by Anil Chawla
A few days later, Saloni came running to find Pantu, but he was in class. She managed to pass him a note through somebody, asking him to come out. Her face was colourless once more, and she looked actually scared. Parvinder, the boy whom she had been made to meet, had come to the campus and somehow found out her room number. The security staff had informed her that he was waiting at the reception.
Pantu was also shocked but tried not to show it; he was afraid she’d panic even more if she did not get some cool-headed support. He advised her to meet Parvinder calmly, but to be very formal. She should also tell him that apart from her local guardian, no other person was allowed to meet her in the hostel.
Reluctantly, she went to meet Parvinder. He casually told her that he was returning from a business trip to Bombay and had decided to stop at Surat just to meet her. Their conversation was desultory and one-sided. Two things he said stuck out: ‘Our families have met and agreed. Now we need to get to know each other.’ ‘It is only a question of time. It will be good to keep meeting.’
Saloni had two classes before lunch and wanted to excuse herself, but Parvinder urged her to bunk classes and go out with him. She refused. He looked upset but then asked her to check with her parents. This created a dilemma, but Saloni was hopeful that her parents would say no. To her shock, her father told her go along, and nonchalantly added that missing one or two classes would hardly make a difference to her education. She was left with no choice, and went out with him. While he tried his best to be physically close and talk intimately, Saloni was quite reserved. He suggested they go to see Pyar Jhukta Nahin, the newest Bollywood hit. She resisted, but he pushed her to go with him. In the hall, he made numerous attempts to touch her, and even hold her hand. Saloni found it difficult to fend him off politely, which he interpreted as her compliance. He even tried to kiss her. She finally snapped and insisted that they leave. The firmness in her voice unnerved him and he agreed. At the hostel, she went inside without a word. She was to learn later from her friends that he had hung around in the campus for a couple of hours, making cautious enquiries about her.
That evening, Pantu had a dig at her. ‘So, how was the date with your “would-be”? Did you enjoy his company?’
Saloni got really angry and pleaded with him not to make light of her ordeal. ‘He goes to Bombay twice a month on business. He said he’d visit again in a fortnight—he even has his tickets booked.’
Two weeks later, Parvinder called the hostel and told her he’d be there the next morning. She cooked up a story about a group assignment which required a visit to another college. The next time, she came up with another story. Soon, she ran out of excuses. So after a couple of months, Parvinder came to the campus, and Saloni had to go out with him again. The day was an unhappy repeat of the previous occasion.
This continued for the next few months. When the holidays came round, Pantu stayed back at the campus because the Pandavas were to go to Kalpu’s place in Vadodara. Saloni went to Chandigarh alone. When she came back after a few weeks, she had changed completely. She told Pantu tonelessly that her parents had arranged a meeting with Parvinder’s parents again. While she had tried to stand firm, they emotionally blackmailed her into submission by saying that if she did not comply, the family would get a bad name, and that it would affect her younger sister’s future as well. She was pressured into an engagement ceremony. Pantu saw the engagement ring on her finger. He was shell-shocked.
The Reticent ROMAntic
Decision-making at work is all about goals, information, methods, choices, and evaluation criteria. When it comes to personal life, all of the above become irrelevant; it is the ability to feel and react to situations which determines the strength and longevity of a relationship.
Sammy grabbed a job offer from a leading multinational, Special Electric (SE), straight out of LEC. SE was a tough taskmaster. According to the industry grapevine, if you had worked at SE for a few years, you could handle any kind of work pressure. The process of developing the capabilities of employees at SE was an industry benchmark. Many joined SE with the intention of taking advantage of their training and then leaving the organization for a higher salary. Few of them actually left, because it was an excellent company to work for.
Sammy joined the information technology department, made his mark swiftly, and moved up the ladder in the fast-track channel. Five years and three promotions later, he was handling a large portfolio. This was when the software industry had made inroads into India, and first-generation entrepreneurs were setting up shop. One of them was his friend Pantu, who had set up ‘COBOL shop’, as it was informally called. There were many more. Most of these start-ups were looking for ready talent and were willing to pay for it. In 1993, Sammy got an offer from a homegrown company with an almost 60 per cent hike in CTC. The offer was too good to refuse. He switched jobs. Over the next decade or so, he changed five jobs, each time with a substantial hike. His third change landed him in the US with the largest IT player in the world. By 2005, he was drawing half a million dollars annually and his star was shining bright. Job-hopping may have negative connotations but it was paying off for Sammy.
It was after the third switch, in late 1995, that his parents really started to pressure him to get married. He wanted more time to think, but his parents would not listen. After many refusals, negotiations and bargains, he was made to meet Roma.
Roma’s family ran a chain of bakeries in Bandra. Mary and Abraham had met Roma’s parents at church. They became friends over several meetings at Sunday mass and started visiting each other’s homes. Mary was happy because these interactions had a positive effect on her husband’s general behaviour. He talked more than usual, and was more polite and courteous. She made a deliberate effort to invite Roma and her parents over frequently. She didn’t mind that Roma’s father and Abraham often sat in the balcony and enjoyed a drink or two together. She had never had a problem with her husband drinking, it was his silence after a few pegs that she hated. Socializing with Roma’s parents changed all that.
On one of their evenings together, the subject of a matrimonial alliance between their children came up. By this time, Sammy was well-settled and his work visa for the US was under process. Roma’s parents were delighted at the match.
When Sammy met Roma at her place, he was dumbfounded. She was stunningly beautiful, and her personality was an alluring mix of poise and liveliness. He fell for her in their very first meeting. She, too, liked him right away, and their marriage was solemnized at short notice. Roma had applied for her visa as a dependent and got it soon enough. Off they flew to New York.
Like a typical Indian couple travelling to the US for the first time just after their wedding, they had half a dozen suitcases. At check-in, they were told that they had nearly 50 kilos of excess baggage. After some negotiations on the plea that they were newly-weds, the staff agreed to reduce the chargeable weight to 20 kg. Sammy had made a smart move ahead of their journey together. Knowing that he’d be travelling soon after his wedding and for a long-term stay, he had requested his company to allow him some extra baggage. The company had agreed to bear the cost. Sammy paid for the 20 kilos. Roma was shocked at the amount involved and apologized for the small things she had decided to carry. Sammy put her at her ease. ‘Don’t worry, darling,’ he said. ‘I’ll ask the company to pay for this. And I’m confident I’ll get reimbursed.’
Roma was very impressed, both by his confidence and the fact that he was valued enough by the company for them to make this exception for him. Sammy had taken the first important step in his life as a married man—he had truly impressed his brand-new wife. This was to stand him in good stead in the times to come.
The 26-hour flight to New York included a long stopover in London. Not that Sammy and Roma experienced it that way—imagine a newly married couple travelling overseas and the husband just having seriously impressed his wife. The flight was not full and there were many rows of vacant seats. Shortly after take-off, a stew
ardess came over and said, ‘The seats next to you are vacant. If you want, you can spread yourself over four seats in the central bay and get a good sleep.’ While appreciating the gesture, Sammy had the naughty urge to say, ‘One seat is more than enough for us. And a smaller one would be better.’
The in-flight services started. Roma took a glass of white wine and Sammy a glass of beer. As they enjoyed their drinks, they cuddled together. They talked in whispers and each whisper brought them closer. They were completely oblivious of the other travellers in the plane. Their whispering turned to lip-reading as their warm breaths met and touched. By the end of their first drink, visual senses gave way to sensual perception. The first touch of Roma’s lips was electrifying; a wave of something he could not name ran through Sammy. He was still rather naïve about such things. The naiveté vanished when Roma held his face between her hands and responded with increased passion and dexterity. Almost simultaneously, they told each other, ‘I love you, darling.’ Like all lovers, they thought the words they’d uttered were the first time the world had heard them. Little had they realized that their activities had aroused some interest amongst their co-passengers in the bays to either side of them, some of whom were shocked at their boldness.
‘May I refill your glasses?’ the stewardess asked softly. She had to repeat the question three times before Sammy and Roma heard it and looked up, startled. Sammy went red and started looking here and there, but Roma nodded coolly and asked for a blanket. As the stewardess left, Roma looked at Sammy mischievously, ignoring the giggles and loud whispers from the passengers in the seats on both sides.
On the left, there was a couple in their early forties and a teenaged girl, who seemed to be their daughter. On the right were two old ladies and an old man. Judging by their attire, features, and conversation, they were certainly Punjabis. The family on the left was shuffling in their seats and turning back to speak to somebody across the headrests. Roma realized it was actually a family of four, with the younger child, a son, sitting just behind the other three. Their parents had become conscious of the action on their right and started a weird in-flight version of musical chairs. First, the daughter went back and the son sat with the parents. Then both kids came to the front row and the mother went back, and then the father went back and the mother sat in the front in the aisle seat with the son and daughter on the other two seats. The arrangement did not last. The kids kept arguing over something or the other and switching seats all over again. They finally settled for a peculiar arrangement: the wife sitting in the window seat, the husband in the aisle seat, leaving the seat between them empty! The kids made themselves comfortable on two separate window seats they found elsewhere on the not-so-full plane.
Roma burst into laughter, attracting the attention of the others again. She quickly turned away and let her head rest on Sammy’ shoulder. He whispered into her ear, ‘Perhaps they have been married too long. Hope we don’t suffer from this empty middle-seat syndrome too soon in our life.’
‘Rest assured, darling, I will never let that happen between us,’ Roma said.
They started discussing why the family was being so fussy about things between the two of them. Sammy’s view was that the parents were uncomfortable with either their daughter or son witnessing the couple’s intimacy and thus trying their best to block the view. Roma had a different perspective and said, ‘Perhaps it’s been a while since they’ve had any exclusive time with each other. And that’s why they’ve moved the children to the back seats.’ Sammy tried to counter this by citing the empty middle seat but Roma’s lips did not let him finish the sentence.
The stewardess came by with fresh drinks and two blankets. Sammy took the drinks, Roma took the blankets and kept one aside on the adjoining seat. Then, wrapping Sammy and herself in a single blanket, impishly said, ‘Cheers!’
Then, Roma excitedly drew Sammy’s attention to their left. The wife had moved from her window seat to the middle and was resting her head on her husband’s shoulder.
‘I think they’re taking some lessons from us!’ she whispered, and giggled.
They were so busy with each other that time flew. In between the action under the blanket and that outside, they had intermittent dreams—vivid, colourful, surreal and exciting. And they slept in each other’s arms.
An announcement woke them up a few hours later. The flight was about to land at Heathrow. They freshened up quickly and made themselves somewhat presentable. The stopover at London, where they boarded their connecting flight, went briskly. The next leg of their flight was spent in conversation. Finally, they landed in New York.
Sammy’s company had evolved a simple and effective process for expats coming to the US. It was the responsibility of the previous employee from the same home country to receive the next one at the airport and help her or him settle in. Gautam, who was the last Indian to have travelled to the US before Sammy, was waiting at the airport. After a brief introduction, they boarded a taxi for New Jersey, where Sammy and Roma were booked at a decent hotel.
Over the next few weeks, life was more mundane as their attention was focused on finding suitable accommodation in NJ and organizing their things. Sammy had heard interesting stories of young Indians coming to the States and staying together in cramped quarters to save money. It was not uncommon for as many as six bachelors to live in a small house with a single bathroom. Mornings began with a chaotic dash to be the first to use it, so as to make it to work on time.
Sammy was determined not to live that way. He had seen his parents fight over family responsibilities and wanted to do his best to avoid a repeat in his life with Roma. He believed that there was no rewind in life and, hence, one must focus on the present. They rented a nice one-bedroom apartment in a suburb where many other Asian families lived. While the work pressure was high, life had become better organized for Sammy. The hassles of commuting were nowhere nearly as taxing as in India. After a few months, Sammy bought a second-hand car and they started going out more frequently.
Roma’s self-assured, playful, and sometimes fiery demeanour kept Sammy fascinated. He even got into trouble with his American boss a few times: there were days when he would be late to work as the morning involved getting ready, unready for a love feast, before getting ready again and breakfasting hurriedly and racing to the car. However, Sammy more than made up for the delay by staying late. On those days, he tried to think through what explanation he’d give Roma for his lateness. Not that any was needed. The passion between them was so intense that one hug would make her forget the wait. Often, they would go out together in the evening, make rounds of the nearby malls, eat out, and rush home to make love. Their healthy sex life went a long way in strengthening their marriage.
After a few months, Sammy had to travel to India along with some clients who were going to inspect the offshore facilities there. He and Roma had been in the US for close to a year, so he requested his company that she be allowed to accompany him. His request was declined, but he decided to spend his own money and take her to India so she could spend time with their families. Although his was a short visit of four days, Roma was to return two weeks later.
While Roma was initially reluctant to go with him because of the expenses involved, she eventually agreed and was grateful for Sammy’s gesture. The weekend before their departure, he took her out to buy gifts for both families. He never missed these little things, which made their relationship stronger.
Sammy was to fly business class along with the clients. He did not think twice before booking Roma in business class as well. When she learnt about the fare difference, she was shocked and said that she could have easily travelled economy. Sammy told her firmly, ‘Darling, you will travel with me. I’ve informed the clients that my wife is travelling with me to spend a few days with her parents in Mumbai.’ Roma argued that it was a waste of money. ‘Action under the blanket,’ Sammy retorted, ‘is never a waste of money and in business class, there is much more room and much more f
reedom.’ Sammy’s face was mischief personified. Roma tried to hide her smile but feebly gave in.
It was an action-packed flight back home, all right. The client representatives, after the initial introductions, did not bother them even once.
They landed in Mumbai, and Sammy, after checking his clients’ transport and hotel arrangements, took leave of them, and went home with Roma. There was a lot of excitement in the family and relatives kept dropping in to meet them. In the evening, they went to Roma’s parents’ house for dinner.
Sammy remained busy with clients over the next four days, and Roma had a ball meeting family and friends. But she hardly saw Sammy as he returned quite late from dinner with his clients. On the last day of his official trip, he came back early. As he gathered his belongings, she started to cry. He tried to comfort her but to no avail. This was the first time they were to live separately after marriage.
The next few hours were tough. When the time came for him to take his cab to the airport, Roma just held on to him. He whispered, ‘It’s only a matter of a few days, darling. And there I’ll be, at the airport to take you home!’ She held back her tears and let him go. Her sadness spilled over to the next day but the stream of visitors gave her no time to think. Days passed by and then it was time for her to take her flight back to the US—but alone this time.
A couple of days before Roma’s return, Sammy found out that he had a lunch meeting with clients on the day of her arrival. When he told Roma that she would have to come from New York to New Jersey alone, she was upset. He gave her detailed instructions so she wouldn’t have to face problems with immigration personnel. But she was very nervous as this was her first journey overseas alone. By a happy coincidence, the same stewardess who’d served them on their first flight to the US was on duty. She indulgently asked Roma, ‘Travelling alone this time?’