ONE NIGHT (31 page)

‘Unbelie…’ I said.

‘Shhh!’ Vroom said. ‘Did you see that. He has perfect hair in the statue

of Liberty picture.’

‘Are all his photos in this album like this?’ I said.

‘Yes sir,’ Vroom said and flicked through the slideshow. One boring

picture after another followed—mainly people with mouths and plates stuffed

with food. Every picture had one thing in common: whatever there was

Ganesh, there was a shiny spot.

Vroom pushed his computer mouse away. He reclined back on his chair

with a proud expression, ‘As I said sir, no one is perfect. Apart from Google,

of course.’

I looked at the screen and Vroom’s face in amazement.

‘So, now what?’ I said.

‘Now we invite the ladies for a viewing,’ Vroom said and grinned.

‘No. this is not right…’ I said, but it was too late.

‘Esha, Radhika, Priyanka. Want to see some more Ganesh pictures?

Come here fast,’ Vroom said.

The girls stopped their phone calls and looked at us. Esha and Radhika

stood up.

‘Where, where? Show us,’ Esha said.

‘What are you talking about?’ Priyanka said and came over to our side.

‘The power of the internet. We found an online album. Come see what

your new house is like,’ Vroom said. He kept quiet about the shiny spot so

that the girls discover it for themselves. I saw the mixture of excitement and

curiosity in Priyanka’s face.

‘Nice pad,’ Esha said, as she notice the barbeque behind the pool, ‘but

where is Ganesh. Let me guess,’ she said and brought her finger to the

monitor. Here, this one no. but wait, he is a baldie. Is he the elder brother?’

Priyanka and Radhika looked closer.

‘No, that is Ganesh,’ Priyanka said as her mouth opened as wide as the

bald spot. I could sense that the wind had been knocked out of her lungs.

‘But I didn’t notice the bald spot in the photo you showed us Priyanka…’

Esha said. Radhika squeezed Esha’s arm. Esha stopped talking and raised her

eyebrows.

Priyanka came closed to the computer and began flipping through the

images. She did not realize it, but her hair was falling on my shoulders as she

bent over. It felt nice.

However, Priyanka was not feeling nice. She brought out the statue of

liberty picture and we looked at it again. Ganesh had perfect hair.

‘Maybe the guy in the online album is Ganesh’s elder brother,’ Radhika

said.

‘No. Ganesh does not have a brother. He only has one sister. Priyanka

said, her face distraught.

There was silence for a few seconds.

‘Well doesn’t really matter much, eh? What’s a bit of smooth skin

between the true over of two souls,’ Vroom said. I clamped my jaws shut to

prevent a laugh escaping. ‘Let’s go back people, enough of fun. Don’t forget

the calls,’ Vroom sad.

Priyanka retraced her steps in slow motion. She went back to her seat

and took out her mobile phone. She dialed a long number, probably long

distance. This call was going to be fun, and I wished I could have tapped it.

‘Hello Ganesh,’ Priyanka said in a direct voice. ‘Listen, I cannot talk for

long. I just want to check on something…yes, jus one question…actually I was

just surfing the Internet…’ Priyanka said and got up from her seat. She moved

to the corner of the room and I could not hear her thereafter.

I made a few calls and terrorized a few more Americans. Priyanka

returned after ten minutes and tossed her cell phone on the desk.

Esha jiggled her eyebrows up and down, as if to ask ‘What’s up?’

‘It
is
him in the online pictures,’ Priyanka said. ‘He didn’t have much to

say. He said his mother asked him to slightly touch up the hair in the Status of

Liberty snap as that would help in the arranged marriage market.’

‘Oh no,’ Esha said.

‘He apologized several times. He said he was against tampering with the

picture but had to agree when his mother insisted.’

‘Can’t he think for himself?’ Esha said.

‘Oh God, what am I going to do?’ Priyanka said.

‘Did the apologies seem genuine?’ Radhika said.

‘Yes. I think so. He said he understood how I must feel. He said he was

ready to apologize in front of my family as well.’

‘Well, then it is okay. What different does it make? You don’t really

care about him being bald, do you?’ Radhika said.

‘Yeah, besides practically all men become bald in a few years anyway.

It’s not like you can do something about it then,’ Esha said.

‘That’s true,’ Priyanka said, in a mellow voice. I could see her relenting,

and I turned to Vroom.

‘Yeah, doesn’t matter. Just make sure he wears a cap at the wedding.

Unless you want to touch up all the wedding pictures,’ Vroom said and

chuckled. Esha and I looked down to suppress out grins.

‘Shut up, Vroom,’ Radhika said.

‘Sorry, I am being mean. Honestly, it is no big deal Priyanka. No one is

perfect, we all know that right? So, let’s get back to the calls,’ Vroom said.

#35

For the next half hour we focused on one activity—making calls to save

Connexions.

At 6:30 a.m., I went up the main bay. Team leaders huddled around me

as they gave me the news. The incoming calls had shot up already even

though we had expected the big boost six hours later. Despite turkey dinners.

Americans were scared out of their wits. Some had called us several times an

hour.

Vroom and I went to Bakshi’s office with some senior team leaders.

Bakshi had arranged an urgent video conference call with the Boston office.

Bakshi supported us as we presented the new call data, insights into the call

traffic, and potential new sources of revenue. After a twenty-minute video

discussion, Boston agreed to a two-month reprieve to the layoffs. They also

agreed to evaluate the possibility of sending top team leaders on a short-term

sales assignment to Boston. However, the team leaders would have to present

a clear plan over the next for weeks.

‘How did we do it man? I never thought it would work,’ I asked Vroom as

we came out of Bakshi’s office.

‘Promise Americans lots of future dollars, and they listen to you. Only a

two-month reprieve, but that’s enough for now,’ Vroom said.

Reassured that Connexions was safe, I returned to my desk. Vroom went

outside to clean the Qualis before the driver woke up. I had told Vroom I

wanted to slip away—no goodbyes, no hugs and no promises to meet,

especially in front of Priyanka Vroom agreed and said he would be ready with

his bike outside at 6:50 a.m.

The girls stopped their calls at 6:45 a.m. as our shift got over. Everyone

began to log out so they could be in time for the Qualis, which would be ready

at the gate at 7:0 a.m.

‘I’m so excited. Radhika is moving into my place,’ Esha said as she

switched off her monitor. She opened her handbag and started re-arranging

the contents.

‘Really?’ I said.

‘Yes, I am,’ Radhika said. ‘And Military Uncle is going to recommend a

lawyer friend. I need a good, tough divorce lawyer.’

‘Won’t you try to work it out?’ Priyanka said as she collected the sweet

boxes and placed them back in the bag.

‘We’ll see. I am in no mood to compromise. And I am not going back to

hi house now for sure. Today, my mother-in-law will make her own

breakfast.’

‘And after that, I’m taking her to Chandigarh for the weekend,’ Esha

said and smiled.

Everyone was busy making plans. I excused myself on the pretext of

going to the water cooler for a drink so I could leave the office from there.

#36

At 6:47 a.m. I reached the water cooler. I bent towards the tap to take

a last drink at the call center.

As I finished, I stood up to find Priyanka behind me.

‘Hi,’ she said. ‘Leaving?’

‘Oh, hi. Yes, I am going back on Vroom’s bike…’ I said and wiped my

mouth.

‘I’ll miss you,’ she said, interrupting me.

‘Huh? Where? In the Qualis?’ I said.

‘No Shyam, I’ll miss you in general. I’m sorry about the way things

turned out.’

‘Don’t be sorry,’ I said, shaking my fingers dry. ‘It is more my fault. I

understand that. I acted like a loser…’

‘Shyam, you know how Vroom said just because India is poor doesn’t

mean you stop loving it/’ Priyanka said.

‘What?’ I blinked at the change of topic. ‘Oh yes. And I agree, it is our

country after all…’

‘Yes, we love India because it is ours. But, do you know the other

reason why we don’t stop loving it?’

‘Why?’

‘You don’t because it isn’t completely India’s fault that we are behind.

Yes, some of our past leader could have done things differently, but now we

have the potential and we know it. And as Vroom says, one day we will show

them.’

‘Point Good Point,’ I said. I found it strange that she should talk

nationalism this early in the morning. Not to mention during what was

possibly our last time together.

I nodded and started walking away from her. ‘Anyway, I think Vroom

will be waiting…’ I said.

‘Wait, I am not done,’ she said.

‘What?’ I said and stopped to look at her.

‘I applied the same logic to something else,’ she said. ‘I thought, this is

the same as my Shyam, who may not be successful now, but it doesn’t mean

the doesn’t have the potential. And it sure as hell doesn’t mean I stop loving

him.’

I stood there dumbstruck. This was unexpected. I fumbled for words,

and finally spoke shakily:

‘You know what Priyanka? You say these good lines…that even though

all night I tried to hate you, it’s impossible. But I know I should hate you and

then I should move on. Because I can’t offer you what Mr Microsoft can…’ I

was speaking hastily out of nervousness and shock.

‘Ganesh,’ she interrupted me.

‘What?’ I said.

‘Ganesh is his name. Not Mr Microsoft,’ she said.

‘Yes, whatever,’ I kept talking,, without pausing to breathe. ‘I can’t

offer you what Ganesh can. No way I could ever buy a Lexus. Maybe a Maruti

800 one day, but that’s about it…’

She smiled.

‘Really? 800? With or without AC?’ she said.

‘Shut up, I am trying to say something deep and you find a funny,’ I

said.

She laughed again, though gently. I wiped a tear from my right eye. She

raised her hand and wiped the other tear from my left eye.

‘Anyway, it is over between us, Priyanka. And I know it. I should get

over it soon. I know, I know,’ I said, talking more to myself.

She waited until I had composed myself. I bent over to splash my face

with water at the cooler.

‘Anyway, where is your wedding? Your mom will probably blow all her

cash for a big gig,’ I said, straightening up.

‘Some five-star hotel, I am sure. She’ll be paying off loans for years, but

she has to get a gold-plated stage that night. You’ll come, right?’

‘I don’t know,’ I said.

‘What do you mean you don’ know? It’ll be so strange if you aren’t

there.’

‘I don’t want to come there and feel horrible. Anyway, what’s so

strange if I am not there?’

‘Well, it’s little strange if the groom is not there at his own wedding,’

Priyanka said.

I froze as I heard the words. I rewound her last sentence three times in

my head.

‘What, what did you just say?’ I said.

She pinched my cheek and imitated me: ‘What, what did you just say?’

I just stood there shocked.

‘But don’t think I am going to let you go that easy. One day I want my

800 with AC,’ she said and laughed.

‘What?’ I said.

‘You heard me. I want to marry you, Shyam,’ Priyanka said.

I could not believe her words. I though I would jump in joy, but mostly I