12: The Japanese Clients
Arnav Singh Raizada was having a terrible day. When he woke up in the morning, Khushi was not on the bed and he couldn't see her peaceful face from the recliner. He had subtly tried to find her the entire morning, and even went to the kitchen by crafting a rather stupid excuse, but he still didn't see her. He would have screamed in frustration had it not been for the fact that the Khushi stealers, yes, that is what he mentally called Jivvy and NK, were on the table during breakfast discussing about random topics that he was not interested in. Then, he found out that the painters had come to renovate his office and Aman had forgotten to mention it in the schedule, meaning he had to go back home in the traffic, stuck behind Jivvy who had insisted on riding an over-filled open rickshaw instead of his car. When he got home, Akash told him about the Japanese clients that were coming for a meeting with the CEOs of AR and GBD to finalize their joint deal. So, one might ask, why was the ASR frustrated at having a meeting?
Well, it certainly wasn't because he had to work with Jivvy – in fact, he rather enjoyed it due to her attention to detail, punctuality, and ethics. It wasn't because it was at his home either – he never cared of anyone's opinions, and he wasn't ashamed to have his clients see a grandmother doting on a goat. It was rather because of whom he hadn't seen, and whom he didn't want to see – he hadn't seen his beloved wife, and that was a big trigger of his mood today; and he most certainly didn't want to see the Japanese clients who wasted too much time talking about unimportant things and never got down to business. Unfortunately, he heard the doorbell ring and went to greet the delegates with Jivvy following him.
* * *
Akash mentally laughed as he saw the looks on Jivvy and Bhai's face when the doorbell rang – the former was grinning with all her teeth showing while the later was frowning and trying hard to not clench his teeth.
"Hello" Bhai said as he put out his hands in front of the delegates. At the same time though, Jivvy had bowed down and said, "Konichiwa. Oh gain kee des kah?" (Hello. How are you doing?)
Instead of taking Bhai's hands, the Japanese team of four instead bowed to Jivvy and replied, "Konichiwa. You know Japanese?"
Jivvy replied, "Yes, but mada mada dane!" (Yes, but not at that level yet.)
Arnav interfered what he feared would be a long, unneeded conversation about where the girl learned Japanese from, and said, "Welcome. Let's go to the meeting room."
Akash followed the train of people – an angry Arnav, followed by a happy Jivvy, followed by the four Japanese delegates who were looking around the place. As they settled in the meeting room, he noticed that Jivvy nor the delegates had turned on their laptops.
"Your house is different. Houses in Japan have no tiles or meeting rooms," observed the younger Japanese man.
"Yes, I know! Japanese houses have wooden flooring and tearooms with small tables and mattresses on the floor instead of a meeting room." Who else could have replied other than Jivvy?
"You tasted special teas?" the oldest, and presumably the head of the team asked.
"No, I don't like tea – I only have green tea when I feel cold or am sick. But I do like the rice cakes!"
"Ah, rice cakes are too sweet for an old man like me. But tell me, do you like sushi or the green roll?"
"I have a sweet tooth, and I'm a vegetarian, so I haven't tasted it. But I'm sure Mr. Raizada might have some preferences, right?"
Jivvy turned to a fuming Arnav who opened his mouth to say, "Can we get started with the meeting please? I have other meetings to attend after this!" Akash noticed the change in the team's faces and began thinking of ways to do damage control.
"Don't mind him Mr. Kyoko!" Jivvy chirped in. "He recently got married and hasn't been able to go on his honeymoon due to all the work. He's trying to finish it as soon as possible and wants to go back to his lovely wife. So you know what his next meeting is, right?" Jivvy winked at the team, who glanced at Arnav and smiled at him. Instead of worrying about the deal, Akash now worried about Jivvy and how to save her from Bhai's wrath.
"Oh, so that is the case Mr. Raizada. No worries, we can start now." Saying that, Mr. Kyoko turned on his laptop. While waiting for it to start, he spoke up, "You know, when I was newly married, I used to make my wife sit next to me during meetings, and when she cooked, I used to sit at the kitchen counter and watch her. Ah, the bliss of marriage!" Turning from a shocked, and slightly blushing Arnav, he turned to Jivvy and told her, "You will also have your time! I am sure you'll find your Prince Charming one day."
Jivvy said, "I don't want to get married to a Prince Charming! In fact, I haven't even thought about marriage…so let's stay away from it."
12B: The Big Fight
Arnav was surprised at how Kyoko's team had worked – after the initial chatter, they had refrained from going off topic like they usually did in other meetings. But this in no doubt meant that he wasn't angry. So, as soon as they had left, after Jivvy, and surprisingly Akash, had reciprocated their bows, he turned to Jivvy and screamed at her.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" NK, Mamaji, Mamiji, Nani, Anjali, Shyam, Payal, Akash, Laxmi, and even the Prakashs gathered around them. "First wasting time in endless chatter and then creating that story about my next meeting! You know I used to think of you as a professional person when it came to work, but today I've been wronged. You are nothing but a child, and a brat at that! I don't even know how you manage that business of yours, as you can't even seem to be focused and always act childlike. You're probably a stupid rich man's spoilt daughter wanting to play business on a whim!"
A ferocious Jivvy rose above her height to grab Arnav's collar so that he bended forward to face her angry face. "Shut up Mr. Raizada! I've had enough of your baseless anger at me!" Pulling at his tie, almost chocking him, she continued, "I wasn't wasting time talking with them – Japanese culture requires to form a personal relationship before going into a business deal…they don't start with a meeting right away. If you noticed, after that initial off topic discussion, all of us were focused on the project. Secondly, you don't need to know how I manage my business – it's my company and I don't want you talking anything about it! Third, just because you are always frowning doesn't mean that my happy behavior is childish! You earn money in order to have a good lifestyle; there's no point if you spend your life earning money, but I guess that is a concept you won't understand! And lastly, don't you dare say anything about my dad without knowing him, because trust me, if I hear you say anything about my parents, my company, or my employees, you would wish that you weren't alive." Letting go of the tie, she says, "I hope I've made myself clear, and that next time you think before speaking. Your family and even your amazing wife might be able to tolerate your anger, but I won't." Saying that, she marches up the stairs to the guest room before banging the door shut. The loud noise echoed through the extremely silent Shantivan.
* * *
Khushi was shocked when she entered the house to the sight of an angry Azmih holding on to her husband's collar, the height difference causing him to bend more than slightly. Azmih was shouting at Arnavji, who seemed too shocked, just like everyone else, to be able to speak anything. Khushi got back from her frozen state when she heard Azmih loudly closing the room door.
Dinner was a silent affair. Jivvy had refused to have dinner with them, and she had done so rather politely and made sure that her anger towards ASR did not affect the relation she had with the wonderful family. She had instead chosen to go out to some Punjabi restaurant with NK and Khushi who had wanted to come along. Arnav ordered Hari Prakash to send his dinner to the room, where he silently had it while glaring at the laptop – he still hadn't seen his wife. Akash and Payal had gone out on a date, but there presence wasn't missed as much – after all, they rarely contributed to any conversations. Shyam had made some excuse and left off to who-knows-where. So, the only ones remaining at the table were Mamaji, Mamiji, Naniji, and Anjali, and all of them were too shocked to say anything, and hence had dinner quietly.
Cricket
Kumkum Bhagya
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