see it myself….”

“Okay…”

“I mean it Bani, don’t be careless about this…”

“I won’t.”

“If you hadn’t been so careless to begin with---..”

“Ufff, now if you go into this with me right now, I will hang up on you,” she suddenly warns, issuing an empty threat, but still provoking her husband to reach her temperament as well. 

“Well who told you to go hop into a car with Ranveer? Why didn’t you come to me?” he accuses. “I would have taught you if you wanted to learn so bad…” 

“And where would you have found the time to teach me?”

“You just said you wouldn’t go into that,” he points out gravely. 

“Well I will if you  are going to pick a fight about this too…”

“Whose fighting? I was simply saying—“

“That I’m careless,” she mocks. 

“You know, you are no less… you don’t spare a moment to get on my back over one thing or the other..” he charges in his defense. “But I say one thing to you and you won’t hear of it.” 

“That’s because I’m perfect and do no wrong,” she taunts teasingly. 

“And therefore I am imperfect?”

“Take it as however you wish.”

Jai clamps his mouth shut, acknowledging her attempt of making some fun at his plight. Usually his initial reaction would be to scowl but when hearing his wife’s further giggles that she unsuccessfully contains, he simply finds himself amused. And to his surprise, a smirk unfolds on his handsome face and he chuckles along with her… 

They both laugh over the entirety of their conversation—finding humor in how much it is that they bicker. It seems as if their relationship is based off their quarreling and dry sarcasm. The beauty of it, though, is that they never take it to heart. Oddly enough it only seems to bring them closer together… 

Jai wishes that he can see her laughing… to have these stupid little fights with her in person and not over the phone… to be with her. Something that he has taken for granted till now…. 

Bani is the first to cease their laughing, regaining her composure and asking purposely…

“Now are you still angry with me?”

“….No,” he caves as it is the truth. Any annoyance he held against her long gone…. To which he is not surprised with; he has never been able to remain upset with Bani for too long. 

“Not even about the Rohit thing?” she persists. 

“Not even about the Rohit thing,” he confirms calmly. He is unable to see the wide smile that tugs on his wife’s lips as she does not notice any frustration appear in his voice from the approached topic that previously aggrieved him. 

“Are you still drunk?”

“It was just a buzz… and no, I’m sobering up now…” he answers, the haze that overcame him earlier abating. 

“Take a cab home, please…. Don’t drive,” she pleads; not wanting him to drive even if slightly intoxicated. 

“Okay,” he concedes without any qualms, pleasing his wife that he does not refute. 

“Will you let me know when you get home?” 

“Bani… it’s just from the hospital to home… the same route I take every day,” he reasons with her, not understanding her worry. 

“Still….” she requests. 

He takes in the plea in her tone and supposes she will not be able to sleep in peace without knowing he returned home safely. She, after all, is used to waiting for him most nights to make sure of this. 

“I’ll send you an SMS when I reach…” 

“I’ll keep Papa’s phone with me then… I’ll let you go so you can head on home. I have to put Yash to sleep anyway… ” she completes on a soft note. 

“Did he drink his milk yet?” he asks when remembering this daily routine they have been implementing on their son.  

He hears his wife release a lengthy sigh. “No… you know how he is… I was just going to, but then you called…”

“... Hmm… Alright, make sure that he does… And let him know that I say goodnight,” he tells her, steering their conversation to an end… though he feels as if he could speak to her endlessly. 

“I will…. And don’t forget to send that SMS… and to eat when you get home,” she mentions, clutching hard onto the phone. 

A small smile flickers across his mouth. “Alright…”

“Do you have Papa’s new number?”

“… I’ve jotted it down…”

“….. Will you call me?”

“No, if I call, it will be to speak with your parents… not you…” he dryly remarks. 

“Okay… so when will you call them?” she goes along with his sarcasm. 

“…. Maybe lunchtime tomorrow…,” he drawls. 

“You promise?”

“Hmmm…” he lazily agrees in a hum. 

A sunny smile lights up her face. “Alright, I’ll speak to you then. Bye…” she wishes in an undertone. 

“… Bye,” he replies, matching her tone. 

“Take care of yourself…”

“…. You too.”

“Okay, goodnight…” she murmurs. 

“… Goodnight,” he bids gently. 

 “…. You will SMS me, right?” she directs at him after a hesitant moment. 

“Bani, are you going to hang up the phone or do I have to?” 

She simply giggles. “Bye.” And the line disconnects. 

Jai is left with a smile plastered to his face when cutting the line from his end… a smile that shows no sign of waning. He chuckles to himself in the privacy of his office, a certain warmth enveloping him. .. his gray eyes brighter than usual. 

He is at peace in finally hearing from her… his pent up frustrations diminished by the single sound of her voice… 

He replays their conversation over in his head and the smile widens…. 

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Bani had been close to drifting to sleep later that night when the sudden buzz of the cell phone beside her startled her out of drowsiness. Reaching for the phone on the nightstand, she lifts it and sees a message appear on the screen. 

Reached home just fine. -- Jai. 

She smiles lightly in relief; pleased by his safe arrival. Placing the cell back on the table, she settles down onto her pillow again, pulling the covers close around her. Her honey eyes fall onto the picture frame resting on top the surface of the stand… She gazes lovingly at it, taking in each and every detail of the picture of her husband… the very same picture from their room back home that she made sure to pack along with her things without fail… 

She eventually falls sound asleep, her last thoughts revolving Jai…  


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He walked into an empty bedroom that night for the second time. When under the covers, he lied on his back and bore his eyes into the ceiling above… trying to ignore the hollow feeling of the missing presence of his wife and child on the mattress. Placing an arm beneath his head, propelling it up on his pillow, Jai expels a sigh…  

“Just three weeks…,” he mutters to himself before succumbing to the day’s exhaustion…. 


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