“You can upload the final draft on the drive, I will go over it before signing. Fix a zoom for 9.30PM tonight it should be 9AM PST in SF. Also….”
Imlie shook her head and rolled her eyes at the rapid instructions he seemed to be firing at some bedraggled soul on the other end. She wondered how he kept all straight in his head. What she knew was that he had a team of 5 PA of whom 3 were in different time zones. But Akkarbaggha was a fair player. He made lives of all 5 of them equally miserable. This return trip from Bhaskar times office was generally his time to torture the mysterious Katie in other side of the globe. Since, she drove he car a few days back successfully, the sneaky devil had pushed her into getting a DL and then had very smoothly made it her job to drive them back, most days. She still reeled from how he efficiently he had fooled her into thinking that it was her idea.
They had been about to return and she had already put on her seat belt, tried from the exhaustive notes taking and research she needed to do to assist one of the senior journalists for a political piece they were working on. All she wanted was to go home, take a bath and sit down to delicious dal baati churma and ker sangria that kakima had told her she would ask Mohan bhaiya to cook for dinner. Kaki ma was always trying to feed her all the time. She felt that good food can fix all the poblems in life, Imlie tended to agree with it as well. But Akkar bagga was still on the phone standing with his laptop resting on the bonnet of Mrs Lambi Gardi looking his usual annoyed self. Imlie got out of the car,”Humka ghar jave ka hai. Tumhaar kaam ghar jake nahi hot sakat ka? Hum tak gaye hai.” Aryan paused and looked at her,”I m on a call Imlie. Go sit in the Car. Aa raha hoon.” Imlie shook her head,”HUmka jaave ka hai abhi, fir traffic ma aur deri hoye rahi.” Aryan rolled his eyes,”hold on. A sec. ..Kya hai Imlie? Tumhari jon 9-5 hai But meri nahi Ok? I have 10 businesses to run aur unme sai kayi businesses ka 9-5 abhi shuru hua hai. Chupchap car mein baitho aur wait karo.” He went back to his call. Imlie looked around wanting to shake him. She had an idea and looked at him excitedly,”To tum car ma baitho aur hum toka ghar le javat hai.” Aryan barked,”What?” Imlie smiled,”Humar Dl bhi ayi gava. Aur Uu din hum tohar Mrs ko sambhal k le aye rahe. Aab hum toka wapis bhi le jayi.” Aryan rolled his tongue in his cheek and wordlessly tossed his keys at her, swiped his laptop from the bonnet and crossed to passenger side without even stopping his conversation on the phone.
Imlie fumed looking at him now. She wondered if that was his plan all along. With him it was really difficult to guess what he was thinking and how he always got his way without seeming to lift a finger.
Today, it was a hot day and even at 6PM it felt stifling inside the Ac car. There were dark clouds looming in the horizon and they were stuck in the traffic due to some procession being wrapped up on the road. Imlie looked to the side of the road and spotted a golgappa stand. Her stomach rumbled and she could almost taste those tangy spicy crunchy pockets of heaven in her mouth. She was struck with an idea as she switched her indicator and crossed to the side and smoothly parked the car in a lucky empty slot on the side. Aryan looked at her ,”Arey, kya kar rahi ho Imlie? Yaha kyun ruki?” Imlie turned to him,”Humka Golgappe khaye ke hai.”Aryan tured to her with raised eyebrows,”Wait! What?Golgappe? yahan? Abhi? Kyun..Katie one moment, I’ll call you back.” Imlie turned towards her jhola in the back. While Aryan turned towards her,”Are you serious? Abhi tumhe Golgappe khane hai, Yahan sadak pe? Listen Imlie, mujhe ghar pahuchna hai , meeting hai. Main mohan se bolke tumhare liye golgappe arrange kar dunga, now lets go.” Imlie shook her head already half way out of car,”Humka abhi golgappe kahye k hai. Aur uu bhaiya k pass hi khaye k hai. Tohar ko ghar jave ki jaldi hai to chale jao hum auto leke aa jayi hai.”
Aryan got out of the car, Tum jungle ho. You know that. We are already late but nahi tumhe to theatrics se fursat nai. Bhaar mein jao. I am going.” He slid behind the wheels shaking his head.
Imlie squished the little sadness that crept up as she realized that he will leave her on her own without protest. Sometimes, she felt that though he was constantly trying to make her stand on her own, never went out of his way to support her or help her, she needed him around to remind her about her independence. Like her feeling of being independent depended on his being around her. She raised her arms in goodbye, “Jao! Jai sita maiyya ki!”
Aryan started his car and looked for a break in the on coming traffic. He was annoyed with her stubbornness. She could have taken his advise. They would not be wasting time on the side of the raod. He looked over to the stand, she was bestowing her brightest smile on the stand owner, who seemed to be smiling ear to ear about something she said. The man turned to her and shook hands and then waved at this stand and small board hanging. Aryan shook his head and switched off the car and stepped out. It was fast getting dark and looked like it would rain. He couldn’t leave her , maa will have his skin. He approached the stand catching some of the conversation between her stuffing her mouth with huge puries. “To tum to humare zilla brother nikle. Hum Pagdandiya se hai. Hum to dekhte samaj gaye rahe tum pakka Balaipur k rahe.Humare school k samne na ekdum aise hi golgape wale kaka rahe, unki missus balaipur ki rahi aur uu ekdum aise puri banawat rahi. Thoda imli ka pani….” Aryan couldn’t believe the amount of nonsense that can come out of her mouth. Imlie noticed him,”Akkarbagga tum? Gaye nahi? Toka bhi golgappe chaiye? Kaka ek batasha eka bhi de dio.” “No thanks, I am good. Tumhara ho gaya to chale.” Imlie nodded, “Ek sukha dena” Aryan looked at her feeling a smile tugging at his lips. It was such an involuntary reaction that he was caught by surprise himself. Imlie rummaged her bag for change. Aryan extened his hand to pay for the golgappa. Imlie looked up irritated,”Humare pass paise hai. Tum kahe diye?” “Ye tumhare hi paise hai Imlie. I am Aryan Singh Rathore, Main kissi ka Udhar nahi rakhta. Tumhare job k first day pe tumne mujhe paise udhar diye the. Aaj lauta raha hoon. Tum sirf meri employee ho, Girl friend nahi jo tumhe golgappe khilata firunga. Come on lets go.”
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