Authors: Shobhan Bantwal

The Reluctant Matchmaker (24 page)

BOOK: The Reluctant Matchmaker

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I took an unsteady breath and managed a smile. “Maryann and I are preparing for our meeting with the ad agency.”

“Excellent. I'll let you two get on with it.” He turned to Maryann before exiting. “Could you please take Meena out to lunch, Maryann? I would've liked to do it myself, but I have a meeting with a congressional aide that might go past lunch.”

“Sure thing, Prajay. I was going to ask Meena and the agency folks to lunch anyway. You go on and do what you have to.”

He returned his gaze to me. “I enjoyed meeting your aunt. Akka is quite a lady.”

“That she is. Hope she didn't get too nosey.”

He grinned, making my tummy wobble. “I have a bunch of elderly women in my family, too. So she's off sightseeing this morning?” he asked.

“Uh-huh.”

“The weather's better today. I'm sure she'll enjoy it.” He glanced at his watch. “I better go.”

I watched him walk away. I probably wouldn't see him for the next three days.

Good thing, too, I told myself and turned my attention back to Maryann. My stomach was still trembling.

Chapter 23

A
t precisely 9:28 A.M., the advertising folks showed up. Maryann went out to greet them and brought them into the conference room.

I shook hands with a slim, forty-ish-looking man named Jim Dressler and a thirty-something woman called Jennifer Bellows. Jennifer was the graphic designer and Jim was from the business side. Maryann and I spent hours with the duo, debating over colors, layout, paper size, text, pictures, and covers.

I was a little irritated when Jim questioned my wording a few times, but I realized it was futile arguing with a guy who'd been in the business for some twenty years. I was a novice compared to him, so I deferred to his ideas.

On the other hand, Jennifer was easier to work with. She was more open to suggestions from Maryann and me. We were adamant that the colors be subdued. We wanted little or no pinks and purples. This was a serious software company trying to impress military brass, congressmen, and senators, and we wanted that to show. Jim agreed with us. And that was a relief.

By the time we all went out to lunch at a nearby restaurant, it was past one o'clock.

The afternoon proceeded along the same lines as the morning, except Jennifer took a few photographs of some employees at work. They were a little upset that they hadn't dressed for the occasion since they had not been informed of the photo session beforehand. But Jennifer and Jim assured them they wanted the pictures to be naturalâeveryday life at work.

The photo session lasted nearly an hour. By the time Jim and Jennifer left around five o'clock, Maryann and I were ready for a short coffee break. We headed back to her office. Maryann and I chatted over steaming coffee.

“So Prajay took you and your aunt out to dinner last night?” Maryann had that slightly alert look that told me she, too, was making certain assumptions about my relationship with Prajay. Why did everyone presume there was something going on between him and me? Unless ... my feelings for him were obvious.

“I'm sure his evenings are busy, so it was nice of him to offer to take us to dinner.” His evenings had to be busy. Besides, he must have started to see one or two of those women on his matrimonial list. “My aunt kept him occupied with all kinds of chatter,” I said absently. I didn't want anyone, especially Prajay's employees, to get the wrong idea about the previous evening.

“So she's on a sightseeing tour today.”

“She lives in California. This is her first trip to Washington,” I explained. “That reminds me, do you mind if I use your phone to call and check up on her?”

“Go ahead.” Maryann got up and let me sit in her chair. The phone rang several times, and I was about to give up, thinking Akka had either shut it off or she was too busy to answer, when I heard her voice come on the line. “Akka?” I said. Silence, then lots of static. “Akka?” I repeated, raising my voice.

“Oh, Meena, it's you.” Akka sounded relieved.

“Who did you think it was?” I had to remind myself the poor woman wasn't used to carrying a cell phone.

She laughed. “I didn't realize it was
my
phone. The lady sitting next to me told me it was ringing.”

“I understand.” No wonder it had taken her so long to answer. “How's the tour going?”

“Very nice. We saw some lovely monuments, and I bought postcards and souvenirs. I'll show you everything this evening.”

She sounded like she was enjoying it, thank goodness. “Hope you're not too tired,” I added.

“A little bit, but everywhere we went there were benches, so I could sit down and rest.”

“Good. I'll see you later, then. We'll have an early dinner somewhere nearby so you can go to bed at a decent time.”

“Sounds like everything's all right?” Maryann asked after I hung up the phone.

“She's having a good time.”

A half hour later, I decided to call it a day.

“Take your time coming in,” Maryann reminded me with a grin.

“I won't show up at the crack of dawn,” I promised, shrugging into my coat. “Yesterday I didn't know you guys start a bit later than our Jersey office.”

“That's because we don't have the office staff you haveâthe strict eight-to-fivers. All our people are techies who sometimes work late at night. We basically let them make their own hours.” She got up to get her own coat. “We'll go over the budget tomorrow. We didn't have time to talk about that today.”

“That and hopefully the sample brochures. Didn't Jim say he might be able to bring us the rough drafts in the afternoon?”

“Hope he can produce them that quickly.” Maryann picked up her purse.

Just as we were about to walk out of the office, Prajay wandered in. He looked tired. He had loosened his tie, and his suit jacket hung over his arm. “How did it go?” he asked us.

“Fine,” said Maryann. “You might be able to see the first drafts by this time tomorrow, if the advertisers are on schedule.”

Prajay's brow shot up. “That soon? Did you discuss prices yet?”

“We touched on them, but we'll talk about that in detail tomorrow. Don't worry; we'll negotiate a good price.”

“Good work, ladies. Thank you.”

Maryann laughed. “Don't thank me. Thank Meena and Paul. They did all the creative work. I'm only doing the peripheral stuff.”

“Oh, come on, Maryann,” I chided gently. “You did a lot more than that. You're being too modest.” Maryann blushed with pleasure. “And don't forget budget negotiations are going to be entirely in your court.”

“Heading back to the hotel?” Prajay asked me.

“Akka should be returning soon,” I said. “I want to make sure I'm there when she gets off the bus.” I wished both of them good night and headed out.

Naturally I wondered what Prajay was doing that evening. Was he taking the beanpole from Maryland out to dinner?

At the hotel, since I had some time to kill before Akka's return, I went upstairs to our room and changed into comfortable jeans, pullover, and sneakers. Then I booted up my laptop and checked my e-mail.

Most of the messages were unimportant. But there was one from Ajit Baliga. He wanted me to decide on a date for us to meet. Oh boy. A date.

And he'd sent an attachment: a picture of himself. That meant he was serious about this business of us getting together. I knew Madhuri-pachi had shared my pictures with him, so he must have liked what he'd seen before starting a correspondence with me.

I opened the attachment and maximized the screen to study the photo. It wasn't a handsome face, but there was something wholesome and forthright about it, and a sparkle that could be humor in his dark eyes. He had a nice smile and plenty of hairâassuming it wasn't a toupee.

Was I ready to meet a man who was serious about marriage? At thirty-two he probably was. In the past, meeting an eligible man hadn't been a big deal, but ever since I'd fallen for Prajay Nayak I was hesitant about going out with someone. No man was likely to measure up to him, literally and figuratively.

Was I seeing all these shining qualities in Prajay that weren't really there? Was I building him up to be a hero who didn't exist? All I had had was one hot kiss with him. What did I know about him? Maybe he really was a rough, sadistic man who liked to beat up on women, and maybe he was warning me about it. He could easily crush me with one hand.

But it was hard to imagine Prajay's being cruel or thoughtless. To me he still appeared to be a gentle giant.

Of course, there was that small matter of his rejecting me.

I didn't send Ajit a response. Instead I saved the message for future consideration and shut off the computer. I'd have to give the idea of meeting him face-to-face some more thought.

A few minutes later, I went down to the lobby to wait for Akka. Instead of sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs, I decided to step outside and walk around the parking lot. The air was crisp and chilly. I thrust my hands into my pockets to keep them warm. It was nearing winter. The holiday season was already being ushered in by the retailers.

Was Prajay planning on getting married in the coming year? I wondered. He'd probably be celebrating his fortieth birthday sometime in the next few months. He'd seemed eager to be hitched before he crossed that milestone.

Briskly I strode around the perimeter of the parking lot and tried to tell myself that Prajay's birthday was none of my business. And neither were his marriage plans.

I kept walking. I'd been up early, and I'd worked all day, but I wasn't a bit tired. I was restless. Walking was a good way to keep those antsy legs moving and focus my thoughts on my surroundings instead of other things.

A minute later, Akka's bus arrived. I hurried to meet her.

Chapter 24

S
eeing Akka looking beat and walking more slowly than usual, I escorted her to the room and insisted she take a hot bath. Fortunately I always traveled with my aromatherapy bath kit, so I threw in some soothing ginger-hyacinth bath crystals and filled the tub.

Inhaling the fragrant steam rising from the water, I was tempted to hop in myself and forget about my aunt. But she needed it more than I.

She sent me a dubious look. “I'm not used to tub baths. Maybe I should just take a shower.”

“You'll feel great after a nice hot soak,” I assured her. “Your feet look swollen. Don't forget there's more walking tomorrow. The Smithsonian museums are huge.”

Perhaps because she was too tired to argue, she surrendered. While she soaked in her bath, I studied the room service menu. I called the desk and placed an order for vegetable lasagna, chicken noodle soup, and a garden salad.

A half hour later, Akka came out, scrubbed clean, dressed in her white cotton sari and smelling like hyacinths. “You were right, Meena. That bath was very relaxing. I almost fell asleep in the tub.”

“I ordered some dinner,” I told her. “Hope you like it.”

When the food arrived a little later, Akka and I sat at the small table-cum-desk to eat our meal. The soup was salty and the lasagna mediocre at best, but neither one of us complained. I had a feeling we were both recalling the previous evening's delicious meal with Prajay.

After I placed the empty dishes on the tray outside our door, Akka showed me her postcards. And she handed me a gift: a navy T-shirt with I

A
MERICA
printed on the front.

“Akka, you weren't supposed to buy
me
a gift. I gave you money to buy yourself something.” Her thoughtfulness was making me cry.

“It's a small souvenir,
charda
âjust a token to thank you for bringing me with you and treating me like your own grandmother.”

The tears pooled in my eyes. “But you
are
my grandmother.” I hugged her tight.

She patted my back. “Don't cry over a T-shirt, you silly girl. Tomorrow I'll spend your money on something for myself,” she said with a serene smile. But she hadn't fooled me. I could see her lashes glistening with moisture.

“You promise?”

“Promise.” She quickly changed the subject, probably to rein in her unshed tears. “The White House is out of bounds without special passes. They could not take us there,” she grumbled.

“Maybe next time around we can plan ahead so we can get passes,” I consoled her, and blew my nose. “Why don't you go to bed early tonight?”

“Tell me about your day first,” she said, sitting on the edge of her bed and opening a small plastic jar. She scooped out some strong-smelling ointment and starting rubbing it over her foot. “Did you get to spend any time with Prajay Nayak?”

“Two minutes at the most.” I tried to sound nonchalant while I went to the table and booted up my laptop. “I worked all day with his office manager and two people from an advertising agency. We're doing a new campaign.” After the computer warmed up, I opened my e-mail.

“Sounds exciting. When I was young, I longed to have a career, but women my age didn't work outside the house.” Akka wore a thoughtful frown for a minute while she massaged ointment over the other foot. Then she looked at me. “You really have feelings for Prajay?”

“Unfortunately ... yes.”

“I have an idea.”

Uh-oh.
“What sort of idea?”

“You should make him jealous.”

For a moment I thought she was kidding, but her expression was dead serious. “And how do you propose I go about doing that?” I asked with a chuckle. “He didn't care one bit when I went out with a guy from New Jersey.”

“What guy?”

“A South Indian systems analyst.”

“Nice fellow?”

“At first I thought he was okay. But he turned out to be ... petty.”

“Aha, that's the problem,” said Akka, putting the lid back on the jar and placing it on the nightstand. “That man was not true competition. If you start dating someone who is clever and has a good personality and character, then Prajay will get jealous.”

“Akka, please, this is not like your Hindi movies. It'll never work.” I opened the saved e-mail from Ajit Baliga. On a whim I turned to her. “You want to see a picture of the guy Madhuri-pachi wants to set me up with, the one she was raving about?”

“The boy from Connecticut?” Akka looked intrigued. “You have a photo of him?”

“He sent it to me today.” I clicked on the attachment, and seconds later Ajit Baliga's picture filled the screen.

Akka slid off the bed, put on her glasses, and came to stand behind my chair. “Such a nice-looking boy he is. And so much more handsome than your Prajay. Madhuri was right.” She smoothed the hair on top of my head. “Now
this
is the kind of boy Prajay will be jealous about.”

I turned around and squinted up at her. “You think?” I wanted to believe her.

“Oh, yes. This boy is intelligent and educated and most important, he is from a nice Konkani family. Madhuri tells me he earns a lot of money and his parents are rich.”

“Rich doesn't matter to me all that much. I just want a nice guyâsomeone who's easy to get along with and has a good sense of humor.”

Akka leaned forward and studied Ajit's picture more closely. “You will not know what kind of a boy he is unless you meet him. And that will not happen if your only contact is through the computer.”

“I guess you're right.”

She went back to her bed, took off her glasses, and put them next to her foot balm. “So, why don't you at least meet him and find out?”

“Maybe I will,” I said with a slow smile. Akka had a point. Despite everyone's skepticism, she'd helped in Maneel's case. And wasn't I the one who'd seen the wisdom in her supposedly inane idea? Besides, what did I have to lose? If things worked out well with Ajit, and even if I never succeeded in Akka's preposterous plan to make Prajay jealous, at least I'd be seeing an eligible guy, a man endorsed by my family.

One thing I was sure of: I had to find a husband. I couldn't sit around brooding over Prajay for the rest of my life. I certainly wanted to get married sometime in this century. And if Ajit Baliga was part of my destiny, the least I could do was meet him halfway.

Akka picked up her toilet kit off the dresser and headed for the bathroom.

I sent Ajit a reply:
How about if we meet somewhere in NYC this weekend? I'm in VA on business at the moment & will be returning to NJ on Fri.

He must have been on his computer right then, because within minutes I received a response:
NYC sounds good. Assuming we'll both be taking a train into Penn Station, how about meeting at a restaurant nearby for lunch on Sat? Know any good places?

Somewhere close to Penn Station was a good idea, I agreed. I thought of this cute Mexican restaurant I'd eaten at with friends a couple of times, but I couldn't remember the exact name. I did a bit of searching on Google, managed to find the name and address, and sent it to Ajit. We agreed to meet around 12:30 P.M.

I figured if things didn't go well, we could say a polite good-bye, and I could take the train back home before it got too dark. If we hit it off, well then ...

A mild sort of excitement began to dance inside me. I'd done it; I'd taken the first small step toward making Prajay jealous. If he was seriously seeking his Amazon in a sari, then I could go hunting for my
desi
hunk in a
kurta
. Who said life was perfect?

When Akka came out of the bathroom, I gave her the news. “Guess what, I'm meeting Ajit Baliga in New York on Saturday for lunch.”

“Good.” Akka peeled back the bedspread and blanket and climbed onto her bed. “You took my advice.”

“Only because you were so successful with Maneel.”

“And I'm wise enough to know that I will be successful with you. I know something about the human mind.”

“You learned psychology?”

She laughed. “I did not go beyond high school. Who needs psychology when God has given common sense? When you have lived as long as I have, you learn how people's minds work.” With a wide yawn she stretched out and pulled the covers all the way up to her neck. “Remember one thing,
charda.
You should meet this fellow with an open mind. He should be treated with respect.”

“Of course I'll treat him with respect. Why wouldn't I?” I was a little puzzled at Akka's choice of words.

“Although you are meeting him to make Prajay jealous, don't go to the extent of breaking that boy's heart.”

“It's not like he's going to fall in love with me at first sight, Akka. We'll just meet and see if there's any chemistry between us. Things don't work like they did with you guys and your arranged matches.”

“Mine was not arranged,” she reminded me. “And what are you going to do if the chemistry is good for him? What if he takes a liking to you straight away?”

“Hmm.” I hadn't thought of that, but I'd gone out with men like him before. Chemistry had been sorely absent, and there had been no hard feelings on either side when we'd wished each other good-bye and happy fishing. “I'll cross that bridge if and when I get to it. Chances are slim that a guy starts to like a girl that much the first time he meets her.”

“Okay. You know this dating business better than me.” Before I could say anything more, she turned onto her side, facing away from me.

She'd finished saying what she wanted to say. She needed her rest.

BOOK: The Reluctant Matchmaker

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