Chapter Eleven
Mumbai, India
‘ Yeobo , Tim’s mum called.’
Alice has been locked in a call for over an hour. Bhaskar, oblivious, has been glued to the TV screen, following Liverpool’s exploits in an FA Cup game against Chelsea.
‘Yeobo! Bhaskar!’ She throws a cushion at her football-addict husband, startling him in the process.
‘Ouch! What? What do you want?’ Bhaskar asks reluctantly, his gaze still on the TV.
‘Tim’s mother had called.’
Bhaskar is no longer uninterested. Timira had called Alice from Jeju after weeks of radio silence.
Weeks through which he felt responsible and cursed himself for the Rodrigo fire that had erupted in Timira’s life and engulfed her in its deadly flames.
Ever since she had moved to Seoul, calls and texts between them had dwindled.
He and Alice missed her presence and cursed themselves for maybe having pushed her away to an unknown place and among unknown people, all by herself, at a time in her life when she perhaps needed them the most.
‘What did she say? How are she and uncle? Did she mention anything about Tim? I hope she has been calling them more often than she’s been calling us.
Silly, hare-brained girl that she is!’ He had not meant to complain but isn’t surprised when the words that come out of his mouth sound exactly like a complaint.
‘She sounded a little worried, but you know how she is, right? She’s always been the worrying sort. She said she brought up the topic of setting Timmy up with a boy she knows …’
‘Ally, don’t. Do not. DON’T YOU DARE! Please don’t cook up some nonsense with aunty. Timira might forgive her mum, but she’ll never forgive you!’
‘Don’t be silly! In fact, I even chided aunty for suggesting this to Tim. Especially given the Rodrigo drama she’s found herself in …’
‘You told her about Rod?!’
‘They would’ve found out anyway. He’s famous. People talk about him, write about him. He’s on the news with alarming regularity, in case you have not noticed!’
‘Alice, Timira does not know you were the one who went behind her back and informed aunty about her and Rod in the first place. And now you have told her that he’s in Seoul.
Do you have the slightest idea how Timira is going to feel when she finds out that her best friend has been stabbing her in the back? ’
Alice knows her husband is right. She recalls her conversation with Timira at the spa in Bali.
Timira had known all along that Alice had told on her.
She now groans and a slow-motion visual of Timira abusing her in hinterland Hindi, hair springing out of her space buns, pops up in her head.
She knows she’s walking on thin ice here.
‘Shit! Bhaskar, what should I do? Shall I call Tim and explain how the Rod bit slipped out of my mouth?’
Alice is panicking now. ‘Bhaskar, say something!’
‘I’m thinking, I’m thinking. Hang on. Um, Timira is clearly over him, right?’
‘Of course she is!’
‘How are you so sure?’
‘Recall the boss she mentioned?’
‘What about him? Wait, don’t tell me she’s gotten herself into some kinda boy trouble in Seoul, too!’
‘Don’t speak like that about her! What do you even mean by trouble? You know her better than anyone else does. You know how pure her intentions have always been!’
‘Ally, you know I only speak out of concern. What did she tell you about this boss of hers?’
‘Nothing much, to be honest. She was hyperventilating and ranting about Rodrigo when only in passing she mentioned how she didn’t want her boss to find out about her history with Rod. She wouldn’t have said so if she didn’t care for this guy, don’t you think?’
Alice contemplates if she should share with Bhaskar that he is engaged and that Timira seems to be upset about it, but decides against it. For the time being, at least.
‘Maybe it’s just a work thing. She doesn’t want to drag her personal life into her workplace. Argh, what a clusterfuck. If only I hadn’t pushed her to move …’
‘She specifically mentioned her boss …’
‘Don’t, Alice. For heaven’s sake, don’t read into it. And, don’t overthink it!’
‘Babe, your friend Ryan. Can you find out from him what this boss is like? He knows him, right? He’s his client, right?’
‘ Reham kar, meri ma! Do NOT get into this. At least wait until Timira has told you more or sought your help!’
‘Just ask Ryan, will you? He knows her boss, right?’
‘Of course he does! He even said the other day that Timira’s boss was in Bali at the same time as we were. Who knows, maybe we were at the same hotel, too!’
‘Wait, what? When did this happen? When did Ryan tell you this? Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘Because it wasn’t important. He mentioned it only in passing when we spoke of Timira and—’
‘Ryan called you in Bali. Why didn’t he tell you then that this guy was in Bali, too?’
‘Er, maybe because he didn’t know? Maybe he found out only later? Maybe because one doesn’t randomly talk about strangers … what are you trying to get at, Ally?’
Bhaskar is by now starting to sound frustrated with Alice’s seemingly endless questioning.
‘Tell me in detail what Ryan and you discussed about Tim!’
‘Alice, will you, please, tell me what this is about?’
‘I will. But first answer my question!’
Bhaskar relents.
‘I thanked him for hooking Tim up with the project. He said he spoke to one of the guys at her office who mentioned that she was the company CEO’s first and only choice for the job.
And that he almost immediately gave his nod when her résumé reached him.
That’s all. See, just boring details. There was no reason for me to share just pedantic details with you. ’
Alice looks like she’s zoned out and Bhaskar hopes this is the end of Alice’s interrogation. But she isn’t done yet.
‘Did he mention anything about this guy … this CEO … already knowing Timira? Or about Timira? Before she joined, I mean. Obviously.’
‘Is Tim a celebrity that people should know her? Ally, what is going on?’
Memories flash across Alice’s mind. She recalls the murmurs she had heard among the nurses at the hospital in Bali—about the man who had brought Timira to the hospital—the same man who had asked the hospital authorities to not reveal his identity.
The same guy who had signed all hospital documents as ‘Sky’.
Memories of the time at the hospital when a car whizzed past them and a guy looking out of the window longingly at Timira come flooding back.
She shares her suspicions with Bhaskar.
‘Alice in dramaland, this isn’t a K-drama. This isn’t one of your million mystery novels either. Stop reading into it! I mean, this makes no sense at all!’
‘But don’t you get it? Whoever took her to the hospital, Timira must’ve spent that evening earlier with him. Maybe it’s the same guy who turned out to be her boss, the CEO. That’s why he must’ve hired her so easily …’
‘Ally, no. I’m sure he hired her because of that ridiculously solid résumé of hers.’
‘Of course. Argh. You know I don’t mean it like that. I mean, he must’ve known it’s her. And he must also like her. Tim mentioned she’s worried how her boss would react if he found out about Rod, remember?’
Bhaskar is reeling. There are too many dots for him to join and he’s struggling to do the math.
‘Okay, so let me see if I’ve got it right.
You are saying the CEO met her in Bali, then somehow—magically—her CV found its way to him, and he hired her.
Hold up, no, not magically. Via pigeon courier Ryan who, in fact, magically popped up at the right place at the right time—god bless him!
Now, this boss likes her, she likes him—according to your E.T antennae—but then suddenly her ex has also landed up there and is threatening to ruin this developing story … have I got it right?’
‘Yes, yes!’ a proud Alice says excitedly.
‘What “yes”?! Are you nuts? Timira doesn’t remember a thing about that evening in Bali. Wouldn’t she have told you, us, if she did?’
‘Maybe she doesn’t, but he does!’
‘If we are to assume it’s the same guy from Bali. Ally, please. No. Just NO. Stop.’
‘But don’t you get it? This could be her destiny. Maybe they are fated to fall in love?’
Bhaskar groans.
‘Alice, do NOT share this with Tim. And the sooner you drop this investigation, the better for your sanity. And mine!’
‘But it fits together just right, can’t you see? How can you be so blind?! The math is mathing and how!’
Bhaskar opens his mouth, partly to reply and partly in exasperation, but isn’t able to either speak or sigh. Alice’s phone is ringing loudly.
‘It’s Timira. She’s video-calling!’ Alice exclaims loudly and excitedly.
‘Timmy, hi! We were just talki—’
‘Alice! Alice, oh my god! I’m so screwed! You have no idea how effed I am!’ Timira is speaking breathlessly.
‘What’s wrong, Timmy? Are you okay?’
‘Ally, the man back in Bali … the one who took me to the hospital … Alice, it’s him. It’s my boss. The CEO of the company I work for!’
Bhaskar looks incredulously at the phone screen with eyes so big they look like they’ll pop any minute.
Alice glances sideways at him with a hint of a triumphant smile, but doesn’t shift her focus from Timira.
‘Alice, it’s Sky. I mean, it’s Haneul. The mystery man from Bali. The man I kissed in Bali. Sky. It’s Haneul! Sky is Haneul and Haneul is Sky!’
* * *
JEJU, KOREA
Timira had not needed to stay at the hospital for long. She had mistaken sleeping pills for antacids, which had made her drowsy. She had passed out by the time she was taken to the ER, coming around only past midnight.
She spots a couple of pairs of eyes watching over her nervously as she regains consciousness. They belong to Hanee and Mr Choi.
‘Seonbae, Seonbae, hi!’
‘Uhm, hi. Hi, Honey!’
She nods politely at Mr Choi who looks visibly worried.
‘I’m sorry to bother you guys. What time is it? Must be quite late … I’m so sorry!’