Wordless Love

The price of friendship

"Can you dial up the air conditioner?" Jai asked the driver.

"Sir", the driver was apologetic. "We will be there in another fifteen or twenty minutes."

The air conditioner was already at full blast. There was nothing more the driver could do. Jai hated the heat and the long traffic jams. He lay back on the seat and closed his eyes. If he concentrated on his breathing, maybe the heat and the noise would not bother him much. A sudden stop and a loud curse from the driver pushed Jai forward and all thoughts of a relaxing drive out of his head.

"I am so sorry," the driver said, "It was a scooter, he just came into our lane – no indicator. The fool could have crashed with us."

"Never mind" It was Tara who spoke this time. "Concentrate on the road."

Tara kept her mobile aside. Jai was not in the mood to talk, so she left him to his devices. She had discovered that driving from one place to another was a great time to catch up on social media. With the large distances and long traffic jam, this trip to India meant that Tara was on the top of her social media game. She had 'liked' the vacation pictures of a couple of friends, discovered a clay artist for a new project and even posted a couple of tasteful pictures of the hotel they were staying in!

"And I thought I was the one who needed to learn to relax" She offered Jai a wet wipe. She could see beads of sweat forming on his neck.

"It is the heat. I never liked it and now it seems even worse."

"Then let us get your mind off the heat." Tara placed her hand on Jai's hand. She did not let her smile slip when Jai removed his hand. He never did that in the past. "What do you think about the meeting in the morning?" She hoped Jai would not notice the slightly higher pitch.

"They were good, however, they seem to have already made their minds about what you need" It barely took Jai a moment to shift gears and get into work mode. "They are a well-established company and have a large team. The problem is that their strengths are also their biggest weakness – they will not be very flexible. You are entering a new market here. Operating a chain of boutique fashion outlets in India may not be similar to running it in Europe. There are needs that even you can't anticipate yet."

"You are right, as always. Maybe you can get this done for me – you have a great team, they are flexible and you are opening your first big box store in India – so we can learn together."

Jai laughed. Tara did not take no for an answer, never. "You know the business will not be able to afford my company- plus I am here to help you pick the right fit. We will find the company that works the best for you. Or the best team." He added as an afterthought.

"So the company we saw in the morning is out."

"Don't take hasty decisions – let us look at the other two teams. That said, I don't think they are a good fit."

It was Tara's turn to let out a big laugh. "Always the politically correct person."

"The meeting was a total waste of time" Jai waved the driver to get behind the wheel as he held the door for Tara. 'One must always open the door for a lady.' Jai's mother had drilled into him. Tara gave him a big smile as she got into the car.

"Even the coffee was bad."

"Don't get me started on the coffee", Jai prided himself for his taste in coffee. "It was milk with sugar and something that passed for instant coffee powder. Serving it in expensive china cups did not make that coffee.

"You are aware that you are a coffee snob."

"That my dear friend, is the biggest lie. I just like good coffee. Don't roll your eyes, it does not suit you."

"At least we agree that this firm is out of running."

"Without a doubt. How long is the drive to the next meeting? I am tired."

"This time they are coming to meet us. Turns out our next firm is a team of two girls. They operate out of a small office in the market behind our hotel and were happy to travel to meet us. Meena's Creations"

The name was enough. The moment Jai and The Girl would be in the same room – it had been more than six years since he had seen her. He wondered how she would look like now. He knew she was a cold, heartless individual, but did she look like one?

Maybe he should tell Tara – he toyed with the thought for a micro-moment. He knew Tara's reaction – she would refuse to have anything to do with The Girl. It had taken a long time to build this easy friendship with Tara after their break-up. Jai knew he did not have romantic feelings for Tara, but he valued her as a friend. She was loyal, kept him honest and was great company. Veer had put him in a bad position, rather The Girl had. Jai had promised Veer that The Girl would get a fair chance, and he would ensure she gets that. If The Girl and her work were any good, then he would tell Tara. He hoped that The Girl was not good. That would make life much simpler, and maybe, just maybe, he would be able to convince Veer to give up his noble pursuit to make up to The Girl.

"I liked the way they talked about the possible solutions, about things that can be done, rather than come up with one fix for the business. They asked many interesting questions too." Tara continued, oblivious to the direction Jai's thoughts were taking him.

"Jai?" she finally noticed Jai was miles away.

"Yes, you are right. They seem to have taken an unorthodox approach. Let us see if that is inexperience or a brilliant move."

"They are young girls – remember when we were in our twenties – I would like to mentor these girls. Imagine leading them and their tiny company on the path of success."

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? First, let us see if they are any good"

"Did you notice how the team leader in the last meeting ignored my questions- I am younger than him, less experienced too, maybe – but that did not make my questions irrelevant- I am the client I wanted to shout. That is why I hope these young women are as good as I imagine them to be. All this sexism is a huge pain in the neck."

"Ah! So you want to work with women who would listen to you. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't that sexism too?"

Tara laughed. "You are incorrigible!"