Sorting Out Sid

by Lal, Yashodra

  ‘Calm down,’ responded Neha. ‘It’s just that Sid specifically said he doesn’t want this talked about and I have to respect that, okay? Besides…’ Her tone changed, becoming louder and higher pitched as Sid and Krish let themselves in from the balcony. ‘You guys done with stinking up my balcony? How about having some dinner now? Sid? Changed your mind yet?’

  Sid shook his head lazily. Aditi seemed to be making an effort to act normal although her laugh came out sharper than usual. ‘I told you. I’ve known him for twenty years and have never been able to get him to have dinner when he’s drinking.’

  Neha looked at Sid and said, ‘But you helped me make this. Don’t you want to try it?’

  ‘Don’t waste your time,’ Aditi said. ‘He’s not going to budge.’

  Sid didn’t seem to hear her though. He was staring at Neha as if considering what she had said. Then he smiled. ‘You’re right. I suppose I could try a little bit. What the hell! There’s a first time for everything! Right, Adu? ’ He gave Aditi an affectionate punch on the shoulder but she just sat stiffly on her chair and didn’t react. Sid wasn’t waiting for her reaction anyway – he was already trotting towards the kitchen. ‘I’ll serve myself. That chicken does smell good,’ he called over his shoulder ‘There’s plenty of rice, right?’

  ‘Plenty,’ Neha sang out. ‘Red casserole on the counter … Help yourself.’ She grinned at Aditi, head tilted to the side, ‘Guess my cooking is irresistible, huh?’

  Aditi only managed her most strained smile of the evening as she agreed, ‘I guess it is.’

  2

  Seventh Heaven

  Sid was in an inordinately good mood as he got into his car.

  He had risen early, well before Mandira and that mini-banshee, Rukmini. He had shaved, bathed and fixed himself a healthy breakfast of cornflakes and milk and had managed to get out of the house by 8. Mandira hadn’t emerged from her room by the time he left. So he hadn’t had to make any contact with his soon-to-be ex-wife.

  Now, if that wasn’t a successful start to the day, what was?

  Sid revved up the engine and took off as fast as he dared. Just another few weeks of this … After the papers were signed, she would finally leave. Sid knew Mandira had already identified a new apartment although his enquiries about it had almost got his head bitten off. Over the last month his desire to have his home to himself had intensified manifold – was it guilt about still living with his ex-wife now that he was with Neha? Whatever! He didn’t want to think too much about Mandira. It was so much nicer to think about Neha.

  Neha.

  Sid had slept well last night although he had dreamt a lot about Neha. He felt fresh and energetic, almost euphoric. This was what love did to you. True louuve … but wait a minute, was all of this a little premature? Was he going overboard? He wouldn’t want to scare her off. After all, he had to remind himself, they had both been through failed marriages and it only made good sense to proceed with caution – one step at a time.

  Where would they live? His place or hers? Sid shook his head and grinned. It wouldn’t do to behave like this.

  He turned up the radio. Aha! ‘Eye of the tiger’. He had loved those Rocky movies as a kid. Sid had always dreamt of training to be a champion boxer, especially during the early days when he was always getting beaten up in school for having made one wisecrack too many. He had been much skinnier than the bullies but, luckily, he had been fast. Sid had been running away for as long as he could remember – survival of the fastest.

  Morons, he thought, his mood taking a nosedive as he recalled having been cornered once and belted by five of the bigger kids. ‘Where are you all now? Driving trucks, I suppose!’ jeered Sid. He looked up to see a huge truck pull up on the right, looming over his WagonR. Sid peered through his window trying to see the driver’s face but couldn’t. The guy in the passenger seat saw him staring and nonchalantly spat a large gob of paan on the road, right next to his door. Sid cringed. Brutes! No matter. Nothing was going to bring him down today. Besides, he too was a manly man now. His French beard was coming along just dandy. He started to sing along to the chorus with all the energy he could muster.

  ‘Eye of the tiiiger…’ he sang out as loud as he could, swinging his head from side to side, ending up facing the truck. Sid’s eyes were closed as he sang so he didn’t notice that the paan-spitting man had apparently mistaken his singing for abusive yelling, and was now making an obscene gesture at him.

  When Sid opened his eyes, he saw the red light had turned green and took off, faster than usual, daring to hit sixty on a road now filling up with traffic. The truck was slow to start off and so Sid didn’t see the belligerent man hollering after him. ‘Saaley! Gadhey! Ch***iye! Waapas aake phirse bol!’

  Sid sped along happily towards the office. Everything seemed different now that he had Neha in his life. She was funny and understanding and creative and beautiful and wonderful … all of these remarkable traits packed into that one little girl. And she just seemed to get him. Neha never questioned him about anything. She accepted him as he was. It was such a novel feeling. Sid realized this was what he liked most about Neha – he didn’t feel like he had to put up an act for her. And that was a relief. So, it wasn’t just the way that he felt about her. It was the way she made him feel about himself. Now this was a real relationship. Right? Right!

  Was it too early to start sending her flowers? Or was that something you did only at the very beginning? Oh heck, he would figure it out soon. Right now, it was time to have a lovely day at his lovely job. Okay … at his job.

  Sid burst in through the door and walked purposefully towards his desk saying ‘Good morning’, ‘Good morning’ to everyone he met on the way. He was unmindful of the rather strange looks he was receiving, as he set his bag on his desk. Huh! Someone else had their laptop here already? Never mind, today he would share everything with everyone! A head popped out from under the desk and made Sid jump. Now, this was a bit too much. To be usurping his desk was forgivable, but to play peek-a-boo without the slightest warning bordered on blatant unprofessionalism.

  Sid noticed it was that creep Varun aka Podgy. But even this wasn’t enough to get Sid down, and he simply said, ‘Hello! What are you doing here?’

  ‘Plugging in my laptop charger, of course.’ Varun straightened up and gave Sid a stare that wasn’t exactly friendly. ‘I’ve been allotted this desk for some reason. What are you doing here?’ Varun’s look became curious. ‘Did you forget that you’re on the ninth floor now?’

  ‘What?’ Sid barked. ‘Don’t be silly! How could I forget a thing like that? Hahahaha…’ He laughed as loudly as possible, stopping only when he realized a few people were casting nervous glances his way. Varun looked unconvinced. ‘Actually, I just came here to wish my old floor buddies good morning! And to congratulate you on your new desk! It’s a great location!’

  His eyes as well as Varun’s strayed over to the nearby men’s loo. When Varun next looked at him, his gaze was even less friendly than before.

  ‘Thanks,’ Varun muttered, an undertone of malevolence in his voice.

  Sid took no notice. He turned on his heel and headed straight for the door saying ‘Good morning’, ‘Good morning’ to the same people he had greeted on his way in. His exit was followed by confused stares all around and then everyone shrugged and went back to their business. Everyone except Varun who continued to stare after Sid, muttering, ‘Show-off. Bloody screwball. If this is the kind of guy who gets to be VP here…’

  His muttering trailed off. Mera number bhi aayega, Pappe, he thought, mera number bhi aayega.

  Sid frowned at his laptop, trying hard to concentrate on the presentation he was making.

  He kept sneaking glances at his phone to see if there were any messages from Neha. None. Never mind! He would take a look at that beautiful picture of hers, instead. Sid had downloaded the picture from Facebook. Neha wasn’t very active on Facebook, in fact, she still hadn’t accepted his friend requ
est but he had been able to access her profile picture. She was in a sleeveless, yellow top and sunglasses on a sunny day, out for some sort of picnic or something. She looked fresh and happy. It reminded Sid of the song, ‘Pocketful of sunshine’. Neha was like that. Pocket-sized and yet so full of life … and … and … surprises. Sid gazed some more at the picture and then reluctantly put his phone away, resolving to now look at her photo only post-lunch.

  ‘Let’s see … East dipped to thirteen per cent of sales in the last quarter. That means … Neha must really like me.’ He shook his head again. He couldn’t believe he was being like this. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this way … maybe never. Somehow Neha had managed to really get under his skin and everything he learned about her over the past few weeks kept playing on his mind over and over again.

  He was slightly confused about Neha’s relationship with her mother. Neha spoke about her with a lot of affection and gratitude. However, a few times, as he watched her talking on the phone to her mom, he had seen tell-tale signs of exasperation on her face. Sid wondered what it would be like to meet Mommy. Of course, the way they were going, Sid figured that day would probably come soon.

  Sid still didn’t have the details about the issues with her ex-husband. Neha seemed less than willing to discuss that part of her life. Sid could understand that. After all, Sid hardly discussed Mandira with her, or anyone for that matter. When Neha did speak of Kapil, it was only to say that he was just someone who hadn’t understood her and always tried to tell her what to do. And when Kapil didn’t demonstrate enough interest in being a father, it was the last straw. Neha had determined that Kippy would never be stuck with a father who didn’t care. If that meant she would have to work harder to be both parents to Kippy, so be it. After all, Neha had grown up without a dad and she had been just fine.

  Neha was such a strong and confident girl, and Sid so liked that about her. He couldn’t wait to see her again. Wait! He was seeing her again tonight. He had to behave like a more mature, level-headed individual who was in an adult relationship and not some love-struck teenager. After one final, sneak-peek at her picture on his phone, Sid reluctantly turned his attention to his presentation.

  ‘Sss … iiid’

  He had never noticed that she called his name like that. It made her sound like a serpent. She was leaning against the door to his cabin in a melodramatic way, like a heroine who had been wronged. As she began to glide towards him in her red sari, Sid had the sudden impression of a large, red serpent with a Meenakshi-head on it. Involuntarily, he jumped out of his chair to greet her.

  ‘Hello, hello,’ he babbled. ‘Long time, no see.’ Who the hell says that any more? Today, Meenakshi’s presence was making him feel even more nervous. What would Neha think about the way this woman was now leaning on his desk, giving him an eyeful of the top of those smooth mounds encased in that tight, black, low-cut blouse? Sid decided it was safer to sit down to avoid that view. He plopped himself down saying, ‘Sit, sit, please.’

  Meenakshi continued to lean over him and said, ‘You seem so busy in your new role that you just don’t have time for your HR partner any more.’ She sighed dramatically. ‘When are we going to sit on this year’s training programme, Sid?’

  ‘Fine, fine, we’ll do it next week?’

  Meenakshi kept looking at him through those kohl-lined eyes. He gazed back, trying to hide his nervousness. He repeated, ‘So, we’ll set it up for next week then?’

  Meenakshi sat down and crossed her arms on his desk, leaning forward. Great. The view again. Sid deliberately kept his eyes on her face.

  ‘So, Sid, I’ve been hearing things.’

  ‘What?’ he said, a little nervously. Did she already have feedback about his early VP days? It had been just a couple of months and surely it was too early for him to get demoted. He still wasn’t all that sure about what he was supposed to do differently in this new role, but he thought he’d been doing pretty okay, anyway.

  She was coyly tracing an invisible circle on his desk. ‘You don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable … but I hear there have been some … developments … regarding your marriage?’

  Now, how the hell did she know that? Sid hadn’t discussed it with anyone at work. And she had no bloody right to come and ask him about it anyway!

  ‘Well, yes, ha ha … yes, it’s over, actually.’ What the hell. Sid decided he would go with the truth. Why should he lie to anyone any more? He knew that Neha never said a thing that she didn’t mean. He would do well to imbibe that same quality from his girlfriend … his girlfriend. That felt right.

  Sid looked at Meenakshi with newfound courage and said in a tone which carried a certain finality. ‘But it’s not something I’d like to discuss at work … or have discussed.’ There was a hint of warning in his last three words.

  Her eyes widened. After a second, she said innocently, ‘Of course not, Sid. No discussion of such a personal affair. We’re all professionals here. I just want to repeat my offer. If you ever want to talk about it … outside of work, of course…’ Her voice trailed off, the suggestiveness unmistakable.

  ‘Of course.’ He couldn’t help swallowing. Why didn’t she get the hint? He wasn’t interested. He was already taken. Thankfully his phone rang and he decided to grab the opportunity. ‘Excuse me,’ he said, pointing at his phone, ‘got an important telecon starting now.’

  Meenakshi looked annoyed for only a moment, but then her face became impassive. ‘Of course,’ she whispered and rose with practised grace before sashaying out of his room.

  Sid let the phone ring until she reached the door and then answered it with a booming, ‘Hello! Hello! Yes, I’m ready to start the telecon.’ Meenakshi exited without a backward glance.

  ‘Sid beta?’ his mother’s worried voice floated into his ear.

  Sid checked to make sure Madame HR was out of earshot. He then immediately dropped his voice and said, ‘Hi Ma …’ And then, in the nick of time, he remembered. He said in an even lower voice, ‘I told you … I’m on international travel this week.’ He tried to sound as faraway as possible by holding the phone some distance away from his mouth, ‘I’ll call you when I get back.’

  ‘You’re still in Thailand then?’ his mother enquired, sounding disappointed that yet again she wouldn’t get to talk to him.

  ‘Yes, yes, that’s right,’ Sid said gratefully. He had forgotten exactly where he had told her he was going to be this week.

  He wished he didn’t have to pretend like this – lying to his own mother – but he couldn’t help it. There was only so much worried and obsessive probing you could take about your broken marriage. After all, he was fine now that he had Neha, but he wasn’t going to tell Ma about that one in a hurry. Best to continue with the foreign travel charade for now.

  ‘So, I’ll call you when I land in India, okay?’ he whispered urgently. ‘Got to go now.’

  ‘Okay, beta…’

  He hung up before she could say another guilt-inducing word.

  Sid sighed as he sat down and swivelled in his chair to stare out of the window. Now, this was something that did look as though it might manage to get his mood down. After all, hadn’t he just resolved that he wouldn’t lie any more and that he would imbibe Neha’s habit of always telling it like it was? Ah, well, he cheered himself up as he leaned back into his chair, settling into day-dreaming about Neha again. He had a whole lifetime to imbibe things from her. What was the rush?

  3

  Together

  Neha stood in the kitchen, humming along with the music floating in from the drawing room.

  ‘I stilll haven’t found what I’m looking forr …’ Another few minutes and the pasta would be done. This was her special ‘lite’ version with minimum seasoning and just a dash of olive oil. Neha hoped Sid would like it. Of course, he usually liked whatever she cooked. She smiled to herself. It was always nice spending the evening with him. Sid never failed to make her laugh. And tonight, th
ey were spending time at home, so Kippy would be a part of it too. Perfect! She tossed the pasta around a little, swinging her hips to the music.

  The doorbell rang and Neha’s smile widened. It was him. She hurried out of the kitchen, but Kippy beat her to the door. Kippy knew Sid was coming and she had been waiting excitedly for the last hour, bouncing around while Julie tried in vain to get some dinner into her.

  ‘Wait a second Kippy,’ Neha called out. ‘Let me open the door for him, please.’

  Kippy reached out to the latch on the door, crying, ‘Me open-a door! Me!’ Neha was surprised to see that her daughter was already tall enough to reach the latch on tiptoe. Time really flew. Kippy struggled with the latch for a moment or two before giving up and turning to her mother.

  ‘You open-a door Mummy?’ Kippy suggested sweetly as if it had just occurred to her.

  Sid’s voice floated through the door, ‘Hellooo … anyone hoooome?’

  Neha grinned, Sid knew very well they were home and he could hear them working with the latch. Neha opened the door and said, ‘Heyyy, Sid.’

  He grinned and was about to say something but Kippy propelled herself forward and hugged him around the knees. Sid teetered but managed to hold upright the large box he was carrying. ‘Hello, Kipster.’

  ‘What’s that?’ Neha enquired, mock-despairing. Sid had taken to bringing something with him almost every time he came over.

  ‘Cake. For Kippy. And for us too.’

  Neha took the box out of his hands. Kippy had obviously registered the word ‘cake’ because she lost interest in Sid and followed Neha into the drawing room. Sid walked in behind them, sniffing appreciatively. He said in an uncanny imitation of Bugs Bunny, ‘What’s cookin’, Doc?’

  Neha called over her shoulder, ‘It’s pasta, Sid. Will you give it a stir? It needs another couple of minutes.’ She placed the cake gingerly on the table, trying to ward off Kippy who was clawing eagerly at the box. ‘Kippy, wait, I’ll open the box…’