One Indian Girl(33)

‘A bit high?’

‘It doesn’t matter. I can still think more clearly than you.’

‘What?’

‘You need to change your job. Every day you bicker about the politics. What are you going to do about it?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Of course you do. Are you happy at your job?’

‘Not exactly.’

‘However, you are stuck there. So you need to go out there and apply again.’

‘BBDO is prestigious. How to leave it?’

‘Screw prestigious. If your group is not good, change. There is stuff happening in digital advertising. You tell me about it so much. Find a job in that.’

‘I can’t. It’s not easy. And they are start-ups and uncertain. . .’

‘Whatever, Debu! So stay here, fine. But quit complaining so much.’

‘I can’t even share and vent with you?’

‘You can. But at some point, do something about it. You don’t, Debu. You don’t do anything about us. You don’t do anything about the job you don’t like.’

‘What do you mean I don’t do anything about us?’

‘My mother calls me every week. She wants me to start looking at boys. I tell you every time she says that. Do you ever take the hint?’

He kept quiet. I had brought out all the touchy topics at one go.

‘You have seen how my career is going at the moment. If only it was okay, I would have thought about it.’

‘So do something about the career, Debu,’ I said.

I left the room. I took a shower and went to bed. I switched off all the lights.

Debu changed and slid into bed next to me. He placed his arm around me. I brushed it aside.

‘Come here, baby,’ he said.

‘Go to sleep,’ I said.





14


‘We made a ten-million-dollar investment. We will now recover thirty-six million dollars,’ I said.

I made my final comments on the last presentation slide. We had invested in City Properties, a Manhattan real-estate firm gone bust. Fortunately, the property market had improved after our investment and we tripled our money.

‘Fantastic. We should sell. Now that is what I call a home run,’ Jon said. ‘What a deal! Well done, Radhika.’

‘Jonathan and Craig guided me through it all,’ I said.

I came back to my seat. I called Debu. I wanted to tell him about Jon’s praise.

‘Hey,’ he said.

‘What’s up?’

‘Just working on a pitch. I don’t think we will get it, though. How about you?’ Debu said.

‘I am at work. Another deal closed.’

‘You called for a reason?’

‘Yeah,’ I said. However, at that moment I didn’t want to tell him my success story. Perhaps it was better not to share it than to do so and not get an enthusiastic response.

‘What is it?’

‘Well,’ I said and wondered what to say next. Why was I hiding my success from him?

‘I just had a good day at work,’ I said.

‘What? Managed to make more money?’ He laughed.

He was being funny. Still, I didn’t like what he said, or maybe it was just his tone. I ignored his barb.

‘No just. . . I don’t know. I just felt good. Grateful for what we have. We should be grateful, no, Debu? We have so much. We have independence, jobs, health, family, a great city we live in and love. We have love. It’s a lot to be grateful for, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah, baby. We do.’ He sounded like he was about to yawn. ‘That’s sweet. Anyway, I better go back to my pitch.’

‘Sure. Sorry I disturbed you.’

‘Bye, baby,’ he said and hung up.

I went back to my screen.

‘Killed it.’ Craig came to my desk and high-fived me.

‘Don’t we always?’ I winked at him.



‘Hi, this is Radhika Mehta from the New York office,’ I said. I had dialled into a conference call with our Asian office in Hong Kong. Owing to the time difference the call had been scheduled late, at 10 in the night. I took the call from home, sitting on the living room sofa. Debu read a book in the bedroom, waiting for me to finish.

‘Hi, Radhika. This is Peter Wu from the Hong Kong office,’ a voice on the phone said.

‘Josh Ang from Hong Kong,’ came another one.

‘Jonathan from the New York office,’ Jonathan said.

I placed the phone on speaker mode so I could have my hands free. I had made myself a cup of mint tea, and cupped it in both hands.

Jonathan introduced the deal.

‘We are dealing with a company called Luxvision, a spectacles and sunglasses manufacturer. Radhika has already sent out the info memo. Currently in trouble, has no cash. The only assets are some factories in China.’

Goldman Sachs excelled in working together across offices. While the deal came from New York, we would engage the Hong Kong office to help us out. Josh and Peter would visit the company plants in China to see if the factories actually existed, and if they had any value.

‘Client is saying the factory is in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong,’ I said.

‘Easy then. We could do a day trip,’ Peter said.