A Family Man

1

Anika knocked on the door twice even though it was open. It was already past one in the morning and she didn't wish to break the decorum, especially at this ungodly hour. She didn't want Shivaay to unleash the perils of mannerlessness. Worse still, his mother - that garish clothes wearing, walking talking Punjabi Christmas tree. She cringed.

"Come."

She inhaled sharply, bracing herself. Her boss' voice was hoarse. She knew what that meant. It was going to be a long night. If working in the Oberoi Industries for two years had taught her anything, it was this. Whenever Shivaay Singh Oberoi sounded like the family had collectively wrung his neck, it usually meant bad news. But then again, there wasn't anything that she couldn't solve. She was the best in what she did. She was going to bail Shivaay out even now. At least, she thought so.

Smoothening the imaginary creases on her pants, she carefully walked into the semi-dark room. The reflection of the pool water had overtaken the soft light of the reading lamp that was on. She instantly calmed down.

Staring at the man sitting on the couch, she silently took a seat on the chair. There was no reaction. She could see the taut nerves and hardened jaw even in his silhouette. And he was shaking? Out of anger? Oh, the appearance of the mini Hulk, exactly as she had imagined. She was already dreading to hear what was coming up.

She cleared her throat to start the conversation. "Shakti sir summoned me. He wanted me to see you urgently."

Shivaay didn't answer. Anika waited for minutes. All she got was silence. So he wasn't angry. He was sad. She resisted the urge to press her own head. It was worse. She could deal with his anger, not sadness. She didn't need his drama in the dead of the night. The Oberoi demon, a name that was popularly used in the Oberoi office for him, was definitely in some kind of major soup. But how was she going to assist him if he didn't speak at all?

Speak. She tried to mentally will him to open his stubborn mouth. He didn't.

She was exasperated. "Shivaay. I need you to tell me what is wrong."

She could have been in her bed, sleeping or just watching mindless TV shows. So if she was sacrificing her precious me time for this man, he better tell her what was causing him to don the saddest-man-of-the-millenium avatar.

He shuddered. Or so she thought. Then he pointed a shaky finger at the bed. Anika had to squint her eyes to clearly see what was on the bed. Then it occurred to her. Placed between a few pillows and a woolly blanket was a sleeping baby. She had not paid attention at all.

An involuntary gasp left her mouth making Shivaay flinch a little. Anika immediately regretted her action but she couldn't help it. But what was a baby doing in his bedroom?

"Oh. I see..." she whispered as she took in the baby's presence. I see the problem. And hence the urgency.

Her mind went into overdrive. The panicked call from Shakti, Shivaay's defeated posture, the silence that shrouded the otherwise cheerful mansion - it all added up now.

She almost chuckled. Another day, another affair, another illegitimate child. She had genuinely thought that Shivaay wasn't that kind but well, everyone had feet of clay. Perhaps, he was no different. A part of her, even remote, felt sad. She had truly wished for this man to turn out nice. It would have restored her trust in men. But alas. Maybe her friends were right. Appearances and actions both can be deceptive.

She shook her head. It wasn't the time to sit and think about her opinions and thoughts. She wasn't the kind to let her personal biases or opinions cloud her work. She wasn't here to pass judgements anyway.