Wife on Wheels - chapter 1

1

It was a perfect winter day in Mumbai. The sun cast a golden hue over the marble walls making it look as if sunshine was perpetually trapped within it. The sunrays cast playful patterns on the street casting a glowing radiance over the whole city. There was just a hint of chill in the air. Not enough to bring out the sweaters and shawls but enough to make it a perfect day for romance. A perfect day for marriages.2

Inside the building, Prerna cast a quick professional eye around the room and nodded to herself with contentment. The whole room had a subtle air of festivity, which was just perfect. The mood, the environment, the feel, it was exactly what she had striven for the past few months to achieve. It had all been there in her mind’s eye just waiting to be transported to reality. Now everything was in front of her and everything looked absolutely divine. Yes that was the word for it divine. It was going to be a dream wedding. Just as she had always dreamt it would be. Ever since she could remember Prerna had dreamt of weddings. Weddings had a special charm and fascination for her. They held a mystic charm and a special promise that someone loved her for just being her - warts and all. It would be a perfect day and everything would be lovely. She had planned everything down to the minute detail in her mind. And today she had managed to achieve just what she had dreamt of all those years3

Prerna had always wanted a theme wedding. A wedding, where everything had a place and order in the grand scheme of things was the kind that appealed to her. Prerna had this almost compulsive fetish about orderliness. She just couldn’t tolerate anything out of place or askew. It was a throwback to her childhood when the slightest hint of slovenliness surely meant being locked up in a dingy dirty room for hours without food and water. And if you were really unlucky you had a canning to accompany it. 4

The sound of the orchestra setting up their instruments jerked her out of her reverie. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the to-do list she always carried with her. This helped her keep track of what was done and what was not. She meticulously checked off the items in the list shaking her head once in a while, muttering and then scrawling additional notes on the bottom of the list. Finally satisfied, she stuffed the list in the pocket of the loose cotton shirt she habitually wore while working. She then stretched lazily, removing the kinks from her joints. Each joint creaked noisily.  Getting married was sure a tedious affair. She often wondered how the bride and groom didn’t fall asleep while exchanging vows. A lethargic feeling crept over her as her eyes wandered over the huge hall. Everything was under control. The caterers were already busily setting up the buffet counters and shouting to each other across the hall. Prerna’s eye for detail had ensured that even the buffet tables arranged in a cluster at one end of the room stuck to the wedding theme. The tables were grouped according to cuisine. Each group of table had a heavy blue velvet canopy trimmed at the edges with silver tassels which made it look like a festive tent. Everything was a rich royal blue and silver - right down to the bridal saree, which Prerna and Jayanthi had found in a dingy little shop off the crowded streets of Santacruz, after they had spent nearly a month zooming in and out of innumerable famed shops all over Mumbai. Jayanthi had insisted that the saree had to be unique. No one should have worn anything similar before. Prerna had lost count of the number of sarees Jayanthi had draped over her, matching the saree with her skin tone, debating what jewellery would go with it. Prerna silently shuddered  as she remembered and then went ahead and shuddered once more as she thought of how much they had ended up paying for it. But then as Jayanthi had philosophized, dream sarees didn’t come cheap and she had always dreamt of wearing a blue saree. Everything was as Prerna had wanted it to be on her wedding. May be just a little more ornate and over the top but the groom’s family came from old money and new fame and had demanded as such. Just one thing was different. She wasn’t the bride. Rather the bride’s best friend and the wedding planner.5

Casting a final glance around the room, Prerna wheeled towards the bridal suite. It was time to meet the bride and then change into her outfit for the day.  6

Gently pushing open the door of the imposing bridal suite, she peeked into the room and saw that Jayanthi had already started her preparations. Attired in a red silk kimono, she looked little more than a child herself. She also looked immensely lost as the hairdresser twisted her curly brown hair into a complicated knot and the beautician smoothed some weird smelling cream on her face.7

Prerna couldn‘t help a small smile which soon turned into a huge grin showing two deep dimples on each cheek. Her love for Jayanthi was written all over her face. Jayanthi was the one true friend she had. And at the moment, she looked little different from when they both had first met when they were 12. She certainly didn’t look like a bride married just that morning, into one of the most powerful business families in India and the centre of attraction of the social event of the year.8

With amusement Prerna noticed that the object of her thoughts hadn’t noticed her arrival. Here was a girl with her head in clouds ever since she had met Kartik.9

“Knock! Knock! Can I enter the dreams too pal?”10

Jayanthi turned immediately and launched herself in Prerna’s arms, almost knocking her over and ignoring the twin frowns of her hair stylist and beautician. Biting her cheeks to prevent bursting into laughter at their annoyance Prerna turned away.11

“Naah”, Jayanthi said with a wicked grin, her eyes dancing with mischief. “You would be shocked at what I was thinking”.  and the two burst out laughing giggling like tow heady teenagers on the throes of their first crush.12

Jayanthi had always been the knock-out beauty in the orphanage, her irresistible grin and huge eyes had made her everyone’s favorite. It really wasn’t a surprise that her face had captured Kartik’s heart who had been a cynical socialite till he met Jayanthi, Jayanthi had worked as a receptionist in his office.13

A note of tenderness crept into her voice as she knelt in front of Prerna and said with a seriousness seldom seen in her. “Thanks buddy. You made my day perfect. I never even felt for a moment that I had no family, no one to fall back on.”14

“Now don’t go all mushy on me! And you do have a family. You have me. And you always will. But then.. whether you want me, now that you are married to Mr. Wonderful is something that is debatable.”15

“Shut up.”16

“Shut-upped. Now don’t you think you better get dressed? We don’t want an irate husband storming this room now, do we? He isn’t supposed to see you in this kimono, at least not yet.”17

Jayanthi rose, stuck her tongue at Prerna and took up her place in front of the mirror.18

“Try for a little decorum darling. Would-be social queen bees don’t stick out their tongues even if the object of their derision is their childhood pal.”19

“This one does” she said emphatically. “Shouldn’t you be off too Prerna? And you never did tell me what you are wearing. A saree?”20

“Naah. I bought this beauty of a lehenga. An Authentic Manas Malhotra dress. It’s a beauty, you would love it. And you know me. I prefer lehengas to sarees. Less hassle to wear. With a bit of squirming and stretching I don’t even have to get off this wheel chair. And after buying that dress, I saw this absolutely sinful that I had to have t go with them. Ofcourse I had to buy a nice bag to match the shoes. All in all I made some salesperson’s day.”21

As Jayanthi shook her head and earned and muttered “do stay still Ma’am” from the stylist, Prerna deemed it wise to leave.22

“Anyway I am off to shower and change while they work their magic on you and try to make you look presentable.. Poof!”23

An hour later, after having soaked her tired body in a tub of hot water to eek the tiredness out, Prerna sat in the front of the mirror, wondering just what to do with her hair. Adamantly straight and frustratingly silky, it hung beyond her waist. It really was impossible. It was so silky, it just slipped out of any confines. How she wished she could affect the chic chignon, Bollywood leading ladies wore these days. The hair would be piled elegantly on her head and little curls would tumble and escape on her forehead to give that fragile delicate look. But years and experience had taught her that if she tried to do something so rash, within ten minutes she would look like she had just crept out of bed and people would eye her wondering whether she had forgotten to do her hair. With a sigh, she tied it back securely with a ribbon and decided to pay attention to her face first.24

Her mood lifted when she looked at the dress which she had laid carefully on the bed before going to the bath.  Burnt orange in color with delicate gold embroidery all over, it was made of pure chiffon which clung to her every curve. The skirt swirled delicately around her ankles. The blouse, which was short, had a wide boat shaped neckline and cap sleeves which was perfect for her long neck and graceful hands. Her hands were her pride and joy. She made it a point to pamper them with lots of skin care lotions regularly. She had more skin care products than an average beauty parlor. Slipping into the dress, which she managed to do without getting off the wheelchair, she clasped a delicate necklace of fine rubies set in platinum and gold. It was her pride and joy and more so because she had made them herself with her own hands. Swiftly pleating the matching chunni2, she pinned it to one shoulder and let it fall in graceful folds down the front.25

Now for the make-up. With such a bright dress, minimal makeup is the rule of the thumb. With a practiced hand, she applied a thin layer of eyeliner on her upper lids. Her eyes opened so fully that a heavy coat would be wasted, they wouldn’t be seen anyway. Holding a tissue under her eyelashes, she swiftly coated them with mascara and left them to dry. Next, a slight dusting of blusher on her cheek bones and a copper brown lipstick which made her dusky skin look fairer.26

Angling her head, she critically surveyed herself in the mirror. Picking up the pack of bindis3 in beautiful designs, she picked one up and placed it carefully in the centre of her forehead. Hmm, too glittery. She took it off and placed a smaller one the same shade of orange as her lehenga, with a small crystal at the base. 27

Perfect. Now time to do up her hair. After carefully deliberating for about ten seconds, she decided on French plaits. Elegant and convenient. Fifteen minutes later she was done. Surveying herself in the mirror, she frowned and in a purely feminine gesture adjusted her necklace and fussed a little with the dress. Large black eyes stared back at her from the mirror, set in a face that she felt could have been a lot more beautiful. Satisfied with her appearance, she blew the mirror a kiss and went to look for the bride.28

The bride was looking stunning. She was a vision in blue. It perfectly set off her peaches and cream complexion. The skillfully applied makeup made her brown eyes look huge, and her hair was piled in a tangle of curls. This was a lady who was going to prove one helluva distraction to her brand new husband.29

As she thought of her friend as a married woman, tears began to pool in her eyes. Damn, she hadn’t even cried at the ceremony. She couldn’t now and spoil her friends day. It was just that, damn she felt so lonely. If there had been one constant in her life, it was Jayanthi, now even she was taken. Why did the people she loved always keep going away from her life?30

Before she could compose herself Jayanthi turned and saw Prerna and let out an unmaidenly shriek, thus spoiling the whole angelic effect.31

“Ahh Prerna! I was waiting for you for ages. Was there ever such a ninny hammer as me? I forgot to give Kartik his wedding gift. Can you please give it to him? Hey you are crying, what happened?”32

“I am crying thinking of Kartik’s fate. He has to put up with you,”33

“Liar.” Jayanthi gave Prerna and fierce hug “I am still just a phone call away you know. Even if I get married, you still remain the one constant sane anchor in my life. I would have been lost without you. That part of our life never changes Prerna, never. Now go on and give my hubby his gift.”34

Prerna heaved a deep sigh. Jayanthi had always been absent minded. She lived in a world all her own. She often said that when life was too much to bear, she just tuned off and drifted into a world all her own. But still, forgetting to give her husband the wedding gift was outside of enough. And when Prerna remembered the number of shops she had been dragged to willy-nilly hunting for the perfect wedding gift, she couldn’t help grimacing.    35

Picking up the gift from Jayanthi’s handbag, Prerna went in search of the groom. In Kartik, Prerna had found a very good friend. When Jayanthi had told Prerna about Kartik, she had decided that she would make an effort to be friendly even if she didn’t like Kartik. She would try to be on cordial terms. But no effort on her part had been necessary. They had hit it off beautifully from the minute they met. She and Kartik shared an easy bantering relationship. He was the first male that she was on easy terms with and could easily see why Jayanthi was nutty on him. He had a gift of making people seem important and wanted. 36

She entered his suite without knocking and immediately saw that he wasn’t alone.37

Standing next to him was the most handsome man she had ever clapped her eyes on. If Prerna had been the kind to dramatize, she would have sworn that lightning struck when she saw him, but she wasn’t and so she told herself that she was slightly attracted to the fantastic male specimen talking with Kartik. And taking into consideration the way their heads were so close together as they talked, they seemed to be bosom buddies.  Taking advantage of the fact that they hadn’t noticed her enter, Prerna observed the handsome stranger at leisure. Tall, dark and handsome fit him to a T. Every inch of him exuded charm. And there was more. Something intangible clung to him and made Prerna catch her breath.  She must have made some noise for right at that very moment; he turned and caught Prerna gaping at him.38

With a quizzical lift of his brow he made her feel both foolish and about two years old.39

“I just came in to see Kartik and …” Damn why did he make her feel so defensive. She didn’t have to explain to him why she was there, for heaven’s sake. She was supposed to be there.40

“And then lost your way I suppose?” he asked.41

Damn the man and his sarcasm. Did he have to make her feel worse than she already did? With a muffled curse, she consigned him and all handsome men to the devil. Handsome men were never courteous and it was worse when you were attracted to them. And anyway the men you were attracted to were never the kind to hold you down in a conversation for more than an hour. 42

Ignoring him Prerna turned to Kartik.  “Your bride wanted me to give this to you”. This man had brought sunshine into Jayanthi’s life and she loved him for it. “She forgot to give it to you herself.”43

“Thanks Prerna”, he said opening the box. Nestled deep in velvet cushion were the cuff-links and tie pin, Jayanthi and she had chosen for him. They were a deep aqua blue surrounded by tiny diamonds and set in a delicate pattern in gold. Jayanthi had blown her life savings on it.  Prerna saw the tender look that passed on Kartik’s face as he clasped the pin and cufflinks and mentally sighed, she was a sucker for happy endings.44

“Tell her I love it. And I know you probably got dragged along with her. Good choice” he added winking at Prerna.45

“Yeah, she does have good taste.” Prerna replied with a grin. “She chose you.”46

“Ahh fair lady, you capture my heart. Why don’t we run away and get married?”47

“Shall I tell Jayanthi, you want to swap brides?”48

A wry look descended on his face, with a theatrical grimace, he held his hand over his heart “You want to get me killed?”49

Prerna couldn’t help laughing at his expression. A throat cleared in the background reminded Prerna of the unwelcome – at least by her - third in the room. And he was frowning darkly. 50

“Hey Prerna meet Manas Malhotra. We went to school together.”51

It took about a minute for the name to sink in Prerna’s mind. Then she did an abrupt double take.  “Manas Malhotra?? As in the designer Manas Malhotra?”52

“Guilty of the offence, honey. And seeing that you are wearing a dress of mine I can see you don‘t think it is an offence”, he said with a mock bow.53

“But …”, she broke in before she could stop herself “ you weren’t invited.”54

“Are you kicking me out?” he demanded. “Now that isn’t what I call polite”.55

“I react to people as they deserve and I don’t believe in mincing facts. Mr. Malhotra pleased as I am to meet you, I sure as hell didn’t send you an invite.”56

“Oh but you did. You invited my mother and the invitation clearly said and family.  I was dragged here to act as a chauffeur to my sister and mother. You might check the guest list. Mrs.Geethanjali Nair, and yeah she is the playwright. Imagine my surprise when I find that the groom is someone I went to school with.”57

“How can you be her son?”, she blurted out again before she could hold her tongue Damn, her big mouth. She really ought to.58

“Do I have to explain the process of childbirth to you now for heavens sake? She married my father and I happened to be born to them and so she happens to be my mother. Satisfied?”59

“I mean”, Prerna said digging herself deeper into the hole she had dug for herself. There was something about this man which made her blabber and she couldn’t seem to stop. It was all his fault. “How can a Malhotra be a Nair’s son??”60

“He surely can be, if a Miss Nair happens to marry a Mr. Malhotra and then carries on with her maiden name for professional reasons.”61

Kartik who was watching the proceedings with something akin to an open mouth budged in at this moment.62

“Manas, Prerna is the wedding consultant, the one you were asking me about to arrange your sister’s wedding.”63

“She, the wedding planner?? I am sorry then, I really don’t hire juveniles who behave like toddlers.”64

And he walked out before either of them could react. 65

Prerna spent the rest of the evening studiously avoiding Manas. It seemed absurdly tough, since her eyes seemed to have a will of their own. They kept straying to him and noticing small details, like the way his suit fitted across his shoulders or the way his hair curled over the collar of his shirt. His engaging smile which made dimples break out on both his cheeks and a really cute one in his chin earned her approval too. Now this man had charm in every inch of his tall frame. She judged him to be about 6 foot and some. Too tall she decided. It would give her a kink in the neck just to look up at him from her wheel chair. But a treacherous voice inside her whispered that he was uncommonly handsome and something within her was reacting to him strongly. And the money didn’t hurt either. People who said money couldn’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to shop for it. Talking for herself, Prerna knew a lot of things money could buy which gave happiness. Ask people who didn’t have money and they could tell you how happy money can make you. In her early years, Prerna had made up her mind that she would marry someone rich. It was all fine to talk about handicapped people having their own rights but no one actually wanted to hire them. That was the reason Prerna was out arranging other people’s weddings when all she had wanted to do in her life was be a jewellery designer and open her own studio. But that was the dream of rich. She didn’t have enough money to put herself through design school and whatever she designed was from the knowledge she gleaned from books and the internet, So here she was planning weddings when she had rather be designing what they wore around their neck or in their ears or wrists. Money made life easier and happier.66

Her gaze swiveling to Manas’s again, she wished they could start all over again. This time she would be charming and coy like the models he dressed up. She would charm him with her wit and bat her eyelashes at him prettily, like she had seen a heroine do in a movie.  It had seemed silly and funny to her, but she was no judge of what attracted a man. Manas would be bowled over by her beauty and intelligence and he would ask her for a date. He would come to pick her up driving a huge car with a plush interior and upholstery she could sink into. They would dine at a classy restaurant where a person had to book 15 days in advance to get a reservation and the waiters wore tuxedo and were called maitre des. Then they would drive to the beach, where they would sit near the waves, watching them roll in to shore and talk for hours. Then … Then he would softly kiss her.67

Caught up in her dreams, Prerna didn’t notice where she was going and bumped into Manas’s back. The suddenness of the contact threw her mentally and Manas physically. Turning beet red, she apologized hurriedly and escaped in the opposite direction even before Manas picked himself up from the floor.68

“Hormones”, she told herself and concentrated on fulfilling her part as the hostess on the bride’s side. This duty was also fraught with distractions as Manas took upon himself the task of welcoming Kartik’s friends, most of whom he seemed to know and was meeting after a long time. As a result, they found themselves running into each other at the entrance as they went to greet someone or the other and make them comfortable. But they maintained a strict silence and never spoke another word the whole day. 69

Out of sheer curiosity Prerna raked the crowd with her eyes trying to see who his mother and sister could be, but drew a blank. 70

Apart from Mr. Distraction, the day went off perfectly. The guest list read like a Who’s who of the social world. It was touching midnight by the time the last of the guests departed. The radiant bride and a proud groom had left for their honeymoon an hour earlier. As Prerna drove back home in the early hours of morning, she was euphoric with joy. Three mothers of brides-to-be had taken the address of her office and promised to get in touch the next day. She had made some solid business contacts and socialite ones at that. Those weren’t penny pinching parents who counted every pie spent. Each wanted her daughter to have the wedding of the year and be splashed on page 3. With a grin Prerna realized she could easily pit one against the other and make a tidy packet for herself in the bargain. She didn’t see anything unscrupulous in that. It was just business.71

Opening the doors of her snug little apartment she was suddenly seized by strange loneliness and a curious flatness. Chiding herself for being melancholy, she climbed into bed and tried to sleep which proved very elusive. She attributed it to the wedding. After all it wasn’t everyday that your best friend got married and you sort of lost her. Whatever one may claim, the dynamics kind of changed after marriage. Giving up on sleep, Prerna curled up on the overstuffed couch, which held a prominent place in her bedroom and started reading a romance novel.72

As she entered the office early next day Prerna saw her efficient secretary Leela already at work, simultaneously guzzling, what she was pretty sure was her 3rd or 4th cup of coffee and talking on the phone in her nasal voice which held a distinct South Indian accent, whatever language she spoke in. In her mid fifties, Leela was now as much a part of the place as Prerna was. In a way she was more so, because she spent all her time in the office, while Prerna scouted for clients and once she had the clients, scooted out to fulfill their needs. 73

Observing Leela from the doorway, Prerna remembered how she had initially been hesitant about hiring Leela. Thin as stick with a round face highlighted with a big round bindi on the forehead, and the ubiquitous string of jasmines in her well oiled and tightly plaited hair, Leela looked as misfit for a secretary as Mike Tyson. Her experience, as she put it, was in marrying off six daughters and all without paying a single paisa of dowry. Her appearance, mannerisms and most of all her age had convinced Prerna not to hire her. And she had been pretty sure, Leela wouldn’t take kindly to be being ordered around by a slip of a girl half her age. But there had really been no other takers for the paltry salary Prerna could afford to pay at that time. So Leela had come to work on a temporary basis, till someone more suitable could be found for the same salary or Prerna could afford to pay someone more suitable. And Leela had stayed on. She was full of proverbs and innate pride in being a Tamilian. In time she had become a surrogate mother to Prerna, Leela was always respectful to Prerna, and if she sometimes felt Leela was being indulgent, that was her problem not Leela’s.  But Prerna was often left with the uncomfortable feeling that Leela had her way in the end and took a pride in the fact. It was undeniable that marrying 6 daughters had given her great organizational skills and she was a fountain of knowledge on Indian culture, tradition and marriage rituals.74

When a few times Prerna had become assertive and tried to show her who was the boss, Leela always listened to her with a placid look on her face, as if humouring a child. It always made Prerna feel silly and small and she came off her high horse, faster than she had climbed on it. Prerna wondered if her mother would have been like Leela, keeping her feet firmly grounded on the earth and full of homily advice and admonitions. Once she even told Prerna that she should stop wearing her hair plaited in a rope hanging down her back as it made her look like an old lady. Leela really was the limit, but an adorable one whom Prerna wouldn’t trade for anyone else in the world. Prerna suddenly realized that Leela was one of the few people who really loved her for herself. With a wry grimace Prerna corrected herself - one of the two.75

With a smile Prerna wheeled into the outer room and wished Leela a good morning.76

Bustling around the room, Leela handed Prerna her cup of hot tea and sat down for their customary early morning chat, which more often than not dealt with things not related to work but set a good pace for the day.  Prerna was puzzled when Leela plunked down a sheaf of newspapers on her desk with such force that dust flew out.77

Sneezing ferociously, Prerna hunted for a tissue.78

“What are you doing Leela?”79

“Just shows you ought to clean your room.”80

“Soon.”81

“Those are the newspapers which have mentioned Jayanthi’s wedding. Times Of India, Indian Express, Metro, Daily News, Asian Age. I also took a printout of the ones which were online. Kartik saar saw to it that your name was mentioned in many places. This is good publicity for us, Prerna.”82

“I certainly hope that some of these publicity turns into contacts and clients. I seriously want to buy an office and …”, she stopped mid sentence when she saw a picture of Jayanthi and Kartik just after they had exchanged vows. Jayanthi was positively glowing and there was an odd mixture of tenderness and pride on his face. This was the real thing, Prerna thought. So, why did she feel a curious longing in her heart?83

Interpreting the expression on her face correctly, Leela said, “Jayanthi looked great yesterday didn’t she? And she looked so happy, so in love with Kartik saar. She turned out well that one”, with a smug smile as if she had arranged the match herself.84

“Yes she did look good. But then she always looked like she had stepped out of the cover of a magazine. You know, even in the orphanage, in clothes which had been donated to us, and which were always two sizes too small or two sizes too large, she still managed to look beautiful.”85

“Marriage adds beauty to the face. It’s the glow of knowing you are cared for and loved. The fact that a man cherishes you and wants to make you his, lend a beauty which can’t be matched by any of the fancy beauty parlors you girls frequent.”86

“Ahh. I never had you figured for a romantic Leela.”87

“That’s the truth Prerna. Every woman needs a man to make her life complete. Even you. That’s nature. The way things are meant to be. The way God set the procedure of the world. You modern girls with high fangled jobs may deny it till you are blue in the face, but it isn’t going to change the fact. They remain the same how much ever you fight.”88

“But then I am not against marriage Leela. I am ready to marry. Just tell Salman Khan to agree. I will say my vows any day he wants.”89

“And you needn’t laugh at me”, Leela said tartly wagging a finger at her. “Its time you found yourself a husband, sometime to cook for and wait for in the evenings. It adds a purpose to life.”90

And Prerna was damned if she knew why a picture of Manas coming home to her apartment with tousled hair and a tired look, yelling for tea popped in her mind. She pushed it firmly aside of course. She was tired and a little out of sorts, other wise why would she dream of him? There was no sane reason. But that wretched man had a way of popping in her mind the whole day, when she didn’t want to even think about him, leave alone dream about him. 91

Which she did that night.92

A week later as Prerna sat in her office deep in paper work, Manas Malhotra was just a vague memory or so she had managed to convince herself, but an annoying one at that. With a frown she wondered why he kept popping in her mind at the most inconvenient times. Like now, when she really had work to do, before she went to look over a potential site for a wedding.  Narrowing her eyes till they resembled twin slits, she decided it was because she hated to lose a contract. Especially, a high profile one that was guaranteed to consolidate her position. Jayanthi’s wedding had been much written about in the social columns of the newspapers. Adding Mansi Malhotra to the list of her clients could add to her growth as a celebrity wedding planner considerably. Wedding planners weren’t still all that popular in India, where the onus of planning a wedding still fell on the elders in the family and most of the preparations were dictated by religious customs. 93

Arranging the wedding of an eminent writer and socialite’s only daughter’s wedding wasn’t an opportunity that came by everyday. And she had blown it because she had been attracted to a man who had more looks than she had ever seen and because she always blabbered when she wasn’t in complete control of any situation. 94

With sudden resolution, Prerna picked up the telephone directory, which rested on her table, upsetting all the files which had been on top of it causing them to fall in an untidy heap on the floor near her feet, and thumbed through the Ms. There was no Manas Malhotra listed anywhere. Curse the man, he had to be obscure even in the telephone directory. Momentarily at a loss, she began chewing her fingernails, a childhood habit which she kicked everyday and picked up every evening. Hit with a sudden brainstorm, she then began hunting for the number of his studio. She knew it was called X’tacy and how many X‘tacys could there be in Mumbai?. Haah! Success. Before she lost her nerve, she picked up the phone and dialed.95

As she heard the ring tone, she suddenly realized that she didn’t have a clue what she was going to say. And keeping in mind her track record of blabbering where this particular man was concerned it was dangerous. She had to convince him to let her have a shot at arranging his sister’s wedding and she couldn’t do it by shooting her mouth off in all wrong directions again. She heard a deep masculine voice say “Hello” and abruptly disconnected the call.96

Pulling her notepad towards her, she began to make a list of questions she would ask, then answers he would give and so on. She just had to follow the list and it would be a cakewalk.97

A secretary or a telephone operator would answer her call for sure.98

Q 1) Hello, this is Prerna. Could I speak to Manas please?99

Frowning she wondered whether Manas sounded too intimate. Better make it Mr. Malhotra. Striking Manas with a pen, she wrote Mr. Malhotra over it.100

Answer: Just a moment ma’am I will put you through to him.101

A few moments later…102

Yeah this is Manas speaking?103

Q.2) Good afternoon Mr. Malhotra. This is Prerna and I am a wedding planner.104

No. No. It was all wrong. Of course he knew she was a wedding planner. What she had to do was talk about her firm and mention some of her clients. Then she had to stress the importance of not mixing personal prejudices with business affairs and explain to him what a good decision he would be making hiring her. She would be honey and milk and apologize for her behavior at the wedding. Blame it on the stress and work. No, no. Apologize first and then talk business. It wouldn’t do harm to take a humble tone. 105

She had filled half a sheet when the phone rang.106

She ignored it but it wouldn’t stop. Picking it up distractedly she mumbled107

“Good morning Euphoria.”108

“Hello. This is Manas. Could I speak to Prerna please?”109

Damn it, he was stealing her lines. And she had picked the phone herself. Leela picking the phone and then passing it to her would have made more of an impact. Yet one couldn’t help such things.110

Her heart started dancing in her ribcage and the only coherent thought she could frame in her mind was “He stole my line.”111

Clearing her throat, she frantically glanced at the notepad and said in a voice that seemed too thready even to her. 112

“Prerna here. How can I help you?”113

“You can tell me why you called me and once you did why hang up? “114

“What?”115

“Don’t bother saying it wasn’t you, I have a caller identification system and the only reason it took me 5 minutes to call back is because I was tracking whom this number belonged to.”116

“I … err, someone came in, so I had to hang up. A potential client”, she improvised rapidly.117

“Should I call up later? If you are busy I can.”118

“No. It’s okay. Mr. Malhotra, Its about your sister’s wedding. I know my behavior that day was down right condemnable but then you wont let a petty issue like that interfere in your choice of a wedding consultant would you? I mean you wouldn’t guide a personal bias cloud your judgment on a business decision would you?”119

“My sister’s wedding is a very personal thing to me Miss Prerna. “120

Lordy, now what had she done? It seemed that the man only had to speak that she put her feet in her mouth and got them all tangled up.121

“That’s not the way I meant it Mr. Malhotra. I assure you that the quality of work done by Euphoria is ...”122

“What about lunch? “123

“We have a regular catering service which you can use. But if you have any special …”124

“I mean lunch with me. “125

“Lunch with you? But …”126

“Purely business of course. I want to discuss the marriage arrangements. “127

“You mean I have the contract? Just like that?”128

“Just like that. I was going to give you a call later in the day. As you said, I am not stupid to let an initial bad start get in the way of hiring the best wedding planner in town for my sister. So what do you feel about lunch?”129

“Sure Mr. Malhotra.”130

“Manas.”131

“Huh? Oh yeah Manas.”132

“What about today? Say 12:30 at Copper Chimney? I will see to reservations. And Prerna?”133

“Hmm?”134

“Don’t worry I will get a place in the ground floor. See you there at 12:30. Meet me at the lobby if you get there first.”135

Gracious! The man made it sound like a personal date, which it most definitely wasn’t and as if the only thing he wanted to do was take her out to lunch, which again he didn’t. So why did she have a big grin on her face and act as if she were going on her first date, which she would have been, if it had been a proper date? 136

Next minute, a horrible thought crept into her mind and she worried about something she had never bothered about in her whole life. What the hell was she going to wear?137