Turn baby, turn!

“Everyone please straighten your seats and fasten your seat belts. We will be landing in a few minutes” the flight attendant voice boomed through the flight. Hetal slowly lowered her red book. She is a big fan of thrillers and the current one has been a complete cliff hanger.

Did Ella really marry James? Was it Stephen who drove the red Honda? She was lost among the pages that she hardly noticed how the last couple of hours whizzed by. She looked outside the window. Dark cloudy skies of Padret greeted her.

Padret is known to have 300 cloudy days in a year, and today seemed to be no exception. Her trip here is going to be a short one. She has a client meeting at 2pm and a flight back at 8 pm. The details of the deal have already been talked and negotiated by both parties, and today’s meeting is only an official formality. This is one of her first big wins after being promoted as the director of her department and she is excited to close the deal in all its entirety. Hetal made it a ritual to devote her travel times, which have increased manifold after her promotion,  to reading -  a hobby she loves but hardly finds time for in her busy schedule. So far she has been good and completed a dozen books this year, an achievement she is proud of. She looked down at her red book and sighed. 50 more pages and she would have known what happened to Ella. She carefully bookmarked her current page and placed the book in her bag.

Besides the client meeting, Hetal has an other meeting today - something a bit less exciting than the former. She is meeting a couple of her undergraduate college friends for brunch – Leena and Arati. Friends is an over statement, acquaintances cut closer to the deal. She took classes with them but never hung out outside the classroom. In college, the coolness of the crowd one hangs out is linearly proportional to the money they can spend. Hetal came from a family of moderate means who can afford her education but not her extravaganza. She was never a cool kid, just an ordinary Betty who worked extra hard to become successful. Leena and Arati on the other hand, belonged to the cool gang. Hence it is no surprise that Hetal never hung out with them in college.

Thanks to social media, Hetal connected with Leena a few days ago. Leena currently resides in the suburbs of Padret and was absolutely thrilled to know that Hetal is visiting this cloudy city soon. She set up a brunch date and roped in Arati, who as Hetal came to know, stays in the same city. Hetal has mixed feelings about the brunch. The inner teenager in her is excited to hang out with the cool kids but the more mature-socially-reserved her is not entirely sure what conversations can she possibly have.

The flight landed with a thud. “Welcome to Padret. The weather outside is a chilly 40 Fahrenheit. Stay layered, stay warm.”

*********

As soon as she stepped out of the airport, the cold winter chill greeted her. Zipping up her coat she proceeded to the taxi stand and quickly got into one.

 “How are you maam?” asked the cab driver as she got in.

“I am good. How is your morning so far?” asked Hetal

“Cannot complain. Is it going to be Mortin Brunch place Maam?” asked the cab driver

“Yes please. Also, can you give me an estimated arrival time?” asked Hetal.

“Typically, 30 minutes maam. However, with the morning traffic I would say about 55 minutes” replied the cab driver.

“That sounds great. Thank you” said Hetal. She is supposed to meet Leena and Arati at 10.30 am. This should still allow her to reach a bit early. She loves arriving early to meetings, be it personal or professional. Besides the occasional tidbits about Padret, the cab driver didn’t talk much after their initial conversation. It started drizzling outside. Hetal wanted to go back to her novel, but she decided she will use this time to glance over her business documents for one final check.

*********

Hetal arrived at Mortin Brunch as promised by the cab driver in around 55 minutes. She was worried that the drizzle might play a spoil sport and cause traffic delays. However, the drivers of Padret seemed to have adapted well to their cloudy weathers. In her home town, the ever-sunny San Grease, a small drizzle can lead to a dozen accidents.

As she entered the brunch place, a large bald man greeted her with a toothy smile “Can I help you maam?”

“Yes please. My friend Leena made the reservation for 10.30am. I am wondering if I can be seated now or should I wait till 10.30?” asked Hetal.

“Give me a minute maam” said the man as he quickly consulted his books. Leena looked around the place. Mortin brunch seem to be a famous place. There are a lot of people in the waiting room and Hetal is glad Leena made reservations. The place had a distinct charm, a mix of the old and the new age.

“Ah here it is!” the large man exclaimed as he found Leena’s name in the book. “We can definitely seat you right now maam. Please follow me”. Hetal is lead to a corner booth which had a view of the Padret skyline.

“Your waiter will be with you shortly” he said and departed.

Hetal kept her bag in the booth and went to the restroom to freshen up a bit. She washed her face and applied a bit of makeup. When she came back to the booth, she was greeted by Leena.

*********

“Hey! How are you? Long time!” Leena got up and hugged her warmly. She is a woman of moderate height and dark complexion. Time seemed to have had very little effect on Leena. She did not look a day older than the last time Hetal saw her at college graduation.

 “Super long! It has been like what? 12 years??! ” Hetal smiled and hugged her back. 

“Ah the good old days.. it just makes me feel soo old.” Leena closed her eyes momentarily. “I miss the days where my only concern was what to wear that day” Leena laughed.

“ I can get your coats maam” a young waiter in his mid-twenties came towards their booth.

“Would you like me to get you started with something maam?” asked the waiter as he took their coats.

“Can I get some regular coffee please?” Hetal replied.

“Black coffee, no sugar for me please and a plate of Mushroom pumponnette for the table” replied Leena. “They are a local favorite” Leena said to Hetal. The waiter noted down their order and left with the coats.

“Where is Arati?”  asked Hetal

“Arati is running a bit late. She says her cab had some fender bender. However, I just think she started late and came up with this excuse. The world will end the day she is on time” Leena scoffed.

Hetal smiled. In whatever minimal interactions, she had with Leena in college, she always liked her. She is a warm and funny and had always been nice to Leena. Arati on the other hand, never really gave Hetal much notice. In college Arati came across as someone who valued people based on their social image. Hetal’s social image in college was pretty nonexistent, and so was Arati’s attention to her.

“Its going to rain a lot today” Leena says pointing to the skyline view. The clouds have turned many shades darker than earlier and the drizzle turned into light rain. “I like staying in Padret. The city is convenient, but at times I just feel like I am in the new dark knight movie. It can get seriously gloomy”. Hetal nodded. “The dark knight part doesn’t seem soo bad” she said. Leena chuckled. “ Anyways what is up with you these days?” she asked. Hetal always had difficulty answering such open-ended questions. She is more of a listener than talker. Her job requires her to talk more than she likes, and that is where she draws the line. 

“Things are going good” Hetal answers awkwardly “What about you?”

“Things are pretty good too. I am actually expecting my first child” Leena points towards her belly and grins widely. Hetal hardly noticed the bump earlier amidst the many layers of winter clothing. “I haven’t yet officially told people, but in five months there will be a Leena Junior! “she chuckled

 “Oh my god! This is amazing. I am really happy for you” Hetal smiles and hugs Leena. “Do you know the gender?”

“Not yet. We are waiting to know the gender too. Cannot wait to start stocking either on blue or pink onesies.” Leena laughs.

“That is the fun part , isn’t it !” Hetal said. “When I was expecting Kabir..”. She was cut short by a nasal voice.  “I am so sorry guys for being late” Arati finally arrives.

*********

Arati walks towards them smiling. “It’s the damn cab” she waves her hands helplessly into the air. Leena winks at Hetal, and they both smile.  Arati, like Leena, is a woman of moderate height and dark complexion; but unlike Leena she aged considerably with time. Wrinkles started showing on her once smooth skin, and she seemed to have lost a good volume of her hair. Arati hugged Hetal and sat down besides Leena.

“ Its pouring cats and dogs out there. Luckily this place has covered parking.” Arati says as she removes the coat and hands it to the waiter who returned to the table with their earlier order of coffee and Mushroom pumponnette. Leena looked at the skyline view. Not much of the view can now be seen due to thick black clouds closing in. The rain is coming down a lot harder than before. She hoped for no delays on her return flight.

“Should I get you something maam?” the waiter asked Arati.

“Espresso for me please” replied Arati. “Need this stuff to keep me awake. What a hectic day it is today” she said to them.

“Sure maam” the waiter noted down. “And should I start with your brunch order?” the waiter asked to the table.

“Can you give us a few more minutes? We haven’t yet looked at the menu” said Leena

“Sure maam” said the waiter as he left with Arati’s coat.

“How are you Arati?”  Hetal asked.

Arati lifts her head up from the menu.   “Ah… just very busy with work and life” she replied. “I am now the senior project manager and the director I report to, relies heavily on me. He doesn’t sign any document without me reviewing it and that gets really hectic. Sometimes it just feels like I am doing all his work. Also, we just got a new house. So in my free time, if at all I have any that is, I just end up decorating the house.” Arati again waves her hands helplessly into the air. “How are things with you?”

Hetal pauses for a moment. “Well, I recently got promoted as a director, so things are pretty hectic. I need to manage a team of 13 people which is exciting but also a lot of work" Hetal pauses "And Giri just turned 3, so we are now moving to a new house in San Grease because of the schooling district advantage. As if life isn’t already stressful, moving just adds to the pressure.” Hetal stressed on San Grease. Everyone knows how expensive it is to get a house there. She still hates answering questions, but this is one of those rare exceptions.

Arati looked at her, her eyes hardly concealing surprise. Hetal finally got her attention.  

Outside, it started lightning and thundering.

*********************************************************************************

He was a man superior; cause he was the one who studied in ivy league

He was a man superior; cause his bank flooded with vain intrigue

He was a man superior; cause he was from a high caste or color or creed

He was a man superior; cause his dad was rich indeed

But tables will turn, time will play its trick;

Nothing remains constant, change comes in quick;

He who was superior might not remain the same;

Money, fame, notions – will burn in the gentle licking flame

Where is the modesty? Where is the humility?

They are the cushions to the fall, they alone can save dignity

Cause humanity will only love the superior, Lord save them

A once condescending superior will indeed succumb