Nothing Lasts Forever - No Secret Can Stay Buried

by Vish Dhamija

  Andrew Harrison had been waiting for her. He must have been in his mid-forties; a tall and slim American with a receding hairline. He wore a blue well-tailored suit with a powder blue shirt and an asymmetrical, printed matching tie. He had quite stylish rimless glasses on. He was typing something on the keyboard when she knocked on his open door. 'Welcome to London. How are you?' he said, in his American accent, when he saw her.

  'I am fine, thank you. How are you?'

  'Not bad at all. Come in…I've been waiting for you. How was your journey?'

  'It was fine. Thanks.'

  'Coffee?'

  'Yes, please.' She definitely needed caffeine.

  'Let's go.' Andy collected his wallet from the drawer and got up. He was certainly taking her somewhere for coffee, as the secretaries here didn't run to get one. Serena hadn't yet comprehended how different it would be in the UK.

  They took the lift to the top floor of the building that housed a Costa Coffee. 'What will you have?' he asked approaching the counter.

  'A skinny cappuccino for me, please,' she said.

  'Make that two, please,' he told the lady at the till.

  They carried their coffees to an empty table in the café and sat down. Andy advised Serena to meet the HR department in the morning and complete the initial formalities. They — Serena and him — should meet in the afternoon for discussions on the job, and he would introduce her to the team. He called up the HR representative to come over to his office when they returned. Serena spent the whole morning completing tedious HR formalities and returned to Andy's desk at lunch.

  'Let's go for lunch.' Andy got up.

  Life moves at a different pace here, Serena reflected.

  The office had its own cafeteria that had choices of hot and cold food. There was a salad bar, a sandwich counter and a hot pizza grill as well as a vast choice of laid-out dishes: pasta, steak, burgers, soup, and even Indian. Serena picked up a salad and joined Andy who had picked up his food and was sitting at the table waiting for her.

  'Where are you staying?' he enquired after she had sat down with her lunch.

  'At the Four Seasons.'

  'Has HR booked a service apartment for you?'

  'Yes. Thankfully that's at the Westferry Circus too, so I shouldn't have a problem with the luggage,' she said.

  'Good. Have you decided where you want to stay in London or is it too soon for that?'

  'I have been advised to live somewhere in Docklands, I believe it is close by.'

  'Take your time in deciding. You have an eight-week allowance to stay in the guest accommodation when you move. There's no rush. Save the rent to take all of us out for a drink sometime,' he joked.

  'Of course.'

  Over the meal and, almost, all afternoon, Andy updated Serena on the situation of the retail business in the UK. The bank, unlike its Indian counterpart, wasn't the market leader. They had a total of seven branches in the country, and though there was ample manpower in the branches, there weren't enough resources in the central office to lead the marketing and operations. Due to various cost cuts year-on-year, the bank hadn't invested much money on marketing for years, and was sadly a me-too bank in one of the richest markets in the world. As if that wasn't enough, they had been inordinately slow in terms of Internet banking. Some non-banking players were dominating the market place having launched innovative products like Internet-only banking and credit cards. Given the price of the properties in central London, the banks without brick and mortar branches had an undue advantage.

  'We need an earth-shattering strategy to penetrate this market. If we had the money, we would have acquired a local player and built on that. The US Head Office does not want to invest in developed markets and hence, we must to do something different. And we need to do it soon,' Andy concluded.

  'I am sure we can work on it,' Serena consoled him.

  How? She didn't have a clue at this moment.

  Andy called in his secretary and asked her to check if a meeting room was available. It was getting close to four now and he had organised a meeting to introduce Serena to her team, which turned out to be only three people.

  I need to hire some real talent, right away, she realised.

  ***

  A month had passed since Serena had moved to London. She had spent a lot of time visiting the branches, the competition, working with HR to recruit new staff, meeting the communication and PR agencies. She didn't mind working over the weekends (unlike some local staff) to get her fully up to speed. It was time, now, to start interviewing for new hires before she could think of a plan to revitalise the bank and its brand. Andy was right when he had said it needed a business strategy rather than a tactical fix.

  She enquired around the office to find out if anyone else lived in Docklands, specifically on the Isle of Dogs, to get a fair idea of respectable buildings in the area and met Paul Black who lived in a riverside apartment on Westferry Road. He took Serena for a drink in a pub near the office in the evening. He explained the area in detail, highlighting the new buildings that were good. He was very friendly, a soft-spoken Englishman who sat three offices away from Serena. They became friends and had coffee or lunch together once in a while, chatting about the differences between them. He had never been to India, but desired to. He was single, and excited when he realised that Serena was too.

  The estate agents showed her apartments in the area and she settled on a newly built warehouse, converted to a two-bedroom apartment. It overlooked the Thames, with a gym and swimming pool. The apartment came fully furnished, including the crockery and cutlery, and was within her budget. She signed the lease for a year to move in, in March.

  ***

  'Paul, I'll buy you a drink after work today,' Serena told Paul one morning.

  'Why?'

  'It's Friday. I have found an apartment, which wouldn't have been possible without your help.

  'It's a date. I'll be free by six.'

  They went for a drink after work at the Slug and Lettuce, which was crowded with what seemed a million people, and struggled to get to the till to buy a drink. Paul enlightened her that there wasn't anything strange in that, everyone in the UK celebrated the weekends.

  She took a couple of days off to move into the new apartment. Though it was furnished, she went out to buy personal stuff first.

  You need to get things that you can relate to or you would keep feeling you live in someone else's house. She remembered Kim saying that when she moved into her Bandra apartment.

  19

  April 2001

  'Coffee?' Serena asked Paul, at ten o'clock.

  'I've already had one, but I can have another.' Paul cheerfully got up to leave.

  'How come you have already had one so early in the morning? We usually have one around this time,' Serena asked as they came out of his room.

  'I couldn't sleep last night.' He yawned.

  'All okay?'

  'Oh yes… I've had this new neighbour on the floor above me since last month, and he's weird. He puts on loud music at odd hours and it wakes me up. I had to knock at his door at one in the morning to ask him to lower the bloody volume,' Paul whined.

  'Does he live in the penthouse?'

  'Yes. How did you guess?'

  'Elementary my dear Paul, you live one floor below the top. It is apparent that the one on the top should be a penthouse,' Serena replied smartly.

  'Oh yes.' Paul remembered he had invited Serena over and shown his apartment when she was looking for one to rent.

  'Strange. Normally people here don't do that.'

  'He doesn't look like he's from here, though his accent is British,' Paul said, paying for both the coffees. 'He looks Greek to me.'

  'Doesn't his family wake up to his loud music?'

  'I think he is single. I have warned him not to blast his sound system at odd hours.'

  'Good. Any plans for the weekend?' Serena asked, it being a Friday.

  'Nothing important, I just need time t
o clean my place. Let's catch a movie.'

  'Which one?'

  'There's a good one playing — Bridget Jones's Diary. Do you want to come tomorrow evening?'

  'That sounds good and I have nothing to do. I'll give you a call tomorrow morning,' Serena said.

  ***

  Serena had gathered enough information regarding the retail banking industry in the past few months; appropriate staff had been poached from the competition for vacant positions. She regrouped her department based on her experiences in India and Dubai. She understood the nuances of a highly mature market, and that the issues she faced here were different from those in the developing economies. She hired a research agency and briefed them on the challenge. Well-targeted funding, allied to some unconventional marketing with a great strategy, could bring results.

  But first, she should wait for the research agency to come up with a proposal.

  ***

  It was almost three in the afternoon, after the two-hour team meeting that started at ten, and Serena had only just returned to her desk when Paul came by to invite her for coffee. He was humming all the way as they took the elevator to the cafeteria.

  'Haven't seen you since the movie…' Paul said when they sat down with their coffee.

  'I was out visiting the branches for work the whole of last week,' Serena explained.

  'You know this guy I was talking about who lives in the penthouse above me…'

  'Yes, you told me. Has he bothered you again?'

  'No. He's quite a cool guy. He met me in the lift on Saturday morning, as I returned with groceries and apologised for the other night once again. He invited me to his penthouse for a drink in the evening. I had no plans so I accepted. The penthouse is amazing, Serena. You've seen my house with the living room windows overlooking the Thames — the penthouse occupies two floors with a mezzanine, so his living room has double height windows opening into a terrace over the river.'

  'What does he do?' Serena sounded interested.

  'He lives in Greece most of the year, and comes here only in the summer.'

  'And, what does he do?' Serena repeated her question.

  'He told me he deals in antiques. His house is immaculate… he has incredible finesse. We even went down to the basement to see his Jaguar 'E' Type. He's even promised me a ride this coming weekend. It looks like he's a millionaire.'

  'He's a millionaire... And, he is single...wow!'

  'Yes.'

  'So, when can I meet him?'

  'Why? Don't you consider me worth dating?' Paul said flirtatiously, and both of them laughed.

  'But you don't have a penthouse, or a Jaguar.'

  'That's true.'

  'You know what they say about men and coffee, don't you?' she asked, finishing her drink.

  'They are both preferred rich.' He completed the joke finishing his brew.

  'You're so right. Meeting single men is good for me, but millionaire would be so much better. Isn't that right?'

  'Let me get to know him a bit better. I will try to speak to him when we go for a ride this Saturday. I don't want him to feel I am introducing single women to him as soon as I figured out that he's rich.'

  'I am in no hurry. It's okay even if I don't meet him. I was only teasing.'

  ***

  Paul was as excited as a kid after his joyride in the 'E' type. He told everyone who was there in the office. He had plenty to tell about the trip to Cambridge and back in the car with his new friend.

  'Did you ask him if he wanted to meet your friends?' Serena ragged Paul again.

  'Yes, but I didn't mention your intentions.'

  'I don't have any malicious ones. I just want to meet single men.'

  'I know, I know. He's not free this weekend. I told him I am organising a small get together at my place with some close friends from work and he'd be welcome to join us if he cares to. He's agreed to come next weekend,' Paul told Serena.

  'But you haven't invited me.''

  'I have now, haven't I?'

  'Thank you for the invitation.'

  Paul invited a few others over to his place for drinks. Serena realised she needed to shop. She did not want the first impression to be wasted. Since she had arrived, in London, she had picked up a few work clothes and was mindful her existing dresses might fall short by a huge margin. The last thing she wanted to do was to turn up in jeans. She thought about Kim but discarded the idea. Kim might not be conversant with fashion and trends in this part of the world. Before she left work on Friday, there were two personal emails. The first one was from GK.

  Hi Serena,

  It's probable that by the time that you read this, I will have been marched off the premises, since this morning I have handed in my notice to inform HR that I am leaving the bank. I am sorry that I have not been able to let you know beforehand, but it's only in the past few days that I have really made up my mind to go. It might come as a shock to you, but I can assure you that I have carefully thought about it for a few weeks now. I had expected my family and relatives to accept me after Stella left, but after trying for so long, I think I should reconcile myself to the fact that that will never happen. As I have no other relations in India I have decided go back to America and start all over again, like you did.

  Just let me finish by saying how much I have enjoyed working with you. Your style, philosophy and integrity will always stay in my memory. Keep up the good work.

  I will send you my contact details once I settle down in the US.

  Best wishes and please stay in touch.

  Your friend,

  GK

  Maybe Stella had broken off with the young guy, and GK being magnanimous, was planning to get back with her again. Good for him, she contemplated.

  The second email was from Kim.

  Hi honey,

  How are you? Why haven't been in touch since you left Mumbai? I am worried about you… please send me your numbers and I shall call you over the weekend.

  Ron and I have decided to tie the knot in January (next year) and I am giving you more than a six month-advance notice, so start planning. I definitely want you to come… no excuses please or I will be very, very, very hurt.

  Forgot to ask you — have you found some prince charming in London? Or, are you trying a new one every week?

  Send me your number quickly, or call me.

  Love xx

  Kim

  Serena read both the emails twice and her eyes went moist as she remembered all the good times she had shared with GK and Kim. There seemed no point in responding to GK, as he would have left by now. She considered responding to Kim's email, then pondered a minute and decided to defer doing so till the next week.

  20

  May 12, 2001

  Serena booked herself into the beauty salon in the morning for a facial, manicure, pedicure, a holistic body massage, a haircut and colour with highlights in bronze and professional straightening. She looked in the mirror admiring her looks before grabbing a quick bite at a salad bar at the Waitrose nearby. She got back to her apartment shortly after noon, lit some candles, put on a CD and got into the bath. The lukewarm water was extremely relaxing as she closed her eyes.

  She had bought a dress that made her look attractive and relaxed after almost half a day of shopping. It was a knee length dress in olive with forest green print in silk that had a halter neck and straps attached to an O ring on the back, with a little fish tail. It was accentuated with a contrast lemon stitching and a full-length zip on the side. She wasn't wasting her pedicure knowing she had good feet. She opted for peep-toe shoes.

  'You've got very beautiful feet, sweetheart,' Raaj would have said.

  'Are you saying that's the only beautiful thing about me?'

  'You're gorgeous, my precious.'

  Serena remembered Raaj's words and wiped away the tears. She matched accessories and a handbag with her dress and spent a lifetime putting on subtle make-up, but was ready by seven. Considering it was a short walk down the roa
d to Paul's apartment, she switched on the television to catch some of last season's Friends and made herself a sandwich — a bite before drinks to ensure she did not get drunk too soon.

  She set off at eight.

  ***

  'Hi Serena,' Paul greeted her as he opened the door.

  'Hi!'

  He introduced her to the two guests who had already arrived. She knew Rob as he worked for Paul, while Lisa worked in some insurance company in the city. Lisa looked stunning — she was a tall and slender brunette wearing a short polka dot dress in black, flaunting her long, tanned legs.

  'Competition?' Paul whispered in Serena's ear and both of them smiled. 'What will you drink?'

  'A glass of red should be fine. Thanks.'

  'Okay,' he said and looked around to see if any of the other guests needed a refill.

  Next to arrive were Mike and Gina, old friends of Paul who had driven down from somewhere in Essex. A tote bag on Mike's shoulder publicised the fact that they were geared up to stay the night at Paul's place.

  'I am stepping out for a smoke,' Lisa announced, picking up her cigarettes to go to the small deck.

  'May I join you?' Serena asked.

  'I didn't know you smoked.' Paul appeared surprised.

  'Sometimes…' Serena started chatting with Lisa and found out that she used to work for Paul till about a year ago before she moved to the insurance company. They had dated in the past and taken a brief relationship-break when she switched jobs. Paul, surprisingly, hadn't told Serena about it.

  'Paul and I are getting back together again,' Lisa suddenly said when Paul joined them.

  'That's good news.'

  'Congratulations, Paul,' Rob chipped in.