A Contract - Chapter 5

The Interview

( Continued from Chapter 4)

 

Sunlight was filtering through the large windows as Amit opened his eyes. For a moment he thought he was in his Thakurdwar room. The next moment, he realized where he was.

Before he could think of anything else, an old memory surfaced. Whenever he went to the Maha Ganesh temple in Wai, his mother would insist he clean his feet and toes thoroughly. “You go to God barefoot,” she’d say. “How can you pray to Him with dirt on your toes?”

Amit laughed to himself. What does that have to do with Mumbai?

He got ready, and while sipping his tea, it struck him — he should look at himself in a mirror. But there was no mirror in the room, except the small one above the washbasin, which was too high. He thought for a moment, then took a selfie instead. Looking at it, he frowned. His hair looked overgrown.

He walked out of the service apartment and caught a bus to his usual saloon.

At the saloon, he told the barber, “Cut the sideburns short — they’re covering my ears. And take off those waves on top.”

When it was done, he looked in the mirror and thought, Yes. This is how I want to look.

Then he went to his "Thakurdwar" room and dug out the trousers and shirts he’d worn when he first came to Mumbai. Hopelessly out of fashion.

After listening to Nita yesterday, he’d formed a clear picture of the look he needed for Aaji and Aajoba.

He was back at the service apartment only around 2 p.m. Nita’s phone was quiet, as expected on a working day. He took a bath, taking extra care to scrub his feet and toes clean. He laughed at his own childishness — but then, there’s a child hidden in every man, isn’t there?

He dressed and was ready by 4 p.m., and waited.

Exactly at 5 p.m., as expected, Nita called. He went down. She was waiting in the car. He opened the door and slipped in.

Nita looked at him — and was aghast.

She almost shrieked. “What have you done to yourself? You look… horrible!”

Amit gave no reaction. He just said, “Let’s go.”

Nita felt her heart sink. Everything is lost, she thought. She said nothing more, just put the car in gear and drove on.

“Nitu, do you want me to win you or not?” Amit said quietly.

“Don’t look so grumpy, yaar. Have trust in me. We are going to win this — hundred percent.”

With that assurance, Nita felt a little better. Still, a nagging doubt tugged at her. For her, everything already felt lost — but she decided to wait and see.

Nita pressed the doorbell to announce their arrival, then opened the door with her own key. They left their footwear outside and stepped in.

The moment Amit entered, he felt like he’d stepped into a time machine. He was back at least fifty years. Everything — the furniture, the photo frames, the dining table, even the tablecloth — belonged to a different era.

Aaji and Aajoba came out of the inner room. They looked old, but exactly as Nita had described them.

Amit moved forward and bent low, almost touching the ground before Aaji and then Aajoba, in a full namaskar.

Nita was surprised but said nothing. She introduced him.

Aajoba came forward, caught Amit’s forearm warmly, and asked, “How are you?”

For a split second, Amit noticed Aaji’s eyes drop — not to his face, but to his feet. To his clean toes. A clear flicker of approval crossed her face.

Amit silently thanked his mother in Wai.

Aajoba gestured for Amit to sit, and sat down right next to him. Aaji and Nita took the sofa opposite.

Aajoba looked at Amit for a long moment. Then he asked him just one question — but it was so pertinent that it was equal to ten.

“What are your plans after marriage?”

 

Amit paused, gathering his thoughts. “Aajoba, working in Nita’s firm after marriage is out of the question. I’ve already told Nita — I cannot be a good husband and a graphic head at the same time.”

“Then what will you do?” Aajoba repeated.

“I have limited options,” Amit said. “I cannot work for competitors. That would be a breach of trust. So it’s a real dilemma for me. Fortunately, I did something two years ago that might help me now.”

“What was that?”

“Two years ago, when all media started talking about AI and its capabilities, I decided to study its applications in my spare time — mainly in the evenings. After a lot of study, I think I’ve found an application that’s going to be required. I won’t talk about it as long as I’m working with Nita. This application has no relevance or significance for her firm, and I’m on moral high ground. After marriage, I plan to start work on this. I hope that within a few months, something plausible will happen.”

Aajoba listened carefully, then nodded. “Good work. Best wishes.”

After that, Aaji took over.

She had questions mainly about the house in Wai. “Tell me about your mother,” she said. “How old is she? What does she do? Will she come to Mumbai later?”

“I’ve been requesting my mother to come to Mumbai for the last couple of years,” Amit said. “She has firmly rejected the idea. She wants to live in Wai only — with my father’s memories.”

Hearing this, Aaji said, “But then she would certainly expect her daughter-in-law to visit her.”

Before Amit could answer, Nita interjected. “Naturally, Aaji. The daughter-in-law would have to visit her often. It would be her duty.”

Aaji looked at Amit again. “Do you drink?”

Amit was really shocked. The same question again — from Aaji? But he kept his face calm.

There were a few general questions after that — about Wai, his likings, his hobbies.

 

When the interview was over, a maid brought tea and "pohe" — the standard Maharashtrian dish for such occasions.

Before having tea, Amit pulled out his phone from his pocket and showed Aaji photos from Wai. Their house, his mother, and the riverside.

“Nice,” that is all Aaji said.

With everyone having finished their tea, it was time to say goodbye. Amit bent again and touched the ground before the old couple. He shook hands with Aajoba, who looked pleased.

For a moment Amit looked at Nita. She was so nervous that her hands were trembling slightly — a trait he had never seen in office.

He started walking toward the front door. Nita joined him, and near the door she said, “I’ll drop you at the service apartment.”

“No, Nitu,” Amit said. “You should stay at home just now. We can meet when you’re free.”

He turned toward her and whispered, “No worries. I have won my bride.”

He walked away confidently. Nita stood in the doorway watching him go. She had never felt so desolate in her life before.

 

After reaching the service apartment, Amit felt much more relaxed. He knew he’d tried his best. Now there was nothing more he could do. He just rolled over in his bed, and before he could think of anything else, he fell asleep.

 Nita arrived around 7, opening the apartment door with her card. She looked around. Amit was fast asleep.

She banged her purse on the side table.

In a fraction of a second, Amit opened his eyes. Seeing Nita standing in front of him, he gave a big, sweet smile, got up and walked up to Nita.

Nita looked at him as if he’d done something wrong.

“So, Nitu,” Amit said. “What’s the verdict? Have I won my princess or not?”

Nita pouted to show disapproval. “You barely passed,” she said. “I knew it — with that horrible dress of yours. Just thirty-five percent.”

She poked his shoulder. “And by the way, you are no prince. You are the biggest fake, cheater. You deceived my Aaji and Aajoba with your drama.” She added, "Even if you wear such fake Tee shirts saying you have won."

Amit laughed spreading his hands wide open

Nita could no longer control herself. She ran to him to embrace him with her hands around his neck and directly looked in his eyes. 

“Amit, I am so relieved,” she said softly. “You have made a big impression on both of them. I was totally wrong. Your idea to look traditional, your straightforward answers, the photos — they liked it all. They are crediting me for a great choice. Aajoba even said, ‘How much money the boy has right now is unimportant. It has no importance. What he can do in the future is more important.’”

Then, for the first time, Amit spread his arm around Nita’s slender waist and pulled her towards him. "By the way, Nitu thanks for keeping my wicket."  Nita was puzzled. "The answer you gave to Aaji about the daughter-in-law visiting Wai. I think that clinched the deal."  Nita did not say anything. The embrace became tighter. 

He knew he had won. His four crores were certain now. 

Yet he realized that he was neither excited or not feeling happy about that?

Nita’s company now looked more and more desirable.

He finally gave up thinking and was lost in her embrace.  For now everything else had lost its significance for them  

( Continued to Chapter 6)

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(All characters places except for geographical names events actions of people are fictional. Any similarity found is purely accidental. All images AI generated)

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