Chapter 42

Arghhh...The traffic scene is pretty bad in Mumbai. I understood the rush to be home but this maddening rush and zeal were downright scary. I remember I hated going back home as a kid and now I hate going to the office as an adult.

The only pleasant memories I have of the house are when my grandfather was alive. He was a source of comfort. My grandfather offered the two most important things that we humans crave at home love and protection.

Our house was always filled with people. I don't remember a day when I had the entire house to myself to feel and do whatever I wanted to. The pretentiousness of being a star's child, a perfect kid, took a toll. However, it was manageable. But being Jaideep Sahani's son was altogether a different story. Jaideep's expectations from me were the first signs of major cracks in our already fractured relationship. His idea of excelling in everything you do make me leave my hobby of writing. Can I forgive him? I always remind myself of him as an overbearing father who ruined my chance of happiness and continues to do so; whenever I wish the presence of a dad in my life.

The brakes hit hard. I felt a jolt due to the suddenness of it. "Be careful, bhaiya. I am in a hurry to reach my destination, which is not hell for sure. I still have time to redeem myself and think of heaven as a permanent place. Eh?" I joked.

"Look at that buffoon," he pointed out to a sedan, "Unnecessarily jumping off lane." I craned my neck to look out of the window. The man was surely mad, trying to overtake in this bad traffic. What is the hurry dude? But then...

People in Mumbai were always in a mad rush. 5 minutes late wouldn't make a difference of 5 hours but they will never understand the easy logic of valuing life over money. I hated this city and its gusto from the first time I was brought here. The lightning speed at which the city moved was downright crazy.

As a child, I always considered Mumbai to be synonymous with slums, garbage dumps and overcrowding. But the big bucks have somewhat tempered my opinion. I knew I could revive my grandfather's production house to the same glory as before only in this city. I had to learn the ropes of the industry quickly and though I was welcome by Jindal because of his close connection with ma and also because nana helped him, with the distribution of his first film. His sense of obligation would not last if I did not prove my mettle quickly. My complacency won't be accepted nor would it be tolerated.

I thanked my stars that none of us ever got hit by the acting bug. Producing was what I enjoyed and I would stick to it.

We reached the exact destination I had entered. I did not want to go inside the office and put her in a spot. So, I decided it was best to call her out on the pretext of receiving a courier or something. I was hoping against hope that the story would work in my favour. Though I was quite aware that Abhi was very good at sniffing oddities.

I asked the taxi driver to wait as I may need him to ferry me to another destination. He didn't crib, after all, I paid him a hefty 500 as waiting charges. I dialled Abhi's phone number but it kept on ringing. I hoped she was in office. The worst that could happen was telling her that I was standing outside her office and she shouldn't make me wait. I stood for ten minutes contemplating what to do. Thank God I ditched my idea to wear a leather jacket. It may not have been a fashion faux but it was a terrible idea in this humid weather.

Just as I was about to leave, I saw a silhouette of a woman walking towards the gate. Her hair had come undone from the messy bun. It was the staple kurta and bellies that helped me identify her. She was being followed by a man who tried to stop her but in vain. She was on a roll, jogging as if she could give PT Usha a run for her money.

My heart started dancing and I knew I was grinning ear to ear. I was a besotted lover at that moment. Who was the guy she was avoiding? He took her by the elbow and yanked her into a corner. I could not see what happened next because they were invisible. When I saw her again, the only thing I noticed were her tears, running down from her cheeks, which didn't do any justice to her beautiful face. The man continued to hover around her but she paid no heed and continued her long strides to escape him. I did not intervene...

When our eyes locked finally, I saw her taking in a sharp breath. She was confused for a few seconds before she started jogging towards me. I smiled and in the next few seconds, she was in my arms, embracing me in a tight hug, howling and wetting my shirt with her runny nose.

"That's gross, Abhi!"

"What?" She shouted.

"Your...aaa...nose..." I didn't have to complete it because she answered with a smack on my back.

"Ouch," I faked.

"Don't do unnecessary drama," She scrunched her nose then wiped it with her dupatta.

"Eeewww, grow up," She showed me her tongue. She was back to being the happy, teasing soul but her happiness didn't reach her eyes. She was bothered but I didn't prod her. I knew she would come around and open up when she felt herself to it.

"When did you come? Why didn't you tell me? How did you reach here? Where are you staying? When are you leaving?" Her long tirades of the question were lost to me in the intense look of the man that she was with some time back. His clenched jaw, hardening fists and steely gaze spoke of his interest and anger at the scene going on between Abhi and me. I ignored him for the moment, not wanting to spoil our current reunion but I mentally made a note to find out who was he and why was he bothering Abhi.

"Hit the brake," I shook her by her shoulders to give her a sense of affirmation that I was real and not on the phone. She was confused for a second but then she covered it up by blurting, " I am just excited to see you."

"I know," I held her hand, which surprisingly she did not refuse. Mumbai had definitely made her bolder. Back at home, she wouldn't even touch me. Our proximity didn't make her flinch, but she derived a sense of comfort. She held my hand tightly and asked me to move from the office space. I was happy at her suggestion and took her to the waiting cab.

The driver quirked his temples to see Abhi join me in the taxi. I told him to take us to St Regis, next. He started quickly murmuring something about the traffic, to which I paid no attention.

Abhi adjusted her dishevelled self and adjusted her kurta,

"What is St Regis?" She finally asked, composing herself and her attire.

"It's a seven-star in this area," I replied. She gasped at my mention of seven-star. She was back to being my old, money-conscious friend.

"Are you insane? It would be shit expensive. I can't afford expensive coffee. I am broke in this city trying to adjust to a lifestyle where everyone just spends, rather than saves."

I smirked. "Really?"

"Bah.... seriously...you have no clue how expensive the taxi fare is and the taxi drivers in Mumbai are really shrewd. Food is so expensive. Shopping is like...I miss Kolkata and our cheaper ways. No offence to you bhai..." she quickly corrected herself to offer the Marathi equivalent "bhau".

I found her funny and she scrunched her nose at my reaction, which was so cute. I touched her nose lightly and she turned my small act of admiration into a full-blown war by hurling punches at me. Soon both of us were roaring with laughter as we were all over each other trying to win the round. Abhi soon caught the prying eyes of the taxi driver on us in the mirror and restrained herself. She still had her inhibitions and had not lost her sense of log kya kahenge syndrome in a new city.

"Relax," I told her. "He is nobody." But I could not ease her sense of discomfort. She maintained a little distance and continued her questioning.

"Why St Regis?"

"We are attending a party. It's a poster launch for Jindal's film." Abhi gulped mouthfuls of air after hearing me. The next words she spoke were full of fear and hesitation.

"I am sorry, I can't go. Let me go home." She pleaded. "I thought we were hanging out together."

"Hey, it's okay. Don't freak out, we will just make an appearance and leave. I wanted to catch up with you but this is important, you know."

"I will wait outside, I won't make an appearance with you. You know there will be a whole lot of attention on you. I don't want it to be on me "

"There won't be any media frenzy around me. No one knows me yet. And you can make a quiet appearance from the other entrance." She was still not convinced.

"Look at my clothes. I am not suited to be going for a party "

"It's a perfect foil. You can say you are at work instead of being with me. Please." I requested. She acquiesced albeit reluctantly, still not sure.

We were two minutes away from the hotel. She took out her ID card from her bag and hung it around her neck. "I think this would do the trick." She smiled half-heartedly. "I don't know what sick adventure you are getting me into."

The taxi stopped. I held my hand out, comforting her as if this was no deal. When she did, she was a ball of nervousness. Fingers crossed, we moved towards the party scene in the lounge section.