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‘I will miss you,’ Bala said as he handed me my transfer papers in his office.
‘I wish I could say the same,’ I said. Bala’s chin dropped. ‘I am kidding, cheer
up. I won’t be there to blackmail you anymore,’ I said.
Bala had agreed to make my case with Anil Mathur for the same reason. My
transfer to Delhi took two months to execute. I wanted to be home soon. After all,
I had finished my Chennai job. Of course, we had a few more battles to win.
Ananya would have to deal with the full force of Punjabiness. However, life is best
dealt with one disaster at a time.
Operation Delhi would have to be quick. Ananya convinced her bosses to
send her to Delhi for a week. After all, every HLL manager must have North India
exposure, Ananya had argued.
Ananya’s parents came to drop us at t he airport. Ananya’s mother worried about
Delhi, given its status as the worldwide capital of eve-teasing.
‘Mom, the HLL guest-house is safe. I won’t be out much,’ Ananya said.
Ananya’s dad had his won concerns. ‘Remember, we have said yes. But you
are not married yet. Don’t embarrass us,’ uncle said to me as he bid us goodbye.
‘Of course, uncle,’ I said, trying to figure out what he meant. No sex, I guess.
Ananya and I went inside the terminal. She grabbed my arm as her parents
melted out of sight. The flight took off. I brought out my notebook to explain the
next stage to Ananya – Operation Delhi.
‘So, I have to agree with your mom, whatever she says. Like whatever,’ Ananya
said, twenty minutes into the flight and thirty thousand feet high in the sky.
The plane passed through an area of turbulence.
‘Yes, never disagree,’ I said, tightening my seat-belt, ‘and the timing of your
trip could not be better. My cousin sister Minti is getting married next week. You’ll
come to the wedding, meet everyone, bingo, done.’