The girl next door

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR - Poppy

Part 1

Mukteshwar, Uttaranchal

Bani stopped hanging the wet clothes on the line and craned her neck forward to see what the ruckus was all about. For Mukteshwar was such a sleepy little town, that anything out of the ordinary, however mundane or unexciting it might be, warranted atleast some curiosity. And she wasn't the only one. Her next door neighbours, who were all engaged in the day to day activities of life, stopped doing what they were doing and stared with comical uninhibition at the source of their curiosity.

A luxurious car, such as Bani had never seen before, stood parked in the lane that ran in front of the row of small hill-cottages that dotted the residential community where Bani lived, with her father and younger sister. Her mother had died ages back and that explained why Bani seemed more like a matured woman rather than a young girl who had just completed her 19th year. Not that she was serious or sedate by nature, anything but that. But when the responsibility of a motherless sister and a hapless father had falled upon the frail yet determined shoulders of a 12 year old, the age when her mother died, she had sort of taken it for granted that she was the now the unofficial mistress of her house, her mother's alter-ego, who had to run the house just like she had.

Hence, being a mother-hen and a know-it-all came rather naturally to Bani, who just could not help but interfere in other people's life and help them sort out their problems, whether they wanted it sorted out or not!

Bani knew that the house next door to theirs was unoccupied for the last few months and one of the care-taker of that house had told Bani that someone had rented it on a short-term lease, which explained the meager luggage that came out of the Car. Girdhari Kaka, the caretaker of the bunglow next door was standing in rapt attention, overseeing the unloading of the couple of suitcases and bags, waiting for the occupant of the house next door to come out.

Bani had no complusions in stopping all her work and looking out with unbridled curiosity, hoping that it might be a nice family, with a girl of her age. Ever since Rano had left town, Bani felt increasingly lonely and in want of company. Someone to talk to in the evenings or to accompany her for her early morning walks, something that her father and sister never understood, considering that Mukteshwar was freezing even in the midst of summer season.

Her hopes were dashed when she saw a man getting out of the Car, infact, he could barely stand still, and was helped by a burly looking driver and another man who was dressed very well. They both seemed to insist on supporting the new neighbour who looked rather irate and annoyed. He had a wooly cap on, which looked a bit ridiculous with the stylish clothes he was wearing. Bani could not see his face very clearly, since he had put on dark glasses, which again looked rather incongruous, since it was hardly sunny.

Bani suddenly remembered Girdhari Kaka telling her that an invalid had rented out the house, to aid his recovery. The man did not look invalid to Bani in the precise sense of the word...as in, he wasn't on crutches or a wheel-chair. Yet, he was being supported by the two other men and she could see that he looked very weak and debilitated.

'I should rush over with some vegetable kichdi for the poor man. He looks quite sick.' murmured Bani to herself, going back to hanging the remainder of the wet clothes.

2 Days Later

'I don't know much about our neighbour, Papa. But from what Girdhari Kaka told me, he has come from Delhi and has just undergone some kind of an operation. His doctor had advised him to rest and hence he came to the hills.'

Ashok Dixit nodded his head, buried in the newspaper, as his elder daughter helpfully applied some butter on the toast and put it on her father's plate, while urging her younger sister, Pia to eat fast, before she got late for school again, as she normally always did.

'Oh God, didi. Why do you have to go about poking nose in everyone else's business? Leave that man in peace. Why did you have to go and hand over kichdi and all to him? People from Delhi don't like all this kind of thing. They don't like to get familiar so soon with strangers!' exclaimed Pia, tossing her man of shiny hair and looking rather exasperated with her older sister.

Bani smiled indulgently at her pretty looking sibling and said, 'A neighbour is not a stranger, Piu! Besides, I did not disturb him at all. I just handed over the kichdi to Kaka...he might not have had time to prepare any food. And didn't Ma always say that its our duty to help everyone, especially our neighbours?'

Pia just rolled her eyes and picked up her bag, waving goodbye to her father and sister and telling them that she might be late in coming back, paying no heed to Bani's several pieces of advice on riding her bicycle carefully, eating the lunch that Bani so lovingly prepared every morning, to concentrate on her lessons and not bunk her class, ect. ect.

'Papa, I have packed your lunch and have also kept your medicines. Please remember to have them on time, okay?'

Ashok Dixit looked up from the newspaper and smiled tenderly at his elder daughter, making her conscious and mutter, 'What happened?'

'Nothing...its just that, sometimes, when I see you slogging at home like a beaver from morning to night, employed at such a young age, instead of studying further..I feel so dejected at my ability for not being strong enough at the time of your mother's death...at not having supported my children when they needed me the most...and by default putting all my burdens on you...'

'Papa!' Bani objected, instantly tearing up and coming near her father, admonishing him lightly, 'Don't start off again, okay? I love working at home...and I love working at the school also. Besides, just as soon as Piu gets through her medical entrance and becomes a doctor and gets married off to a very nice boy, then I will have all the time in the world to study and do whatever I want to!'

Ashok could not help but smile in the midst of the tears that had formed in his eyes, as he realized that while his elder daughter might have taken on the responsibilities of his late wife, she was at heart still a child.

'Okay...Okay...now you have already wasted a lot of my time in the morning, when I have so many things to attend to! Leave for office now and then  I have to clean the house, prepare lunch for Piu, cut the vegetables for the dinner and iron some clothes also.'

'No school today?' asked Ashok, patting his daughter's head and smilng at her.

'No...I told you yesterday...Mittalji had to go to Haldwani on a day trip...to buy some supplies for the school, so he gave an off today.'

'Wonderful school you have, Bani! Your principal goes on a holiday and the entire school is shut down!' jibed Ashok, making Bani laugh along with him, as she bid him goodbye, repeating the same set of instructions that she did everyday.

'Go carefully Papa...and don't forget your medicines...and don't you dare get your lunch back home without eating it! Also, tell Khan Chacha that I will come over on Sunday to help Sameera with her english homework.'

Getting back inside the house, Bani heaved a sigh, as she tucked her duppata around her waist and started the daily chores of dusting and mopping the house. It was hopeless to expect Pia to help her out, Bani had tried multiple times and failed, even though she never let Ashok scold Pia for not helping her elder sister in the housework. Pia always had a ready set of excuses for not helping around the house - her studies, though Ashok never failed to wonder how come Pia's lacklustre grades never showed any of the supposed effort she was putting into her academics.

It was close to 12 noon, when Bani had finally finished all her work, normally this was something she did in the afternoons after coming back from the small primary school where she worked as a teacher. But since today was an unexpected holiday, she had finished  all her work and the day seemed to stretch out in front of her. Pia wouldn't be back before 4 in the evening, since she had mentioned something about extra-classes and her father would only be back by 6, his usual time to come back from work.

Bani wandered about the small lawn in front of their cottage, which overlooked the snow-clad Himalayan Peaks in the distance! How she loved the view and made it a point of getting up just before sunrise to catch the Sun coming from behind the moutains, making the snow glisten and sparkle. It had been her lifelong wish to climb on of the peaks someday and even though she had been born and brought up in the hills, somehow it seemed impossible to her that she would ever climb a mountain someday.

She thought about dropping into Dulari Chachi, her other next-door neighbour's house for a quick chat and a cup of cardomom tea, which her kind neighbour always made for Bani, but then she remembered that Dulari Chachi was off visiting her cousin in Nainital and would not be back before Sunday.

'Let me finish the Hemmingway Book I got from the library...god knows since when it is lying with me!'

Just as she was about to make her way back inside the cottage, her eyes fell on her new next-door neighbour. The invalid man with the woolen cap and dark glasses. He was sitting morosely on a chair, apparently sunning himself and looking exceedingly grumpy and ill-tempered. And he did look quite weak, just as Bani had suspected earlier. Without his glasses, she could see his face more clearly. He was  of an indeterminate age...quite older than Bani herself, but not old enough to be called old, if you know what I mean. He had the appearance of being a tall man, even though he was seated and his skin looked blotchy, pale and discolored. He did not have his woollen cap on, so that Bani could see that he was almost bald, with just a bare sprinkling of black hair on his scalp. He was wearing a loose pullover and had a blanket covering his feet, but Bani could make out that he was quite bony and frail in built.

'Must have been a very serious operation, isn't it? I hope you liked the kichdi I sent over the other day.' said Bani, walking over the white fence which divided their houses and standing there with her hands on the fence, she smiled brightly and introduced herself, 'I am Bani Dixit. Your next-door-neighbour. Nice to meet you.'

Jai looked up and stared back at her without any expression, clearly stumped and later irritated by the unwanted interruption to his thoughts.

Not getting any response back, Bani asked politely, 'You haven't told me your name yet.'

'Should I?' snapped back Jai, in a very raspy sounding voice.

Taken aback by the rudeness, she nevertheless ventured on in the same polite, friendly neighbour tones, 'Ofcourse, you should. We are neighbours after all, not strangers! We are living next-door, so obviously we should know each other!'

Jai glared coldly at her and spoke in the same snappish manner, 'I am here on a short-term lease...not to become your long-term neighbour. I don't feel the need to be neighbourly to anyone. Least of all to some silly kid!'

Looking thoroughly taken-aback at the rude way in which the man had spoken, yet amused by the fact that he called her a silly kid, she laughed in response and answered back in a good-natured voice, 'Okay...so you don't feel like being neighbourly to anyone. Fine...maybe in a few days, you will start mingling with everyone around here. But do tell me if you liked the kichdi I sent over that day or not?'

Looking a bit surprised, Jai asked her, 'you had sent that kichdi over?'

'Yes...moong dal and rice cooked with beets, carrots, beans and potatoes...very nutrious. I had also put some home-made ghee in it and tempered it with some jeera and hing. Did you like it?'

Thawing a bit at the memory of the delicious meal that he had partaken on the day of his arrival, Jai spoke in a much more sober tone, 'Yes...it was nice.'

Beaming happily, Bani instantly announced, 'You liked it? I will send over some more today! It is very good for health and so easy to digest...I just plucked some fresh tomatoes from our kitchen garden...I will add some tomatoes also...you like tomatoes, don't you? I will also make some onion and garlic chutney to go with it...and I will...'

'Okay...hold on...hold on...' interrupted Jai, raising his hands with some effort and said, 'Seriously, who are you? And if you think that I am going to employ a cook, you are totally mistaken. Girdhari  has been paid in advance to take care of all my needs here...I am so not going to pay a penny extra to anyone...I am not some fool who can be taken for a ride...I have the contract for this house  and services aforementioned on paper...everything is legal and....'

Jai had to stop speaking, because Bani had by then burst out laughing with delight and in between fits of laughter, she said, 'I am not going to charge you for food! Have you never had a neighbour before who has sent over food to your house? Or someone to whom you have sent over food?'

Looking clearly confounded at the questions posed, Jai answered back nevertheless, 'Er...No! Why on earth should I send over food to my neighbour? I don't even know who my neighbour is!'

It was Bani's turn to look disbelieving, but only for a moment, as she laughed again and said, 'You are joking, right? Ha! Ha! Oh...look at the time, will you? It is nearly 1. I have to start preparing something for Piu...that's my younger sister. Her name is actually Pia, but we call her Piu at home. She goes to Cathedral Convent School...such a brilliant student. She is studying to be a doctor...her entranc e exams are next year...so she needs a lot of proper nutriton from time to time. I will get Pia to meet you some day, when she doesn't have too much home-work. I will also get my Papa...he is a senior administrative officer at the IVRI, Ashok Dixit. Give my regards to Girdhari Kaka and tell him to pick up the apricoats before they start rotting in the Sun. I have kept it for him since god knows when. We have an apricoat tree in our backyard...I will get some for you also. Okay, bye...nice meeting you.'

Saying that she happily skipped away, leaving Jai with an open-mouthed expression, wondering what exactly was that all about.

Later in the evening

'Who is that chatterbox girl next door, Girdhari? She chewed by brains out today. And also, stop taking food for me from strangers, okay. I don't like all this kind of stuff.' snapped Jai, looking irate and bad-tempered as he usually did, while Girdhari mumbled in response, 'Sahib, Bani betiya is not a stranger. I have seen her from birth onwards...her father is also a very respected man...they are a very nice family. And she is an extremely kind-hearted and generous girl...why, she taught my bittu for free...and he did so well in his exams.'

Looking exasperated but not able to react much due to his feeble physical self, Jai answered back coldly, 'I don't give a damn, if she is Florence Nightingale. I just don't want pokey neighbours coming and disturbing me in my house. I have paid a lot of money for this place and I want some peace and quiet here.'

Leaving a sheep-faced Girdhari behind, Jai limped back slowly to his bedroom, waving off Girdhari's offer of support, before adding, 'And tell that prize idiot next door that, Apricoats don't rot in the Sun, they dry and become more delicious.'

Girdhari had already made-up Jai's bed, before leaving for the night, to his house, which was right behind the cottage that Jai had rented. There was a bell in the room connected to Girdhari's small cottage, which Jai was to use incase there was any emergency.

He had slipped into a t-shirt and a pair of woolen pyjamas before getting into the bed and after he had popped the various capsules and medicines that formed a part of his daily diet, he realized that sleep wasn't going to come very easily to him. In fact, he hardly remembered getting a full-night's sleep since the day he had heard the news which had changed his life, so drastically.

1 Year Back

Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Resarch Centre

Jai sat on the leather armchair with a disbelieving expression on his face. His ears had registered what they had heard and his eyes could see that the doctor sitting infront of him meant business, but somehow his mind had become numb.

Somehow regaining his composure and equilibrium, Jai repeated the same sentence that he had said two days back, after getting the medical reports from his company doctor.

'Craniopharyngioma or spinal cancer is not the most common type of cancer that is known...but it does afflict a sizeable portion of people in your age group, Jai.' spoke Dr. Karthik Reddy, handing over the bunch of X-rays that he had taken from Jai back to him.

'But...But...that is impossible, Dr. Reddy! I am a very busy professional...and I do lead a somehow erratic lifestyle...but believe me...I am a fitness freak too...and I don't smoke...and I drink in moderation...I exercise everyday...every single day without fail...I participated in the last Standard Chartered Marathon ,for god sake...and completed the damn thing too! I even tried Yoga for a while, but found it too slow for my liking...but I swim thrice a week at my club...I play Tennis almost everyday...I jog every morning for 10 kilometers...and you can ask my cook...he has started getting vegetables ect from the Organic Store that has opened in Gurgaon...I am...I can't...something is surely wrong, Doctor! This simply cannot be my report.'

Dr. Reddy kept quiet, letting Jai cool off and settle himself down before he could proceed on the various treatment options. It was never easy telling any patient that they had a potentially terminal disease...especially if the patient in question was someone as young and fit looking as Jai Walia was.

A top-notch criminal lawyer by profession, Jai was considered something of a prodigy in his field, having achieved an enviable success rate of nearly 100% success in all the cases he had handled. He had recently celebrated his 30th birthday, was natually blessed with greek-god looks, in the prime of his health, was happily single and had a rocking social life, comprising of beautiful women, a great friends circle and enough wealth to last a lifetime and more. He had no family to speak of and no obligations to fulfill, his days were spent working hard with his team on the cases for the law firm where he was one of the partners and his nights were spent partying harder and enjoying life to the fullest.

And now, everything had come to a full-stop. The annual medical check-up that was part of his firm's policy had turned out an anamoly in his otherwise strong body and he had been referred to a specialist, who had told Jai Walia that he was suffering from a disease that had a fifty percent chance of survival.

What followed the interview with Dr. Karthik Reddy was a nightmare that Jai hadn't even begun to imagine. Chemotherapy, Radiation Therapy, Proton therapy, various types of biopscies and finally a major surgery, which to everyone's great relief had been a success, though not a great one.

When Jai had been discharged from the hospital, the staff and colleages at his firm and many of his friends and acquaintances had come to see him and they could only be left shocked and dumbfounded by the vision that now presented himself in front of the world.

Jai had lost almost all his weight and was now all bones and skin, his eyes had sunken into his face, which was now sallow and blotchy with all the medication that had been put into him. And ofcourse, he had lost all his hair and was now practically bald. He could barely stand straight on his legs due to weakness and his voice had gone raspy due to the radiation side-effects. Jai's colleague and best friend, Ranveer and his wife had done everything to make him comfortable after he had come back from hospital, but they had been left helpless, when Jai had fallen into severe depression, on seeing his physical state and realizing that he had all but lost his brilliant career due to his illness. Dr. Reddy had told Jai in clear words that he could forget about going back to work for atleast a year or more and Jai knew that by the time he would be back in action, he would have lost some of his most important clients and probably his partnership in the law-firm as well. Ranveer had vehmently disagreed with Jai's pessimistic prognosis on his own life, but Jai was too depressed and in a self-pitying mode to listen to anyone.

After much pushing and shoving, Jai had finally agreed to Ranveer's request to leave everything and go to someplace where no one knew him and where he could gather his life back again, bit by bit. Ranveer had made all the arrangements with Jai's doctor and had found a nice, quiet place in the hills of Mukteshwar, where his friend could go and recover his health back.

Present Day

Jai glanced at the alarm clock on the side-table near his bed, it was showing 11 at night and Jai could look from the window outside, that the place seemed to be as good as dead. 11 at night used to be the time, when Jai would actually leave his 8-bedroom penthouse apartment for his regular round of clubbing and partying...and now. He was in the bed, dressed in old pyjamas and t-shirt, trying to get some sleep, in a god-forsaken place, where no one knew him, where no one cared a damn for him.

Well, one person  seemed to. The irritating girl next door who had sent that delicious kichidi. It had indeed tasted amazing...for the first time in weeks, Jai had felt as if he had eaten something real, something that actually made him feel nice. He smiled a bit remembering her non-stop chattering and her promise to get some more kichdi for him with tomatoes in it, this time. He hated tomoates and hoped that she won't actually put them in the dish and rather make it the exact way that she had made it before.

Sighing deeply, Jai switched off the table-lamp and murmered to himself, 'If I am stuck in this place, I might as well, make a few acquaintances...someone to speak with once in a while...and I do hope, that the girl-next-door is not the only neighbour with whom I will be stuck for company!'

Author's Note : Just to clarify, Jai is not suffering from Cancer in the story. He is recovering from it! Also, Jai will be quite the jerk and nerd in the entire story...  Since I always write Jai as a rather perfect specimen of humanity, I thought about doing something entirely different this time! Hope you guys like it!

Part 2

Bani had woken up at her usual time of 5 in the morning and it was still quite dark and cold outside. Making herself a pot of scalding hot, cardomom tea, she wrapped a warm stole around her and slipped outside of the house quietly, least she wake up her father, who was a light sleeper. Pia was no problem, since she never opened her eyes before 8 in the morning and that too only when she had her school. Bani shivered a bit in the cold and took a sip of the tea, as the hot liquid burnt her mouth but instantly perked her up too, not that she ever needed any perking up. She had perched herself on the wooden swing and was humming a tune under her breathe, when she caught sight of her unfriendly neighbour, which took her quite by surprise. No one in Bani's knowledge woke up this early in their neighbourhood and somehow Bani had always felt that the break of dawn was her own personal moment. And now, there was someone else, who was sharing that special time of the day with her.

Wrapping her palms around the glass, she walked across to the fence and cheerily greeted Jai, 'Good morning! I did not know we had another early riser in our neighbourhood!' Jai all but jumped out of his skin when he heard her voice and turned to look at her wiht an annoyed expression.

'You? What the hell? What are you doing so early in the morning?'

Bani paid no heed to Jai's grumpiness and answered back cheerfully, 'I always get up this early...I like to see the Sun coming out of the mountains every morning...'

Jai gave her a look which indicated that he thought her to be a bit loose in the head and replied back in a terse tone, 'What is there to look at? The Sun comes out everyday an it is there to see for the rest of the day. Who gets up at this time to see something that can be seen for most part of the day?'

Giggling at his statement, she asked him, 'So what makes you get up this early?'

Jai kept quiet for a while, deciding whether to carry the conversation or not and then just gave in. It was not as if he had anything important to do anyway. He had barely managed to get any sleep and was only happy when the night had ended.

'I am on medication...sleep doesn't come easily to me.'

'I will ask Dulari Chachi to make her special herbal concotion...its very potent...you drink it once and you will sleep like a baby!'

'Who is this Dulari Chachi now?'

'My other side neighbour...she has gone to Nainital to visit her sister...her niece has just had a baby daughter. I sent her a couple of woollen booties that I had knit...'

'You send gifts for your neighbour's sister's daughter's baby?' asked Jai, sounding clearly flabbergasted and also bemused.

Bani missed the sarcasm in Jai's voice and nodded her head and then instantly realizing something asked him, 'Oh, look at me! I haven't even asked you for a cup of tea! Girdhari Kaka mustn't be up so early, isn't it? Just a minute, okay...wait here only.' Before Jai could react, she had rushed inside the house and then almost instantly came out, carrying a small tray and opening the side gate which led to Jai's cottage, she walked in and placed it on the small garden table.

'There was really no need...' mumbled Jai, even though he had been dying for a hot beverage, but did not wish to disturb the caretaker at such an odd time.

'Ofcourse, there is a need! Who doesn't need tea in the morning, tell me? Here...and have some of the Nan-khatai biscuits also. My Papa gets them from the town bakery. They are simply out of the world. If you like them, I will tell Papa to get some for you also next time he goes there.'

Jai sat on the chair, feeling tired already because of his poor sleep and frail health and could not help smiling at his neighbour's over-helpful attitude, as she handed over the hot, fragrant tea to him and insisted him on eating a biscuit too.

'You should never have tea on an empty stomach...have some more...they have Desi Ghee in them...its very good for health.'

Jai grinned a bit and said, 'Are you always like this or is it something about me that makes you behave in this manner?'

Babni could not get his joke and sounding perplexed asked him, 'I don't understand...'

'Nothing...the tea is fabulous...and the biscuits are also very nice.'

'I will tell Papa to get you some...'

Jai cut her in between and spoke politely yet firmly, 'No need, thank you very much. I can do without the additional charity of your family members. The tea is good enough. I will ask Girdhari to get the biscuits.'

She stood near him sipping her tea as he gulped one biscuit after another and also took some additional helping of tea, realizing how famished he felt. His attending doctor had told him that an appetite was a sign of good things to come and that meant, he was recovering. Jai had no such hopes....he weighed half of what he used to before getting the treatments and surgery and he could barely stand straight without support for more than 10 minutes. And only a year before, he had completed a 44 km marathon, without breaking into a sweat! How time had changed.

Bani noticed the expression of doom on Jai's face and he noticed that she would probably start poking her nose into his past and ask him all about his illness, something he had no wish to speak about. But she did nothing of that kind, instead said, 'I should be leaving now...I have to prepare breakfast and tiffin for the three of us...and then I have to leave for the school also...'

'Which class are you in?' asked Jai, in a bid to be polite for all the genorosity shown by the girl next door.

She laughed at his question and answered, 'I don't study at the school...I teach there...music and arts. And any other subject, if the other teacher is absent.'

'Oh! You look pretty young to be teaching at a school...'

Bani did not respond to his statement, instead picking up the glass and plates, she bid goodbye to Jai, and went back to her house. Jai sat in the lawns till it was actually morning and Girdhari came along with his wife to tend to Jai's needs, as he listened to the happy clitter clatter that came from Bani's house.

A couple of days later

Jai and Bani had become friends of some sort, atleast Bani regarded it to be her supreme duty to always put in a cheerful word to her neighbour or drop off a plate of samosas or a cutting of some new plant that she had brought for her home across to Jai. He on his part, was unfailingly grumpy, rude and ill-tempered, not that it seemed to daunt Bani, who gave him the concession of being a convalescent, hence, having the full right to be rude to anyone he might please. The other neighbours did not share the same generous sentiment and stayed away from Jai, even the mild-mannered Ashok Dixit was quite hurt and taken-aback by Jai's cold attitude when he had tried to speak with him. Pia disliked him actively and never failed to mention to her sister, why on earth she went about chatting and helping the 'ugly looking, bald-headed, foul-mouthed man.'

'Hello there!' remarked Bani jauntily, as she opened the wooden gates of her cottage and waved happily at Jai, who was sunning himself in his lawns and looking particulary morose and pertinacious. He had spoken to Ranveer in the morning and even though his friend had tried his best to cheer him up, the developments at his law firm, some of them not in Jai's interest seemed to rankle him like anything. And the very fact, that he was stuck in this one-horse town, with nothing to do and all the time in the world to think about his fragile health and now dwindling career seemed to completely take him down.

Not getting any response, she went across to the fence that seperated both the houses and she spoke in a louder voice, 'I said, HELLOOOOOOOO....'

'I heard that!' snapped back Jai, not looking at Bani and then turning to look at her, added snaringly, 'I am actually ignorning you, if you still haven't caught on!'

She kept quiet, but for just one second and pushing open the small side gate that connected both the houses, she went across to him and said, 'Why?'

Jai closed his eyes in exasperation and all but yelled, 'because I find you extremely irritating...and interfering...and meddlesome...and very obnoxious...anything else?'

Hoping that his spitefullness would drive her away, he relaxed back on the bamboo chair and closed his eyes, feeling particulary exhausted and extinguished today.

'I don't think I am all those things...I would feel very nice if you take your words back...' said Bani, sounding a wee bit hurt, but not showing any signs of anger or even of leaving Jai in peace.

He opened his eyes and looked back at her back and suddenly burst out laughing wildly at her request, startling Bani and making her exclaim, 'Are you okay? What happened?'

Jai kept laughing for sometime and only stopped, when a sharp spasm of pain ran through his spinal cord, where he had been operated upon a few months back.

'What happened? Are you in pain?' exclaimed Bani, looking genuinly concerned on Jai's behalf as she read the expression of acute physical discomfort on his face.

'So what if I am in pain? How does it concern you anyway? Yes, I am in pain...I have been in pain for the last 1 year 3 months! Do you know why?' he spat out in anger.

Bani was taken aback by his sudden outburst and just stared back at him quietly, as he spoke in an anguished voice, 'I had a lump the size of a cricket ball in my spinal cord...Hemangioma, Cancer of the Spine...have you even heard of it ever in your life? I have been through god-knows how many radiation therapies...biopscies and surgeries...I can't even stand on my two legs...it pains like hell! And here you are...always grinning like a food...healthy and full of life! Oh, how I hate to see you so happy...so see everyone here so happy and contented...with nothing to worry about. While I lie here like a rotting vegetable...my brilliant career in ruins, my life in tatters...' and saying that, even surprising himself, Jai broke down crying.

The days and weeks of mental anguish had taken its toll on him and he felt completely failed by his inability to cope with the mental stress and the compounded lonliness of being saddled in the midst of nowhere. Jai had buried his face in the palm of his hands and when he lifted his head, he saw that Bani was gone. He felt like his heart would break into two...she was the only one who tolerated him...even the calm and servile Girdhari was losing patience with Jai's violent burst of temper and frequent mood swings...but the girl next door was the only person in this god-damn town who still endured him and without any reason to do so.

Jai wanted to get up and go to Bani's house and apologize for his miserable behaviour towards her, not just today, but for the past several days, when she had been nothing but the epitome of kindness and  generosity, even though he found her dull and annoying from time to time. But he could not get up and walk without support, yet he tried to hold the chair and lifted his feet gingerly to move forward and almost instantly, pain shot through his entire body and he fell stumbling on the ground.

'Arre...Arre...what are you doing? Girdhari Kaka...' came Bani's voice, shouting out for the caretaker as he came rushing out from Jai's cottage and instantly supported Jai and placed him back on the chair, alongside Bani.

'What were you thinking? You are not supposed to be walking without help...not right now anyway! And isn't it time for your medicine? Did you have it?' asked Bani, placing something that looked like a Board Game on the Garden Table. Jai blinked his eyes and said, 'how do you know its times for my medicine?'

'I know everything.' replied Bani, as Girdhari got Jai's medicine bag and gave it to him.

'I bet you do. Ms. Know-it-all of Mukteshwar!' jibed Jai, but not in his usual bad-tempered voice, rather in a teasing manner!

Bani laughed in response and said, 'Well, if its duly established that I am know-it-all, then why don't you take your medicines and then I will challenge you to a game of Scrabble!'

Jai smiled a bit and replied back, 'Scrabble? You will lose then! I am really good at the game.'

'We'll see that, won't we?' announced Bani, throwing him a wide grin and settling herself comfortably on the grass, even though Jai insisted her on taking a chair, but she told him that she felt more comfortable on the ground.

They played scrabble and even though Bani tried her very best, Jai won the game three times in a row and Bani gave in with her usual good humor, promising Jai that she will make him his favorite Vegetable Kichdi as a reward for winning the game.

Even though it was only a game of scrabble and Jai could very well see that Bani, with her government school background, was hardly able to string proper sentences in english, leave aside pitting her brains against him in making words in the language, he still felt properly cheered up after having won the game and Girdhari could only thank God that atleast for sometime, he wouldn't be shouted or screamed upon, without any rhyme or reason.

2 Months Later

'Papa, I am going out for a walk...I have kept the cornflakes and milk on the table...please tell, Pia to have some before she goes for her coaching classes. Okay? We will have breakfast together when I am back. Love, Bani.'

Bani folded the note and kept it on the dining table and taking her woolen stole from the sofa, walked out and sat on the porch to tie her shoe laces. She looked up to see whether her next-door neighbour cum new best friend was ready and waiting or not and she smiled as he waved across to her, albeit with the perpetual sulky expression on his face.

'Good morning!' she chirped, in high spirits as usual, while Jai just grunted in reply and then added, 'Are you sure about joining me for the morning walk? I walk very slowly...and I have to stop after every ten minutes...my back aches...so its okay, if you want to go on your own...I can carry...'

Bani cut short his speech and said, 'You've been saying the same thing for the last two days since I suggested that we should go for a walk every morning together...and I have told you the same thing that I don't mind walking slow. Now can we start?'

Shrugging his head, he started walking slowly, with Bani by his side, who had started chattering nineteen to the dozen on various things that happened in her life. Jai found her absolutely amusing...'A Period Piece' as he had described to Ranveer over the phone, but he had to admit that she was pleasant company. Especially, since he had rubbed everyone the wrong way in the neighbourhood and now everyone avoided him like plague...all except Girdhari, who had his duty to do for which he had taken money and Bani, who simply could not help but become the unwanted guiding angel in Jai's moribund life.

Their friendship or whatever it was had progressed from the regular game of Scrabble after Bani came back from school to cups of tea shared early in the morning, when the whole of Mukteshwar was as good as dead to the regular supply of food from Bani's home for Jai.

She was a good deal younger than him and as small-townish as one could get...her life basically revolved around her father and her spoilt-rotten sister, whom Jai absolutely detested. Not that Pia had any love lost for him and never failed to throw cold stares across him which was returned with equal fervour. Jai didn't care two hoots for the brat and the fact that she called him ugly and bald behind his back and sometimes within his ear-shot, but he felt some amount of outrage on behalf of Bani, who was used like a foot-mat by her sister.

Ofcourse, Bani being the minstering angle that she was, never thought bad about anyone, least of all her sister and dismissed her behaviour as nothing more than that of a child, to be excused and pardoned.

'Seriously Bani...why were you slogging like a donkey all of yesterday evening, when it was Pia who had thrown a party for her friends? You not only cook for them, but also end up cleaning up afterwards? Does your sister have no shame at all?' barked Jai, limping a bit, as Bani instantly stopped walking when he slowed down and helped him take a breather.

'What? Why do you say that? Can't I do one small thing for my own sister?' retorted Bani mildly, fussing over Jai and making him more irritated.

'Small thing? She uses you like a bloody tissue paper all the time...and you...like the world's biggest idiot, cannot through her! I am telling you Bani...get a grip on that girl...and also take note of her friends...I don't think she is in good company.'

Bani did not know what to say for that, instead she focused on Jai and spoke soothingly, 'Okay...Okay...you don't get worked up...I will speak with Pia...are you warm enough? Should I rush back to your cottage and get one more wooly for you? Or do you think you have walked enough for today? Maybe, you should just sit down for a while...did you take your medicines before going to sleep yesterday? Girdhari Kaka tells me you are not very regular...but I made that chart for you also...and still?'

Looking absolutely exasperated, Jai yelled back in despair, 'Oh, shut up will you, Bani? Stop fussing over me all the time, like I am some 5 year old! AND I AM OKAY!'

Bani did not react to his yelling, but quietly sat down in a clearing near a ledge which looked out to the Nanda Devi Peak in the distance. Jai too sat along, sulking like there was no tomorrow almost instantly barked, 'you should stop taking so much sugar. Look how fat you are getting. No one will marry you.'

Making the abrupt statement, he looked at her sideways to see any reaction coming, but nothing of that sort happened, instead Bani cheerfully replied, 'Oh, its okay...I don't want to get married anyway. And now tell me about that Australia Trip you took a few years back? I always love hearing that story!'

Grunting and sounding embittered as he always did, Jai snapped back, 'It is not a story...I did go to Gold Coast...infact, I have travelled half the world...I know, no one believe me in this blasted, one-horse town...but its true...and its also true that I was once very good-looking and muscular and handsome and there wasn't a single woman who....' Jai trailed off, looking suspiciously at Bani, who was listening wiht rapt attention to his rantings, without a trace of irony or mockery on her face.

'You don't believe me, do you?' he challenged her.

'Who said so? Ofcourse, I believe you! And I think you are still very good-looking! Infact, Dulari Chachi was telling me only yesterday, that our Vakil Babu has such lovely eyes...'

'Dulari Chachi!' spat out Jai with more venom. 'I HATE THAT WOMAN!' And saying that, he crossed both his arms belligerently and looked away with a rather morose expression on his face.

Bani gave a sigh of mild exasperation and said, 'Is there anyone in Mukteshwar that you don't hate, Vakil Sahab?'

'DO NOT CALL ME THAT! I am not some random, black-coat wearing, summon weilding, small-time lawyer...I am a VERY reputed and extremely well-earning Defence Lawyer! I had a team of 6 bodyguards to protect me when I went to the court for my cases! And the best of the best law students in the country scrambled to work under me! Do you even have an idea on how much I was paid for just making an appearance in the court by my clients?' And then looking at the incomprehension on Bani's face, spat out with more vexation in his voice, 'What would you know? Small-town beaver, class 12th dropout, wannabe Master-chef of Mukteshwar!'

Bani burst out laughing in mirth at Jai's constant stream of bitter statements and annoyance with everyone in the world. She always found his sarcasm to be extremely entertaining, even if most of it was directed towards her, because no one except Bani bothered to interact with Jai. If Jai hoped for any sort of reaction from Bani, he was always disappointed. She was unfailingly cheerful and polite to him, ignoring his constant rudeness and negativity.

They both sat in silence for sometime, staring at the mountain in the distance, as they watched the Sun come from behind the snow-clad ranges slowly, illuminating the sky with hues of orange and yellow.

'I am sorry...' he mumbled, shuffling his feet and looking like a particularly apologetic 10 year old.

'For what?'

'You very well know for what....' he mumbled in an embarassed voice.

'Its okay...its because of all the medication...I am sure, you are never rude to anyone!' spoke Bani, with empathy.

Jai rolled his eyes...if anything grated him on his nerves more than Pia using Bani like a galley slave, then it was Bani's unbelievable optimism and the ability to see only the positive in everyone.

'Why can't you be more human enough and tell me off, Bani? Why do you put up with all this shit from me?' he shouted, half in anger, half in bewilderment at her attitude.

She just gave a warm smile at him and helping him get up and walk back to their cottages, replied back in a non-chalant manner, 'Because I understand you, that is why!'

Jai did not reply to this, instead just sulked and refused to let Bani help him walk back and instead chose to make some very nasty and spiteful comments against Girdhari, Dulari Chachi, Bani's father and ofcourse Pia, inbetween cursing anything that came in way, including a couple of squirrils and some sparrows, throwing stones at them, like an errant school boy.

Bani simply laughed off everything and sent him back to his cottage, promising to visit him in the afternoon after she came back from school and help him pack his luggage, since he had to make a trip to Delhi for a medical check-up.

A couple of days later

'Papa, I am off to the next house...our Vakil Sahab is going to Delhi for his medical check-up. I promised Girdhari Kaka to help him pack all his luggage ect...besides, I am sure, he will forget something or the else, if I leave everything on him!' said Bani, handing over a glass of honey and lemon juice to Pia, who was on some new diet plan and giving the tiffin box to her father.

Bani had taken an off from her school to help out Jai before he left for Delhi, which had ofcourse irked him to no end and he had called Bani all sort of names from being an 'utter unprofessonal' to an 'over-weight mother-hen' commenting on her chubby figure. Bani as usual had taken his barrage of insults in a light-hearted manner, knowing that he meant none of it and actually liked the fact that she was always around to fuss over him!

Pia looked up from the fashion magazine she was reading and spoke in a mocking voice, 'How you can tolerate that obnoxious man is beyond my thinking, Di! And its not as if you are getting paid to look after him, that you put up with his insults and temper tantrums!' And making a face, added, 'Besides, he is so freakish looking...with his bald head and bony face...you could scare a child by his mere sight!' And saying that she started laughing, making more fun of Jai and his physical appearance.

Bani, though blessed with the mildest of behaviour and an almost non-existent temper, flared up a bit and spoke in a quiet but firm voice, 'That is enough, Pia. He is much older than you...and that is no way to talk about someone who is recovering from such a serious illness.'

Tossing her glossy mane of hair, Pia replied back, 'Why should I care? He is a nobody, just a neighbour...and a horrid one at that! No one here likes him...you are the only one who speaks to him! Besides, why are you so bothered?'

Bani did not retort instantly...being slighly dull-witted and slow, she wasn't the types who was always ready with a prompt and witty answer, but when she spoke, there was a good amount of conviction in her voice.

'He is our neighbour and also my friend...and I feel a lot of empathy for him and for what he has gone through...its basic humanity to feel this way for someone who has suffered so much, Pia.'

Not used to getting back such an answer from her otherwise doltish sister, Pia could not help but glower with anger and getting up from the table, spoke in a deliberate yet malevolent voice, 'I can see what is happening, alright. Papa, you no longer have to worry about getting di married...she has already found someone for herself...someone over whom she can flutter and fuss about from morning to night...both so suited for one another. The ugly patient and his plain jane nurse! No one else would bother picking you two for themselves...so its only right, that you both end up together!' Saying that, Pia burst out laughing at the expression on Bani's face.

Before Ashok could react to his younger daughter's words, Pia had already picked up her duffle bag and walked out, leaving Bani stunned and rooted to the ground. Ashok, too was quiet for sometime and then getting up from his chair, walked towards his older daughter and spoke in a penitent voice, 'She did not mean that, Bani. And I will make her apologize to you the moment she comes back home. She cannot speak in this manner to her elder sister.'

Bani had to bite her lips hard to stop her tears from flowing and trying her best to control her shaking voice, spoke hastily, 'Its okay, Papa...I...I think, its just the pressure of her upcoming entrance exams...Pia never speaks to me like this otherwise...its okay really. I don't mind it.' And saying that she started walking away, tears blinding her eyes, till she remembered the accusation in Pia's words regarding Jai and her relationship and turning to look at her father spoke timorously, 'Papa...whatever Pia said...its...its not like that...I spend time with him because...we are just good friends...honestly...there is nothing more to it.'

Ashok gave a tender smile and replied back, 'Did I say anything? Why are you giving explanations for? You can speak to anyone you wish to...you can be friends with anyone you want too...I trust you more than I trust myself, Bani. And besides, our Vakil Sahab is an invalid man, I can see that very well, I don't doubt his intentions at all...and I also know, that despite all the rudeness of his manners, he is really very fond of you. If your friendship can give solace to an ailing man, what can be better than that? I am not questioning you on anything, beta.'

Bani smiled back at her father, wiping her tears and after bidding goodbye to him, set about finishing her house chores, before heading off to Jai's cottage. But the impact of Pia's words seemed to affect her more than she would have cared to acknowledge. Standing infront of the mirror, Bani looked at her reflection and wondered if she was indeed that unattractive to look at. She knew that Pia was very pretty...had always been since childhood and Bani had always prided on her younger sister's good-looks, while she herself was more like a faded wall-paper.

Jai had been right, she was on the healthier side...and that was putting it rather mildly. Bani was pretty overweight and it did not help, that she wore extremely loose-fitting and old-fashioned clothes, which made her look even more plump than she actually was. Her father's income was not very high and a good deal was spent on Pia's education and her other expenses, her own income was used in helping to run the house. Updating her wardrobe never even entered Bani's mind and besides, she was convinced that no matter how nice clothes she wore, she would always look the same.

Despite slogging so much in the house and in her school, her eating habits were particularly bad and to compensate for her lack of time, she ate whatever was available, even though she spent hours in the kitchen preparing the best of food for her sister and father and nowadays for Jai, too.

Her hair was curly and unmanagebale, hence she always oiled and plaited them, giving her a more mature appearance than would warrant her young age. And all those years of taking the responsibility of the house and her family had rendered her hands and feet to be calloused and rough, nothing like Pia's own soft and delicate skin, which rippled on touch.

Pia was right...she was extremely ordinary to look at. Was that the reason, why no eligible boy in the whole of Mukteshwar had never give as much as a look at Bani, while Pia had never had a dearth of admirers since her early teens. And Bani could not help the fact that unlike Pia's hard-to-get attitude and snootiness which actually worked as a great turn-on for men, Bani's own fussing, mother-hen attitude and down-to-earth manner, actually made her look way too wholesome and homely to be anything remotely attractive to men. Bani held no challenge whatsoever to any man, neither in terms of physical apperance nor in attitude.

But it was not her lack of physical beauty that had put the usually unintrospective Bani into a thinking mode...it was Pia's unsubtle allegation regarding her feelings for Jai that both hurt and disturbed Bani.

It was close to 4 months that she and Jai had become friends...or whatever it was between them. Despite his constant mulishness and grumpy behaviour, Bani could not help but like him and enjoy his company. She knew it was more out of her own sense of lonliness that she seeked his friendship and company...since he was stuck in his cottage all day long and was forever available for Bani to speak or spend time with, unlike her sister, who increasingly viewed Bani as a social embrassment, or her father who had his work to attend to, or the other neighbours, who were all much older and occupied in their own lives. Bani had been so busy helping everyone out throughout her life, that she never really had the time to make friends of her own...and she knew that she wasn't interesting enough for people to seek her out as a friend.

She had dropped her studies after passing her class XII and had taken up a job to supplement her father's income, which would aid in Pia's further studies and whatever little time she had was spent doing housework. Never having left Mukteshwar, Bani was essentially a simpleton, with a very restricted view of life and whatever she had to talk about was mostly limited to her home and family and occassionally about Mukteshwar itself. Rano had been her only friend and even she had moved to Delhi a couple of months back and now Bani had no company at all, except for Jai.

And even though, he was mostly rude to her, Bani knew that he really liked her, just like her father had said and actually enjoyed her company. The very fact that someone needed her, gave comfort to Bani and raised her self-esteem and hence, she also latched onto Jai like there was no tomorrow, putting up with his bad behavioru and constant rants against everything in the world. Infact, she found him utterly amusing and was usually uplifted and cheerful after spending time with him.

But was there anything else in Bani's heart towards Jai? She looked at the reflection in the mirror and pondered on this question. He was not physically attractive, as Pia had so heartlessly put it across, but Bani did not mind that fact at all. She herself was so ordinary to look at and besides, she wasn't the type who judged people from their appearances. She felt compassionate towards Jai and understood his sense of alienation and insecurities, having battled such a serious illness and being locked away in a strange part of the world, where he knew no one.

Bani had always been a very kind-hearted and compassionate person...it came quite naturally to her...and it gave her happiness that she could take care of someone who genuinly needed her help, like Jai. She realized that he was much older than her and also she knew nothing about his background except that he was a lawyer, as he told her and anyone else who cared to listen, about two dozen times in a day! But she had come to like him very much as a person, with all his faults and failings and found him increasingly filling the void in her life as a friend and companion.

Ofcourse, she dare not even show a frission of her feelings in front of Jai...she knew what would be coming her way, if she dared even look at him romantically. He would automatically jump to the conclusion, that she was interested in him only because she felt sorry for his plight and more frighteningly, he would accuse her of trying to trap him through her show of friendship and sympathy. Bani shook her head to get Pia's words out of her system and wrapping herself in one of her wooly cardigans, started off towards Jai's cottage.

Jai's Cottage

Bani was surprised to hear voices coming from inside, as she walked across the front lawn towards the cottage. No one had visited Jai since he had arrived here, but that wasn't the surpring part. She was more taken aback by the sound of laughter...that too, Jai's! She hadn't seen him even smiling at anyone in the last 4 months and now she could actually hear him laughing.

Stepping in quietly, with the packets of dry food that she had prepared for Jai, she looked to see a young couple sitting on the couch opposite to Jai and there was much revelry and laughter going on. The couple in question looked very upmarket and sophisticated, the man was tall and handsome and the lady was slim, pretty and very stylishly dressed in western wear. Bani suddenly felt gouche and out of place, especially because she could not even catch on to the fluent english conversation that was taking place between Jai and his guests. And then she noticed Jai laughing again on something the man had said and a warm smile came on her face...he seemed to have undergone some kind of a transformation when he laughed. And even though, he was still the same pale-faced, hairless, bag of bones, his laughter seemed to show him in a different light altogether. Bani's heart warmed at the sight of Jai looking so happy and she wished he would always remain so.

The trio noticed her presence and Jai turned to look at Bani, supressing his joy at seeing her and remarked in an off-beat manner, 'Bani, meet my best friends from Delhi. Ranveer and his wife, Sneha!' They both smiled at Bani and she gave a smile back, feeling rather self-concious and all but fainted out of mortification, when Jai added with a wicked smirk, 'And guys, meet the most irritating girl on planet earth. She lives next door and never fails to raise my blood-pressure on a daily basis!'

Jai burst out laughing at the expression on Bani's face, even as Ranveer and Sneha joined in the good-natured laughter, while Sneha reprimanded both the men and said, 'Come on, Jai! Bani...don't mind him, please. He is always like this! Its really nice meeting you, btw. Jai cannot stop talking about you over the phone...we have heard such good things about you.'

Recovering from the shock of Jai's embarassing introduction, Bani could only give a feeble nod and trying her best to look invisible, put the bag of food on the table and mumbled in an inaudible voice to Jai, 'Its for the journey...please tell Girdhari Kaka to pack this also.'

Giving a look at the several packets of food, Jai answered back, 'I am going for a week, not for eternity! And you had promised to pack my luggage...don't back out now! I am lawyer and I can sue you!'

Ranveer and Sneha again burst out laughing, although Bani could not actually get the joke and just nodded her head, carrying the packets with her to Jai's bedroom.

An Hour Later

Jai's luggage was loaded into the back of Ranveer's SUV and Bani remembered where she had seen Ranveer before...he had come to drop off Jai, when he had first moved in to the house next to hers. Jai walked slowly towards the Car, after refusing the offer of help from Girdhari and Ranveer, saying that, going on daily walks with Bani had actually strenghtened his leg muscles quite a bit and he could now walk quite comfortably for short distances.

'Oye...Fatso...for the last time, if you want something from Delhi, tell me now itself!' remarked Jai to Bani, who seemed to be unusually touchy and sensitive today, after the showdown with Pia in the morning. And being called, 'Fatso' by Jai wasn't something that gladdened her much.

Sneha reprimanded Jai and said, 'Jai, is that the way you speak to a lady? Bani, he is actually very charming with women...I don't know why he is talking to you like this!'

Jai grinned and remarked back, 'Lady? This chit of a girl is a lady? And besides, I don't see Bani as a woman...she is more like my nurse cum housekeeper cum best buddy all rolled into one, right? Besides, Bani doesn't mind anything that I say! I call her many other things...she never minds anything! That's cause we are really good friends!'

Bani did not reply to this, but just stood impassively, looking elsewhere and biting her nails, something that annoyed Jai to no end!

'Yuck! How many times have I told you not to bite nails? Its so disgusting! Can't you get a pedicure or whatever its called done here?' and then added, 'Oh, I forgot...this place is in the middle of nowhere...and besides, its pointless to beautify you! You will be back to being a galley slave once again for that witch of your sister!'

Bani finally broke her silence and spoke in a slighly angry voice, 'I think you are getting late...leave now! It will get dark...you better cross the hills before the Sun sets!'

Jai looked genuinly taken aback by her answering him in this manner and for a change, was lost for words. They stood opposite one another in an awkward sort of silence, as Ranveer honked the Car and Sneha beckoned Jai to climb inside the vehicle.

'Listen...sorry for calling you Fatso...and also for calling you an overweight beaver yesterday...and...take care okay...I will be back in a week's time...and then we will have a Scrabble Championship, in which I will win as usual!'

Bani could not help but smile at his words and spoke in a soft voice, 'you also take care of yourself...and I hope that the doctor give you good news regarding your health...I...I will miss....'

Bani could not complete her sentence, as Ranveer honked the Car impatiently once again, and Jai leaned forward quickly to give a light peck on Bani's cheeks, completely shocking her and walked away, waving back to her with as much energy as he could garner.

Part 3

The Week Without The Man Next Door

Bani had never felt this desolated and confused before in her entire life, as she felt after Jai's departure. Not even when her best friend of years, Rano had moved away from Mukteshwar, had Bani felt so alienated. Jai's absence made Bani realize that rather than Jai depending on her, it was she who had come to depend on him, atleast for company. Looking at the folded Scrabble Board, Bani stood forelone and confused, over the sudden influx of emotions and feelings in her life.

With her school closed for holidays and Pia away for a study camp to Nainital, there was pretty less to do for Bani and while going through one of Pia's stack of magazines, she chanced upon one which urged women to lose weight and look attractive. After reading the article several times, Bani stood in front of the mirror and wondered whether she should actively start losing weight, which might make her look less unattractive than she looked right now. Sensing that there was nothing to lose, she instantly started following the diet plan given in the magazine, even though she found it impossible to get some of the things that it recommended.

Though she realized that it was impossible for her to lose any weight in one week, she hoped that there might be some change in her by the time Jai came back, so that it would make him notice her in a more positive manner than he usually did. Even if it stopped him from calling her names like, 'Fatso' or 'Chubby', even that would not be a bad deal. Ashok Dixit could not for his life understand what had come over his daughter and why she was not even touching the Jalebi and Samosa that he usually got home on his way back from work.

If this wasn't enough, she even took to jogging in the morning and though she could hardly cover a couple of yards, before panting and puffing, she nevertheless kept it up, positive that she would certainly lose weight and in the process begin to look pretty.

A Week Later

Bani was jumpy throughout the morning of Jai's arrival and both Ashok and Pia, who had returned back, could not understand what was wrong with her. Pia couldn't stop making fun of Bani on learning that she was trying to lose weight, whereas Ashok was genuinly concerned that she might end up having some kind of a health disorder if she stopped her food intake so drastically. Bani had a hard time keeping her eyes off the front lane and one part of her wondered if Jai would even come back to Mukteshwar in the first place or not. He definitely hated living in the town and never failed to remind her of that on a daily basis...and he might decide to stay back in Delhi, where apparently he had his own house and friends circle.

But Bani's fears were put to rest, when she saw a swanky SUV honking and arriving at the doorsteps of the next door house. A bright smile lit up her face and she quickly checked herself in the mirror. She had put on one of her best dresses and even though it wasn't much, it was the best she had. She had even tied her hair in a different manner and had prepared Jai's favorite Vegetable Kichdi for him. She stood near the door, as Ranveer got out and started off-loading Jai's luggage, which looked more than what he had taken with him. Jai got out of the Car and his eyes instantly went towards Bani's cottage, where she was standing.

She smiled shyly at his direction and was pretty much taken aback, when he gave her a warm smile back, calling out, 'Hi!' in a bright, cheerful voice that she hadn't even heard out of his mouth till now. Ranveer also waved at Bani's direction and she went inside to get tea for everyone, as Girdhari came out to help put the luggage inside Jai's cottage.

'So? How have you been?!' remarked Jai, smiling at Bani, as she brougth Tea and placed it on the table, letting Girdhari serve it. 'Yes...everything was fine...you tell me...what did the doctor say?'

Jai grinned and said, 'The cancer is in remission...apparently, I am improving, after all!' Bani gave a whoop of delight and said, 'That is such good news! See? Didn't I tell you that you were worrying over nothing!'  Bani was too shy to speak too much in front of Ranveer, but she desperately wanted to ask Jai whether he saw any difference in her from the last one week. Jai did not give her much time to formulate her words and handed over a huge packet to Bani, speaking in his characterstic off-hand manner, 'For you.'

She blinked her eyes and asked, 'What is it?'

'Are you blind? Or handicapped? Can't you open it and see for yourself?' snapped Jai, reverting back to his prickly self, instantly making Bani feel comfortable, since she was more or less used to dealing with him like this. Ranveer objected to Jai's appaling rudeness and said, 'Jai, come on! Show some grace while giving something to that poor girl! She is so sweet to you and look at your behaviour!'

Jai just grunted and make a gesture indicating that he couldn't care less, while Bani peered into the glossy bag and was stunned to see an assortment of chocolates and candies along side a couple of bottles of very expensive looking perfumes and another beautifully wrapped packet.

'All this? For me? You shouldn't have! I cannot accept all this...' mumbled Bani, clearly bowled away by the quantity and quality of things that Jai had got for her. She was so shocked to see all the stuff, that she could not even react to the fact that Jai had actually got her all those things.

'So what am I supposed to do now? Return them back? You want a sick man, who has just gone through a gruelling road journey to again drive back and return all this?' snapped Jai, making Bani even more on the backfoot, as she mumbled in confusion, 'No...No...I...ofcourse not! I am just saying...you shouldn't have spent so much money...'

'I am rich, okay! Like seriously rich! I know that no one in this hicky town believes me...but well, it is a fact...and I can very well afford to buy you all this and much more. Now shut up and take it. I have just arrived and you have already started irritating and annoying me as usual!'

'Jai..come on...' protested Ranveer, feeling pretty much scandalized by the way Jai was behaving with the rather innocent and mousy looking Bani and her meek submission to his rudeness. But Jai ignored his friend and shooed Bani away like she was an errant cat, telling her that they will meet up in the morning for their walk.

Bani carried the loaded packet back to her house and was met with Ashok and Pia who were as usual arguing over something vehemently. It was the subject of Pia's academics, or rather the lack of it, since her grades had been falling down steadily for the last couple of months and she did not seem to be affected at all, whereas both Bani and Ashok were barely able to sleep, fretting over Pia's upcoming medical entrance examinatons, on which were riding their hopes and also a lot of hard-earned money which had been invested for Pia's education.

They were both distracted by Bani's entrance and their attention rivetted on the expensive looking package that she was holding. Feeling utterly self-conscious, having never been gifted anything worthwhile in her life before, she muttered in a low voice, 'Our Vakil Sahab just arrived back from delhi...I told him that I could not accept all this...but he did not listen...what should I do, Papa?'

Ashok smiled at his elder daughter and said, 'Its okay, Bani...you also keep doing something or the else for him...he has given this out of affection, keep it. Else, he might feel bad.' Pia eyed the packet greedily and instantly remarked, 'What is it? Show me?' And before Bani could put in a word or even open the packet for herself, Pia took it from her hands and poured out the contents on the couch, letting out loud 'Oohs...' and 'Aaahs...', as she fingered the expensive perfume bottles and the assortment of chocolates, such as she had never seen before.

'PIA! Those are for Bani. Why are you touching them?' reprimanded Ashok, already very upset with his younger daughter and her increasingly difficult attitude that she chose to display with both him and Bani. Pia made a face and remarked, 'What? Is Di going to keep ALL of this?' And adopting an unusally soft tone, she remarked sweetly to Bani, 'You are not going to eat all those chocolates, are you? Especially since you are dieting now? I can already see some improvement in you...don't give up all that for the chocolates!'

If there was mockery in Pia's voice, Bani did not seem to catch it and simply replied back, 'No...ofcourse not. I will distribute it amongst  the children in the school...they will be very happy.'

Pia could not believe her years that Bani would willingly and happily give away such expensive chocolates to the brats in her school, while Ashok looked on at his elder daughter with quiet pride. It was typically Bani, he had gauged her reaction even before she had said anything and that was the reason why he hadn't objected to Bani accepting the gifts from Jai.

'And what about the perfumes? Don't tell me, you are going to give them away to those smelly, snotty kids?'

'You can keep one of them...whichever you like.' said Bani, smiling affetionately at Pia, whose face brightened up at the prospect and she chose the most glossy looking bottle of all.

'What is this?' remarked Pia, looking at a gorgeous paper box and started to tear it open, when Bani finally objected.

She realized that Jai, however brusquely he might have put it across, had actually gifted her all this and it was meant for her, not for anyone else. Certainly not for Pia, whom Jai absolutely detested! She had already given a bottle of perfume to Pia and that was enough. Taking a stand, she took back the remaining packages from her sister and said politely but firmly, 'That is enough now. Go back to revising for your exams. You have biology coming up next, isn't it? Go to your room...I will call you when dinner is served.'

Looking outraged at her sister taking a stand against her, Pia nevertheless grabbed her bottle of perfumes and a couple of bars of chocolates and without bothering to thank Bani or telling her to thank Jai on her behalf, she marched off to her room, as Bani gathered the packet and kept it aside.

'Bani...I am extremely concerned about Pia...I don't think she is serious about her entrance exams.' Ashok said in a quiet voice. Bani understood her father's concerns and infact shared his belief that Pia was increasingly getting lax about her studies, but she did not want to worry her father than he already was.

'Papa...you are getting worried over nothing. She has always been a good student...and its not easy to be focused and disciplined all the time, is it? You don't fret too much over Piu...I will speak to her...you will see, she will surely get through her medical entrance and make all of us so proud!' smiled Bani, hugging her father.

Later

Bani had retired to her room at night, after ensuring that Pia had everything she required to continue her studies till late night, like a flask of coffee and a jar of some home-made cookies that Bani had especially made for her. After ensuring that Ashok had his blood-pressure medicines, she bid him good-night and walked out of the house to call Girdhari and ask him if Jai had taken dinner and his medicines. Only after Girdhari had assured her that not only had Jai eaten his dinner, but also taken his medicines and was actually asleep, that Bani retired for the night.

She smiled at the boxes of chocolates and the perfumes, something that she had never even used till date. She carefully tore open the beautifully, wrapped package, which revealed a silk scarf inside. It was a stunning piece done in olive green and maroon and was so soft, that it almost glided from Bani's hands. On the edge of the scarf was enscribed the words, 'Hermes'...it signified nothing much to Bani, she was just mesmerized by the beauty of the fabric and felt it against her cheeks.

Bani was beyond touched by the fact that someone had actually remembered her to gift her something...it was usually the other way round. It was always Bani, who ended up remembering other people's birthdays and anniversaries and however limited her resources were, always gifted something or the else. It wasn't the value of the gifts that Jai had given her which made her heart soar with joy, it was the very fact that he had rememebered to get her something all the way from Delhi, that too when he was in the midst of a health crisis, that so touched her heart.

She felt extremely confused by the new emotions that muddled her mind and held back her sleep, which normally came quite smoothly to her, considering how much she ran around through the day. But sleep evaded her for most part of the night, she tried to figure out what was it that was bothering her so much, but somehow her innate simplicity rendered it impossible for her to think too deeply and uncover the layers of her own emotions.

Morning

Bani placed Pia's box of cereal and a carton of milk on the dining table and covered a bowl of cut-fruits along with her sister's lemon and honey drink. She had stopped writing notes, since Ashok knew that she went for walk everyday with Jai and was normally back by the time Ashok had woken up and dressed for office, after which they both had breakfast together. Carrying a flask of tea and some nankhatai for which Jai had developed an ardent fondness, she walked out, shivering in the cold. It was October and Mukteshwar being at an altitude of over 2200 meteres was freezing cold already. Infact, from November onwards, Bani realized that it would become impossible to go out for morning walks...or any walks, since it snowed heavily in Mukteshwar! When she had told Jai the same, he had reacted with childish glee, telling Bani that he loved snow and having born and brought up in Delhi, he had little chance of experiencing a snowy winter.

She smiled brightly at him and he gave a curt, humourless nod, but not without noticing how round and pink her cheeks looked because of the cold. Bani looked comically cute in her thick salwar kameez, loaded with layers of woolens and a cap to boot, while Jai, despite Bani's many's protests and remonstrations, refused to wear anything more than a leather jacket for his outing and ofcourse his woolen cap, but only because he was bald and not because he felt cold.

'Did your wardrobe run out of woolens or is this the latest fashion in your hot and happening Mukteshwar?' commented Jai, as they started walking upto Cliff Point, a vantage viewing area from where one could see a breath taking view of the mighty Himalayan Ranges in its full glory.

Bani laughed and replied back, 'Its so cold...I barely feel like getting out of the bed...and why are you not wearing that sweater I made for you? Its pure wool...it will keep you warm...this jacket is not going to protect you...'

'That sweater is canary yellow in color...I would rather die than wear it! And now don't make that puppy face...I will wear it inside my clothes...definitely not going to parade myself in them to the world! Btw, did you like that scarf I gave you?'

Bani smiled and replied back gushingly, 'Its beautiful...the fabric is so soft and silky...and I loved the way that name was written on it. Harrmaas....'

Jai looked positively horrified by Bani's pronounication of the French Designer Lable and giving her a withering look, commented acerbically, 'It is NOT Harrmaas....its a French name...pronounced as Eerms...the H is silent! Goodness, Bani!' and saying that, burst out laughing wickedly, at the expression on her face.

'I am not as well-educated as you...how would I know how to pronounce french names?' she asked, sounding hurt at his making fun of her complete lack of sophstication.

'Well, then get educated! Who the hell is stopping you?' asked Jai, quite remorselessly, paying no heed to the gathering tears in Bani's eyes. She had been so happy and full of enthusiasm on seeing Jai come back to Mukteshwar and then getting her all those presents and now he was back to his old-self, bullying her and spitting venom instead of words.

Sniffing a bit and trying to push back the tears, she retorted in a cracked voice, 'I don't have time to study and all...I have so much work to do...'

'Yes...I can see that alright! Slaving for your sister, trying to be Mother India for everyone and cooking Kichdi for me! Excuses, Excuses, Excuses! It doesn't take more than 2 hours a day to sit and study for college level academics...can't you spare even 2 hours in a day for your own life? I can totally see your bleak future...with your oversized hips, half a dozen bratty kids, a nagging mother-in-law, married to some loser, for whom you will be cooking and slaving from dawn to dusk!'

Both amused and angry at Jai's choice of words, Bani gave an extremely upset look and said, 'I thought you would have changed a bit in the last one week...but you are still the same!'

'Why should I change? Have you?'

'I have lost weight!' announced Bani, looking very pleased with herself, as Jai gave a critical look at her from top to toe, making her blush severely.

'Lost weight? Really? I can't see any difference! You look just as chubby as you looked before! Fatso!' he teased her, chuckling under his breathe.

Totally losing her cool, Bani picked up some dry leaves and threw them on Jai, yelling, 'Dare you call me Fatso, again!' and saying that, got up and stormed off, leaving behind Jai in a state of shock followed by hysterical bouts of laughter, as he had never seen Bani reacting in this manner to anyone. He followed Bani, calling out her name and apologizing, which wasn't much solace to her, since he could not stop laughing at her reaction.

'You are the limit! I am returning back all the chocolates and the perfumes and also the Scarf...Haarm...Hermm...whatever it is! I don't want anything from you!' declared Bani, going rather red in her cheeks and folding her arms across her chest, rather belligerently.

'Arre yaar...stop over-reacting! What is wrong with you? Can't I joke around also? You are the only source of entertainment in my life in this bloody Mukteshwar! Don't take it away from me!'

'I am your source of entertainment? Oh, thank you very much!'

'You very well know, what I mean! Okay, if you are so upset because of me, then I am really sorry. Dil se...I mean it. And I won't bother you again. Ever.' said Jai quietly, turning his back and started walking away, as Bani instantly caught up with him, tearing up like a small child.

'Oye...where are you going? I am the one who should be sorry. You can call me anything you want. Its alright...and its okay...you can make as much fun of me, as you want! I promise, I won't get upset!'

Jai grinned back at her, ruffling her hair and said, 'it takes less than a millisecond for you to melt like a puddle, Bani! Anyway, now that you are back from your Melodrama Queen mode, I wanted to tell you something!'

'What? Are you going back to Delhi?' asked Bani anxiously, making Jai roll his eyes and snap back, 'That is not happening soon, is it? My doctor said that the mountain air apparently does wonders for me...so I should stay put till I am in better shape! I can't wait to get out of this blasted town, by the way!'

Looking at Bani's expression, he added instantly, 'you don't have to take everything personally. I said I don't like living here, you are the only exception in this whole place! I can stand being here only because of you!'

Bani stood stunned on the spot, she could not believe her ears. Did Jai really say that the only reason why he had stayed put in her town was because of her? And then all of a sudden, she snapped out of her day-dreams. What on earth was going wrong with her? Why was she reading so many things in Jai's words? This was not happening...he was her neighbour and ofcourse a very dear friend, for whom she had come to care for deeply. But beyond that, there was nothing, just as she had told her father. Or was there?'

'Hey dreaming beauty? Chalein? I am feeling hungry...hope that idiot Girdhari has made something other than Poha today! I will kick his butt if he gives me the same breakfast again!' muttered Jai, mostly to himself.

'I have made Aloo Parantha. You can have breakfast with us.' spoke Bani quietly, still coming to terms with her thought process.

'I would love that! Oh, thanks Bani! You are such a saviour in my life! I love you so much for that!' jibed Jai, laughing and giving her a friendly pat, as he walked back home, whistling a tune under his breath, while Bani followed him, almost in a daze.

A Few Days Later

Bani was spending her afternoon with Jai, as usual, playing a game of scrabble and losing rather hopelessly. For one, Jai was fantastic at making words and secondly, Bani's concentration seemed to be getting dimmer than usual in front of Jai these days, something that she was becoming increasingly aware of, but Jai was completely oblivious, pulling her leg and teasing her for being such a scatter-brain.

'Hey...I have got something for you! Remember that morning, when I had told you that I have something to tell you?' he announced, as they wrapped up the game, with Jai doing a little victory dance as he won the fourth game in a row against Bani, much to her amusement.

'I am not taking any more presents from you. Atleast, not till I can give something back.'

'Shut-up! And don't you dare keep scores with me! Keep them with your evil sister or your darling Dulari whatever neighbour! Not with me!' snapped Jai, but Bani did not take offence, instead, merely smiled. She had come to learn that this was the way Jai showed his affection. Others might have felt offended by it, but Bani knew him well enough to understand.

'What have you got against Pia? She doesn't even say anything to you! Anyway, leave it! So what is that you were talking about?'

Jai got up and went inside his room, to emerge a couple of minutes later, along with a sheaf of papers.

'What are these?' asked Bani, eyeing the papers with surprise. She had expected something on the lines of a box of chocolates or a pair of gloves or something. Not that she wanted chocolates or gloves. She was still on her diet and despite Jai's relentless teasing and discouragement, Bani seemed to stick religiously to it. Though, sadly, there was not much difference in her weight and she looked very much the same as before, all round and chubby.

'Legal Summons for you, Ms. Bani Dixit. You are hereby charged with disrupting an invalid man's medical vacation and forcing him to become your friend, by bribing him through your delicious Vegetable Kichdi and Games of Scrabble, in which you always lose!'

Bani was in fits of laughter at his announcement, as Jai smiled at her warmly and handed over the papers, saying, 'Now don't you dare ask me what it is? Open it yourself, read it, fill it, sign it and send it by courier to the address given below.'

Bani looked at him strangely and then glanced through the papers, as her face grew more and more confused.

'These are the entrance forms...for long-distanace programme in Bachelor of Arts from Delhi University...but....'

'Thank God...atleast you can read! Now that you know what the papers are all about, prove to me that you can write as well and finish the forms asap! I have to send Girdhari to the post-office for some work, I will send these along as well!'

Bani sat in silence with the papers and just as Jai was about to blast her for wasting his time, she spoke in a broken voice, 'I can't...I...I don't have the brains...and I don't have the time...I just can't...Class XII is enough for me...'

There was some amount of awkward silence between them, but when Jai spoke, he was uncharacterstically sensitive and understanding.

'Correction, my dear! You have brains and that too of a reasonably good quality...and if you can take out time to cook lovely dishes and entertain this cranky, old neighbour of yours, I can't see why there won't be time to build a future for yourself.'

Bani looked back at him with moist eyes, as Jai moved forward towards her, touching her cheeks affectionately and said, 'Bani...you really need to get a life, you know! Seriously! Else, you will be stuck here in this one-horse town for the rest of your life! And I really do believe that you deserve better than this!'

'I love my town.' she answered quietly, making Jai close his eyes in exasperation, as if trying to reign in his temper, which could ingnite on the slightest of whims.

'Great! So live here for the rest of your life, for all I care! But do complete your basic education, atleast! And basic education in our country DOES not end with high-school! Come on now!'

Bani still looked hesitant, but only till, Jai announced in the most non-chalant manner, 'I will help you out, ofcourse! Till I am here atleast!'

The very prospect of getting to spend some more time with Jai seemed to seal the deal for Bani, who grinned comically and happily set about filling the forms, not even remembering to atleast inform her father and sister before embarking on her education.

Part 4

Jai's Cottage

It was close to 6 months that Jai had moved into the house next door to Bani's and he had settled down pretty much comfortably in the hilly-town of Mukteshwar and had quite began to like the languid, laid-back, old-world charm of the place, though he never admitted it, definitely not in front of Bani.

She had agreed to his wishes and had filled in the forms for her graduation, after taking permission from her father, who was elated that Bani had decided to continue her studies. Pia could barely contain her mirth at the prospect of her sister doing her graduation and dismissed the whole idea as a fad, something which her elder sister would never be able to complete. Her own studies were going down the drain, but that never seemed to bother Pia much.

After coming back from her school, Bani quickly had her lunch, something else that Jai had told her to do, if she was really interested in losing weight, having regular meals and then carrying her books and stationary supplies, rushed towards Jai's house. They generally sat out on the lawns, in the winter Sun, watching the snow take over the hills and mountains surrounding Mukteshwar, slowly and steadily.

'Hmmm...here do this passage...its an excerpt from Jane Eyre...read it carefully and then write an analytical review on it and mind you, if I see one spelling mistake, I will make you do it 100 times.' warned Jai, making Bani giggle at being treated like a small school kid, but she nevertheless, got down to do her work with dedication.

'You are just like Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre...' she commented randomly, as she began reading the passage slowly in her mind.

'Rest assured, I don't have a mad wife hidden anywhere!' retorted back Jai, instantly making both of them laugh.

'You have started getting my jokes, FINALLY!' commented Jai, making Bani smile as she went back to doing her assignment, but wasn't able to concentrate on it, instead striking a conversation with Jai.

'So you don't have a mad wife...that much is confirmed. Who else is there in your family?'

Jai was in the midst of reading some of his client files and he answered absently, 'My mother died when I was very young...my father raised us both...he died a couple of years back, so I am practically an orphan now.'

Bani looked very sad and was quiet for a while, feeling quite chafe that she asked Jai such a question, but then as an afterthought, she asked with curiosity, 'Who is this 'us' you are talking about?'

'My younger brother.' came back Jai, in a clipped voice.

Looking visibly shocked, Bani exclaimed, 'You have a younger brother? How come you never mentioned him in all these days? And where is he? Did he come to meet you here? Why didn't you introduce him to all of us?'

Finally lifting his head off the papers, Jai retorted in a cold voice, 'My brother and I havent' spoken to each other in the last 4 years now. And I don't even know where the hell he is! And I don't care to know also. Now will you please shut up and do your own work and let me do mine?'

Chastisized suitably, Bani kept quiet and tried to do the composition work to the best of her abilities, but the very news of Jai actually having a sibling and on top of that, one with whom he wasn't even on speaking terms seemed to totally shake Bani up and she made up her mind to find out what was so wrong between both the brothers.

Next Morning

After having nagged him endlessly, during their morning walk, Jai finally agreed to quench all of Bani's unnecessary and meddlesome curiosity, as he put it across.

'So, what is your brother's name?' asked Bani with lively curiosity.

'Nachiket.' answered Jai in a staccato voice.

'Wow...that's a nice name...I mean, not as nice as your's...but its nice still! And how old is?'

'4 years younger than me...he would have celebrated his 26th birthday last month.'

'Did you wish him?'

'Ofcourse not! Didn't I tell you, that we havent' spoken to each other in close to 3 years now!'

'But that's ridiculous! Who does that? And that too, the same blood? One's own brother! I cannot imagine not speaking to Pia for even one day! And you haven't spoken to your younger brother in the last 3 years? He must be missing you so much!'

'It would do you a world of good if you stop speaking to Pia, in my opinion! And as to, missing him...no, I don't miss him at all! Good riddance for one!' snapped Jai, shocking Bani to the core. Because despite Jai's outwardly display of coldness and constant annoyance with the whole world, she knew that he essentially had a very soft heart and she found it impossible that he would hold a grudge against his own sibling. Something must have been seriously wrong.

'But what happened between both of you?' persisted Bani, drawing a sigh of annoyance from Jai, who said crisply, 'Oh God! Bani! You are the limit! Why are you so hell bent upon raking up the past?'

Bani was quiet for a couple of seconds and then spoke all of a sudden, 'I just want to know what happened! Its not idle curiosity...maybe, I can help you!'

Jai gave her a look, which instantly made her go pink and she stammered on her own words, 'I mean...not help you necessarily...but...you know...you might feel better...I just...okay, if you don't want to tell me.'

'He got involved with my girlfriend...the woman I loved and was going to marry.' said Jai quietly, leaving Bani to grasp with the finer details of the simple sounding statements on her own, considering the tone and expression with which Jai had rendered the words, making it impossible for Bani to question him any further.

As they walked back, Jai in sullen silence, evidently displeased and disturbed at being reminded of his errant sibling and Bani, feeling very sorry that she had to bring up such a topic and spoil Jai's mood, which anyway was highly fragile and prone to some violent mood swings.

When they reached the gates of both their cottages, Jai muttered a sullen 'bye' without adding 'see you' as he usually did and started walking inside, when Bani called out, 'Any girl who drives a wedge between two brothers cannot be worth fighting over, is it?' Jai turned to look at her, but could not answer back, because she was already gone.

Night

Jai lay on his bed, after having taken his medicines and trying to sleep, which came faster to him now that his health was steadily improving. But Bani's words had struck a chord somewhere...he felt extremely irritated with her as always for bringing up an issue he preferred not to think about...but now that she had got him thinking on it, there was no escaping.

Opening his diary, Jai flicked through some pages and took out a snapshot which was wedged inbetween the pages. It was his brother's picture...Nachiket. Was it truly this long that he had spoken to his 'Chote' as he had fondly addressed his sibling? When was the last time they had met? More than 3 years back...when that huge fracas had erupted at the party that Jai had thrown for his brother on his birthday. The evening which had started on such a high note had ended bitterly, when Jai had found an inebirated Nachiket in an extremely uncompromising situation with Roshni, Jai's girlfriend at that time and probably the only girl who had come closest to his heart. Jai would have somehow still found forgivance for both of them, hadn't he been planning to propose Roshni for marriage that very night.

A punch on the face had landed Nachiket unconcious and Roshni had been banished from Jai's life forever and no amount of begging and apologies from both his brother and girlfriend had melted his heart one bit. They had both hurt him in their own way...his brother had broken his trust and heart and his love had crushed his ego. Nachiket had left home and after several attempts at trying to reconcile with Jai, he had finally given up and vanished somewhere into oblivion.

That wasn't completely true...Jai had kept tabs on Nachiket's whereabouts and knew that he worked in a trading company in Bangalore and was doing fairly well. It kind of brought some relief to his heart, that there was nothing between Roshni and Nachiket anymore and infact, his brother was in a serious relationship with some other girl. Roshni was also engaged to be married to some guy and settled in Mumbai.

Only Jai was left all alone in his huge house, with nothing to do at home, except listening to Kishore Kumar's old songs on his music system. Which had ultimately led him to find refuge in partying and clubbing late night...only to dispel the loneliness and gloom which surrounded his personal life. Outwardly, Jai tried his best to convince the world and himself, that he was perfectly satisfied with his life and the world probably believed in him too...but in those rare moments of introspection, Jai realized how alienated he really was. With not a single person in the world who truly understood him and cared for him.

Except for Bani.

The thought of the chubby faced, slightly dotty, sunny-natured girl next door brought a smile on Jai's face and cheered him up, making him put Nachiket's picture away for the time being. Sure, she annoyed the hell out of him most of the time, with her incessant talking and curiosity about everything...but Jai realized that she really liked him a lot and was probably the closest that came to being a friend to him! Jai laughed out loud as he realized that there could not be anything more odd than a friendship between a high-profile lawyer and man of the world like him and the small-town, underconfident and a wiled wall-flower type Bani.

But there was. And it was a friendship which had given a lot of solace to Jai in the last few months since he had moved to Mukteshwar, post his cancer treatment. How scared and jittery he had been in the beginning...battling the disease on his own, without any family or friends for support, except for Ranveer and his wife Sneha...but they too could not help much beyond a point. There were many a times, when Jai had wanted to call up Nachiket and tell him about his condition, but his ego had not permitted it. And he had gone through the days and weeks of gruelling treatment on his own, which not only killed him physically, but injured him mentally too.

The only solace Jai could find was in his work and even that was taken away by him, when his Oncologist had ordered him to take a break and get-away from everything, if he wished to live for a couple of years more. And since, there was no one in the world for him, except his brother, with whom he wasn't on talking terms, Jai agreed to Ranveer's suggestion of going to Mukteshwar, a distant and hilly town nestled somewhere in Uttarakhand. Ranveer's wife, Sneha's family owned a family cottage in Mukteshwar which they gave on rent during the peak tourist season and Jai felt it was easier to just go and spend a few weeks there instead of striking an argument with anyone that he wanted to remain back in Delhi.

He had hated Mukteshwar the moment he had laid his eyes on the place...it was everything that he disliked. It had a close-knit community of people, there was just too much of nature and peace around and the worst part was that the mobile and internet connectivity was almost non-existent, forcing him to spend days on end, without speaking to anyone from his work-place. Ranveer and Sneha convinced Jai that it was probably the best thing that could have happened to a workaholic like him and this unwanted break was probably nature's way of telling him to slow down the pace of his life and just relax.

Jai had been doing exactly that for the last few months now. Bani's friendship, though initially unwanted, was actually the only source of entertainment and company for him and even he was surprised by how much he had come to enjoy spending time with her.

A Few Months Later

Jai had shown drastic improvement in his health in the past few weeks and he was starting to look visibly different from the way he had looked when he just arrived at Mukteshwar. Even his hair had started growing back, though he still wore a cap (mostly because of the icy-cold weather) to cover his head. Ranveer had visited Jai a couple of times and Bani could not fail to notice that every time Ranveer came to see his friend, Jai was left more and more busy. When finally Jai had started skipping on the morning walks, followed by the games of scrabble and then excusing himself further, Bani had questioned him regarding his changed in behaviour.

'Babes...its time that I go back to the real world...to my world! And hence, I have been going through my client files...and you would not believe the amount of back-log I have to clear up once I am back in office!'

Bani was quiet for sometime, trying to digest his words and then tentatively asked him, 'So are you going back to Delhi?'

'Hmmm...'

'When?'

'A couple of weeks more, perhaps two months or so at the most! Hopefully! When I go to Delhi next week for my check-up, it will be more clear!'

'But why? Your health has improved so much since you came here...and see, even your hair has started growing back!'

Jai laughed at her comment, as Bani noticed that with his physical appearance, even his attitude was undergoing a change. He did not lose temper as frequently as before and was increasingly more cheerful and amiable, not even passing acerbic comments against Pia, who much to Ashok and Bani's shock and disappointment had not been able to get through her medical entrance in the first attempt.

'Well...I know that...and that is why I am making arrangements to go back! As I told you, my life is there back in Delhi, not here! And I am practically dying to go back to the Court!'

'Why do you need to go to Delhi to practice your law? You can do it here also, in Mukteshwar! There is a Court here too!'

Jai could not help but burst into fits of laughter on Bani's innocence and asked her, 'When was the last time a sensational murder happened in your blessed town, Ms. Dixit?'

Bani looked faintly scandalized at the thought of murders happening in her calm and peaceful town and said, 'not in my memory. But Papa tells me, an english woman had murdered her husband somewhere in the 1950's...mind you, it was a huge scandal back then. People talked about it for ages! Infact, the murdered husband's ghost is said to roam about the hills after dark...'

Bani could not finish her sentence, because by then Jai had collapsed into hysterical laughter, and when he was able to recover himself, said to her, 'So after 1950, no murder or any other sordid crime has taken place? Yep...this is exactly the place I need to expand my career. One case in every 50 years!'

Dismissing Bani's depressed mood due to the news of his imminent exit from Mukteshwar, Jai shooed her off saying that he had plenty of work to catch up on and that he would call her whenever he got free.

A Few Weeks Later

Jai had gone to Delhi for his medical check-up and Bani was back in Mukteshwar, studying hard for her upcoming exams. Even though, Jai had become increasingly busy in the last few days and spent less time with her, Bani still did all that she could to make his life more comfortable. She never forgot to cook his favorite dishes for him on a regular basis, was always ready to drop everything in hand and rush to him on his beck and call and was always up like a lark every morning for their walks, even though, Jai was increasingly skipping them, preferring to sleep till late.

She wondered how life would be after Jai was gone from Mukteshwar...or rather from her life. It was a thought that not only saddened her deeply but also plunged her into an emotional vortex...because she was still unable to decide what she truly felt for him and more important, if she even held any place in Jai's heart. He was very nice to her and was immensely caring too, but beyond that, Bani suspected that Jai hardly even saw her as a woman, more like an amusing companion who was pleasant company to keep.

Bani glanced at the collection of CD's in her hand and smiled at the thought of seeing Jai's reaction to them. Bani had been much surprised to know that Jai was a huge fan of Kishore Kumar and was even more amused at hearing him hum some of Kishore Kumar's old songs, making her realize that he had a melodious voice. She had spent a good part of her salary on procuring the collection of Kishore Kumar's songs and wished to gift Jai before he left Mukteshwar, as he had mentioned to her a few days earlier.

The emotional side of her wanted to blurt out all that she had in her heart and hope that he would stay back after hearing it, but the practical side of her knew that she would end up losing their friendship if she ever acted in haste. Besides, what was she even thinking about. Jai was far beyond her reach...it was like the analogy of a child wanting to possesss the moon in its fists! And now that he was recovering his lost health at a speedy rate, she could visualize what a handsome man he really was, with his towering height and clear-cut features, while she still looked like an over-cooked dumpling, with no sophistication or charm of any kind.

Yet, Jai had always treated her kindly and even though he made fun of her weight from time to time, Bani knew that there was no malice in his words, unlike Pia or some other people, who jibed at her particularly because she was so mild-natured and would never really respond back. She had spent many a nights crying over the thought of not seeing Jai ever again, but woken up every morning with a firm resolution that they would always keep in touch and maybe someday, meet up to.

Bani's thoughts were interrupted by the honking of a Car and she left everything she was doing and rushed barefoot outside, despite the fact that there was snow on the ground and it was icy-cold outside.  She was expecting to see Jai coming out of the Car and giving her a friendly wave as he usually did, but instead it was someone else. Surprised, she walked towards the gate and looked at the man go inside Jai's cottage and she decided to follow him and ask about Jai's whereabouts, feeling worried about him, wondering if he had fallen sick and had to be admitted in a hospital or something.

Bani met with Girdhari on her way inside Jai's cottage and she asked feverishly, 'Kaka, what happened? Why hasn't out Vakil Sahab come back? And who is this man?'

'Arre beti, I forgot to tell you yesterday...Vakil Sahab had called from Delhi...he won't be coming back now. His doctor says that he is okay now and hence he decided that he will stay back there itself...afterall, what is the point of travelling all the way in the cold till here, only to collect some luggage, isn't it? This man is Vakil Sahib's driver, he has been sent to pick up all his luggage.'

Bani stood stunned on hearing all that Girdhari had just said to her...here she had been just thinking about Jai's departure and in just a fraction of a second, he had actually gone off. And that too, without a single parting word to her. Was all that she meant to him? The last 10 months spent as friends and neighbours were a milestone in Bani's life and they did not even find a passing mention in Jai's? She was so shocked, that she hardly realized that tears were rolling down her eyes and then all of a sudden, she felt someone's hands on her shoulder. She turned to see Jai standing behind her, with a smile on his face as he said, 'You thought, I will go without even saying goodbye to you?'

'Jai!' she blurted out, half in shock at seeing him out of the blue and half overcome by emotion, as she hugged him and broke down crying, paying no heed to the physical demonstrations of her feelings. If Jai was surprised at her tears and reaction, he did not say anything cheeky or tease her as he normally did, just patted her head in an awkward manner, as if wondering what just happened. Before, Girdhari or anyone else could see this scene and start assuming, Jai immediately took control of the situation and calmed down Bani, who just could not stop crying.

'Seriously girl! Why are you acting like this? Okay, sorry for the stupid practical joke...but I really wanted to see your shock on knowing that I vanished without saying bye to you!'

Bani looked miffed with him and also highly embarassed as she realized what had just happened and retorted back sharply, 'That was not funny, you know! And what is this? Are you really going back?'

Jai smiled as he took off his muffler and put it on the couch, nodding his head, 'Yup...my doctor says that I am fit and fine now and can be back in civilization!'

Looking even more upset and annoyed, Bani snapped at him, 'What do you mean by that? Is this place not civilization for you? And I don't think your doctor is any good! You still look very weak to me...I think you need to stay here for another year or two and then maybe, you can think of going back?'

Jai put his head back and roared with laughter, taking aback Bani, who had hardly seen him smile, leave aside laughing with such unbridled delight.

'God, Bani you are the absolute limit when it comes to cuteness! And annoyance too, mind you!' he laughed and then added with mock anger, 'Are you crazy? One more year in this place? I will go out of my mind with nothing to do other than play scrabble with you and go for walks in the wilderness! No way!'

Tears had started forming in the corner of eyes once again and Bani fell into silence, as Jai explained in mild voice, 'I was here on a temporary vacation, Bani...my real life...my real home...my friends and colleagues are all back in Delhi. Besides, aren't you happy that I am fit and fine now and not the prickly invalid who landed here an year ago?'

Bani did not answer back, instead fumbled with with the package she was holding in between her fingers...she had accidentally carried the collection of songs that she had got for Jai. He looked at it and in a bid to distract her, asked, 'What is it? Something for me?' Before even getting an answer from her, Jai took the packet from her and opened it to see a couple of CD's. Bani had marked them with a sticker on which she had written 'Kishore Kumar's Immortal Songs' in bold letters.

Jai smiled at her and spoke with affection, 'You got them for me? That is...that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, Bani!' And saying that, he leaned forward and planted a kiss on Bani's cheeks, which were still wet because of the tears she had shed.

As he flipped through the CD's, Bani stood quietly, feeling beleagured and stumped by his action and also hurt and confused by all that he had said. Did he really find it so easy to just walk in and out of her life like nothing had ever happened? But then, what exactly had happened in the first place? Jai had never behaved with her in any manner other than that of a good friend and was it his fault, if she had ended giving her heart to him? It was futile for Bani to deny that she did not harbour romantic feelings for Jai...a man, she now knew, was infinitely beyond her reach.

'Sahib, everything has been packed. Shall I load them all into the Car?' asked Jai's driver, to which Jai replied, 'Do that. But I will only be going back tomorrow, so you can just find yourself a room here to spend the night. Okay?' When the driver and Girdhari, after expressing his open surprise on seeing Jai come back unannounced, went away, Jai took a pensive looking Bani's hands and giving her a dazzling smile, once which she did not remember ever seeing on him before, asked her, 'So, what do you say, Ms. Dixit? Will you spend my last night in Mukteshwar with me?'

Still in shock and completely astounded, Bani turned to look back at him with vacant eyes, not able to put her feelings in words and he misjudged her expression, quipping anxiously, 'I mean, spending the night talking and walking around the town...nothing else, please!'

Bani could not help but give a sad smile on listening to him and she quietly nodded her head, realizing that it would be impossible for her to stop him from going away...the most she could do was cherish the memory of the last few hours with her neighbour.