by Nikita Singh
‘Maybe you can text him now? Hang out? Talk?’
‘Maybe. I had to cancel my Tinder date this week because of the fancy party.’
‘You were doing the whole online dating thing as a distraction anyway. You were never really into it,’ Laila said. ‘Talk to Sid. Maybe you could work things out—or not—but at least you’ll know. It’s been over a year, so you can get whatever perspective or closure you need—depending on how it goes. You kids would be good together.’
‘Don’t. I can’t dream.’
Laila rolled her eyes. ‘Drama queen. Enough serious conversation for tonight. So jaa ab. We only have a few hours till we have to be at the bakery.’
They got up and cleared the table. Once they were done, they left everything by the sink and Laila said good night and went to her room.
‘Wait,’ Maahi called out from the door of her room. ‘How did it go with JD tonight? You know? After I left?’
Laila turned around and leaned her back against her door frame. ‘Fine. I’m going to give him a chance.’
‘Really?’ Maahi seemed shocked, and quickly covered her expression and added, ‘I mean it’s great! It’s awesome!’
Laila collected her thoughts for a second and said softly, ‘Yeah. I don’t feel fully ready, but I might never be. He seems like a good, genuine person. I’m going to give him a chance.’ She turned around and walked to her bed, wondering if JD would still be interested in her after she freaked out and bolted just because he pulled her closer to him. She was a grown woman, not a nervous teenager. She didn’t want to think about why she had acted the way she did. Instead, she focused her energies on wondering what JD must make of it.
12
THE WAIT
The next few days went by very slowly while they waited to hear from Roast House, much to Laila’s frustration. She wasn’t as anxious as Maahi, who was saying every scary thought that popped into her head out loud, making Laila anxious too. ‘Did you see that one table with everything made from Rice Krispies? I’m sure they’ll get chosen!’ she would say. Immediately, Laila would find herself looking up the Rice Krispies bakery on the Internet, pulling up all information she could find.
Aparna had done a good job as a spy and had gathered business cards from all the counters at the party, making stalking them online much easier. Laila wasn’t sure it was helping. It was good to know what they were up against, but finding out just how talented these other bakers were only added to their insecurities. They had given it their all for the party—stretched their budget as far as they could, baked their best stuff, concentrated on presentation, customer service, brand recall and everything else they could think of. There was nothing more to do now but worry.
Laila spent Saturday morning at One, baking with Maahi. They were both operating in the strange zone between drunk and hungover. They also hadn’t got nearly enough sleep, so they worked slowly and silently. The previous night’s conversation was still fresh in Laila’s head, but she was hesitant to say anything to Maahi, who she could tell was going through everything they’d talked about in her head too. By noon, when their team arrived, they had baked enough to fill up the counter display.
Ram took over baking for One, while Laila, Javed and Aparna took the other half to Two. Later that evening, after the team was gone, Maahi came over to Two, and waited with Laila for the kids to come claim their sweets. Sure enough, they arrived jumping up and down with excitement. Laila sat them down inside in the now-closed bakery, and offered them platters of dessert from the party. The pig was a big hit among the kids, who not only got to eat as much as they liked, but also took home boxes for their families. In return, they assured Laila and Maahi that they were the best at the fancy party and they were going to win the competition for sure.
On Sunday, they didn’t have enough baking to hide behind. This would’ve made Laila anxious anyway, but especially now when she needed to keep busy, it was even more painful. Javed, who was in a bad mood because his parents hadn’t kept their word and criticized his girlfriend’s parents openly when they met, wanted to be left alone. He muttered something about stupid honour being more important than one’s own children’s happiness as he exited Two, and a few seconds later, they heard the angry roar of his motorcycle as he rode away.
Maahi arrived with Ram shortly after, almost scared of Javed’s volatile temperament. With four anxious bakers in the bakery and no baking to do, they took to cleaning any surface they could find. They gave the kitchen a deep cleansing, moving everything out of its place and scrubbing over and under. Once they were done, they cleaned the office and bathroom. The only place still remaining was the shop section, which Laila cleaned with Maahi once Ram and Aparna had left after closing. They reached home, carrying bags of takeout—starving, exhausted and too tense to talk. Laila didn’t sleep well at all that night, her thoughts oscillating between Roast House and JD. She wondered what was going on in his head, and if he was thinking about her at all.
Monday came and went without a word from JD. Since both Cookies + Cupcakes shops were open seven days a week, each person took a day of their choice off every week after coordinating with the others. Javed, who usually had Mondays off, showed up to work promptly, looking from Laila to Maahi questioningly.
‘What? It’s 8 a.m.! They probably haven’t even had the meeting yet!’ said Maahi, who was clearly stressed out. She reacted the same way when Aparna arrived a few minutes later. When Ram entered a few minutes after that, Javed and Aparna warned him against engaging with Maahi. They ended up having another tense day with everyone on the edge, staying out of each other’s way. Laila saw that they were all being more productive than usual, channelling all their energies towards work. Nobody was seen scrolling through their Instagram. Aparna didn’t post a single selfie with some silly filter on Snapchat.
By Tuesday, the team had reached a whole new level of anxiety. If the meeting happened on Monday as scheduled, they were definitely going to hear about the results by Tuesday. Only, they didn’t. At closing time, when they still hadn’t heard from Roast House, Maahi and Ram came over to Two, and together with Javed and Aparna, forced Laila to enquire about the status.
‘We have to know what’s up,’ Aparna cried.
‘It’s only 7 p.m.—just call that tall guy and ask,’ Javed said.
‘I’m with them,’ Maahi said, looking expectantly at Laila.
‘Me too,’ Ram added.
They all stood side by side, facing Laila, as if ready to put up a physical fight if she said no or decided to escape without giving them what they wanted. ‘Let’s all take a seat,’ she said finally. ‘There’s no need for a revolution or whatever the hell it is you guys are planning. I’ll ask him. An email would be more professional.’
‘Who knows when he’ll see it!’ Ram revolted.
‘It’s easy to ignore emails. You have to put him on the spot. Call him,’ Javed said, throwing his hands up in obvious frustration.
‘If I put him on the spot, you think he’ll give us the account? Even if his company decidesd otherwise?’ Laila raised an eyebrow.
‘Why would they decide otherwise?’ Aparna asked, biting her fingernails.
‘I said if. Calling won’t change their decision, but it might annoy him and impact the decision if they haven’t yet made it.’
‘You’re thinking way too much,’ Maahi said and slumped down on the chair next to Laila. ‘But yes, let’s just email him. This is 2016. I’m pretty sure he has push notifications on.’
‘Exactly. Email’s the new text message. No one calls anyone anymore,’ Laila said and pulled out her laptop to compose the email. She wasn’t going to be the first one to call after the first (attempted and good until interrupted) kiss. JD hadn’t texted her at all since Friday night, which she was trying not to think about. She made sure her mail sounded strictly professional in case he thought she was using business as an excuse to talk to him.
From: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Date: Tue, Sept 8, 2016 at 7:18 pm
To: [email protected]
Subject: Follow-up
Hi JD,
It was great to be a part of Roast House’s party. We were honoured to have been offered the opportunity to showcase our products to the team and guests.
We were wondering if RH has reached a decision about the collaboration account yet. When can we expect to know?
Thanks,
Laila
--
Laila Kapoor
Co-founder
Cookies + Cupcakes
‘There,’ Laila said as she hit ‘Send’. The team huddled behind her, peering into her inbox as if to make sure she had actually sent it. Laila frowned. ‘God, have some faith. It’s not as if I don’t want to know what’s going on!’
‘You didn’t seem too keen on finding out,’ Maahi pointed out.
‘I just … don’t want to seem too desperate—or whatever. Shut up!’
Maahi threw her hands up in surrender.
Javed and Ram analysed the email, standing behind Laila, who was about to ask them to stop crowding her, when she was distracted by a scream in her ear.
‘New mail from Jayesh Diwakar! New mail from Jayesh Diwakar!’ Aparna cried suddenly, pointing at the bottom right of the laptop screen.
‘Open it!’ they yelled in unison.
‘I am!’ Laila said, her fingers trembling slightly as she clicked on the new mail.
From: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Date: Tue, Sept 8, 2016 at 7:24 pm
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Follow-up
Hi Laila,
It was great to have you be a part of Roast House’s party. We were honoured to have you showcase your delicious products to our team and guests.
The team at RH hasn’t reached a decision about the collaboration account yet. You can expect to know by tomorrow.
Best,
JD
--
Jayesh Diwakar
Head of Marketing
Roast House
‘Is this a joke?’ Maahi muttered, inspecting the email closely. ‘It reads like a joke.’
‘Except it isn’t funny, is it?’ Laila asked. JD’s mail read like it was mocking Laila’s. ‘At all.’
The team dispersed immediately and began collecting their bags, preparing to go home. Laila looked at Maahi, who shrugged, sitting back motionless in her chair, her eyes wandering, watching the team pack up.
‘Aw, come on. Big day tomorrow!’ Laila tried to cheer them up, but they muttered their gloomy goodbyes and left.
After another sleepless night, Laila arrived at Two, having dropped Maahi at One. She kept telling herself that she was calm, that she had to be, for the team, but it simply wasn’t working. Her agitation rubbed off on Javed and Aparna. They were way past the working-in-silence phase and had launched into an analysing and over-analysing one. Laila kept out of the discussion while Javed and Aparna worried themselves sick, going over the what-ifs.
Maahi and Ram kept texting them throughout the day, checking for updates. When Maahi called the fifteenth time, Laila lost her cool. ‘How many times do I have to tell you: you’re copied on the email. You’ll know when I know—we’ll both know at the same time. And if they call me, don’t you think I’ll call you the very next second?’
‘I can’t. I can’t do this,’ Maahi said. ‘I’m coming over.’
Before she hung up, Laila heard Ram complain in the background about being left alone at One. Fifteen minutes later, Maahi arrived with Ram, shrugging helplessly.
‘Well, closing early is hardly good for business,’ Laila observed.
‘We put up a sign saying our HKV shop is open. Also, they can order online. Also, I don’t care,’ Maahi said.
‘Winning attitude.’
Maahi sat down at the corner table by the glass window, looking out, squinting in the bright afternoon sunlight. Ram sat down with her, which prompted Aparna and Javed to join them too. Maahi put her phone on the table and kept glancing at it every few seconds.
‘O…kay,’ Laila said, frowning. ‘I guess I’m handling the counter then.’ Her whole team was falling apart. The longer they waited to hear from Roast House, the bigger deal getting the account had become. Laila watched the sunlight get dimmer and dimmer without a word from Roast House.
‘Maybe they forgot about us,’ Aparna said.
‘Maybe they’re only getting back to the bakeries they selected. Maybe they’ll send out rejection emails tomorrow—or later,’ Ram said.
Javed looked from Aparna to Ram as if they were stupid. ‘Don’t you get it? They won’t bother telling the rejects at all! Roast House is a giant. They can’t be bothered with rejects.’
‘We’re not rejects!’ Maahi cried. ‘Stop calling us rejects!’
They continued arguing, and Laila adamantly stayed out of it. Nothing good ever came out of getting involved in the melodrama. She also, however, placed her phone on the counter and kept pressing the power button every other minute to check for notifications. Once again, it was closing time, and they still hadn’t heard from JD.
‘Forget it, we’re not getting a raise,’ Ram groaned. ‘I’m giving up.’
‘A raise?’ Maahi asked.
‘Getting the Roast House account means C+C takes off, which means more work for us, which means a raise, right?’ Javed looked from Maahi to Laila.
‘Right?’ Ram pressed.
Maahi looked at Laila for help, prompting all eyes to turn to her.
‘Look, we haven’t discussed it yet. We’ve been trying not to count our chickens before they hatch,’ Laila said evenly. Before the team began to protest, she added, ‘But we can discuss it for sure.’
‘Now?’ Javed asked.
‘It’s time to close and we’re all waiting anyway,’ Aparna said.
‘Okay,’ Laila allowed. ‘What do you want to know?’
‘Are we hiring more people?’ Javed asked.
‘If we get the account, there will certainly be some more money. Roast House will give us the capital to expand our productions and other resources to help us, including mentors, experts and what not. Also, there’s always RH’s marketing team that can guide us. We might not be big enough to take care of production in-house. We’ll most probably have to outsource it,’ Laila explained.
‘So … you won’t need us anymore? We’re losing our jobs?’ Ram asked, panicked.
‘NO! No one’s losing any jobs. If we take our production for Roast House to a bigger factory, Maahi and I will oversee it for the first few months. Meanwhile, Javed and you will train the new bakers we’ll hire for the shops, one each, probably. Also meanwhile, Maahi and I can train Javed and you at the factory too. So, in a few months, ideally, we’ll have a fully trained set of bakers for the shops and Javed and you will know all there is to know about the shops and also the collab with RH. Think of it as a promotion.’
‘With a raise,’ Javed added.
Laila laughed. ‘With a raise.’
‘Awesome.’ Ram grinned.
‘What about me?’ Aparna asked. ‘I stay where I am? Do I get a raise?’
Maahi chipped in, ‘Irrespective of what happens today, Laila and I have been thinking about hiring two new people for the counters. You will get to train them and oversee their work.’
‘Kind of like a supervisor?’
‘Exactly like a supervisor. Of course, you’ll also be given additional administrative responsibilities—you’ll be in charge of sheets and inventories and deliveries,’ Maahi said. She looked at Laila and added, ‘If we do get the Roast House account, you’ll have even more work.’
‘Yep,’ Laila agreed.
‘I can do it,’ Aparna said excitedly and then repeated it in quick succession, ‘I can do it. I can do it for sure!’
‘Three more times and we’
ll believe you,’ Javed teased.
Some of the tension lifted after this conversation. But as they waited for news, it seemed to build up all over again, and now it was even higher—if that were possible. Now the team knew what was at stake, and was hoping more desperately than before for good news. After closing, Laila joined them at the table briefly before getting up and pacing around. Sitting motionlessly was proving to be hard.
‘Call him,’ Maahi said, suddenly getting up, as if unable to sit any longer.
‘Yes, call him,’ Javed said.
‘He said we’ll find out today, so we’ll find out today. There are five more hours in today,’ Laila said firmly, silently cursing JD for not having called yet.
She thought they’d dropped the matter when Maahi sat back down and everyone resumed their silence, but five minutes later, Maahi spoke again, this time demanding Laila send another email at least.
‘You’re copied in the email. You send it,’ Laila said.
‘Fine.’ Maahi picked up her phone and began typing. A minute later, Laila received the email.
From: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Date: Wed, Sept 9, 2016 at 7:44 pm
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Re: Follow-up
Hey JD—haven’t heard about your decision yet—dying here. Let us know soon please?
xx
--
Maahi Kothari
Co-founder
Cookies + Cupcakes
‘Dying here?’ Laila raised an eyebrow. ‘Very professional, that.’
‘My present state of mind does not permit me to fake professionalism.’
‘Ironic.’
They didn’t have to wait long for a response.
From: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Date: Wed, Sept 9, 2016 at 7:47 pm
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: follow-up
LOOK OUTSIDE: )))))
JD
--
Jayesh Diwakar
Head of Marketing
Roast House