‘O
28
Two weeks later
kay, enough. We do need to discuss what happened,’ Neel said.
‘Why?’ I said. Neel had called me to his office. We sat facing each other at his desk.
‘Because it’s not good to not talk about it. You’ve been avoiding me ever since we came back
from the Philippines.’
I studied my fingernails. ‘What is there to talk about? It was wrong.’
‘Well,’ he said and paused before he spoke again. ‘Define wrong.’
‘It was wrong, Neel. And you know it,’ I said, looking up.
‘Okay, maybe it was a little wrong. But it felt right.’
‘Really?’
‘Didn’t it? Didn’t it feel just right?’
‘It doesn’t matter, Neel.’ I started counting on my fingers. ‘I work for you. You are married.
You are a dad.’
‘I am aware of that.’
‘So then what is this all about? Let it be a one-off. A one-off blunder. And let’s move on.’
He stood up restlessly and walked to the window. Staring into the harbour he spoke again. ‘I
can’t call it a blunder. How does one call the most special experience of one’s life a blunder?’
He has a way with words. Be careful, I told myself.
‘Call it what you want. Point is, it was not real. We can put it down to the setting, the drinks,
the air... It won’t happen again. It won’t,’ I said, my voice as agitated as his was quiet.
Neel came back to his seat and sat across from me.
He held his chin with his right hand.
‘Okay, okay, calm down,’ Neel said. ‘I get it.’
‘We should focus on work,’ I said briskly.
‘Fine. We cool then, otherwise?’
‘Yeah,’ I said.
‘So if there’s another deal I want to staff you on, I can?’
‘Of course. You are the boss.’
‘Even if it is with me?’
‘Do you have to staff me in particular?’
‘Greenwood wants to buy some more distressed hotels in Korea. They want us to look at some