CHAPTER 102:
Bani was not too happy that the doctor had told her to stay at home for the next week and rest. She wasn't a person who could just take it easy. Even when she was at home she was constantly busy with one thing or another, like cooking, cleaning, laundry…there were so many things that needed to be done. However, as per Jai's instructions Bani was not allowed to lift one finger. If he could, he would sit with her and spoon feed her meals. Me called every hour or half-hour to check up on her, even if he was in the middle of a meeting. Rano, Anu and Jigyasa were there to keep her company, one of them were home with her all day. They talked and talked and talked, after all they were girlfriends, their conversations never stopped. Bani had probably watched every movie ever made in Bollywood with Dadi. She sat down for pooja with Massi for the well-being of her baby. Sahil, Aditya and Jai were the ones in charge of her cravings, which she hadn't been having too much of; there had been no 2am cravings…yet…
As much as being confined to the house was annoying and unbearable for Bani she was putting up with it. She didn't want to take any chances with this baby. Considering what happened the last time, she couldn't lose another baby…especially this baby…her and Jai's baby. She was scared out of her wits, but she didn't tell anyone. If she told the family that she, herself was scared then God only knows how much more smothering they could get with her.
Massi didn't want her climbing up and down the stairs much, so one of the guest rooms had been transformed into a day room for her. Bani came down in the morning, and then went up at night. During the day she stayed down stairs. Jai even had Tony watching Bani to make sure she didn't sneak up the stairs when no one was looking, or that she didn't do anything stressful. Massi and Dadi have kept feeding her green vegetables, freshly squeezed juice, lots of fresh cut fruits, they went for nice afternoon walks with her, they made sure that her feet didn't get swollen much, they massaged her feet with oil, much to Bani's embarrassment.
Anu, Jigyasa and Rano had taken it upon themselves to update Bani's wardrobe. Bani was getting bigger and bigger by the day and all her old outfits didn't fit her. Her blouses were too tight, and forget getting one of her old kamizees over her head. They had picked out nice fabrics and cute designs and had a tailor custom make salwar's for her. They were nice and elegant, empire waisted, anarkali style, suits that Bani could easily zip up. More then the fact that they were fashionable, they were comfortable, which was a big plus for her. Bani was very thankful to those girls, if not for them, she would be lost to over sized night gowns and moo-moo's, Bani had given up on saree's altogether. Soon she wouldn't be able to see her feet, so what was the point.
It was only the fourth day into her house confinement. The first day was not as bad as she thought it was going to be, she relaxed and didn't mind having people help her out. The second day was when it started to get really annoying. The family began to work their schedule around her, she didn't like feeling so helpless.
It was a Friday and no one really wanted to go to work early. They had a presentation later in the afternoon and a dinner with American delegates at night. The girls had decided that they would just go to the dinner and let the guys handle the presentation. Bani didn't mind staying home with the girls; she could get in some serious gossip time with them.
It was only eight in the morning but already every one was downstairs waiting for breakfast. Bani had showered and gotten ready for the day. She was wearing a pink suit, sitting on the bed waiting for Jai to finish. It was Jai's clear instructions that in the morning when she went down, she go with him so he can help her. The same rule applied at night as well. Jai usually had one of her hands in his hand and the other firmly around her waist, just in case. They took the stairs one at a time like a child or old person, you chose. Bani didn't say much because she knew he was just worried about her and the baby. She let him have his moments thinking that what he was doing was important, it made him feel special.
This morning Jai had woken up late and was still in the shower; Bani was getting annoyed. The door to her room was open and she could smell the aroma of freshly made aloo ke parate, her mouth was literally watering. Looking at the clock again she finally gave up and got up determined to go by herself. She slipped on fuzzy pair of bedroom slippers, since that is the only thing that fit her now days, and left the room.
As she came down stairs she saw the family look at her with some what shocked expressions.
M- Aare bahu, Munna kahaan hai?
B- (sitting at the table) Aapki Munna abhi tak naha rahe hai.
R- Didi, phir aap neeche kaise aaye?
B- Train se…obviously Rano, main khud paidal chalkar aayi hoon.
Adi- Akhele bhabi?
B- Nahin…mere saath mera dost tha naa. Meet my friend…Mr. Ghost. (the group chuckled at Bani's answer to Sahil) Obviously akheli aayi hoon, kyun?
S- Woh bhaia?
B- Kya bhaia…uff…aapke bhaia ke liyeh aagar main intezaar karti toh breakfast ko chodo, lunch bhi milta ya nahin, kuch paata nahin.
They could sense that Bani was getting mad so they just let the matter drop. They had all seen Bani's hormonal mood changes, and they had no desire to become part of it. If you came in the path of that rage, you were a dead person. They just went back to getting breakfast on the table. Jigyasa and come and put a fresh off the stove parata on her plate. Bani helped herself to a spoonful of butter to put on the dish, and also two heaping spoonfuls of aam ka achar on her plate.
S- Haila bhabi, itne saare achar!
B- (putting the spoon down) Kya matlab hai? Kya aapka matlab hai ke main zyada khati hoon!?
(Everyone turned and looked at Sahil, smiling like fools because he was about to get it)
S-(to himself) Shit, yeh main kya keh diya?! Aur kuch soocha nahin kya? Nice way to stick your foot, no feet, in your mouth. (now out loud) Nahin…of course not bhabi.
B- Phir?
S- Ummm…
B- Ummm…kya?!
(Sahil looked around for someone to save him but they all stood quiet looking at him, enjoying this situation)
S- Main toh baas…
B- Aap toh baas kya…kya!!??
S- Main toh baas yeh keh raha tha ke, baas inta sa liya hai aapne. Itna toh main khud khaata hoon.
B- Toh?
S- Toh, aap toh pregnant hai naa? Aapka maan karta hoga achar khaane ke, hai naa?
B- Haan.
S- Toh aap aur lijiyeh naa…(he offered another spoonful to her) Aapka aapna ghaar hai, aap joh marzi kijiyeh. (Bani blushed sightly) Bhabi, sharmaiyeh maat, hum toh aapke aapne hai naa. Feel free.
(smiling Bani took the third spoon of achar)
B- Kitna kyahal rakhte hai aap meri, so sweet.
Bani reached for Sahil, and Sahil moved back a bit. Bani just lovingly pinched his cheek. Then she went to eating the breakfast she had been craving for so long. Sahil breathed a sigh of relief, because for a second he thought that she was going to slap him. Adi leaned over and whispered….
Adi- Nice save.
S- Thank you.
Adi- Mujhe toh laga tha ke iss baar toh Bani tujhe nahin chodegi.
S- I know, mujhe bhi laga tha ke bhabi mujhe thappar lagane wale the.
Adi stifled his laugh by putting food in his mouth. The girls were in the kitchen bringing out more food as they laughed at the near fall of Sahil.
About five minutes after that you hears some one calling out "Bani! Bani! Bani!" from upstairs. Soon a pale, worried looking Jai came running down the stairs.
J- Bani! Bani kahaan hai?!
Jig- Bhaia calm down kya hua?
J- Damn it, where is Bani?!
A- Aare jiju, yahin toh hai.
J- Kahaan, kahaan…
D- Oye Jai puttar, tere saamne hi toh hai.
J- (scanning the table across from him) Kahaan hai dadi? Mere saamne to Aap, Massi aur Rano hai!
M- Munna, zaara niche dekh.
Jai lowered his head to see that Bani was staring up at him with her eyes in confusion. He had been standing behind her chair, right next to her. He let out a breath that he had been holding ever since he came out of the bathroom and didn't see Bani on the bed waiting for him. So many thoughts raced through his mind.
J- Bani…tum tum…tum neeche kaise aaye?
R- Lagta hai ke, that is the question of the day. (whispering to Jigyasa and Anu who grinned)
B- Khud aayi hoon.
J- Khud, yani akhele?
B- Haan woh…..
S- (whispering to Adi) Jai bhaia ko Mr. Ghost se introduce nahin karayenge (he and Adi chuckled)
J- Bani tum akele kaise aa sakti ho?! Maine kahaa naa ke tum mere saath chaloge.
B- Haan magar aap bohot time laga rahe the.
J- 'Time, time' Bani. Tum doh minute nahin ruk sakti? Tumhe nahin dekha toh paata nahin kaise kaise khayal aagaya maan mein.
B- Sorry woh main…(now she was feeling bad for Jai)
J- Kya sorry Bani! Tumhe naa aapni fikar hai naa humare baache ka parva hai.
Oh that did it; Bani's guilt for leaving Jai up there to worry about her had all evaporated in a nanosecond. Everyone looked on in shock and horror at Jai, did he realize what he had just said. Anyone would be furious at the accusation that they had no care for their child, and this was Bani…a pregnant, hormonal, unpredictable Bani. Bani looked at him in disbelief, not able to believe that her husband, the father of her child, had just said those words to her. Jai on the other hand, well, he knew he was wrong in saying that; he regretted it the second it had come out of his mouth. But there was no taking it back, it was out. He stood quite for a few seconds.
B- Aap chup kyun hogaye…kahiyeh naa…speak your mind…
J- Bani woh…
(Bani sat facing him now, her arms crossed over her chest)
B- Jaldi jaldi kahiyeh, hum saab wait kaar rahe hai, please…continue.
(Sahil, Adi, Anu, Rano, and Jigyasa on the side)
S- Get ready for a blood bath.
Adi- Swords are drawn and ready to fight.
Jig- Chup tum log bhi naa.
R- Jiju what say…this round goes to Didi?
A- For sure, koi shak?
Jig- Anu, tu bhi?
A- What…?
S- Let the games and fireworks begin.
(Jai and Bani)
B- Aap kuch keh rahe the, please finish.
J- Woh main…
B- Shayad aapko yaad nahin ke aap kya keh rahe the, main yaad diladoon kya.
J- Nahin Bani…woh…
B- Haan, toh aap kya keh rahe the…oh yes…mujhe aapni aur aapne baache ke koi parva nahin hai…right?
J- Nahi Bani woh…
B- (now yelling) Yeh kya 'nahin nahin' laga rakha hai aapne…what…cat got your toungue?
(the group on the side laughing to themselves at they watched)
Adi- Billi ne nahin, lekin shayad his foot got his tongue.
R- Foot nahin jij, jiju ne pure leg hi daal diya ha aapne muh mein.
J- Nahin Bani…woh…
B- Rab ki kasam aagar aapne phirse 'nahin Bani woh' kahaa toh…ill eat you alive Mr. Jai Walia!!!!
J- W………ummm….
(Jai didn't know what to do as Bani was fuming with anger)
B- Main sirf neeche aayi hoon, kissi mountain climbing competition mein hissa nahin leh rahi hoon! Main pregnant hoon, handicap nahin! Doctor ne kahaa ke mujhe araam kaarna hai, tension nahin lena hai…lekin full bed rest toh nahin kahaa naa!?
J- Bani…
B- Kitne aasani se keh diya ke mujhe aapne baache ke parva nahin hai. Aagar parva nahin hoti toh kya main ghaar mein aaisi baiti rehti. Naa khud utt sakti hoon, naa bait sakti hoon, naa aapni marzi ka kuch khaa sakti hoon, naa pe sakti hoon…mujhe toh khud lagta hai ke main ek baachi hoon.
J- Bani calm down…yeh aacha nahin hai. (getting worried by the red color that was spreading across her face)
B- Kya calm down! Aap jaante bhi hai ke mujhe kaisa lagta hai…dum ghuti hai meri…lagta hai ke iss ghaar ke chaar dewaroon mujh paar khabi bhi gir jayega, lagta hai ke iss parivaar ka haar insaan mujh paar naazar rakhta hai.
J- Bani…
B- (she was not about to stop now) Lekin main phir bhi kuch nahin kehti kyun ke main janti hoon ke yeh saab mere baache ke liyeh hai. (holding her stomach) Main khud, har waqt, daar ke maare rehti hoon ke paata nahin kaab kay hojaye. Ek daar sa rehta hai ke kaab bagwan yeh baacha bhi mujhse chin le. (the tears now flowing from her eyes; Jai standing in shock, as the other girls getting a bit teary eyed as well) Lekin main kuch nahin kehti kyun ke main jaanti hoon ke aagar main kuch kahungi toh zyaada tension aapko hoga.
J- Bani…mujhe….
B- Doctor ne jaise kaha hai, saab kuch vaise hi kaarne ki kosish kaar rahi hoon main…lekin hoon toh main insaan…ghalti hogi. Haan aaj main niche akheli aayi thi, lekin main aaisa kuch nahin kiya joh mere baache ko koi bhi nuksan pouncha saake.
Finally saying everything she needed to say, Bani slumped over in her chair, her head dropped and her arms protectively around the growing baby inside her. Her shoulders began to shake as sobs over took her. Jai stood like a statue not knowing what to say or do, he had no idea that Bani had been feeling like that.
Everyone remained quiet not knowing what to say. Rano, Jigyasa and Anu all ran over to comfort Bani as she cried, hugging her and stroking her hair to calm her down. Her sniffles could be heard in the silent room. After a few minutes Bani stopped crying and the girls moved away.
Jig- Bani chalo, main tumhare liyeh garma garam parate laati hoon. Abhi aayi.
B- Nahin…mujhe nahin khaana.
A- Bani…kuch toh khaalo, nasta nahin kiya tumne.
B- Mujhe bhuk nahin hai.
R- Kaise bhuk nahin hai Didi. Jigs di, aap baas parata laiyeh.
M- Haan haan Jigyasa jaao…
B- Lekin massi…
M- Koi lekin-vekin nahin. Tum gussa ho, main samaj sakti hoon…lekin tumhe khan padega.
B- Maan nahin hai Massi.
M- Koi baath nahin…tumhe aapne baache ke liyeh khaana padega…usse toh bhuk laga hoga.
Jigs goes into the kitchen leaving behind a sulking Bani. Jai then comes and kneels in front of Bani. He sees her hands intertwined on her lap and her face stained with tears.
J- Im sorry Bani…mujhe aaisa nahin kehna chahiyeh tha. Mujhe maaf kardo.
Bani wasn't looking at him or paying attention to him. Jai let out a frustrated sigh and signaled the guys to get ready to go. As they headed out, Jigyasa put a fresh parata on Bani's plate and scooped on some butter and achar on the side. Jai looked back and stopped to say…
J- Please Bani…aapna nasta tik se kaar lena.
Saying that Jai and the guys left for work. The left the gates of Walia Mansion and for the first five minutes it was a quiet ride, no one said anything. Jai was quiet in frustration, and Sahil and Adi were quiet because they didn't know what to say. After some time Jai finallly broke the silence….
J- God Damnit!!!! (he yelled as he pounded the steering wheel with his fist)
Adi- Jai…calm down yaar, kya kaar raha hai.
J- What 'calm down'?! Doctor ne kaha ke Bani ko koi tension nahin leni chahiyeh, no stress. Phir, abhi abhi…mere vaje se woh kitne stress mein hai.
S- Bhaia…its not your fault.
J- How is it not my fault!? She was yelling at me, yelling leads to stress and stress leads to high BP. Shit!!!
S- Bhaia, joh hogaya so hogaya…just keep yourself in check from now on.
J- Itni asaan nahin hai. Main Bani ko jaanta hoon, she holds serious grudges.
Adi- Oh yeah, uppar se she is pregnant and hormonal.
J- I know, turst me…I know. Aab main usse kaise manoou?
S- Good question bhaia. Good luck finding that answer.
(Adi and Sahil giggled)
J- Yahaan mera band baja hua hai, aur tum dono haans rahe ho!
Adi- Aapni band khud bajaya hai tune.
S- Right!
J- What…kaise… maine kya kiya?
S- Adi- Kya Kiya?!!
J- Mujhe paata hai ke mujhe Bani paar gussa nahin hona chahiyeh tha lkein, woh bhi toh bachoon jaise harkatein kaarte hai.
Adi- Chill yaar, tera gussa hona toh hum samaj sakte hai, Bani bhi samaj sakte hai…lekin tune joh kahaa…that was out of line.
S- Haan, aapko bhabi se nahin kehna chahiyeh tha ke unhe aapne baacha ke parva nahin hai.
J- I know…woh maine kaise keh diya, mujhe khud nahin paata.
Adi- Well, you cant take it back…so aab yeh socho ke tum Bani ko kaise manaoge.
The rest of the drive to the office was spent on thinking up plans on how Jai could make it up to Bani. Once they reached the office Jai couldn't concentrate on his work. Every time he closed his eyes he got a flash of Bani's face when he told her she didn't care about their child. He knew as soon as the words left his mouth that it was wrong. He was just so frustrated he didn't know what to do. Ranveer even caught his tension, and when Jai repeated the incident to Ranveer, Ranveer couldn't figure out how Jai was still standing and not in a hospital with all his bones broken by Bani herself.
…Ch 103…lets see how mr. walia manaoos mrs. walia…lol…
JAZ
PS: Dont know when ill be able to update again since finals are coming up...but will try to put together small updates to post...thanks for understanding...😃
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Cricket
