CASA-- Redux-- :))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))--Part 1

14^th December 2011

Modi & Dastur

Wednesday

3:14 PM

Khanak hung up on her call, it was Bai, she wanted to know if she would visit Ahmedabad for a week, Dadi was not doing well, but she had just been promoted to Senior Architect/Designer at Modi Dastur this morning. It was an incredible opportunity, Ram’s trust in her abilities and her 60 hour weeks since she had returned to Mumbai could be assigned as the driver for the promotion.

She had called Ritu to gush when she got an email from Ram. It had come with a meeting invite with a subject “Navi Mumbai Project”

Shaan had been considering transitioning to Ajmera’s Navi Mumbai project.

Her heart had skipped a beat on seeing the invite. She was currently overloaded with the unfinished DLF Project in Gurgaon. But something about the mention of any thing associated with the man sent her heart barrelling like a storm surge…

She had picked up her phone and almost sprinted to Ram’s office

He was on the phone, he had grinned seeing her look of eagerness…

She had retracted and paused outside the door, bit her lower lip in embarrassment… “I will come back later” she spoke to her toes..

“Come on inMrs Gujral” he had invited

“Ram main Khanak hoon”

“I apologize, I forgot your first name” he winked, holding her elbow…

She waited until he shut the door “Are you putting me on the Navi Mumbai Project?”

“No I am promoting you” he had said, firmly..

Her gaze had flown to his in sheer shock… “Mujhe?”

“I don’t see any body else in the room”he quipped, amused

She had clamped her hand over her mouth… in shock…

“Mujhe?” she asked softly..

“Tumhe”he said with a faint Malayalam accent…

“I have to sit” she said trembling…

“It can be that bad” he had chuckled….

“Its worse… I am speechless”

“Not surprising actually” he had responded, fondly tapping her head, as he answered a call

She had sat there like a fool, staring down at the traffic 20 floors below…. She was reminded of her first day… nervous… afraid…

He hung up on the call…

“Do you want to work on Navi Mumbai?”

Umm…” she pondered, in her signature style

“Has Shaan figured those out yet?”

“What?”

“Those Umms… you say”

She turned crimson…

“Ritu has” she said softly…

“Ofcourse!”

He sent something to a printer, walked over to pick it up… handed it to her… “It comes with a raise, more like a cost of living adjustment” “You ofcourse don’t need any” he winked

“I do” she said seriously

Ram stared at her bent head as she read… “She must” he agreed with her silently

“Sonali college mein hai, Mehul aur Mitali jaayenge uske baad” she murmured…

“I havent seen a more self respecting gal in my entire life”

“Renuka is too” she offered

He smiled but chose not to disagree

She fingered her mangal sootra nerbously… “Ummm… I beter go”

“Thanks Ram” she said jumping out of her chair

“There will be arrears effective your anniversary date Khanak, it makes it easirer for benefits accounting to have it all in sync”

She nodded, with pride… “It was a raise of over Rs.2 lakhs per year, gross, after deductions she would land atleast Rs.10,000 per month, she was sure…

Her heart sang… she walked out, as he watched, calm, graceful, posied as ever…wearing a simple purple kurta and a heavily embriodered orange salwar…. She wore what appeared to be exquisite earriings in fire orange carnelian….

His admin waited and exchanged a smile… Khanak paused… and nodded.. smiled again… her glorious smile and walked away..

It was unexpected… with Dadi’s recent bypass, she was doing a lot of basic math on her way to work… wondering how to make Sonali’s “Surgical Nurse-I” class in January…

Pradeep had asked one day at a traffic intersection “ Aap padhai kar rahi hain?”

“Nahi main nahi Pradeepji” she had responded cryptically…