His head threw back in a bark of laughter, his eyes meeting Gautam’s. How was Gautam ok with his wife going gaga over a man as lowly as this? He had no sense of personal space, did not take his eyes away from women’s bodies, spoke trash, and was rude enough to make snobs seem angelic.
“A memorable first meeting,” Nilay smiled tenderly at Maya.What an asshole!
“I’m still holding you to the Mayanagri collection.”
“Alright, it will happen when it has to happen,” Gautam broke up the conversation. “Let’s start the Pooja, MM is getting restless, as is everybody else.” He reached for his daughter, who instantly opened her arms and flung herself to him. Ritu gazed at the gesture. This girl had the best hiding place. She had never felt happier than she did then, seeing Gautam plant another couple of tiny kisses to her head as he led Nilay Patel to the pooja table.
“Maya.” Ritu stopped her, grabbing her forearm.
“Yeah?”
“What’s going on?”
“Meaning?”
“This cosy chatting with that man… did you not see how he was looking at you in front of Gautam, with MM here?”
Maya’s face broke into a grin — “Oh, he has flirted worse with me. In fact, he also promised to build an entire collection with me as his muse,” she batted her eyelashes.
Muse?
“Are you serious?!”
“Don’t worry. He does not mean it, Maasi.”
“Still…”
“Neither does he mean any harm. G is a good judge of character, and he has not warned me off either.”
Now Ritu wondered if it was to keep this account in his company. She knew Gautam, and yet she didn’t. He was a self-made businessman, working tirelessly to keep his company expanding. He wouldn’t throw Maya into harm’s way but… Ritu stopped the barrage of what-ifs. Her job was to warn.
“Let’s go, it’s starting.”
Maya turned her forearm until she had latched onto hers and pulled her along. The pooja table had a small stack of account books and a few laptops lined up.
“Ghar ni navi Laxmi saathiyo karse?[1]” The Panditji cooed at MM, who was trying to stand tall on the table between Gautam’s steady hands. She showed her gummy mouth and bounced, her curls bouncing with her.
“Chalo, karo[2],” he opened one book and pushed it towards her. Maya took her little right index finger, dipped it in the kumkum paste and drew a tiny swastik on the first page of the book. MM tried to throw herself face first into the dish of kumkum and Maya immediately passed her along, moving onto the rest of the books and laptops. Ritu accepted her, and squeaked. Wet red fingers streaked across her cheek and down her white saree.Maya’swhite saree.
“All the best, Mumma’s saree,” Ritu chuckled, hitching her higher.
“Give her here,” Gautam opened his arms, accepting his daughter, leaving her to clean the stain before it dried.
“Where is the bathroom?” Ritu whispered to the receptionist standing beside her. Leo, she recollected, was his name.
“Straight down and right. But if that’s locked, then upstairs.”
“Thank you.” Ritu slid out of the crowd of employees surrounding the pooja table and followed down the path Leo had sketched. And sure enough, the bathroom was locked.
MAINTAINENCE
Who shut a bathroom for maintenance on a party night?
She turned to the curving set of wide stairs, looking inviting even in this dark. All white and cobalt blues, with diyas on the periphery. She clutched her saree pleats in one hand and began climbing.
————————————————————
“Hey, Doctor?”
