Twilight

Bipasa was waiting with a scrap of cardboard on which she had written the name in block letters: Kulbhushan Singh.

She had not seen the man before. Nor had that person who was on his way from Canada seen her before either. It was all arranged that someone would come to pick him up. But for some reason, Harry, the Senior Creative Writer, and Neela, the Assistant Art Director, were all busy in an important meeting with a team from a renowned beauty product manufacturer to finalize the details of the next advertisement.

So she had come in place of the Managing Director, Kulbhushan, casually called Kul. This was Bipasha’s third month in this agency, Spark, one of the top ten Indian agencies, which she had long wished to join as a copy writer.

She’d scored badly in the copy test, except that the slogans that she wrote saved her from being rejected. These actually drew Kul’s attention and he agreed to employ her without seeing her face to face. “Just a single line, dear, can place you somewhere you could never imagine!” her teacher’s saying had turned out true.

Relatives were waiting for the passengers. But where’s Kul, Bipasa wondered. She had already made mistakes with two Punjabis. She held the board steadily. She didn’t know what this Kulbhushan would look like. She imagined him an aged and bespectacled person with a beard and bald head. One of the passengers in a mustard-colored summer coat and sunglasses looked at her and smiled. She felt awkward. No, that handsome middle-aged fellow could never be her boss, she decided.

But he stepped forward and pointed to that board she was holding. “May I have the pleasure of calling myself Kul, other than Kulbhushan!”

To her, it felt as if she had come for the delivery of some smuggled products and Kul was the code. She smiled back questioningly, “Mr Kulbhushan?”

“Yes, honey, is naacheez ko Kul kehte hai.” [this fellow is called Kul.] He reached out his arm and shook her hand.

On the way to the office she explained to him the reason why the others could not meet him at the airport, but he seemed not to mind. She had been told to take him to his house, but he said he would go to the office first.

He spent much of his time looking at the road but, on occasion, their gazes collided and it left a ‘Wow’ mark in her mind, and she thought, what a handsome person he is!

The very next day he summoned her into his room. A beauty product company was going to launch a new brand of glossy lipstick. She had written a caption. Kul wanted to discuss it with he. She was all tense as she entered the room. “May I come in?” she asked, before she remembered that she had already entered the room as the door had been slightly open.

“You are already in, Bip!” Kul smiled. He sat before one of the tables with piles of layouts scattered about on it. Neela was there too, reading something carefully. Neela appeared unaware of Bip’s presence.

“Please be seated and relax,” Kul said. He wore rimless spectacles and looked smart in a white T-shirt with half-sleeve six-pocket jacket and khaki trousers. His grey hair shone. “So, you’ve written this.”

Neela glanced at her as if she were suddenly aware of her. “Please read it clearly for me.”

Kul was now executing doodles on the paper before him.

“Lips through one’s eyes
Stick to everyone’s dreams!”

“Lips…stick to everyone’s dreams!” Kul repeated, and glanced at Neela,

Bip sat nervously grasping her hands in her lap as her ideas were discussed. Ultimately, approval was given.

From then on, she found herself possessed of extra energy the moment she got close to Kul. Her over-deference to him sometimes made him laugh at her before her colleagues. Everyone stared at her with amused expressions on their faces, but she did not mind. She was intoxicated by his presence. She did overtime just to get applause from him. No matter what other employees said about her work, Kul’s approbation was the only thing that mattered to her. On the eve of his birthday, she gave him a bottle of perfume which cost half her monthly salary.

However, she discovered that there was another person in the queue, and that was none other than Neela. But instead of showing her anger she smiled at her. Bip was careful to do that.

Bip was invited to his home on his birthday. She wore her favorite blue south-cotton saree with her big eyes carefully lined with eye liner that made her eyes look bigger than usual, and she tied a jasmine flower in her hair.

As she entered the room where everyone was gathered, she discovered Reema, her colleague, was there already.

Reema murmured, “wow!” on seeing her. But her eyes were already searching for Kul. Someone patted on her shoulder and she turned to find the person she could wait for her whole life. He was in a black suit which set off his grey shining hair, his two piercing hazel eyes taking her in at a glance.

“Eyes stick to everyone’s dreams!” Kul pronounced with a smile. A few of the guests who were crowding about them heard him, and smiled too.

Neela was present, but she had someone with her. He might be her boyfriend, Bip thought. She smiled at Neela, heaving a sigh of relief.

“Come meet my son, Anant,” Kul said. Introductions were made. Anant smiled at her.

“You’re looking gorgeous and awesome, dear!”

Bip was surprised by Neela’s spontaneous remark. She was not accustomed to hear remarks like this from Neela.

That night, at home again, she stood before her mirror, scrutinizing herself carefully. She had won a compliment from Neela, but there was something in the way Kul had said, “Eyes stick to everyone’s dreams!” instead of “Lips”. Whose dream was it? Anant, who looked so like his dad, had said nothing to her, but he had watched her all the time.

From that moment on, she dedicated her time even more religiously to her work. She loved the work-pattern Kul followed. He gently scolded any careless mistakes, he presided over meetings in a businesslike way.

Anant had been studying for a doctorate in the computer science at Davis University, California. He was here in Kolkata for two months only. He visited his dad’s office every day to help him and to see that big-eyed woman, Bipasa. And he also came to the office when both Kul and Neela were out.

One rainy morning saw the ontset of their friendship. That day, he came close to her room when she was doing a first draft of a new campaign, but he entered his dad’s room. At lunchtime, when she was unpacking her lunch box, his eyes met hers, and he slipped into her office. After all, Kul was his father.

He told her how he had lost his mom at the age of four. His dad was the most loving and caring dad in the world. Bip was surprised by his revealing innermost things of his life like this. And Anant also liked Neela, it seemed.

But why was he telling her all this? Bip wondered

One day, she went to Kul’s office, but Kul and Neela had gone to Pune to clinch a business deal with a beauty product company. Bip felt hurt and locked herself in her office until lunchtime, when Anant persuaded her to go to lunch with him. She warned him that she was not in a good mood, but he said he scarcely knew anyone here in Kolkata. She thought for a moment and agreed to go with him. Reema winked at her as they went out together.

To celebrate the finalizing of a crucial deal, Kul announced that they were all going to an artificial lake in the city’s outskirts - himself, Neela, Bip and Anant. Neela was to arrange everything.

All day long, Bip tried to get close to Kul, whilst Anant did his best to get close to her. Suddenly Anant proposed a boating trip on the lake, and she looked to Kul for approval.

Kul said smilingly, “Anant is a good swimmer. He knows how to save you, if you fall in. Go, baby, you just don’t have to worry about anything!”

The two of them got into the boat that was soon at a standstill in the middle of the lake.

Anant started questioning her relentlessly as to whether she had a boyfriend. When she said yes, he behaved as if he had been slapped. She asked him if he had a girlfriend.

He admitted that he had. And looked embarrassed.

“Who is she? May I know?”

“You!” he allowed hesitantly.

“What!” she cried.

Neela and Kul were sitting together and watching them drifting in the middle of the serene lake. “They make a good couple, don’t you think?” Neela said.

“You know one thing?. She wants to be Anant’s step mom,” Kul replied.

“My God! You must be kidding!” Neela exclaimed.

“Yes, sweetheart, she has a crush on me. I’m being perfectly serious.” Kul affirmed.

“How can you be so sure? I have not seen any sign.”

“You should have, since women are supposed to receive this kind of signal before men do. Anyway I can read her mind. Don’t tell me I cannot read a woman’s mind.” He winked at her.

They were still laughing at this when they were attracted to a sudden movement on the lake. Bip had fallen into the water. She was screaming for help. Neela begged Kul to save her, but he remained where he was.

“Anant will be able to save her,” he replied firmly.

They watched as Anant jumped into the water and got Bip to the bank, where she was discovered to be unconscious.

Bip opened her eyes to find the whole office staff looking down at her. Everybody was there, but Kul told everyone to get on with their fun, now that Bip was all right.

It didn’t take long for everyone in the office to forget what had happened. It was, after all, an accident.

Bip called Anant to thank him for saving her life and asked if he was free the following evening.

Reema, Bip’s colleague, spoke to Bip of the age factor, to remind her that Kul was one-time national swimming champion. He could have gone to save her, but he did not. The reason being that he is old.

Bip was sad at hearing that, but at the same time she was happy inside. Had this thing not happened, she would never have come close to a good person like Anant. But what if Kul is aware of my feelings, she wondered. It would be embarrassing.

One day, Anant told Bip that his dad didn’t want their relationship to continue.

Bip knew she should be angry at hearing this, but there was still a ray of hope in her heart that Kul might have been in love with her, so she told Anant that they could get married secretly. After all, they were not juveniles. Whatever might be the reason for Kul’s denials, she now understood that Anant was the only person she could be happy with. So, finally, they got married in a secretive manner. Anant left a note for his father. He made an apology for not being an obedient son in the case of choosing his life’s partner.

That evening, Kul and Neela returned to his house after doing some shopping. He called out for Anant. Then he saw the note on his bed and called out for Neela.

“See this! They’ve been married secretly.”

Neela looked at him in surprise. “You could have given your permission to Anant. After all, you also wanted this, didn’t you?”

Kul nodded. “I wanted to test her. I needed to be sure of Bipasha’s feelings.”

“You mean to say, you tested her by not giving your approval to Anant for this marriage?” Neela asked.

“Yes. I was never against this marriage. I am the happiest person in the world that Anant has, at last, got the girl he deserves. My refusal was just a final testament to know whether she was still infatuated with me or really in love with Anant.”

“Are you sure, you needed to do this?” She looked at him questioningly.

“There are times,” Kul replied with a smile, “when a little subterfuge is called for.”

- Raja Chakraborty 
Kolkata, West Bengal, India

published:  August 2007