Chapter 11

Chapter #9

She swore her heart had stopped beating that morning  the moment that Kabir had taken her hand with the obvious intention of relating something of paramount importance to her. It had to be something monumental, for he had not once, but twice disconnected back-to-back incoming calls from his assistant. She recalled how she had tried to remove her hand from his when the phone began ringing the second time.

"Kabir, it must be important."

The grip on her hand only tightened, and both his words and actions, had her staring back at him wide-eyed: shocked, although not frightened in the least.

"Nahi, Rachna, there is nothing more important than this moment and what I have to tell you."

Except there was.

Rachna saw real anger in Kabir's face for the first time, when, without even the semblance of asking his permission, Pratima had used her spare key to her supervisor's office and barged into the cabin seconds later. The fierceness of Kabir's expression was short lived with her news - that his son's school had called with the fear that the boy, who had suddenly taken violently ill, would need to be transported to the hospital. Incredulously, for a second it seemed to Rachna that the designer was at an impasse as whether to respond to the emergency or not, and finally it was her speaking up that set him in action.

"Go Kabir, your son needs you," she had urged. "Nothing should ever come between you and your family," she had asserted. "Whatever you wished to tell me is nothing...it can wait"

After an insurmountable pause, the designer had  given her hand a final squeeze before getting up.

"I will call you as soon as I can," he stated, presumably to Pratima as he gathered his things that he had not long ago set down. Only, when Rachna had collected the two mugs they had used and turned to find Kabir there, seemingly waiting for some response from her, did she understand the possibility that he had been speaking to her after all.

"I pray that everything is well with your son, Kabir," she offered, sincerely.

He nodded, and finally departed, calling for Pratima to give her some instructions, and leaving Rachna alone in his office completely perplexed over his behavior.

Now, four days later, the atmosphere in the studio had taken a decidedly somber feel with the news of the illness that had since befallen their boss,  as well as his young son. His son, thought Rachna, dropping her sketch pencil. So not only was Kabir married, but he also had a family, well at least one child. A wife and a family, that he was clearly devoted to, which only left Rachna even more confused than she had been before.

The sickness had turned out being a viral infection of some sort. Thankfully not necessitating a visit to the hospital for the child, but apparently fast acting, and easily transmitted, as not long after, word reached the office that Kabir himself had succumbed to the illness. On the second day, Kabir's message via Pratima,  specifically querying  Rachna's health and asking her to take care in her interactions with the children at home, and instructing her to immediately seek medical  should she  begin feeling under the weather, had been received shortly before a  general email was sent company-wide basically relaying the same message. She supposed the fact that they had been the last to meet before he had taken ill had warranted this special attention, but she couldn't help but feel touched by his thoughtfulness. However, now days in, Rachna had found that her increasing worry for her boss had displaced any concentration she had for her work. She chided herself for her silliness - after all the man had a family, a wife in particular to care for him and their son - but unreasonably, she just couldn't  detach herself from these feelings. Around mid-day, she couldn't ignore her unease any longer, and decided to reach out to the man himself. She would worry whether she was overstepping her boundaries later.

*********

Knowing that Daadi would reprimand him should he think to start working again on his laptop,  Kabir disregarded the computer resting on the night-table and looked to the smartphone beside  the laptop instead. Despite knowing that Pratima was handling any incoming electronic correspondence on his behalf, he felt that at the very least  he should scan over his email, just in case. That, and possibly muster the strength to briefly contact Rachna.  Heaven knew how she was feeling after their disrupted conversation, and unfortunately, he hadn't been able to reach out to his in-laws in the past few days to ascertain her mood. Now that his own fever had subsided, and a demon wasn't  constantly beating a drum in his head, he believed he could  handle a short conversation: that was, after he  peeped at his emails, which were thankfully linked to his mobile. As he reached over, Sanjay, his warm body already pressed against him, followed, almost rolling under him. Unfortunately, this infection   was much rougher on children, and whereas Kabir's resilience was such that it had only felled him for a short period, his five year old son, although definitely on the mend, was still suffering the accompanying lethargy and raised temperature symptomatic of the virus.  Gently Kabir moved Sanjay slightly over so that when he lay back down he wouldn't squash him. Murmuring yet again in his sleep, Kabir smiled sadly that he hadn't been able to provide the youngster with the one thing he had wanted during his illness: his mother's comfort.  Although no slouch in this department, his father's care would always be second best, and during the worst of it, Kabir had silently agreed with the little boy. However, neither could he dare risk the possibility that the unforgiving malady be passed on to the youngest of the Tripathi offspring either. Sighing, Kabir settled back and ruffled Sanjay hair gently, grateful that finally the little boy was on the mend.

Kabir, I imagine that this email is entirely outside proper business etiquette, and conceivably you may not even access it until after you return to the studio, so if that is the case, please forgive me. However , for reasons that I myself cannot comprehend, I find myself unable any longer not to inquire as to how you are feeling , and convey my hope that both you and your son are now feeling better.   I was extremely moved by your concern for my wellbeing, and would like advise that up until today, I have not experienced anything that would warrant any worry that I have contracted

 

She had either had been interrupted and had sent the email prematurely or had second guessed the rightness of sending it at all, and now was fretting  this mistake, Kabir calculated as he studied the unfinished missive from Rachna. Either way he was pleased, as it indicated that he had, at least been in her thoughts. Switching back to the inbox, he checked the time it was received and saw that the email had been sent about eleven minutes ago. It felt the best medicine he had received, that she had been moved to reach out to him; even if his receiving had been a slip-up she was ruing. Smiling, Kabir immediately dialed Rachna's office telephone number: good manners dictating that he respond to her message.

**************

"Are you certain there is no way I can possibly retrieve it..."

"Nahi Rachna, no way at all, so stop stressing over what's done.  Best case scenario, he won't access his email any time soon, which will give you the chance to get a grip. Worst case he will be calling you to thank you for your concern. You haven't done anything wrong, Ra. In fact it's awfully sweet that..."

"It was idiotic that's what it was. I tried so hard to sound professional and failed miserably I've never seen anything so pretentious. He's probably going to read it and..."

"Chill, Ra..."

"How can I?"

Both women fell silent when in the background Rachna's office phone began ringing. The designer glanced at the Caller ID  and immediately shut her eyes and swallowed. She had five rings until the voicemail picked up, she thought. It would be best if she let that happen.

"I'm going to hang up now Rachna, so you can take your call, thik hai?"

"Naomi wait..." Rachna groaned; she was talking to dead air, her friend having disconnected.

On more ring now, and then she would be safe, she thought, but before she realized what she was doing, she had closed her eyes and reached for the telephone's hand sat.

"This is Rachna..."

"Namaste Rachna, Kabir Tripathi calling," came the crisp response on the other end.  He had heard the edginess in his wife's voice, and thought that if a professional demeanor on his end would settle her, than he would proceed in the same tone of both her message and her telephone greeting.

"Namaste Kabir, how are you feeling?"

"Better today than I have felt for a while, thank you."

"And your family; your son...he is on the mend as well?"

"I'm afraid it is looks to be a slower recovery for him unfortunately. Our doctor has indicated that this particular bug is taking a harsher toll on its younger victims. Knowing of the two little ones in your family, I am glad to learn that you haven't come down with any of the symptoms."

So he had read her email after all, she thought.

"Ji, I mean, nahi, I'm fine. I have been taking extra precautions though, making sure that I am washing my hands thoroughly before interacting with them especially, but thank you for your concern. I'm sure Pratima has advised you that  it doesn't appear that anyone else in the office has succumbed either.

"Aacha thik hai; that is good to hear." He paused for a minute. "Thank you for your email, Rachna."

He waited patiently for her response.

Finally she spoke. "You're welcome Kabir. It probably sounds crazy, but... I have been worried," Rachna let slip out. "Which considering the fact that you have ...family to care for you...  is most likely a pointless view on my end."

"Regardless, I thank you all the same. I hope that with another day or so I will have recovered enough to return to the office. And then we can resume the talk we need to have."

Her heart began pounding in her chest. "Only if you think it necessary Kabir..."

"It absolutely is Rachna," he assured her.

Beside him Sanjay stirred. He had started to wake up when Papa had begun talking on the phone. He thought that he heard Papa call out Mama's name so he lay there quietly so he could make sure. Now, if he listened closely he could almost hear the voice on the other end, and after a while he was sure that it was her. He missed her so much, especially now when he was feeling so sick. This was the first time she hadn't been home when he was unwell, and this fact made him feel even worse. In a way he understood the reason: that they could not risk his sister and brother getting sick too, and even though he had ended up sick too, Papa had been by his side every day, but it wasn't the same. He wanted Mama.

The crying began softly first, and then increased in volume: A child - a little boy crying for his mother.

Whatever Rachna had thought to say next, left her as her heart went out to the distressed youngster.

Kabir stopped to attend to the child beside him, grieving over what he was unable to provide his child.

"Hush Beta," he murmured thinking the little boy to be in that in-between state of sleep and wakefulness. In brushing his hand against the little boy he noted that he felt warmer than before, and recognized that it would soon be time for him to have another dose of medicine. "Rachna, I'm sorry I have to go."

"Ji Kabir. I hope that your son feels better soon," Rachna returned, before hanging up from the call.

True to her original thought, she left the call feeling even more unsettled over a situation which was clearly none of her business. She looked at her watch;  she had a few minutes before her meeting and then it would be lunch time should she wish to take one, so she had no qualms about calling Naomi to seek her input about her the misgivings she couldn't explain, yet she could not shake.

 Now, five minutes later, she hung up the phone yet again, heart-sore after the out of the blue conversation.  The incoming call had interrupted her plans to reach out to Naomi. She especially needed answers, which meant that she had to leave the office. Before this was all said and done, she expected that she would have worn out her welcome with the Agarwals, but Naomi was her only option. Or maybe she wasn't, she realized as she quickly reconfirmed her schedule as she envisioned a possible late return from lunch. Perhaps there was one other person she could possibly take into her confidence in the meantime, and possibly get her answers quicker.

********

Unfortunately, kabir's belief that Sanjay had not been aware  to whom he had been conversing had been incorrect. And he certainly couldn't fault the little boy he  now held in his arms for having false hopes of his mother's return now. With Sanjay yearning for the woman who had become his mother for so long now : especially when he was feeling so poorly and needed her comfort, of course he would take advantage of any chance to reach out to her should such an opportunity arise. Under normal circumstances his ingenuity would have been celebrated. Even in his weakened state he had had the presence of mind to figure out that finding the last call made and pressing the redial button on his Papa's mobile, that he would reach her. He had managed to telephone Rachna, and he expected that due to his wife's empathetic nature, had been encouraged by whatever kind words had been said to him. And now he was even more convinced that his family would be made whole once again. Gently Kabir explained to Sanjay that his mother was  not ready, that she had still yet to remember everything, but there was no swaying  the child, not now. It was another worry they had to deal with; one that he hoped did not adversely the little boy's health in his already compromised position.

*********

 Kunal had invited Rachna to take a seat while he just finished an update to the website he  had originally planned on discussing  when she , along with Kabir had been due to meet  this afternoon.  Now with Kabir's unavailability, she hoped that she could use the opportunity to meet anyway. She watched him as he focused on his work. Unsurprisingly her mind drifted back to the second call she had received from Kabir's number.

"Namaste Kabir, is everything ok," she asked, shocked by a second call so soon.

"It's me, Mama, not Papa. He's gone ..."

She had been stunned into silence.

"Mama?"

"Beta shouldn't you be resting now, where exactly is your..."

"He had to get my medicine.  I don't like it though. Can't you come home and give it to me now? Remember before when you had to give me the medicine the doctor gave me, and I took it every day nicely? I promise I will take this medicine nicely too if only you come home. I miss you so much Mama."

"Beta, I'm not..."

"Papa said soon, but it's been a really long time now since you have been home. Don't you miss us at all Mama," the child tapered off with a whimper.

She couldn't fathom what she was hearing; nor how this sensitive subject should be handled, but she couldn't leave the bereft child without some comfort.

" Hush Beta, everything will be okay. You just need to listen to your father, thik hai? Can you do that for me?"

"Haan Mama," came his tearful answer.

"In order to get better, you need to listen to Papa and get the rest you need so that you can get better, Beta. And you must take your medicine nicely, until ... until your Mama is able to come home. Can you do that?"

"Haan Mama, and then you will come home right?"

"Beta, what are you doing? Who..."

"It's Mama, Papa...do you want speak to her again?"

*********

"I'm sorry Rachna, I couldn't leave that particular configuration incomplete. How are you today?" Kunal let his question hang in the air, not even bothering to further attempt getting his co-worker's attention. She had been distracted for some days now; something completely understandable, considering all she had to contend with. Still, he couldn't help but feel guilty, believing that his disclosure of Kabir's marital status had been the impetus that had contributed to the state she was in. He had broken the only rule that had been asked of him as a new staff member of KT Creations: not to disclose any details to Rachna of her past life or relationship with their boss. However, at the time it felt the right thing to do - never mind the benefit to his personal agenda that the news had provided. Now, given her total distracted state, that had rendered her an emotional mess, he wondered if he had been wrong.

"Shall we begin our meeting, Rachna?"

She finally raised her eyes to meet the man across the desk.  "Haan Kunal, but before that: tell me can you do more with that computer than digital marketing? Can you use it to find someone?"

"I expect I can maneuver my way around a search engine if that's what you're asking, Rachna." He took her nod as an affirmative and quickly began typing, stopping after he had reached his destination. "Thik hai, who are we looking for, Rachna?"

"The identity of a mother who would abandon her child when he needs her the most: how hard do you think that will be?"

[NOCOPY]