Posted:
8 years ago
"Its not much"ðŸ˜
2:30 Monday the 11th, she returned to her desk after meeting with her team, Amit wanted time off to go "to some place cold"
He didnt have a place picked out yet but he wanted time off... she promised she would "do her best"
Bhavna was GONE!! they had met after work on Wed? last week with the heat stroke drama R&B had absolutely refused to let her go
She had tried to throw a tantrum "shes on MY TEAM" "Kya sochegi?" Boss cant buy the group a drink?"
"Too bad" "she'll get over it" was his only comment, she had chased him from bathroom to closet to balcony to lounge begging "Please da" but he wouldnt budge
He stood around the corner chatting with Bally, ummm.. basically listening to Bally
"Oh ya!! I TALK a lot" "AB kaun kar raha hai baat?" II fumed
She went to her desk, set her stuff down, opened her lunch case and got the rasmalai out (Sam's from Sunday lunch) and savored it bite by bite... as she texted with Akka and Amma
Amma was going to go see the "balcony addition" tonite wanted to know if II can go too
"Teriyale" (I dont know) ma" II texted jointly
"Bring your SIL and your FIL they can all eat here" Akka offered warmly
II stared at that text... in shock
MANYA? At Munirka? Wont happen...
"She is not home much ka... when she is Vik and her are usually curled up on the 1st floor media room watching a movie. she says "ITS SO HOT" "I DONT LIKE DELHI"
"Huh?" Akka texted bewildered
"she grew up here didnt she?"
"Aama! but she hates the weather now" II said
"Stop it u two, its her nathanar (SIL) pechu vaakla edavadu vai tavari
sollitta na romba kashtam (inadvertently if motor mouth blurts anything she will get into trouble)
"Amma I am an angel now" II texted
"yenn di yaaravadu mandram pannitala?" (did some one do vood doo on you)
"You guys are just as bad as Bally ma" II sent a teary emoticon
"Ayyo ennachu?" Akka asked
"I asked him if Mr Bansal talks as much as me, he goes "gaali mat de" II chuckled
"Seriya solran" Amma approved Bally (hes right)
"Ask my husband how good I am... best behavior" II texted
"Behavior has no connection to being a chatter box" Amma started talking logically
"Po ma nee" (go away)
"Avan kaasu kudutha kooda pesa maatan, nee kaasa vanngindum nerutha maate"
Amma texted (he wont talk even if u pay him, u will take the money but wont shut up)
II laughed staring at her rasmalai Tupperware
"Now the rasamalai is talking to you?" he asked standing outside her cube
"Po da!" she admonished
"Do u want some? Mahavir packed six giant ones" she chuckled "Ummm.. I ate two" swallowing the count
He ate a bite off of one... she packed away... and took her phone and purse
"Do u really want to go?" she asked before they stepped into the elevator
"Get in" "U are holding it up" he muttered
When they were seated in the Rel Mgr's glass enclosure it was 3:10
She was waiting and happy to see them...
"Hi! Ishita, you must be her husband?" she smiled
"Hi!"
"I have two people here that went to school with you" she said
"Oh! I know Mervyn" he said
She smiled "What can I get for you?"
"I have water I am good" he said waving a bottle
"I hear u drink lots of it" she giggled
II reviewed the sheets of paper the RM handed to her
"Umm do u know we met a week ago?" she asked R&B
He nodded looking at his wife's bent head
They were sitting on the sofa, she sat with the RM in the three seater he sat on the chair on the side
The laptop was up on her account page... home screen
Current showed Rs. 38 640
"Do u want me to start or would you like to?" she asked
"Umm... u shud" II squirmed
"Umm.. is it OK if we share your financial situation with your husband?" she asked
Husband and wife exchanged a long look
RM handed the dude some papers and had him sign it so if II ever changed her mind in the future she cant sue the bank over it
"Do u know how much she earns etc? or can I give u a quick update"
"The latter... thanks" he nodded
"Umm" II mumbled
"Did u need anything
"Umm just... just a word with him?" she asked
RM left the room cheerfully
"Its not much" II whispered... protesting one last time (what I make is not much, what I have saved is not much, what I get by on is not much, not much)
He stared unflinching...
"Was that it?" he asked patiently
She looked into his eyes and nodded
"I am not leaving" he said
She let go of the breath she held nervously... "Kyon?" she asked (Now you know everything, why would you want to stay?)
"I am going to go get her" he got up
II sifted through the mounds of paper bearing her name, cringing.. shutting her eyes when she found a copy of the same stack was placed where he sat
RM returned told the dude how much her take home was, her big ticket loans, her student loans
And how she got over draft protection only last week
"I was hoping to have our retirement planner join but she is busy, double booked... may be in our follow up meeting?" RM asked
R&B looked at his copies going from page to page slowly,
slower than II as it was his first time looking at her finances
II nodded
"U dont look at our alerts when we sent weekly reminders saying "Current Account Balance Rs. 12,200" type texts?" she asked softly
"I SHOULD pay more attention... but I guess I dont.. I have half a dozen credit cards... between this Account and those and the Accounts I share with Amma, my Mom I guess I look at it and look away" she chuckled
"Thats bad Ishita" RM told her bluntly
"We have alerts for a reason so we can curtail u from over spending" "The Bank can only help you if you take ownership" RM scolded
"I am a CPA.. can u imagine how embarrassing this is for me?"
The dude sat listening to the exchange not butting in, not saying his opinion, NOTHING!!!
HOW COULD ANYBODY BE SO QUIET?
ARGHHH!!!
THIS WAS A PLUM OPP FOR HIM TO ROAST HER
"U two dont have joint accounts?" RM asked softly
II looked at her papers..
"Umm.. no... we dont"
"Is that for a reason?" "Because doing that, she will have a cushion of sorts with your income" RM suggested
"Its for a reason" he said quietly
She opened up a new spreadsheet projected her monitor on a wall in front, anda sked II to list EVERYTHING
Paattu class, loans, gifts, petrol... everything
On another tab she listed incomes from various sources
she ran the interest payments on another tab
On another tab in Excel she began "projecting" what she would need for retirement
"I cant think of that now... I am" she paused not wanting to say it when Dude was around
"U dont?' RM asked gently "But its important Ishita, u havent even factored kids, college loans and stuff
she nodded...
"Which ever way we look at it, you go in the red every 4th or 7th month Ishita" RM said somberly
"Somehwre along the way I just let myself go" II muttered
"It happens to the best of us Ishita... LIFE happens... u got married, u moved out, bought another car, will u plan to sell your Toyota Corolla soon?" RM asked
"Umm.. oh no... thats mine its only 4 years old... the Hyundai was for parents" II said
"Umm... OK... umm... we can take many routes from here" RM said simply
II nodded
"Do u have any questions?" RM asked
He looked at his wife and shook his head "Nope" "Umm...No... I dont... Thanks"
~~~~~~~~
To be continued...
