Broken Promises Pt. 01

It hadn't till one and she had already smoked a packet, biting into her nail. Trouble with working from home was the fact that no matter how professional she tried to make a conversation she always felt like she was ordering a pizza or directing a cab. There was a hint of casualness. On the positive side she could be in the kitchen making a much needed coffee while speaking to her team, or dressed in her panties and bra, which she did sometimes. That afternoon she was in the washroom when the news came the delay of an hour more was to happen. Furious at it she co-ordinated with the vendor, the pot of coffee she had placed on the stove was over heating and she stood by it, connecting her blue-tooth headset. These were last minute delays and she needed to understand what was going wrong. It was make or break and she put it across in as many words.

The vendor finally said they had taken more than they could chew and the delay was due to software failure and the issue was being fixed with an expert help. She was not taking any of it, she finally spoke out what she had in her mind that she was foolish enough to trust a new vendor when the previous one had done exemplary job. She could see she was getting into the nerves of her vendor and she didn't want that to happen. With coffee in her hand she walked stood at the kitchen, there was no point in arguing.

"Dude... get this for me please... we both are wasting time... we both are professionals so let as start fucking acting like one and stop behaving like a tea stall by the station... you read me.."

"Yes mam..."

"Good... take an hour more and call me with the good news... can you guarantee that..."

"Yes mam..."

"I'm at fault too... I should have kept the submission time at noon yesterday instead of today... I'll handle that next time... this time just fix it please..."

"We are doing our best mam..."

"Good... let this shit get over... we will catch up for a drink..."

"Sure mam..."

"Thanks man... just focus on the work in hand please... I'll talk to my bosses..."

She disconnected the call and took a sip of her coffee, she was sleepy and her throat was aching with all the screaming since morning and the excess smoking wasn't helping either. She walked back to her room and sat on her chair, oblivious to the fact that Sid had already returned. It was three in the afternoon and he was finished with his work. She hadn't realised it till she heard the sound of television in the hall. Curious she stepped out with a cup of coffee and a burning cigarette. He was indeed home.

Now Archana had walked out of a toilet when the series of calls had started and she was wearing only her panties, she would do that usually if she was in middle of a work, this was a product campaign and the pressure was high and she hadn't thought about Sid.

"Jesus Christ Sid..." she screamed as she walked back into her room, spilling the coffee as she hurried. Screaming at her own stupidity of forgetting that she had a guest she grabbed her skirt and slipped it into her.

She then stopped in her own step, just like the vendor, this was part her own mistake too. How could Sid had known she was working from home that day, worse how could he have known she was in her panties in the kitchen.

She walked out, "I'm sorry... bad day in office..." she said.

"I perfectly understand... the going has not been good here too..." he replied.

"I have a product launch happening in an hour and my local vendor has not still fixed it up and I am co-ordinating the entire mail for south east Asia, this is fucked up..."

He smiled, "Yes it's... I know... but it will work out..."

"I don't see it... first big campaign and I asked for a new vendor..."

"Big mistake..."

"I know..."

"Never take a new bike to your longest journey... only the tried and tested ones..."

It didn't make sense, but it didn't matter that moment.

"Anyways... just forget it..."

"Forget it... well it's not that easy..." he smiled.

"Jesus Sid..." Archana grinned as she walked back to her room grabbing her phone.

Sid had offered to take her out for dinner as an apology when she finished with her work when the product was finally released much after the stipulated time, she had finished the day's work. They finally left for the evening much after sun down, being a work week the traffic was hell but she knew the pubs would be free.

And it so happened, they went to the very same pub she and Aryan had gone the first time they met and went out for a drink, she mentioned it to Sid and he burst out laughing, replying his intentions were limited to an apology and nothing more than that. She too had laughed it off.

Wearing a traditional Indian wear to a pub was rare, few woman carried it with grace and elegance, wearing a sari with a sleeveless, deep v-neck blouse was bold and looking stunningly beautiful in them was even more difficult. She knew the moment she stepped into the pub that she was the centre of attraction of both men and women, nearing thirty five she needed it to build her own confidence. With high heels and a large round black 'bindi' (a coloured dot worn on the centre of the forehead, among Hindu's and Jains from Indian subcontinent) and a Prada hand bag around her shoulders and her arm around a well dressed gentleman who wore a crisp cotton shirt with the top button left deliberately open, a pair of Ray Ban's hanging from them, an unlit cigar in his mouth was just the fashion statement of the week. For a second a single fleeting second Archana felt like she and Sid were a couple. The way she held his arm, the way she soaked in the envious look around, the way she let them believe they were a couple and the way she had an extra bounce on her footsteps. She too let them believe. Her own games, she hoped he hadn't noticed. She could care less, she loved the attention.

She walked up to the same place on the roof she and Aryan had sat and the conversation had started, mostly her work and he wanted to know the responsibilities. Taking the ongoing campaign as an example she went on to explain her role and responsibility and those of her team members and the reporting structure in her firm. While they were on the second mug of beer, she received a call, it was her boss.

"Hey..." Acchu answered the call.

"Listen... no time to talk... just passed your number to Claire..."

"Who is Claire..."

"Big bosses secretary..."

"What the fuck..." Acchu belched out, burping on the beer she just drank.

"Give me a call..."

The nervous few minutes awaiting the call from Claire a hundred scenarios ran through her head and none of them good, she wondered were she had gone wrong, what had happened. The phone rang and she replied, the CEO was delighted with the way her team had undertaken the job, there was a lot of pressure and she and her team had risen up to the task and he personally thanked her. She didn't understand why CEO would call for the success of a campaign and nor did her boss. Half an hour later Archana knew the reason why.

It so happened the release of the campaign to stock holders had coincided to the exact moment CEO had announced the launch of a new product which would make communicating with millions of people at the shortest notice an easy task. He had just finished saying the sentence half the mobiles in the investor meeting buzzed proving his exact point. Though it was a mere coincidence and everyone from top to bottom knew about that, none chose to correct it and hence the call had materialised. When success was so wonderful small gaps were easily overlooked.

Even though Archana had not felt it was a good thing, she knew her future process and interactions with the vendor had to be more cautious to avoid similar last minute bottle necks.

"Small victories... so few... celebrate them..." Sid had given his opinion and that is exactly what she did, ordering beer and gorging on pork and fish. They had sat at the pub till much after midnight and then hailed a cab home, leaving the car at the parking lot paying the security an extra five hundred to make sure he kept an eye on the vehicle. Sid operated things smoothly. She was still celebrating in the cab, mostly mocking at her own mistakes and how the dominoes crumbled at the right time to finally have a spectacular show, if one cared to look closely everything to the last domino had been defective, only few would know and that was were success mattered.

She stepped out of the car into the elevator, leaning on the rail as it climbed thirtieth floor. She knew she was clearly drunk, not drunk enough to puke but drunk never the less. As she stepped into the room, she turned around, hugged Sid.

"As always old man... thanks for a wonderful evening...the only thing right that happened today..." she then kissed him on his cheeks and went back to her room, choosing to sleep in the same dress, she could not be bothered to change. She was not going to go early to office tomorrow.

Next morning she woke up late, her face and hair was a mess and she looked terrible. Thankfully the damages were only physical and a good bath and wash had taken care of it. She took an unusually large bath in her tub to plan her day. She would call her boss and ask if she could work from home, something that would easily happen. Her boss preferred the same too, at least twice a week. A single text had taken care of it. The second message was to Sid, her father-in-law, as to enquire on his whereabouts. His reply was instant, 'held up in a meeting, if you want to know what time I'm home so you could be in the kitchen making coffee.. Then it's two thirty...'

"I'll be in the kitchen... no show though...accidents don't happen everyday..."

"People don't enjoy the small things..."

Archana stared at the series of messages and then she scrolled back to months before, the way they interacted, he was always a flirt and a charmer, a dangerous line that he walked, a little left or right one would be offencive, she had noted the common thread in all his responds. Brushing the thought from his head she finished her bath. That day work from home mostly meant she was going to ease out, roaming around in her bath robe, making sure she had to be dressed befor Sid came at two, the last thing she wanted was a repeat of the previous day. Not all accidents ended well.

She spent half the day on phone and other half replying to mails, lunch was mostly cucumber sandwich with a boiled egg on the side and lots of coffee. Around two twenty she went to the kitchen, to re-enact the previous days scene. Only this time she was dressed in a cotton shirt and her jeans. Sharp at two thirty she heard the door open and Sid step inside, she increased the flame of the stove, the water was already hot and it needed a little extra to bubble up.

"Acchu..." Sid called out, probably because he didn't want to walk in on her, or give her a warning, she figured.

"In the kitchen..." she replied.

He walked up to her and she figured he was standing were he was the previous day.

"Sorry to disappoint old man... unlike yesterday I'm fully clothed..." she turned around.

The woman's giggle was the last thing she had expected but that was exactly what had happened. Red with embarrassment, Archana tried to calm herself. Cursing and swearing at herself. The uninvited guest was Saritha, Sid's colleague, the one whose friend owned the sari business, Acchu would later know.

At that moment, all she wanted was the floor to open up and swallow her as a whole. Sid rescued the situation with a joke, it didn't help either and the two laughed. She could sense a closeness between the two, Saritha was cute, a little shorter than her but also younger, probably late twenties, with hair to her shoulders, just like Aryan's mother. An hour glass figure to add to it.

Fuck! Why was she worried.

She served tea and some cookies, Sid usually preferred coffee but he had opted for tea that evening, Archana was beginning to see how much they enjoyed each other's company and it made her feel envious. She didn't have such a connection. Why would she need it she thought again, he was, after all, her father in law.

Late evening, they were left, she didn't care were, she remembered Sid telling her he was headed to the capital, she didn't bother to ask Saritha, she could not give a fuck, he was done with his work and he had packed his bag and he would reach home earlier than planned. Just like before she felt the darkness in her life return. They hugged, one mere formality, they were strangers with memories, just empty vessels that had floated on a tiny wave of possibility for a little while and now were drifting apart. Archana stood watching as Sid walked behind Saritha to the elevator and her laughing out as the doors closed to something Sid had said.

They were fucking!

That was all Archana could think!

The only thing.

She returned to her room and stared at her own comical self, the fool who had fallen for her own father-in-law. She unbuttoned her shirt and stripped her jeans off and looked at herself. Her beauty had faded and her soon to be thirty five frame didn't have the youth it once had. She had added a little extra pounds, no she didn't, but she felt. Her shoulders hunched. She could never be better than Saritha. Sid deserved her. She slumped on to the bed and did what she always did, cried till her eyes were dry.

The next few days she tried her best to get rid of the thought and her mind was distracted even from her work, which after the campaign success was expected to be magical at each level. Needing a break she took half a day's leave and went back home, taking a long bath with a book in her hand and a glass of wine. Over the last few days she had spent more time thinking about Saritha and Sid, even their name had a special feel to it unlike her's which sounded more like a metal rim being dragged on the road, like one of those police chase videos. As weeks went by, she had assured herself that she had no place in Sid's life and strangely she felt sad about it. Aryan was busy with his work and even he was not responding to her calls and their usual once a week video conference through whatsapp too stopped. Seated alone in the house she was sinking back the same monotonous life and existence she had months back. Strangely this was familiar territory and she knew the road very well. Get busy with work and get back home, clean up the house, catch up on the news, check mails one last time and then hit the bed, get up, have a quick breakfast and drive to office picking pieces of bread crumbs from her shirt. This was her life, the one she had led for two and half years and she knew it very well. Sid was just the exception, the fun and adventure was the exception. Enjoy the small things, his words echoed in her mind.

PART III

Weeks turned to months and with focus on her work, months turned to quarters and targets. She had lost all contact with Sid and her talks to Aryan was mostly limited to messages, except for her birthday when they spoke for a good long hour on video chat. She was back to her 'black days' as Aryan called it, black cigarettes and black coffee. With just few days left for Aryan's return one evening as she returned home from her now customary twelve hour work day, she found Sid seated out chatting with the security guards at the gate of her apartment.

"Sid..." even she could see the excitement in her voice was absent. "You should have called..."

"I figured you were busy..." he replied as he stepped into the vehicle, he had left his backpack and laptop at her door step.

She drove the vehicle to her parking space, parked it neatly. Aryan's old bike was still there, parked next to her car, covered, she hadn't thought about it, nor had Aryan, she would have to get it serviced before she came.

She mentioned as much to Sid.

"Leave it to me... I have few free days in between... I'll take call the show room..."

Archana nodded her head, like a lifeless zombie she walked to her room and shut the door. She had a chicken roll in office and that was enough for her, Sid had offered to order a 'proper dinner', she replied with a lie, about a vendor meeting next morning and her needing to be at office early. Even her lies lacked the convincing enthusiasm as before. It was as though she wanted to make no effort to bring down the huge wall between them, the huge wall that was Saritha. She had battled with that thought months back and had felt ashamed at herself of having thought of her a proper substitute to Saritha. She had berated herself, how could she even think like that, with a lovely husband like Aryan.

She thought of Sid as a good adventure during her black days, like a different pack of coffee from her usual instant mix she bought specifically from a local coffee dealer. She knew her relation with Sid would never be more than what it always was, that of a loving and adoring father-in-law and daughter. She was ashamed she had even thought of wanting more. She slept that evening and the pool of tears had collected on her soft pillow.

As always she left in a hurry before the morning traffic even started. She had worked the whole morning, the vendor meeting had started at eleven and it was a success, she had approval for a bigger budge the coming year and she needed the best from each of her vendors, nothing but the best. She was good at her job and that always made her proud. Her boss too made no secret of it often talking of her putting more effort than whole sales team, which was not even true. She had no life other than office. Last few months of work was paying off and she was up for a huge increment and a possible bigger international role. She was expecting the call from Human Resources any day. She returned home at an hour earlier than her usual ten p.m. Sid was there glued to the television screen and watching the news with laptop open by his side. She walked in like the zombie she was this last few months. She fell on her bed, wearing the same office clothes, just kicking off her shoes.

The knock on her bedroom door interrupted her routine, return home and crash on the bed routine.

"Archana..." Sid knocked again.

She stepped off the bed.

"Are you not having dinner..."

"I am not feeling hungry..." she replied, her shirt and jeans was a mess, the belt buckle removed and few of her shirt removed. She didn't even care.

"I'm going out for dinner and I insist you join me..."

"I'm too tired Sid..."

"Cut the crap and join me... I'll drag you out myself..."

She stared at him and knew he would do that, the last thing she wanted was to leave home that late at night, it was hardly nine thirty there were enough hotels open till midnight. She washed her face and with no make up or anything, just buttoned her shirt up, the same one she had worn to office and later went off to sleep with and same one she had spalshes of water.

"I'm driving..." he said as he grabbed the key from her hand.

No one drove her car other than her, not even Aryan, she didn't want to make it an issue. They drove up not far from their to a hotel called Lake View, half the hotel was on a wooden pier right to the middle of the artificial lake, there were colourful lights and swans floating around. Nothing could enthuse her.

Not even the conversation.

"What happened..." Sid asked finally unable to put up with her zombie self.

She smiled, "Just work Sid..."

"Bull shit... I saw you working hard and I know that was one who enjoyed her work... not this you..."

"It just got more..."

He reached across the table held her hand, "What happened..."

There was concern in his voice, care.

"I don't know Sid... I just am not myself..." she replied, "we all get bogged down once in a while..."

"Not my girl..." he replied, beaming, "Where is the Acchu who screamed at men while standing in her kitchen in her inner wear..."