Chapter 9
Manisha yawned as she stepped into Deena’s kitchen and hopped up on a stool.
“Well, look who finally decided to wake up—in the early evening, might I add,” Deena said with a playful smile.
“What time is it? I need some water,” Manisha replied groggily while rubbing her eyes. “My head,” she moaned, surveying Deena’s spacious loft.
Deena filled a glass and handed it to Manisha before settling on the stool beside her. “It’s just after five.”
“I guess I needed a nap,” Manisha admitted, managing a small smile.
“You passed out, Manisha,” Deena said, her tone half serious. “You crashed like a kitten after feeding time. How are you feeling?”
“Fine, I think,” Manisha answered, stifling another yawn.
“Good, because now you need to tell me what the hell happened today,” Deena pressed. She narrowed her eyes at her, awaiting a response.
“I just had a couple glasses of wine,” Manisha began defensively. “Maybe too much?”
“I’d definitely say so. Then you strolled into Chai Time, and, well, you lit into Rohit.”
“I didn’t light into Rohit! You’re exaggerating, Deena.” Manisha frowned, trying to recall the day’s events. She remembered arriving at Chai Time, Rohit not wanting to go through the paperwork, and then…things were blurry. “Even if I did, he probably deserved it.”
“Manisha, you were so rude to him.”
“Well, he is Rude Rohit,” Manisha pointed out.
“Correction. ‘Rude Vain Rohit’ is what you called him. To his face.”
“Oh.” Her earlier words at the café came back to her in a flood. Colour filled her cheeks.
“Okay, I guess I wasn’t the kindest. Maybe I owe him an apology…” she admitted. “But can we pause for a second? Did we actually meet Suzy?”
“We did!” Deena’s voice rose in excitement. “I guess it was only a matter of time before we saw them together.”
“Are you kidding? Rohit and Lucky were supposed to get married,” Manisha said, drawing out the last word. “And now he’s flaunting his relationship with Suzy right in front of everyone!” Manisha continued.
“Come on, Manisha. You know how it goes with Indian people. They’ve probably moved on to the next piece of gossip already.
You and I are still sipping this spilled chai while the rest of the world moves on.
Speaking of chai…” Deena stood, striding toward her stovetop where the kettle was spewing steam.
Her kitchen was a space equipped so extravagantly it would mesmerize any chef, but for her, it was merely a repository for takeout containers.
“I’m just so surprised,” Manisha remarked, still processing everything. “His family, especially his dad—they’re such upstanding people. And yet here’s Rohit, parading his scandalous life for the entire Indian community to see.”
“Rude Rohit,” they both said in unison, chuckling.
“Anyway, back to why you’ve been drinking midday without me. Was that what your emergency text was all about?” Deena teased, pouring tea for two—a signal that she was ready to dive into the latest gossip.
Manisha groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Ugh, today has been a disaster from the second I stepped into Dr. Rocky’s office.”
“The fertility doctor! You went already! How did it go? I want to hear everything!” Deena bounced up and down on her toes in anticipation.
Manisha fell silent, unsure of how to even begin.
“Wait a second,” Deena said, concern emanating from her. “Is that what led you to the nearest Baskin bar?”
Manisha nodded. “Yeah, something like that.” She took a deep breath. “He—Dr. Rocky had some not-so-great news to share.” Manisha grabbed her purse from the counter and began pulling out the pamphlets he had given her. She placed them one by one on the island.
“What’s all this?” Deena asked, handing Manisha a steaming cup of tea.
Deena picked up the pamphlets, her brow furrowing as she read the headings.
“ ‘What is embryo cryopreservation?’ ‘Newest in sperm bank technology.’ ‘Your private sperm donor.’ ‘His sperm, your baby.’ ” She looked up, her eyes scrunched with confusion.
“I don’t understand—why do you have all these?
Where are the pamphlets for freezing your eggs? ”
“They didn’t give me any,” Manisha replied with a shrug.
“Okay, but why do you need all this?” Deena fluttered the pamphlets in the air, her impatience evident.
“It turns out that age isn’t the only determining factor in egg freezing,” Manisha said flatly. “And based on my results today, Dr. Rocky recommended I explore all my options, and maybe consider a different path.”
“The embryos path? But you need sperm for that. Does Dr. Rocky have any?”
“He probably does, but not for me.” Manisha sniggered at her own quip, though Deena didn’t share her laughter.
She sobered under her cousin’s cool stare. “Sorry. Basically, these are the current sperm options he thinks I should weigh, especially given the tight timeline.”
“Alright then, options it is,” Deena said, trying to sound hopeful. “Look, he’s right. There’s nothing wrong with thinking ahead and strategizing here.”
Manisha bit her lip, her heart pounding. “But there’s more, Deena.”
“More…options?” Deena asked, raising her voice slightly.
“Not exactly. The thing is, all these options come with a steep price tag—somewhere around fifty thousand dollars,” Manisha added.
Deena looked perplexed. “But Manisha, I don’t understand. Fifty thousand is nothing for you—it’s like a mini Birkin bag to you.”
Manisha winced. “It was nothing…”
“What do you mean, ‘was’?” Deena asked.
“Deena, I’ve been meaning to tell you something else,” Manisha began, her voice trembling. “I’m not as financially stable as I once was. I mean, I can’t afford that kind of thing anymore.”
The furrow between Deena’s brows deepened. “But you’re carrying around a ten-thousand-dollar designer bag right now! It’s a month old. I just saw it on your Instagram!”
“Which I probably shouldn’t have bought,” Manisha admitted. “After the breakup, I went on a shopping spree down Bond Street. It was my version of retail therapy.”
“I get that, but is it really all gone?” Deena’s expression shifted with concern. She paused, her voice serious. “Manisha, I wish I could lend you that kind of money, but all my finances go through Mom and Dad, especially for something that big.”
“Oh, I know,” Manisha responded instantly. “I wasn’t asking for help. I genuinely appreciate you considering it. And I can’t go to my mom, either; if I do, she’ll discover that I’ve spent nearly all my money this year. She doesn’t even know about Oliver, let alone the breakup.”
“Alright, so the Bank of Ruby and Ashok is off the table. That means the Bank of Your Brothers is out, too,” Deena said, browsing through a pamphlet. “But hold on—what about a layaway plan?”
“You need some initial payment just to start that. All my accounts are drained, and my credit score is terrible.”
Deena exhaled slowly, taking in the situation. “Wow…Hold on! You’re currently on a sabbatical, right? Don’t those usually come with pay? Or couldn’t you return to work sooner and start rebuilding your savings?”
Time to drop another bomb. “Um, Deena, about that sabbatical. There’s something else I haven’t told you.”
“Come on, Manisha, what more could possibly be left?”
“I can’t go back to work,” Manisha admitted, “because there’s no work to go back to.”
“What?” Deena’s eyes popped in disbelief.
Manisha’s heart raced as she struggled to catch her breath. After a moment’s hesitation, she confessed, “I quit because they took my promotion away.”
“But why?” Deena asked, frowning.
Manisha reached for her phone, knowing it was time to show Deena the video. “A few months ago, I went out with my co-workers for drinks and ran into Oliver. This was right after the breakup and right after I found out he was cheating. I might have had a bit too much to drink that night—”
“Like today?” Deena interjected, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.
Manisha flushed. “Yes, exactly like today. And…well, I said some things I probably shouldn’t have—specifically to him.”
“Okay, so you told him off like you did with Rohit,” Deena guessed. “They can’t fire you for that, can they?”
“You’re right, they can’t. But they can demote you for threatening to sue on the company’s behalf,” Manisha said, her voice tinged with regret.
“I was furious when I saw Oliver with that law student he was dating, and I completely lost it. I shouted something like, ‘The firm where I’m a senior partner is going to sue you for being a jerk!’ ”
She took a deep breath and took a sip of her tea, trying to keep her emotions in check.
“And, of course, someone recorded the whole thing and sent it to McGuire & McLeod. They told me my behaviour didn’t reflect the company’s values, and that it was unprofessional for someone in my role.
They offered me a consultant position, after demoting me. ”
“A consultant?” Deena said, incredulous. “No way.”
“That’s exactly what I said! No way! I didn’t deserve to be demoted.
” Manisha sighed, rubbing her temples. “That firm became one of the most sought-after in the city because of me. Sure, my actions weren’t exactly professional that night, but it was a mistake.
Who hasn’t had a little meltdown, right? ”
Deena raised an eyebrow. “But how little of a meltdown are we talking about?”
Manisha didn’t respond. Instead, she handed her phone to Deena. As Deena hit play, her expression shifted from one of dubiousness to outright shock.
“So, we’re looking at a solid six and a half on the meltdown scale here,” Deena said. “Seriously, did you have to punch him, Manisha?”
“I didn’t actually punch him,” Manisha protested.
“Manisha, you swung—”
“Into the air!” she interrupted. “I wasn’t actually going to hit him.”
“I get it. You had a few drinks. You saw your ex—”
“My cheating ex,” Manisha amended.