MG - Tailor Made - Chapter 18 + Epilogue 09.11.12 - Page 35

Chapter 17: The Competition

In the next few days, the trio called their boss. Papa Paolo was far from being amused and ordered his men to call the challegen off. When he was reminded that he, too, would lose his face if the matter came out, the boss had no other option but to accept it. When Maan had heard of the challenge, he had no idea in which dimensions the challege would go. The three men returned a few days later in the company of a few other men. As it seems, many people were interested in the competition between the Tailor family and the unknown (to them) Geet Handa. Geet's mother had scolded her badly when she had heard about the challenge to a point that Geet had burst into tears. No amount of Mr Beryy's or Rajji's explainations cooled her down.

"Kya zarurat thi apna mu kholne ki? Yeh kitne bade log hain aur tum ek choti si tailor. Haar gae to 50 crore rupees kaun dega? Humara sab kuch bech de to iska ek chota sa hissa bhi nahin millega. (What was the need to open you mouth? These are big people and you only a small tailor. If we loose, we have to pay them 50 crore rupees. Even if we sell all our possessions, we won't get a small part of that sum.)" Geet realized that she had taken a bite too big to chew and felt ashamed not only for getting Maan into this situation but also to make her mother angry like never before.

Maan on the other hand supported Geet. He had trust in her and was certain of her abilities.

Before the competition, the two competitors had to meet. Tommy Tailor came in company of Roberto, Luigi and Pedro and a little dog. Maan was standing with Geet while the others took their seat.

"Missi, this Tommy Tailor who is going to compete against you. And Tommy, this is Geet Handa." Geet came and to everyone's surprise bend down to the little doggy that was on a line.

"Hello...", after a few minutes she said:

"I must say, I never thought you get your suits tailored by a little doggy. So sweet." While Maan ran his hand over his face, the three Italian Mafia men tried not to snigger. The actual Tommy had gone completely red in the face.

"Excuse me… I AM TOMMY TAILOR."

"Oh, but why do you have a dog's name? In India, only dog's are named Tommy…" Ok, this has to stop, Maan thought as the other three men sniggered louder.

"Geet, yeh baat choro. (Geet, leave this topic.)" To the others he said:

"So, how is the competition going to be?"

"Don Paolo had set 5 catagorize: Wedding suit in red and white, Party wear for Cocktail and Business Parties, Business suit for work, Casual wear and one freestyle suit according to own imagination. You have to tailor them during the competition so there will be a time pressure. You can, though, bring prestiched fabric but not the ready suit to the competition. Plus, since we like to do our work properly, there will be male models to present the suits. It will be their judgement and that of Papa Paolo and his wife Rosetta and two of their associates that will count. Every suit will be marked out of 10 so in total the scores will be out of 70." Maan nodded and he looked at Geet. But Geet had another thing on her mind.

"How is Dev? Are you keeping him well?"

"Don't worry Missi, he can't be better. As soon as the competition in over we will hand him out to you." Geet nodded and wanted to give Maan a look of assurance but he turned his head away. He still couldn't believe that Dev and Shekhar knew nothing of Pammy's dealing.

The day of the competition finally arrived. The family Ricotti were gathered in the garden and seated in the marqui. Tommy Tailor and Geet had their own desks, machines and busts to work on. Their workspace was separated by a divider which allowed the guests to see both competitors but they could not see each other. In the morning, Geet and Tommy started on their suits. Geet thought she had a bonus point since she was used to working quickly but her face fell when she heard that Tommy's first suit was also finished. The men who had to model changed into the suits. After the last few alterations Geet was ready to show her first dress. The first suit they presented was for Business wear. Tommy presented a dark grey three piece suit with a white shirt. It was classy and the fine lines on the fabric gained him full ten points. Geet's suit was similar in cut. She had opted for the ever popular black. Her suit gained a lot of appreciation but it could not match the lined fabric of Tommy Tailor making her lose 2 points. So, round one went to the young male tailor, whose family was proudly watching him.

Geet: 8 Tommy: 10

The judges didn't have to wait too long for the next set. Surprisingly, both tailors had stiched similar outfits for Casual wear. The material was linen in both cases and as the juges inspected the stiching, they found Geet's stiches a noch better. But, since Tommy tailor's stiching was good enough and his colour combination was also better than Geet's, her competition gained full marks and Geet again got eight.

Geet: 16 Tommy: 20

After round two, Maan put his hand on Geet's shoulder in support. He knew she was feeling low. In his eyes, Geet's work had been best so far but he had no hand in the grading. Maan had initially wanted to protest stating that they might be partial but then any of his family members would also do the same.

In round three, both had to present party suits, one for business parties and the other for cocktail parties. The first suit was a navy blue one with an elegant design on the front of the coat with a shiney thread. Even Geet appreciated his work as she knew he had given a lot of attention to the details. No wonder he again scored full points. Geet's dress met skeptical eyes. It was, the Khuranas and Handas realized, a sherwani. The navy blue colour kept it formal but the bead work was overdoing it a bit. The juges on the other hand did not think so. They awarded Geet with nine points for her creativity whilst keeping the occasion in mind.

Geet: 25 Tommy: 30

The cocktail party suits could not look any more different. Geet's suit had shortend arms and was also shorter in length than usual coats but the cut looked absolutely brilliant. She had only added a designed fabric to the shoulders and front. What gave such a nice look to the overall piece was the red shirt with red tie and silver botton. Without a delay Geet got the first ten points of the day, making her and her supporters cheer, while the Tailors groaned in displeasure. Tommy's suit was stiched keeping latest Italian fashion in mind. Geet's suit was suitable for men of any age but Tommy's suit only young people could wear. Yet, he had kept in mind the fine detail of making sure that the floral design matched when the suit was buttoned up. He received ten points.

Geet: 35 Tommy: 40

Lunch break was announced. Maan had organized Italian food for his guest and family and they all dined in Khurana Mansion. He tried to think of all this as a business meeting but he still felt troubled. Geet was gaining in points but he could not forget that the competition was ahead. If Geet failed, he would have to sell the mansion to put the money together. While he fully supported Geet, he was troubled for Dadi, Vicky and his mother who would also lose their faces in society if Khurana Mansion was sold. On top of it, the media was here. Papa Paolo had brought a few Italian reporters with him to cover the event but Maan knew that if they lost, the tapes would also be played in India, making a mockery of his name and that of his family.

The others were also worried. Rano had still not for given her daughter for getting everyone into such a mess. Dadi and Archana fully stood behind Geet but the young girl felt a little put down by behing behind. Yet she was Geet Handa and she did not give up so easily. There were still three rounds and she was behind by just five points. Knowing what she had in store, she knew she could make up.

On the other side, Papa Paolo was seated with Tailor senior. The old man, who had tailored many suits for the Ricotti family in his life-time, was tensed. He had tried to pursue the Don in a truly Italian way to let his son win. But the Don had returned the bribe. This was a matter of honor and honor stood above everything. If Tommy won, then there was nothing to worry but if he lost, then it would just show that he was not suited to serve the Ricotti family.

Luigi, Roberto and Roberto stood a little separated from the crowed. They were smoking and placing bets with a young man. Theodor was Tommy's younger brother and had bet with the men that his brother was going to win. But the three men could not agree.

"Say what you want but that little missy is not bad." Pedro commented.

"Nobody can match Tommy's tailoring", Theodor said hautily.

"If it would have been Tailor senior I would have agreed." Luigi said. The young man waited and Luigi and Roberto bet a large sum on Tommy. Pedro surprised them and placed his bet on Geet. He smirked.

"I love risks. Let's see what little missy can create."

Lunch was over. Shortly before Tommy and Geet resumed their work, their family members spoke a few words of encouragement to them. Geet's face fell when Rano turned her face away.

"Mumma, aap aise mu mat morye (Mama, please don't turn your face away like this.) Please." Geet broke into tears and hugged her mother from the back. Rano gave in and ran her hand over Geet's head. No matter if Geet's desicion was right or wrong but she knew for certain that Geet had only thought about every one's best.

"Don't worry Geet beta, we are all behind you. I am sure you will win."

"I hope that, too." Pedro's presence surprised Geet the most. He handed her his hanky, ignoring Maan who turned red in anger and possessiveness.

"Listen, I just placed a very huge sum on your win. I hope you will not disappoint me." Something in the way this stranger trusted her more that his own men lifted Geet's spirit immensely. She wiped her tears and gave him a bright smile.

"I will give my best, Pedroji." The man patted her on her head like one did with an obedient small child and went back to his seat.

The judges announced the scores as they stood till now. Tommy tailor was leading with 40 points against Geet's 35. The next sets of clothes were the wedding suits, one in red and one in white. Tailoring these took Geet a lot of time making the judges frown and the Khuranas worried. Inbetween, Maan wanted to help her but she wanted to do it alone. He sighed and atleast made her drink something of fed her when he thought she was tired. Overall, he felt quite useless. Geet first showed her red suit, making many gasp. The fabric was a very expensive red silk that was difficult to buy and even more difficult to stick. No wonder it took her so long. There was no work on the suit as the fabric was very delecate. One of the judges asked Geet about how she thought anyone could wear this was even a little pull could make a hole into the suit. Geet turned the suit inside out and presented her solution. She had used two layer of fabric. The outer one was the silk while the inner one was common cotton. This enabled easy stiching and made sure it was safe to wear. Tommy's suit was made of red leather. This red was lighter and on mutual agreement by the judges no match to the deep red of Geet's suit. Granted, it looked fancy but they agreed that this suit would only get nine points.

The white suit of Tommy was in all means simple. He had thought that the simplicity would increase its value but compared to Geet's suit it looked very common. Geet's sherwani type suit reminded Maan very much of the one she had stiched for him. The material sat like a second skin, so the model also commented when asked by the judges. Without doubt, Geet received again full marks while Tommy received his lowest of 7.

Geet: 55 Tommy: 56

When Geet's eyes met Pedro's, he winked at her and lifted up his thumb to congratulate her. Geet beamed. Her spirits were lifted some more and she continued, with Maan observing from a distance.

It was time for the last suit. Both parties counted their points. Tommy Tailor was ahead with one point. He had 56 and Geet 55. Geet had specially designed this suit keeping Maan in mind. Before the competition, she had gone through many of her old designs and found the one that Maan had rejected the day he had met her for the first time. At that time, she had discarded it but now she wanted to present just that.

To everyone's stonishment, Tommy Tailor's Freestyle suit was another casual one. The material was African linen which was highly popular with the young crowd. The suit, as he explained, could also be worn to parties and meetings. The judges nodded but did not announce any results yet. Geet's hands shook as she told her model to go out and present her creation. For a minute there was absolute silence. The model presented his suit and quickly changed before presenting himself again.

The first suit had a sip up shirt with complicated design on it. After changing, the model wore a waistcoat with a crushed silk scarf. Geet explained how this suit could be worn in multiple combinations and was created for any sort of festive occastion. It could also be used as a wedding suit, for formal and informal parties and if wanted, the coat could also be worn alone or left out. The judges put their heads together. The next few seconds was absolute silence. The Tailors knew that they were leading and hence it would do it they got the same grades. Geet was very tensed. She took hold of Maan's hand and pressed it tightly, remembering her dear Babaji. She needed two more marks than her competition to win.

Don Paolo got up.

"After seeing both suits we have come to following conclusion", he spoke with a perfect Italian accent.

"Tommy Tailor has stiched a very nice suit, keeping fashion and style in mind. White is a colour to go with any person well. Miss Geet Handa, on the other hand, has stiched something I have rarely come across. Suits that can be matched in different combinations are not very popular but this time I have to say we are pleased. The colour is also suitable to all and as she explained, the suit can be worn in many different occasions. We also checked fitting with the models and the stiches. After close inspection we came to following result. Geet Handa and Tommy Tailor receive ten and eight points respectively."

Geet: 65 Tommy: 64

It took a moment before the words sank in. The overly excited Khurana and Handa family cheered when the realized that they had won by one point. Tommy Tailor protested and sealed his fate with his own action. He was dismissed by the Ricotti family.

Paolo Ricotti officially announced all debts of Pammi Khurana to be forgiven and Geet saw how Pedro smirked and winked in appreciation.