Tissue For This Issue

Chapter 1

"Yuvraj...I'm pregnant!" Priya Sood exclaimed with a soft smile on her face. She had eagerly asked her boyfriend of six years, Yuvraj Sharma, out on a lunch date at a café near their workplace to break the news to him. The couple had been working together at India Eatz, a food delivery startup that had recently gained popularity in the country due to its convenience, variety of food options, and impeccable work culture.

"How can this be possible? No..."

"What do you mean, 'how can this be possible'? Buddhu, I know you're smart enough to understand what led to this."

"Priya, that's not what I meant. I'm not ready for a child right now, and I likely won't be for a couple of years. You know how ambitious I am; you know that I've been wanting to make it big and lead my own startup that'll become as big as India Eatz."

"I know, Yuvi. That's why I haven't been pushing you for marriage, even though it's been 3 years since you proposed to me. But what are we supposed to do now?"

"I think we need to break up, Priya. I just...recently, I've begun to feel like our paths aren't aligned. I know you've been wanting to settle down and get married, but I don't feel ready enough for that sort of commitment yet. I don't want to keep stringing you along and deprive you of love and support while I try to chase my dreams."

"W-what about the baby?"

"I can help cover the costs if you choose to have an abortion. Beyond that, you know how tight money is for me right now, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to help you financially, if at all. I'm sorry, Priya," Yuvraj said before standing up and leaving her alone at the café.

Priya sat for a few moments, trying to piece together everything that had happened in the last few minutes. Just yesterday, she had found out that she was going to be a mother. She had excitedly told her family members and prepared a gift bag with small trinkets to bring with her to work the next day. She hadn't expected to be broken up with and told that the father, her now-ex boyfriend, didn't have the capability to support her and their offspring.

She brought her hand down to her abdomen and felt tears in her eyes as she eyed the "Can't wait to meet you, Papa" note she had taped to the gift bag. Abortion was an option, and it would likely be a responsible one given her newly-single status, but something was stopping her. She had always desired to be a mother, so much so that her parents, Sanjeev and Anju, recounted countless stories of a baby Priya trying to take care of her younger sister Ritika on her own volition. But would she be able to raise her own baby by herself, without any support from the father?

No, Priya, you can do this, she thought to herself as she wiped her teary eyes. Money would be tight, but she could manage. Her parents were supportive, and she knew that they, along with her sister, would do anything they could to help her out.

Now to talk to her boss.

---

Priya took a deep breath before knocking on her boss's door. Though it was mostly always kept open, she felt awkward just walking inside without warning.

"Come in!" She heard him yell out, and she walked inside the cabin.

Ram Kapoor was sitting at his desk, munching on a chocolate bar as he talked to his best friend Shardul Arora, who was the head of the marketing department that Priya worked under. Ram was a fairly laid-back man, known for being the "cool boss" who made sure that his every employee was taken care of and happy at work. He had humble beginnings, losing his father at a young age and then moving to Mumbai with little in his pocket alongside his mother and Shardul in order to start afresh. Priya knew that Yuvraj had aspired to be like him, to have a success story that would catapult him into becoming one of the top businessmen in India. Though Priya was a supportive girlfriend of Yuvraj's lofty aspirations, she was content with keeping her head down and living a comfortable life as a researcher for the company.

"Hey Priya!" Shardul smiled at her. He was a caring manager, always providing feedback and praise to everyone who worked under him.

"Hi Shardul Sir," she replied, slightly uneasily. Though she knew she would have to inform him of everything later, she much preferred to talk to Ram alone for now, lest he uncharacteristically deny her requests and terminate her instead.

Sensing that his subordinate needed to have an important conversation with Ram, he turned to his best friend and said, "Chal, I'll talk to you later. Gotta finish checking over that Quarter 2 report, though I know that Priya's work rarely ever needs any fixes." He nodded towards Priya before sauntering out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Priya, take a seat! What brings you here on this fine afternoon?" Ram asked warmly, setting his chocolate bar on his desk.

"Sir, I...I don't know how to say this...but..."

"Don't worry, Priya. You can voice anything to me, whether it's questions you're having or anything that's troubling you. You know that I try to make this a judgment-free zone, so lay it on me!"

"Ram Sir...I'm pregnant."

"Congratulations! That's great news!"

"It would be if the father wanted the baby."

"Oh...would you like to talk about it? Only if you're comfortable, of course."

Priya nodded slightly before looking down at her hands. "I found out yesterday and just told him during our lunch break right now. He told me that he's not ready to have a baby right now, and he thinks it's best if we go our separate ways."

"Oh Priya, I'm so sorry."

"Sir, I wanted to ask if there would be any opportunity for me to take on extra work. Money is not that big of an issue right now, but I want to make sure that I'm able to provide for my child. And please be assured that my productivity won't slip within these next few months. I will try my best to take minimal days off and work until my due date."

"Priya, Priya, Priya, relax! Drink some water first," he urged while handing her the glass that was on his desk. "I know that you're aware that I take work culture and employee wellbeing very seriously. When I started this company, I wanted to make sure that extenuating circumstances would be adequately accommodated, and pregnancy falls under that. You will be able to take 6 months of paid maternity leave, and you are also eligible for an extra 3 months of remote work if you desire to spend more time at home beyond your maternity leave. Additionally, you can talk to Shardul about working remotely any time you feel like you are unable to make it to the office. As for extra work, there is no need for that. Though there is still quite a while until your annual performance review, Shardul has only praise for you, and I'm sure he would agree with my decision to give you a substantial raise and bonus for your hard work. We can have a meeting with Alekha and the other HR representatives to go over the entire maternity benefits package with you and cover anything that I've missed. Please don't worry about anything."

Priya was overwhelmed. Though she had heard from her co-workers about Ram's kindness and flexibility, she hadn't expected him to show this much concern and care for her and her situation. She dug her face into her hands and let out the tears she had been holding back for the last hour.

"Hey, you don't need to cry!" Ram said in a concerned tone. He let her cry it out and took a tissue out of the box on his desk, forwarding it to Priya once her sniffles died down and she looked up at him with teary eyes.

"Tissue tissue pe hota hai rone waale ka naam," he grinned at her before immediately continuing, "Sorry, that was a terrible joke. Don't feel obligated to laugh at that."

Priya let out a chuckle, causing Ram to smile. At least someone appreciates my dumb jokes!, he thought to himself.

"But suno, I was serious about not worrying about anything. Any accommodations you need, we will figure them out together. Just like I have a tissue for this issue, I'll try to have tissues for all of your issues."

"Thank you so much for everything, Sir. I'm so grateful, I don't even know where to start. I promise you that I won't let you down and will continue to work hard."

"Fikr not. I'll set up a meeting with you, HR, and Shardul for tomorrow morning so that we can iron out all of the details. Until then, just take it easy."

Priya nodded and stood up. Just as she was about to open the door and head back to her desk, she heard Ram's voice.

"And Priya?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Call me Ram."