Chapter 07

PRATIBHA

Pratibha glanced at her dresses inside the wardrobe. She would report to Sai Krishna for the first time and needed to wear professional attire. A cream-colored business suit caught her attention. She pulled out the clothes and ran her eyes over it. She had bought the outfit in Bangalore and wore it occasionally when meeting with her customers; she would look more professional wearing it.

She applied a lip gloss and mascara and rubbed a jasmine talcum over her face. Standing in front of the wardrobe mirror, she smoothed out her business suit and checked it was in order.

It was just after eight. Simran had told her the cab would arrive at eight-thirty. Pratibha hoped Simran would be ready by that time. She took her backpack and sauntered to the living room. Simran wasn’t there. She needed to check what Simran had been doing; she went to her room.

Simran stood in front of the mirror, applying makeup.  “Hi, Pratibha,” she said as she continued brushing her cheek.

“Good morning.” Pratibha approached her. “We have only ten minutes for the cab to arrive.”

In her grey pants and white V-neck shirt, Simran looked beautiful. Her long nose and prominent chin stood out on her fair oval face. She stood tall. Pratibha raised her head a bit to see Simran. Her height equaled the dresser’s length - almost six feet.

“I know,” Simran looked at her. “I’m almost done with my makeup. The cab usually arrives a few minutes late.”

Pratibha’s breathe quickened. She was curious and eager to meet her manager. She was attending the office for the first time and didn't want to miss the cab.

“I want to be on time as I’m reporting to Sai.”

“Don’t worry," said Simran. "We’re not going to miss the cab.” She smeared the red lip gloss on her thick and open Cupid’s bow lips before she looked at Pratibha, smiling. “Let’s go now.”

She took her bag and they together hustled out of the guesthouse.

“Where will the cab arrive?” Pratibha asked as they entered the elevator.

“Near the main gate.” Simran pressed the button to go to the ground floor.

The security guard saluted and opened the small entrance nestled within the main iron-gate.

They stood outside the apartment building, waiting for the cab.

“Do you like Hyderabad?” Pratibha asked.

Simran turned to her. “Well, the traffic is comfortable here compared to Mumbai. In Mumbai, we need to rush all the time to go to the places.” She paused and then said, “What’s your feeling? Bangalore must be better than this, right?”

“Bangalore is cleaner. And has more comfortable weather,” Pratibha said. “Have you ever visited Bangalore?”

“Yes, during my college tour.” Simran paused. “I agree that the Bangalore weather is pleasanter.”

A youngster in jeans and a black T-shirt came out of the apartment, holding a bag. It reminded Pratibha of her boyfriend, Rahul. He was busy on his phone when she had called him last night. She would ring him again in the evening as he would be eager to know how her first day of work went. But why didn't he call her back? Was he upset about her decision to move to Hyderabad? He had come to the airport to send her off, though.

The previous night, Simran had been speaking on the phone for a long time. She wouldn’t have spoken to her mother that late in the night. Whom did she talk to? Did she have a boyfriend?

“Were you speaking with your mother late last night?”

Simran blushed. Her eyes sparkled. “It was my fiancé.”

Pratibha’s chest lightened. Simran hadn’t mentioned before she was engaged.

The cab approached. Pratibha climbed into the cab and sat beside Simran.

“Hi, Simran,” a voice came from behind.

Simran looked over her shoulder. “Hey, Prasanna. Are you back from vacation?”

“Yes.” Prasanna smiled. “You seem to have a new friend.”

“Yes. Meet my flatmate and colleague, Pratibha.” Simran turned to her.

Pratibha made eye contact with Prasanna. “Good morning.” She smiled.

 “Is she working in your group?” a female employee seated beside Simran asked.

Simran nodded. “Yes, and Pratibha is from Bangalore.”

“It’s good that you have some assignment to work on,” Prasanna said. “It’s quite boring to be at the office without work.”

Pratibha swallowed. Here also the employees complained about no work and waiting on the bench. She had to be content and feel lucky to work on the new project.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

 “You said you have a younger sister.” Simran changed the topic.

“Yes.” Pratibha drew in a satisfied breath. “Usha is taking her first year of engineering.”

“She must be missing you.”

Pratibha nodded. “It's taking some time for her to get adjusted. Though my parents help her, she misses me doing the assignments for her.”

“You should keep your loved ones happy by calling them often, then.”

“Yes, I should.” Pratibha nodded.

“What does your fiancé do?” Pratibha asked. She bit her lip for raising the matter again and asking Simran's private information.

“He is a Civil Engineer.” Simran cleared her throat. “And he works for Larsen and Toubro.”

“Oh, that’s good to know,” Pratibha said.

A twist of jealousy hit her, but she tried to suppress it by remembering Rahul. She and Rahul shared a common profession – software engineering - and Rahul would be promoted to project manager in a year or two; she needn’t feel with low self-esteem as she was dating Rahul and would possibly wed him soon.

“We were about to get married this year.” Simran let out a heavy sigh. “But we postponed it because I had to move here.”

Pratibha too faced a similar situation; she had to delay talking to her parents about Rahul. “Don’t worry. It’s a matter of another four to six months.” Pratibha wanted to know more about her fiance. “Did you date him before you got engaged?”

“He is my distant relative,” Simran said. “My mother spoke to his parents and got us engaged.”

Pratibha sighed. Simran should be grateful to her mother for caring for Simran’s future life. Simran missed her father in her life. Without fatherly support, she would be inspired only by her fiancé and by her mother. Pratibha looked at Simran with a sense of empathy.

At the main entrance of the office, a security guard opened the gate. The cab driver nosed the vehicle into the premises. Pratibha stepped out of it near the cafeteria.

“Let’s eat breakfast.” Simran walked Pratibha towards the canteen.

Different varieties of large trees – peepal, mango, and almond – were grown on the premises along with several garden plants. Large flowerpots with crotons in them lined up on the steps leading to the cafeteria.

Pratibha stood in the queue and helped herself to idlis and coconut chutney.

While Pratibha sat at the table along with Simran, Prasanna approached, limping and holding his plate containing breakfast. His right leg seems to be polio-ridden. “You forget me as you've Pratibha's company.” He mocked. He placed his plate on the table and sat.

“I’m sorry, Prasanna.” Simran pinched the bridge of her nose. “I still need your company.” She turned to Pratibha. “I used to commute and eat breakfast with Prasanna before.”

They finished eating the idlis, talking about their project work; Prasanna spoke about his time spent in learning new technologies while he was on the bench. Simran talked about her experience in meeting the customers to gather the project requirements. Pratibha said she was eager to meet Sai Krishna and report to him.

After the breakfast, Simran walked Pratibha to Sai Krishna's office. “He is not yet in.” She paused, looking around. “Let’s come back after ten-fifteen minutes.”

They hustled to Simran’s desk.

Pratibha’s phone rang. She fished it out of her purse. It was Vasavi.

They exchanged a few pleasantries. “I was expecting your call yesterday,” Vasavi said.

“I’m sorry. I was busy tidying my new place.”

“It’s okay. How is the office?”

Pratibha told her about Simran and about the office premises. She told her the Hyderabad branch was larger than the Bangalore office.

“I wish you all the best,” Vasavi said.

“Thanks and I will let you know about my manager and about the project later this evening.”

“Sure. Take care.” They ended their call.

Simran stared at her computer screen and checked her emails.

Pratibha heard approaching footsteps. A man in a grey blazer and white shirt approached. His small button nose above his neatly cut mustache appeared minuscule on his oblong, fair face. His short, black hair, anointed with hair oil glistened in the fluorescent lights.

“Hi, Simran,” he said and then shifted his gaze to Pratibha.

Pratibha leaned forward with her hands on her knees. Is he Sai?

Simran turned around and smiled at him. “Hi, Sai.” She looked at Pratibha. “Meet our new group mate, Pratibha.”

“Hello, Pratibha, Good morning” Sai grinned. “I guessed it was you.”

Pratibha greeted him back, smiling.

They exchanged small talk. Sai asked her about the journey and how she felt about the guest house. Pratibha said she would be comfortable staying there in the company of Simran.

“Alright,” Sai said. “Come along with me. I would like you to meet your teammates. You can also choose your desk.”

Pratibha rose and walked alongside Sai. He introduced her to other members of his team and then took her to a couple of empty cubicles.

“You can occupy one of these two,” Sai said, pointing at the two vacant cubicles.

Pratibha chose one.

“Sure and good luck.” He smiled wide. “Your laptop will be ready by evening. In the meantime, you can join us to meet our customers.” He paused and said, “By the way, I preferred you because your profile looked impressive. You worked hard on the previous projects and know the cutting edge technologies.”

Pratibha nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”

She spent the rest of her day at the customer's site with her manager and colleagues. Sai Krishna seemed quite accommodating and intelligent. He handled the meeting well with the customers. He instilled the required confidence in them and also in his team members.

*****

It was almost six in the evening when Pratibha stepped out of the cab along with Simran. She was tired after a hectic day at the customer site. She was contented after working with Sai Krishna and with the rest of her team members. Sai took care of her and the remaining members well.

A quick shower relieved her from the daylong fatigue. She chose to wear a blue and white cotton nightdress and lit a diya to Goddess Saraswati. After chanting prayers, she took her phone and called her home.

 “Hello, Akka.” Usha sounded excited.

“Hey, Usha. Is everything okay?” Pratibha went to the balcony. She sat on a cane chair.

“Yes,” Usha said. “The exam dates have been announced today.”

“You need to study seriously, alright?” Pratibha briefly clenched her hands and then released.

Usha remained silent.

Is she losing her confidence without me? “Usha, are you there?”

“Yes. I’m listening,” Usha said.

“Will you promise me you’ll study hard?”

“Yes, I promise.” Usha sounded confident.

“That’s my sister.” Pratibha raised her voice. “Call me when you feel lonely and feel like you’re missing me.”

Pratibha exchanged a few more words with Usha and then spoke to her parents. She assured her mother she is safe in the company of Simran. Her father expressed his happiness for doing well on her first day at the office. Pratibha said Sai Krishna was a good person and would take care of his team members well. She also told them he had suggested working on weekends for the first four months, and it would be impossible for her to visit Bangalore.

She ended the call and remembered Rahul. He must be waiting for her phone call. She swiped at his name on the phone. Rahul was busy speaking to someone else. Damn it.

Her glance shifted to her framed photograph with Rahul, shot in front of the Forum Mall. She had met Rahul on the first day of her engineering course. Rahul had queued the new students to rag and know their details. He was studying his second year at that time. Pratibha was scared of his behavior even though Rahul behaved friendly while he enquired about her personal details. He asked Pratibha about her background and questioned her for more duration than he did for other students. Perhaps, he was attracted to her on the first day itself. Though Pratibha was offended at first, she forgot the incident after Rahul became closer. She hadn’t expected they would date and plan to get married.

Her phone rang and it was Rahul.

“Hi, Rahul.” Adrenaline rushed through her veins.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Rahul sounded elated. “Sorry, I was busy talking to my colleague.”

“Are you free now?” Pratibha said.

“I will make myself free for you even though I’m busy.” Rahul sounded assuring. “Tell me, how are you? How is the place?”

“I’m doing well.” Pratibha gasped. “And I'm getting adjusted to the new environment.”

“What about your new project?” Rahul sounded curious. “Has the development started?”

“We’re gathering the customer requirements. It would take another two months for the project development to begin.”

“Oh, I see.”

There was an awkward silence for a moment.

“When are you visiting Bangalore?” Rahul asked.

Pratibha hadn’t thought about it. Sai Krishna had told his team members to work on the weekends too. “It wouldn’t be possible in the next three to four months.” She shook her head.

“I can’t wait that long, dear.”

“Why don’t you come to Hyderabad next month and meet me?” Pratibha sounded grimaced.

“Um… that’s a good suggestion. But my project schedule is also quite tighter. I’ll let you know when I can.”

“Sure.”

Pratibha talked about Simran and about the rest of the colleagues. She told Rahul about Sai Krishna’s pleasant attitude towards his team members. She gingerly refused his suggestion to visit Bangalore because of her busy project schedule. She ended her call.

Her glance shifted to the balcony of an adjoining flat. The man she had seen in the previous day stared at her, talking over the phone. A sense of anxiety and fear coursed through Pratibha’s mind. Unable to hold onto his gaze, she stiffly walked to her bedroom and locked the balcony door.