Ram's friend Bahadur had called to say that his sahib would meet and interview Sunita on the coming Sunday. On Saturday evening, Bahadur had come over to Ram's workshop while she and Ram's wife, Anu, were serving tea to all the men folk. He scribbled his employer's name and address along with a mobile number and gave it to Sunita, telling her to be at that address early Sunday morning.
Sunita had been very excited about the possibility of being hired by Bahadur's boss, but as Sunday drew closer, her nervousness was beginning to peak. She kept asking him all evening about his boss; what kind of a man is he? Is he strict? Does he have bad habits like drinking and womanising? Will she get a room to stay or will she have to travel every day? How many people live in the house? Does he travel? Does he throw many parties? She asked whatever came to her mind and Bahadur was patient with her, realising her anxiety and feeling for her.
She badgered Anu as well. But her sister-in-law was pragmatic and told her not to jump the gun. Maybe she wouldn't get the job. Anu told her that she must feel comfortable in the gentleman's presence and be conscious of any nasty traits that he may display or even hint at. In fact, the more Anu spoke the more edgy Sunita got. So she retreated to her corner of the house and debated the endless possibilities with herself.
Sunita realised that she wanted the job desperately. She was hoping for three things: that her potential employer was a nice man, that the pay would be reasonable, and that she would be offered a room to stay in. She was not worried about the amount of work or even the nature of work she may have to do; she was confident of being able to tackle her responsibilities professionally and well.
Unsurprisingly, she was unable to sleep the night before her interview, catching only fleeting moments of shut-eye. She got up early, long before Ram and Anu on the Sunday morning. After completing her ablutions, she started getting ready. She dressed carefully and smartly, wearing her best saree and finest blouse, with matching sandals. She combed her long black tresses of hair and wrapped them neatly in a tight bun on top of her head, pinning it into place. She took a comfortable shawl to wrap around herself, an expensive one that her father had bought for her when he went to city once from the village.
Twenty minutes after the crack of dawn, Anu woke up just as Sunita was ready to leave. The girls whispered to one another so as not to wake up Ram on this early Sunday morning. Anu wished her friend and sister-in-law the very best, placed a small red dot of powder that she pinched off the small shrine they had in the house on her forehead, hugged Sunita and walked her to the door. As she stepped out into the Delhi winter, she suddenly had a panicky burst of anxiety that she had to stamp down on in her mind.
She had decided to take an auto-rickshaw to the South Delhi colony where Bahadur's boss was staying, not wanting to mess up her clothes and hair travelling by bus. In any case, she wasn't sure what the frequency of buses was going to be this early on Sunday, or whether she'd have to change lines or not. She certainly didn't want to be late, having decided that 8 o'clock was a good time to arrive for the interview. She wrapped her shawl tightly around herself, covering her head and gave the auto-rickshaw driver the address.
Thirty minutes later, having driven through relatively empty streets, Sunita passed the luxury five-star hotel where Bahadur and his employers worked; she knew the house was close by. In another five minutes she had alighted from the scooter-rickshaw, paid the driver, and walked into the lobby of the apartment. She had arrived earlier than expected so she sat down on a sofa that was placed in one corner of the lobby. There was nobody else there, which surprised Sunita because Bahadur had mentioned that a security guard would be present and had been told to expect her in the morning.
She spent another fifteen minutes in the lobby observing the chic finishings in glass, chrome and wood, the artfully placed decorative items, the plush and thick navy blue carpet, and the warm ambient lighting. The security guard then came in through a door at the back and told her he'd been having breakfast but had seen her on the monitors that displayed feeds from security cameras across the building. He had been expecting her and now suggested she proceed up in the elevator.
Sunita got into the lift, pressed the penthouse button, then turned to the mirrored wall behind her to check that her clothes weren't awry and that her hair was neatly in place. The elevator rose silently and she continued priming herself because it stopped equally silently and the door slid open without a noise. When they began to close slowly, she saw the movement in the mirror and turned hastily to slip a hand between the doors, causing them to reopen. That's when she saw him.
Tall, not completely white complexion, thick and fairly long hair with curls around his neck, casually dressed, and a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. As soon as she faced him though, he seemed to freeze completely. Almost a minute went by when this man just kept looking at her. Sunita began to feel a little uncomfortable, not sure if he was the person she had come to meet. She was also unsure about what to do or say next. He was a good looking man, but good looking men weren't always good people.
When he suddenly rattled off a couple of sentences in English, all she understood was "Good morning" so she responded but in such a nervous and muffled voice, she was sure he hadn't heard her. She quickly fumbled with her hand back, dove her fingers into it and pulled out the scrap of paper that Bahadur had passed on to her. She tried to smoothen it with her fingers and then thrust it towards the man, who took it from her and read it. He seemed rather surprised as he read the note containing his name, address and phone number and Sunita was now certain that she'd come to the wrong place. But just as her tension was about to get the better of her, she blurted out her name and followed that up in her broken English with a string of words mentioning house-maid, interview, Bahadur..., anything that she felt may be relevant.
And finally understanding dawned on that handsome face looking down at her from his height. She breathed a deep sigh of relief as she caught the light of comprehension on his features, and then he was talking all over again. In fact, he kept saying sorry and apologising which once again made her nervous, but he also had a smile on his face now. He talked about breakfast and after a brief embarrassment when Sunita thought he wanted her to cook immediately, he led her back into the elevator and took her out for breakfast in his very plush and fancy car.
They drove almost silently to a nearby market where he bought them omelettes and bread and glasses of hot tea. She was almost happy but too afraid to let herself enjoy the moment for fear that she may be misunderstanding all these events that were unfolding so swiftly. But soon after their breakfast, they went back to his apartment and this time he asked her in. Sunita quickly glanced around and saw how beautiful and clean and neat everything was, then they stepped out on to a terrace where he sat, and asked her to sit as well. She sat on the floor in front of him and they talked.
Her confidence came back gradually and with it, her ability to string words together in coherent sentences returned as well. She kept looking at his face as he spoke, bathing in the deep baritone of his voice, letting her eyes absorb his masculine features, observing the tautness of his chest and muscles through the tight t-shirt that he wore, watching his beautiful lips move as he talked. Once, very briefly, she thought his eyes strayed to her chest and she wondered if her cleavage was visible but was too embarrassed to set right the pallu of her saree while he watched.
And then suddenly she had the job! Starting immediately. She even had her own room with an attached bathroom. When sahib brought up the subject of salary, she told him that whatever he decided would be fine. There was a strange feeling, a very strong emotion that had set her heart thumping, unable to explain this sudden sentiment that she felt towards her new Sir. She was very touched with everything he had just given her, almost like a new life, a life she had dreamed of when she left the village that early winter morning two years ago. The emotions were so strong and she had no way of expressing them to sahib; her eyes began to water so she looked away briefly, blinking away the tears. Then she turned to face him, bent down to touch his feet, thanking him, then straightened up quickly and set off to get her things from Ram and Anu's house.
Sunita had told sahib that she would be back in a few hours, and he said that would be fine and that he'd wait for her to return.