Scarlet Woman

1

1st April

Unable to hide his excitement for another second, Nitesh pushed his seat back and played the latest Taylor Swift album on repeat. From his headphones, her heavenly voice made him feel blissful, as if he was floating in mid-air. At last, he was on the long journey to Bangkok— his home for the next twelve months.

He had no idea how his wish had come true, perhaps the gods had ultimately decided to fulfil his desire. He did not think twice when his company offered him the new project. For the coming year—he would be a solutions architect for RCB Bank in Thailand.

As he sat at his window seat; the deep azure sky outside looked beautiful. The earth down below was stunning with various hues of greens and browns, casting a spell over him, and he breathed in deeply. Finally, his destiny was taking him in a new direction. He felt detached from the world he had left behind. A profound sense of peace, satisfaction and achievement filled his heart. Yes, he had made it, and everything was going to be all right. He sipped his coffee and once again looked at the sky, feasting his eyes on the magic, the vast expanse created just for him. Wasn’t he a lucky man?

Just a few months ago, Nitesh had been bored—bored with his life in general, bored with the mechanical profession, bored with his bachelor status. The only bright spot in his otherwise dull life were his dreams which kept him going even at the worst moments in his life. He grabbed a delectable kebab piece from his plate and switched off the audio. His gaze went to the couple sitting in the adjoining seat. Their hands were entwined, and it was obvious to him that they were newlyweds. It was evident from the choora, a set of red and white bangles that the girl wore, and the complex and intricate pattern of her mehandi—the temporary tattoos Indian girls apply on their hands and legs when they get married. The boy whispered something in her ear, and her face turned crimson in an instant. While Nitesh was happy to watch them get lost in each other, a bit of jealousy possessed him. It was not as if he envied the marriage part, but his mind was occupied by the relationship they shared. There was no one like that in his life. Although he was already twenty-nine, like many other Indian middle-class men (but no American men, it seemed) he was still a virgin—a status that he found himself more and more eager to change. Suddenly, his joyful mood disappeared. He was not even hungry anymore. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on his dreams, thinking of all the things he wanted to do in Bangkok over the next year, but his mind kept drifting back to what was lacking in his life.

Feeling hopeless, he muttered to himself about his lack of a personal life. It was not as if he was not good-looking. He was tall, fit, and well-dressed. He was sure he had a likeable personality as well. Looking back, he realized he was too choosy in college, and he had adopted the theory, Nothing is better than nonsense in life. Most of the girls he knew then were nonsensical, and the ones whom he found sensible were committed elsewhere. Nitesh heaved a sigh. At this stage of his life, he regretted having that attitude back then. After all, who wanted to suffer the stigma of being a virgin at the age of twenty-nine? He had let the fact that he was a virgin slip to a couple of his buddies at work, and he could still remember the teasing he had endured. Nitesh, you’re well on your way to being a 40-year-old virgin. Why stop now? Are you sure you’re even into women? I have a gay brother I could set you up with.

Those same colleagues had excitedly suggested that he could cure this problem in Bangkok, and he knew what they were talking about.

Nitesh was not naive. He was aware that world class massage parlours, go-go bars and tons of escort girls from all corners of the world existed in Bangkok. A smile escaped his lips as he finally allowed himself to focus on his destination. When his company assigned him the project, they had no idea that they had given him a chance to be in a place he had always wanted to explore. And they were paying him for it, too!

Some more coffee? the air hostess stopped to ask him and refilled his cup. Nitesh gave her a small smile and took out his Kindle from his briefcase. He opened it and winced when he saw it was almost out of battery power. Since childhood, he had a habit of reading, and the bond between him and books grew stronger with each passing year. His books were his best friends; they gave him solace during his loneliness, gave advice when needed and provided an attitude boost when he felt depressed in life.

In short, he was a single, above-average-looking, Punjabi guy. Living in New York City for the last two years and working for a large multinational corporation had not changed much in his personal life. Before coming to New York, he was working in Gurgaon, at the offshore development centre of their company. He didn’t mind escaping his familiar surroundings or the constant hounding of his mother to get married when he got transferred to the U.S. But he was happy that being in Bangkok will bring him closer to his parents in India.

The panoramic scenery outside the window seemed to fly away from him as the airplane glided through the air. Small clouds created new patterns in the sky as his mind drifted back to his parents. His sixty-five-year-old father, Saket, had retired from a private bank. But not one to sit at home idly, he decided to join an NGO, vowing to educate street children. Nitesh had to agree that this old man still had a lot of charisma and grace. No wonder those children were fond of him. Nitesh couldn’t remember a single person in his life that had a more significant influence on him than his father. Needless to say, his father had been the driving force behind his academic achievement. Since his teen years, Nitesh’s father had been his best friend and also his mentor. Nitesh adored almost everything about him—the way he spoke, the way he dressed, the way he was caring yet strict in his parenting. Saket allowed Nitesh to grow and expand his future possibilities, too. They had a strong bond. However, while their views mostly matched each other’s, there was one thing which always made them butt heads– marriage. Nitesh smiled when he remembered the talk they had on this subject, just a few days ago.

Everyone is getting married, his father had said. Look at your cousin, Amanjeet! He turned twenty-four this year, and he is already married. When will you give it a thought? You are already past the appropriate age for marriage. Before Nitesh could utter a single word, he was adding more, I don’t understand what you are looking for. Nitesh could picture the frown on his father’s charming face as he spoke.

Nitesh’s face had turned red in reply. Dad, I’ve told you already, I don’t want to get married right now.

Not one to give up easily, his father matched his tone. Why not?

They had already gone through this before, and he was not ready to tread over the same ground again!

Because love dies after marriage, Dad. Nitesh stopped for a fraction of a second before replying, uncertain of whether he should mouth his concern or not. Finally deciding to go ahead, fully knowing he might hurt him, Nitesh added, I have seen your case and…

So you think that I don’t love your mother. Nitesh’s father sounded slightly hurt as he interrupted him. If that was the case, how were you born? If there was no love, why did we give birth to you? Then he trailed off. Perhaps he’d said too much, and this was the most Nitesh had ever heard him discuss about his marriage. The conservative Indian fathers never talked about such things with their sons. For a second, Nitesh thought of pointing out that there was a difference between sex and love, but he could see that was not the route to be taken.

While Nitesh took a sip of cold water to come back to reality, he could not stop his mind from wandering again. If his father was his pal, his mom was another matter. She was a typical Punjabi woman— loud, aggressive—and one who never missed a chance to flaunt. She lived life queen-sized. But also like an average Punjabi woman, she was a huge fan of the ‘Saas Bahu’ serials. These Indian soap operas revolved around the daily lives of daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law. She made it no secret that she wanted a daughter-in-law of her own as soon as possible. While his mom claimed not to have a clue about computers, she seemed to have no trouble at all while browsing Shaadi.com to find prospective brides for her son—and this seemed to be her favourite hobby.

Nitesh winced when he remembered one of their conversations. His mom was unstoppable once she started. Nitesh, I am sending you some pictures by email and this time, I don’t want to listen to your excuses. Poor Nitesh! Before he could even catch his breath, at the other end of the telephone, she would mention her favourite. Beta, Shweta is the best of them. She is fair, slim and would make a great wife!

Yes, Mom, I will have a look. It was Nitesh’s standard response. He preferred not to argue with his mother on this topic.

What confused his parents the most, was that they did not understand what he was looking for in a girl. It was not their fault. Perhaps Nitesh himself didn’t know what type of girl he was seeking. He was probably waiting for someone who would convince him that she was his star-crossed lover. He had seen and met some charming girls and had been awestruck by them, but he had never felt anything more for them. Perhaps he was waiting for a girl that did not require choosing. He secretly hoped that he would know his soul mate at first glance.

Every time he was home, Nitesh’s mom would turn his visit into a bride-hunting expedition. At first, even Nitesh was enthusiastic about it, but his interest had started to wane with time. At this stage, he had almost given up. It was not as if he was against his mother’s internet bride searches! He had thought they should take it easy and go slowly, choosing the right person for the right reasons rather than be sorry for the rest of their lives. Like any average Indian, he did believe in the arranged marriage culture. Well, it was more of an acceptance of the fact that it helped poor souls like him who failed at finding their soul mates on their own. Nitesh looked at the couple sitting in the next seat one more time. He wondered if they had found each other on their own or if their parents had made their match.

Nitesh focused back on his immediate future: BANGKOK. He was determined to lose his virginity in Bangkok, perhaps by the end of the week itself. Nitesh smiled at the thought, and soon dozed off as his destination and his happiness drew closer with each passing moment.

2

A sudden noise of plates rattling in the galley awakened Nitesh. He heard nearby passengers gasp in horror, his neighbour's coffee cup bounced in his hand before spilling all over the man. It seemed their flight had hit turbulence. Feeling a bit nervous, Nitesh tightened his seat belt and looked at his mobile to check the time. It was midnight, and they were just a few hours from landing. His gaze drifted to a picture of Mark and him, on his mobile and his mind took him back to the incident that occurred a month ago.

2nd March

Nitesh often found himself envying the smile of his best friend, Mark. He wished he could also have that effect on women with a simple smile. But Mark was not smiling that day when Nitesh had glanced across the aisle to his cubicle. There were a few other guys squeezed in there as well. Nitesh peeked at him from the corner of his eye, trying to read his face. Mark was engrossed in his morning meeting ritual. Nitesh himself was working on the closure document of his last assigned project, and he was just giving it some finishing touches. He believed in the theory that he had read somewhere, Documentation is like sex: when it’s good, it’s great; and when it’s bad, it is awful. So he had the habit of ensuring that the documentation done by him was good and understood by others.

Year-end was quickly approaching, and they all had a lot on their plates. Nitesh rolled up his shirt sleeves and sighed as he heard Mark’s voice. Mark was giving a lecture to his team; Nitesh watched and waited for him to finish. Mark and he shared everything under the sky, even each other’s darkest secrets. Like many other IT professionals, both of them were idealistic and wanted to change the world in the same way Google, Apple, and Facebook had. Their ultimate dream was simple–they wished to build a billion-dollar company together and do something new, something that nobody had ever done in the past. But for now, they kept their heads down and did their best to secure their positions within this company.

We need to complete it in the next ten days, guys. We have already committed to the deadline. Mark said.

Nitesh could see a few of his colleagues nodding their heads in mute agreement. They knew they didn’t have much of a choice.

Mark’s voice turned a bit sympathetic when he said, I know all of you have been working hard during the last month, but I promise this is the home stretch. It’ll be our sweet victory to meet this closing date.

Mark did his best to be persuasive, but winning them over was not going to be easy.

Amit, one of the team members, frowned and said, Mark, you told us fifteen days ago that this would be our last working weekend. Now, you’re telling us that we have to work two more weekends in order to meet the deadline.

Mark took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt, killing time before he could find the perfect persuasive answer. After a few seconds, he added, I hear you, Amit, but we also need to understand that our company is going through a tough phase, and this client is important for us. We need to contribute our bit in pulling our group through. A smile spread across Mark’s face now as he looked at Amit. Of course, we will note your efforts as always.

Of course, didn’t Nitesh know that this was the best way to put the responsibility of the company on the tiny shoulders of the software engineer? The performance appraisals were due in two months, and no one wanted to mess with their rating by saying no to their boss. The irony was that a high score would give them a mere three to five percent raise above the average employee. The difference was usually so minimal that you could spend the differential the same day in some pub, in the blink of an eye. Alas, human minds were trained to compete and to work as per the directions given by the boss.

Finally, Amit nodded, giving up on the conflict. Yes, Mark. I understand.

Mark smiled confidently at his team and started distributing the work amongst the members. After he had set the various deadlines for the project, he walked over to Nitesh’s cubicle.

Mark stepped near him and thumped Nitesh’s back in greeting. So there was something I wanted to talk to you about if you can spare a minute for me.

Nitesh nodded his head and raised an eyebrow. Done with the usual?

Mark looked briefly at his team in the other cubicle before finally turning his head towards Nitesh. It sucks to make them slog. But we can’t miss the client deadlines, and this is what we are being paid for. He shrugged his shoulders in a careless manner.

A serene smile spread on Nitesh’s face as Mark leaned his back against Nitesh’s desk and picked up a stapler.

Yeah, and errors in planning ultimately make too many people suffer. Someone should look into that. Nitesh said in a teasing tone as he relaxed in his chair and gave Mark an innocent look. They both knew Mark had created the aggressive plan to acquire the project, and now his poor team was struggling to meet the crazy deadline.

Mark slouched back a little more, toying with the stapler. Dude, the challenge is never the planning but the productivity of the team. Even if I delay the deadline by a month, they would sit in the office and do nothing until the weekend before the deadline. If I draw a productivity chart of the team, it’ll always be a straight line until two weeks before the deadline. That’s when their productivity will suddenly increase three-fold all the way until the delivery date. His lips twitched as he bristled.

Nitesh just looked at him and smiled as he recalled his college days. Indians learned this trick during their time in higher education. Everyone sat idly, procrastinating throughout the year but became hyperactive right before the exams. That’s when they all would start buying books, photocopying notes and studying deliriously. Seven days before D-day, they would stand tall like soldiers, waiting to face the enemy–their impending exams. Mark, an American techie, wasn’t used to this concept at first. However, one rotten apple spoils the whole bunch in the basket. Within no time, Mark had become one of them.

Yeah, looks like you’re finally catching on, Nitesh smiled and plucked the stapler from Mark’s hands. Then he put it back on his desk. But this will be the last stretch for the team. Then you can go back to living your life your way. Nitesh winked at him.

Mark had a very busy personal life, one that was full of flings and one night stands. His charm, wit, and confidence ensured that he was never lonely. Nitesh wished to have a small percentage of the confidence Mark had when talking to women. Mark relaxed, resting his face in the crook of his palm as he peered over the closure documents.

You’re closing out your current project already, aren’t you? You need to chill out and relax. He gave a meaningful look to Nitesh, knowing full well that Nitesh’s life was too robotic and boring.

Nitesh used to spend all his days in the same mundane way: work, home, television and answering emails. Sleep, wake up and repeat. He usually spent his weekends watching movies and browsing through Shaadi.com, courtesy of his mom. That almost summed up his life.

Why don’t you come out with me, man? I can set you up with some girls I personally recommend. Mark winked at him.

Oh, I’m sure you could but no, thank you. And aren’t you a little busy?

Busy getting busy but for my dear friend, I can always spare some time, Mark joked with his trademark grin.

Nitesh felt like he had been living this boring life for about a million years already. He had started to hate the predictable routine, and he was looking for a change. Little did Nitesh know that the quietness in his life was just the calm before the storm. If the amount of calm is inversely proportional to the size of the storm that follows, then his low-key existence so far had ensured that the storm to come would be of epic proportions and capable of changing his life forever.

Nitesh’s phone started to ring, disturbing their conversation. His manager, Sandeep, was on the other end, asking him to come to his office. He was a seasoned project manager and like other seasoned project managers, he had the capability of committing to a plan of giving birth to a baby in three months even if he had to use three different women.

Boss wants to see me; I have to go. Nitesh got up from his chair, unable to figure out why Sandeep had called him in. He felt a little ball of nervousness form in the pit of his stomach.

When Nitesh entered Sandeep’s office, he