Serendipity

34

As Kavya entered the head office of AK Group in Prahlad Nagar, her heart swelled, just a little bit. She'd dressed her best, wearing a black A-line skirt paired with a peach turtleneck sleeveless top, golden hoops around the ears, heavy makeup, and black stilettos.

She walked in through the golden revolving doors that zealously guarded the entrance of this magnificent fiber-glass structure, taking little shallow breaths to calm her racing heart.

She'd been twenty-two when she'd first landed in Ahmedabad and had spotted this building while sipping on coffee at the Cafe Coffee Day right across from it. She didn't know who owned it, but like every immigrant who made lofty promises to themselves, decided she would one day work here. She didn't know what this company did. She was only enamoured by the exterior.

She waited patiently as security put her purse through an x-ray scan. She then lifted her hands sideways to have the security scan her being before she picked up her purse and made her way to the elevators.

As she waited for her elevator door to open, she casually glanced around to take in the decor and surroundings of this larger-than-life structure. The lobby had 18-foot ceilings decorated with square-shaped crystal chandeliers. The floors were lined with black Italian veined marble. The elevators themselves were a work of art. Protruding on the exterior of the building, the elevator had a three-fourth glass enclosure, giving the riders, as it rose higher, the magnificent view of the Ahmedabad skyline.

Kavya restlessly tapped her foot. Her meeting today was with Savita Joshi, head of HR. She wasn't sure if she'd been called for an interview or was going to be offered a job. The phone call she'd received had been rather cryptic. She hoped it would be the latter. The elevator dinged to indicate its arrival, increasing her anxiety. She stepped into the corporate version of modern art and pressed 25. As the elevator inched upwards, Gujarat faded from her vision. All that remained were her dreams of becoming Mrs. Anuj Kapadia.

*****

Dinner was a lavish affair. Kavya had herself taken the effort to cook a full vegetarian spread for the entire family - Kadhi, Dal Dhokli, Undhiyo, Bajre ki Roti, Pulao, Papad, Kheer, and Halwa. Vanraj smiled. It had taken Kavya a while, but she had finally come around. He was happy. His parents had accepted Kavya, his children had accepted Kavya. It seemed, after today, that Kavya too had finally wholeheartedly accepted his family. He looked at the idol of Kanhaji that graced the temple in their house and mouthed a thank you for setting everything right.

The idol was a free-flowing modern idol of Krishna and Radha. The two were fused in one body with separate heads, the flute wrapped around both of them, binding them with the music. It was a beautiful piece of sculpture and yet not one that would be placed in a temple. It had been Kavya's choice. While Hasmukh and Leela didn't approve of the change, they both kept quiet for their own reasons. After Anupama's departure from the Shah household, Hasmukh had stopped saying anything, and Leela kept quiet because Kavya mattered to her son. She didn't want to criticize Kavya's choice and make things difficult for him.

Vanraj turned around. Not seeing Kavya anywhere, he was about to go looking for her, when he saw her making her way out to the living area, wearing a beautiful red sari.

"What's special," he whispered in her ears, his eyes drinking in the beauty of his wife. Anupama had never looked this beautiful or glamourous. His traitor mind went back to the televised press conference. Anupama didn't look glamorous, she looked regal.

Brushing the thought aside, he asked again.

"What's the rush V," she'd whispered, equally seductively. "Let the whole family gather and then I'll share."