Chapter 59
"This Geet! She is definitely going to make me crazy," exclaimed Maan as he hurried out of Khurana Mansion to his car, on his way back to the office. "She can never make things easy for me."
Maan's mind was in a great state of agitation, which he knew would only disappear once he had given his apology to Geet. His grandmother's blasting had already had him considering that he may have been wrong in how he treated Geet, but it was Mr. Chopra's reaction that really convinced Maan of his error. The man couldn't stop praising the unique and as he termed it inventive theme, especially the way guests were welcomed with all the typical traditions to be found in the average middle class Indian household. There was so much praise going around on all sides that Maan had been unable to do anything but give all the credit to Geet. He was also forced to admit to himself that though he had behaved very badly toward Geet, the success that Khurana Constructions was enjoying at this launch party had only happened because of her.
Finding an opportunity to leave the party after the question and answer session with the media, Maan drove himself home, intending to confront Geet over everything that had happened. He knew she might be a little upset, but that wasn't going to stop him. What did stop him was finding out from Nakul that Mohan had phoned saying he was unable to run some errands because Geet needed him to take her to the office. Maan had left for the office right away, not wanting to waste time when his mind was set, but fate was not that kind to him. He got stuck in some of Delhi's heaviest rush hour traffic, forcing him to take twice as long as normal to reach KC, and leaving him very frustrated.
The wait also gave him plenty of time to replay the afternoon's events again and again, increasing the sense of injustice he had done to Geet. When he arrived at the building, he barely kept himself from running towards her office, calling her name several times as he entered it in a rush. Contrary to his expectation, Geet was not in her office at all. As Maan thought about where else she might be, he noticed something wrong. The flowers that she usually kept on her desk ever since the incident a month ago when she tried to gift him some were gone. In fact all of Geet's personal things were missing. Her desk was surprisingly clear, with only the computer and a piece of paper visible. Maan picked up the paper, scanning it quickly only to find it to be a very short resignation letter.
Slamming the paper back onto the desk, Maan burst out, "I never thought she would really leave!"
Pacing up and down in an attempt to calm down, he said to himself, "There was no need for me to scold her so much. Just because I was trying to hide my feelings...What was the need for me to stupidly say so much? She was right. I never gave her a chance to tell me anything, so then how was it her fault that I didn't know? I am totally...what did she call me...dusht danaav! Yes, I am definitely dusht danaav."
Picking up Geet's resignation letter once again, Maan tore it in two before dropping it into the waste bin. He wasn't going to let this incident get in the way of their work. He wasn't a big, well known, international businessman for nothing. Geet was by far the best secretary he had, so there was no way that he was going to accept her resignation over this stupid fight.
Since Geet was not in the office, Maan knew that she must have gone back home. Knowing the relationship between Geet and Savitri, Maan worried that he might have to do his apologizing in front of an audience, but he would do it if that was what it took. However, that was unnecessary, as Maan found out Geet had declined to eat dinner, choosing instead to retire early. With a single mindedness that was usually reserved for the boardroom, he made his way to her room, uncaring if his hard knocking woke her up from an early sleep.
The door opened and the expectant face became shocked as Geet exclaimed, "You!"
"What are you doing here?" he was questioned as Maan moved slowly into the room that he used to occupy, but had since been turned into a young woman's bedroom.
"Geet, I wanted to talk to you..."
"Talk? I think you did enough talking earlier. Go away. I don't want to talk to you. What is it with you? After telling me so much, you weren't satisfied? Or did you forget some important accusation that you couldn't wait to heap on my head?"
"Geet, have you gone crazy or something?"
"Yes, I've gone crazy!" she cried, turning her back to Maan and walking to the window. "Who wouldn't go crazy have working for a crazy person like you?"
"Geet, I just need you to listen to me..."
"Listen to you? You need me to listen to you? Why should I listen to you? Why does everything always have to be about you? I didn't want to get married, either, but do you even care? I'm tired of all of this. Just leave me alone!"
"Look, Geet, don't cry," said Maan softly, when angry tears began to pour out of her eyes.
"Why not?" she asked savagely. "Why shouldn't I cry? Just because you say so? They're my eyes, my tears, my emotions, my life. I can cry if I want and you can't stop me! Or anyway, you're not my boss, who can order me to do anything you want."
"Geet!"
"I hate how you call my name! You say it just like this uncle I knew used to call his dog, Tommy."
"Geet!"
"See? Well, I'm not your dog, Mr. Khurana, and I won't stand for being treated like one!"
Geet words hit Maan hard, but he didn't want to make things worse. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he tried to tell Geet way he had come to talk, but she wouldn't let him finish. In anguished tones, she claimed to know that his purpose for coming was none other than to see her in a wretched condition. She was sure that after being subjected to so much humiliation, he was anxious to see how much his behavior had made her cry.
"It's not like that, Geet," Maan tried to assure, shocked that she would think he had deliberately intended to make her cry.
"Oh, really?" she countered with great skepticism. "So, I'm supposed to believe that you tried to avoid me and even make me quit because you love me so much?"
It shocked Maan to hear Geet voice the very thing he had been so worried was true, but his shocks did not end there. He really couldn't believe it when Geet accused him of always coming to her aid, not out of a desire to help, but instead out a desire to relish her pain and tears. He tried to counter her accusation, but Geet wouldn't listen.
"Just go away. Just leave me alone and go away, will you? Go away!" she cried, even as she grimaced, clutching her stomach as if in pain.
"Geet, take care of yourself. What's wrong? Here, drink some water," Maan offered, grabbing the water glass from the nightstand and trying to press it into Geet's unwilling hands.
"I don't want your help or your false sympathies," she declared, pushing the glass away and moving so that she stood near the bed poster for support. "Leave. Just leave. I'm tired of you. Just...leave!"
"Clearly there's no trying to reason with you when you're in this emotional state, you crazy girl," griped Maan, having reached the end of his patience.
"Dusht danaav!" shouted in anger Geet after Maan left her room, banging the door behind.
Maan was no less angry, not at all happy with the way things went. Here he had gone out of his way to apologize, but the young girl currently occupying the outhouse's second floor was too stubborn to let him. Well, he wasn't foolish enough to keep trying to break his head against a brick wall. If Geet was calmed down enough by morning, then he would make another attempt, but if she continued with her attitude, then he was through.
Amidst all his thinking, Maan heard the familiar sound of his phone, prompting him to issue a brusk, "Hello," to whoever was unfortunate enough to have called him at such a time.
After listening to the caller explain the purpose of phoning, Maan responded, "No, don't do that. I'll have to come myself and sort things out. Yes, I'll be out on the first plane I can get."
Precap
"What do you mean, he doesn't have to accept my resignation?"
"Look, Geet. I really don't want to get into the middle of this. You'll just have to take it up with Maan Sir once he returns. Until then, you are still officially employed by Khurana Constructions and Maan Sir's secretary."
Book Talk
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