28
I spent the next three evenings in the company of Mr Swaminathan. The Bank of
Baroda Egmore district business plan had become the focus of my life. I brought
some of uncle’s work to my own office and worked on it in the afternoon.
‘What are you working on?’ Bala said as we met near the common office
printer where I had come to collect a printout of uncle’s presentation.
‘Personal research,’ I said as I clenched he sheets in my hand and ran back to
my desk.
It is uncanny, but I could tell Ananya’s call from the phone ring.
‘Hi hottie. How is it going?’
‘Did you know Bank of Baroda had no ATMs four years ago, but now there are
over a dozen ATMs in Egmore alone,’ I said as I opened the twelfth slide of the
presentation.
‘What?’ she said.
‘And in two years, there will be thirty,’ I said.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘I am working on your dad’s presentation, in my office,’ I said and swiveled my
chair to turn away from the monitor.
‘That’s why you are such a sweetie,’ she said.
‘I am stealing a talented MBA’s time paid for by Citibank. I could go to jail for
this,’ I said.
‘How exciting! My lover goes to jail for me,’ she chuckled. ‘Manju told me you
are there every evening until late. And today you took Manju’s morning tuitions,
too. Take care of yourself.’
‘I’m fine. I rest in the office. And the presentation should be done tonight.’
‘Cool. How’s the bonding with appa?’