Every Time It Rains

by Nikita Singh

  ‘How did this happen? Dammit, I still have those last trays of cupcakes left to bake and oh God, I need to frost the ones in the oven!’ Maahi said, getting up quickly and plugging both their phones in to charge. ‘Dude, get up!’

  ‘I’m dying.’

  ‘Die tomorrow. Today’s the fancy party, the big account, the cute guy with the curly hair—’

  ‘Stop,’ Laila said. She rubbed her face to wake herself up. ‘Fuck. All right, let’s see what we have. Fuck the last batch of cupcakes, let’s do the frosting on the batch in the oven, and let’s leave.’

  ‘Why isn’t anyone here yet? Where’s Javed? Wait, no, we’re at One,’ Maahi said, looking around, clearly still a little disoriented. ‘Ram. Ram kahan hain?’

  ‘I told everyone to get here at noon. I thought that’s when we’d all leave for the fancy bungalow together.’

  ‘Should I call one of them and ask them to come in right now? Like, if Ram comes now, he could probably do the last batch of—’

  ‘Okay, do it. I’m getting started on the frosting.’ Laila got up and dashed towards the kitchen, almost tripping. ‘Ugh, head rush.’ She paused at the counter for a second to regain her balance and dashed to the kitchen again, successfully this time.

  A second later, Maahi appeared. ‘Javed’s coming. I called Ram first, but he still hasn’t decided his outfit for the fancy party. Seemed excited though.’

  ‘We could’ve been excited too if we had our shit together. That’s the difference between working for someone else and working for yourself. There’s always more we could be doing,’ Laila said, her hands moving in a swift, certain manner.

  ‘We’ve got this,’ Maahi said.

  ‘We’ve got this.’

  ‘We have it,’ Maahi said.

  ‘Yes, we have it,’ Laila said. ‘Now let’s stop panicking and do what you do best!’

  They got to work. Without wasting any more time, they worked efficiently with each other in perfect synchronicity. It took them forty-five minutes to finish icing the entire batch of cupcakes, by which time Javed had arrived. He took over the last batch, letting Laila and Maahi rush home to shower and change.

  ‘Where’s the stupid blouse?’ Laila yelled in the direction of Maahi’s room.

  ‘Where’s the food? I’m starving.’ Maahi appeared from the bathroom, wrapped in a pink towel with ugly blue and green flowers on it.

  ‘Where’s my blouse?’

  ‘Oh, drying outside with the rest of the clothes.’

  ‘I thought we were getting everything dry-cleaned?’ Laila asked.

  ‘There was no time. I had to hand-wash your fancy sari and the fancy suit you’ve so kindly agreed to lend me.’

  Laila rushed to the backyard and gathered everything from the clothesline, pinning the clips back on the now empty rope. ‘These are completely crumpled. We’ll have to get them ironed. You know what, let’s just skip the Indian thing and wear western formal.’

  ‘NO!’ Maahi spun around quickly, holding a half-buttered slice of bread. ‘Your sari is beautiful and so is the suit. I’ll get them ironed. We can wear normal clothes for now and after we’re done setting up the table at the venue, we can change into these.’

  ‘Fine. Whatever. But wear something nice, just in case we don’t get a chance to change.’

  ‘We will. I’ll make sure we will,’ Maahi said, her mouth full of food. She pointed to the bread in the toaster. ‘Want one?’

  They ate quickly and got dressed. Laila suspected Maahi wore her dirtiest jeans and baggiest T-shirt deliberately so that there would be no way they could bypass changing. Her T-shirt literally said “MEH!” in all caps, but Laila didn’t have time to get into it. They went to One first, where Ram and Aparna had joined Javed and they were packing the last of the cupcakes into clear, clamshell containers, ready to travel.

  ‘All right, Ram, could you stay here with the cupcakes till the guys from RH come to pick them up?’

  ‘Akele?’ Ram asked, childishly.

  ‘Dude, trust me, you’re not missing any fun. Close the shop and come to Two once the RH people have loaded everything. We’ll go pack the cookies now,’ Laila said.

  Once at Two, everyone worked swiftly. They were done in no time, and while they waited for Ram to get there with the RH people, Maahi quickly ran out to drop their outfits off for ironing.

  ‘So, everyone’s coming?’ Laila asked, sitting down on one of the couches.

  ‘Obviously,’ Javed said.

  ‘Yes!’ cried Aparna, who apparently hadn’t thought she was invited.

  ‘Cool. So, we’ll shut down both shops for today. Aparna, could you make a sign for the window saying we’ll open late tomorrow? Probably noon-ish,’ Laila said. ‘We’re all out of everything.’

  ‘Sab ho jaaega,’ Javed said, ‘if everyone comes at eight a.m, tomorrow morning.’

  ‘Except you, Aparna. You can come a little later, since we’re not opening the counter till noon.’

  ‘I can come early to help too. I’m sure there will be lots to do after the party and everything.’

  ‘Great, thanks!’ Laila said, smiling at Aparna’s enthusiasm. ‘There’s Ram. Let’s get started, kids!’

  After they’d loaded everything in the van and double-checked to make sure all seemed right, Laila turned to her people. Lowering her cap to shield her eyes from the brutal afternoon sun, she asked, ‘One person needs to go with them in the van. The rest can come in the car. Volunteers?’ She looked from Maahi to Javed to Aparna to Ram, none of whom moved a muscle. She tossed her car keys to Maahi. ‘Fine. I’ll do it. You’re all spoiled.’

  Laila climbed the back of the van and crouched next to the cartons of cookies and cupcakes stacked on top of each other. She removed her cap and wiped her forehead.

  ‘All okay?’ Maahi asked, peeking in through the door.

  ‘Yep. Got to make sure none of these fall.’ She pointed to the mountain of baked goods they’d worked tirelessly on making over the last few days, and the last few years.

  ‘See you soon,’ Maahi said and slammed the door shut, leaving Laila in the darkness.

  ‘Chalein?’ came a voice from the front.

  ‘Chalo!’ Laila said.

  Half an hour later, when the door reopened, Laila squinted against the sunlight and put her cap and sunglasses back on before getting off. Her team was waiting right outside with a trolley.

  ‘How did you beat us here?’ Laila asked in surprise.

  ‘She drives like a maniac!’ Aparna said, her face pink in the sun.

  Maahi grinned. ‘There was no traffic.’

  ‘Because everyone was scared of the crazy lady driving like a maniac!’ Ram said.

  ‘God, I work with such children!’ Laila exclaimed. ‘Javed, a little help here? Let’s load everything on the trolley and take it to the freezer at the back of the fancy bungalow. We can pick whatever we need for the initial setup from there and come back out front.’

  ‘I’ll go show Aparna our spot and begin setting up the table,’ Maahi said. ‘So, were you any good at art and craft in school?’ she asked Aparna as they walked away.

  After a few minor hiccups, which involved the accidental dropping of a dozen cupcakes on the lawn, the tearing of their tablecloth and the hot Delhi sun, which were rectified with the whole team dropping to their knees to clean up the mess on the grass, Aparna using expert safety-pin hacks on the tablecloth and Ram running to a nearby store to get three large umbrellas, they were all set.

  ‘Stay close to the table so the food remains under the shade too,’ Maahi said.

  ‘Actually, I don’t think this will work. The party officially begins at 6 p.m.—it’s only 4.38 p.m. now. I’m sure nobody’s coming for another two hours,’ Laila said. She thought for a second. ‘Who needs to change?’

  ‘Me,’ Maahi and Aparna said together.

  ‘I just need to put my coat on over this,’ Ram said. He was wearing a pink shirt with formal navy trousers. ‘It’s in t
he locker in the back.’

  ‘I’m ready,’ Javed said, pointing to his maroon and black pathani kurta pyjama.

  ‘Let’s take everything back into the freezer for now. The guys can bring it all back out in an hour.’

  ‘Are you joking? What about the pig?!’ Maahi cried. ‘It took me an hour to assemble!’

  ‘We won’t break any arrangements. But we can’t leave these out in the sun either!’

  ‘You’re just trying to find an excuse to stay back so you don’t have to change!’ Maahi glared at Laila. ‘Javed and Ram will make sure everything remains under the umbrellas till we get back, won’t you, guys?’

  ‘We will,’ Ram said.

  ‘Easier than the back and forth,’ Javed agreed.

  ‘Fine,’ Laila reluctantly gave in. She was the one who had suggested wearing ethnic clothes to begin with, but now that it was time to actually wear them, she really wasn’t in the mood to get back into the clothes that reminded her of her marriage, of Abhishek. She fought the knot in her chest, looking out of the window, as Maahi drove like a maniac and Aparna sat at the back muttering prayers.

  They picked up the freshly ironed clothes on the way to Two, where Aparna had left her outfit. Maahi went into the tiny office, Aparna went behind the counter to change and Laila took her sari to the kitchen.

  As Laila spread out the sari, she felt a constriction in her throat. Her face suddenly felt hot, and she quietly walked to a corner and placed her head against the wall. She closed her eyes and let the feelings wash over her. She didn’t have the time to breakdown; it couldn’t have been worse timing. She clutched her chest with her hand, feeling it rise and fall rapidly, still holding the sari. She took measured, deliberate breaths to calm herself down. Once her breathing returned to normal, she wiped her face and pulled back from the wall.

  Careful not to get anything on the fabric, in swift, sure movements, she draped the sari around herself. Even though she was wearing one after several years, it took her under five minutes to put it on. She folded the pallu and pinched it together between her fingers.

  Laila cleared her throat and called out, ‘Safety pin, anyone?’

  ‘Yep,’ Maahi said, appearing a moment later, rifling through her handbag, wearing Laila’s suit. The kurta hugged her body like a second skin. It was white with a deep neck and back, paired with a multi-coloured bandhej salwar and chunni with mirror work on it. Laila remembered that the fabric was silk, extremely soft and smooth. She also remembered that it was Abhishek’s favourite. She swallowed hard and looked away.

  ‘Here, I have a big one and a tiny—’ Maahi began, but paused suddenly, her hand stretched towards Laila.

  ‘Thanks.’ Laila took the safety pins from her and began securing the pleats.

  ‘Dude!’ Maahi said. ‘You look hot. Full Bollywood heroine types! Aparna, come and look at Laila!’

  ‘Oh my God, I love that sari!’ Aparna shrieked in excitement. ‘Where did you get it? I think I’ve seen Kareena wear something like that somewhere. So pretty!’

  ‘It’s old,’ Laila said shortly. It was a plain black georgette sari with a thin, bright coral border. The blouse was a sleeveless black number covered completely in matte black sequins, cut low and held together with a knot at the back. ‘You look beautiful too, Aparna.’

  To avoid any further questions, Laila busied herself with make-up. The little restroom was overcrowded with three women fighting for the mirror. When they were done, Maahi took pictures for C + C’s s social media and they set off to the venue. They had to make one stop on the way to buy shoes for Maahi and Aparna, who had both brought pencil heels with them. Laila was annoyed about the additional delay, but didn’t want anyone to fall and hurt their ankles, so she drove them to the store. They bought wedges and block heels to navigate the lawn easily. By the time they arrived at the imposing black gates, which were left open this time, the staff was lined up on both sides, armed with guest lists and smiles, Laila was worried they were late.

  However, it was only a little past six and they were relieved to see that the lawn was practically empty, except for all the tables lining the wall. They walked across the lawn to their table, admiring the other counters covered with all sorts of baked goods. The environment had a very reality-show, bake-off sort of vibe. The professional photographers scurrying about only added to that atmosphere. This party was definitely going to be covered by the local tabloids and with all participating bakeries posting about it, the bake-off was likely to trend on social media. There was a lot of buzz around it, and the excitement was rising. As Laila looked around, she felt that the place was basically a baker’s heaven. There were tables laden with different kinds of breads, pastries, tarts, ganache, cupcakes, cookies, cheesecakes, croissants, pies, muffins, doughnuts, mousses, puffs, rolls and everything else imaginable. While they were extremely pleasant to look at and smell, they also gave Laila pangs of nervousness. Before guests arrived, everyone was busy taking pictures, proud of their respective displays.

  Some of her anxiety was eased once they reached their table and looked at their own beautiful counter. Laila had to agree, the pig, although stupid, was also very quirky and fun and livened up their display. The sun had lowered, leaving them in the shade of the trees behind them, and the air was much cooler. Laila sat down on one of the three chairs behind their table and admired the surroundings as a smile crept on to her face.

  ‘This is perfect,’ she said. ‘We’re all set.’

  ‘Loving the music,’ Maahi said, looking around.

  ‘Yeah, it’s their bring-the-classics-back thing—a part of their re-branding plan, which is also why we’re wearing these.’ Laila pointed at their outfits.

  ‘You look beautiful,’ Ram said and as if realizing that he’d actually spoken the words aloud, he turned red and looked away.

  ‘Thank you.’ Laila laughed, catching Maahi’s eye.

  ‘You do,’ Javed added. ‘All of you.’

  ‘Thanks. You gentlemen look quite dapper as well,’ Laila said. ‘All right—game plan. Three people behind the counter, one person needs to carry a tray around—not yet though—and one person checking what others are doing, gathering information.’

  ‘Ooh, I’ll be the spy!’ Aparna said, walking away muttering something about the freezer.

  ‘Javed and I could go around with the tray,’ Ram offered.

  ‘It’d be more effective if the girls did it, to be honest,’ Javed countered.

  ‘One girl is the spy and the other two are the owners who need to be at the counter at all times to represent the brand they worked very hard to build,’ Maahi said, a little heatedly.

  ‘Hey, I’m just saying you’re all very pretty!’

  ‘But that’s not the only thing we are—’

  ‘I didn’t—’

  ‘Simmer down, people!’ Laila interjected before things escalated. ‘We don’t need pretty faces to sell our stuff. Just make sure to carry Cookies + Cupcakes napkins and serve every single piece on one so that people remember what they ate and where it came from.’

  ‘Also, my cupcakes are really pretty too,’ Maahi said.

  ‘Fine!’ Javed threw his hands up in surrender. He left, saying something about looking for a tray.

  ‘You need to chill, girl,’ Laila said, turning to Maahi, who slumped on the chair next to her. ‘You’re pretty, your cupcakes are pretty, this pig is pretty, this entire lawn is pretty. Look, even the sky’s all pretty now. Everything’s prett—’

  ‘Not more than you though,’ came a goofy voice from behind them. Laila turned to see JD standing in front of their counter, his eyes fixed on her. He was wearing a bright purple suit, which actually shone in the dull sunlight. He had a white silk shirt underneath, and a black bowtie to match the lapels on his coat.

  Laila smirked. ‘What do you think of our table? You know, the thing we’re actually here to showcase?’

  ‘I’m quite happy with what I see,’ he said, his eyes not leaving her f
ace for a second. ‘Maybe I’ll get a chance to look at the table on my next round.’

  Laila rolled her eyes and glanced at Maahi, disgruntled to find that she was beaming excitedly at JD. ‘Just take a look at the damn table!’ Laila said.

  ‘Tere chehre se nazar nahin hatti, nazaare hum kya dekhein,’ JD sang softly, walking backwards, away from the counter, his eyes still on Laila.

  ‘God, stop,’ Laila groaned, just as she heard Maahi giggle next to her.

  ‘What? It was playing at RH all day! Not everything is about you, you know?’ JD called, and with that and a wink, he turned around and disappeared.

  10

  FANCY AFTER-PARTY

  ‘Yes, ma’am. We use organic ingredients only,’ Laila said, smiling much wider than a normal person should. ‘Gluten-free.’

  ‘I’m actually lactose intolerant …’ said the woman in a bottle-green gown, which made the bottom half of her body look like a mermaid’s tail.

  ‘Not a problem—we have dairy-free options too. Here, let me show you,’ Laila said and pointed to the dairy-free section. The lady picked one and Laila placed it on a napkin and transferred it to one of the expensive-looking plates they’d been provided. Laila handed the lady a fork and said, ‘Enjoy!’

  ‘The eggs we use are a hundred per cent free range,’ Maahi was informing a guest. ‘We do have low-fat options too. These ones here were made using fat-free milk and cream.’

  Once Maahi was done with her guest, she sat down, clearly exhausted.

  ‘I feel you,’ Laila said. ‘People are more concerned about what’s not in the food than what’s actually in it—gluten-free, fat-free, dairy-free, nut-free!’

  ‘And then they don’t even eat it. They just nibble.’

  ‘I guess one doesn’t fit into those fancy clothes and eat at the same time!’

  ‘Then just eat! Why come to the party that has every single one of New Delhi’s finest baked goods on offer only to not eat?’ Maahi said. ‘Ugh, I’m so annoyed.’

  ‘I can see that,’ Laila said. ‘But take a step back and look around you, man. This is so freaking beautiful.’