One Indian Girl(34)

‘That would be good,’ I said. ‘They are saying the factory is in the heart of town, and if we close it down we could rezone into residential use and sell apartments.’

As I finished my sentence, Debu tiptoed into the living room. I placed a finger on my lips to signal him to be quiet. He nodded and pointed at the fridge. He walked up to the fridge and took out a cup of strawberry yoghurt. He offered me some. I declined and sipped my tea. I smiled at how domesticated we had become. He could be in the kitchen doing his thing. I could sip my tea and work. I sent him a flying kiss. He smiled back.

I tuned back into the call.

‘Shenzhen is growing fast. Depends on the location and local permissions. What about the workers?’ asked Josh, a VP in the Hong Kong Distressed Debt Group.

Debu sat at the dining table and ate his snack. The call continued on the speakerphone.

‘Two hundred workers. If we continue the manufacturing they stay,’ I said.

‘Though if we keep the business running it is only worth forty million. If we sell the land for apartments, it is seventy million,’ Jonathan said.

‘Wow,’ Peter said, ‘huge difference in value.’

‘Yeah, so obviously we want the workers out and to explore the land sale option,’ I said.

‘Okay, give us a few days, we will make a visit and revert,’ Jon said.

‘Hope we get good news,’ I said.

The call ended. I hung up and shut my laptop. I noticed Debu.

‘Hey, you are still here,’ I said.

He scraped out the last of his yoghurt.

‘Yeah. I was listening to bits of your call.’

‘Boring banker stuff, right?’

‘Kind of. However, I think I sort of understood what is happening.’

I stretched my arms above my head.

‘It’s a new deal. Company gone bust, factories in China,’ I said.

‘Yeah, and you guys are trying to close it down, sell the land for apartments.’

‘True. The factory is old but in a great location. China is growing fast, so this is the heart of town now. Ready for bed? It’s late.’

‘No, wait, what about the workers?’ He came to sit on the sofa next to me.

‘They will have to be let go of. We will give them some compensation,’ I said.

‘And their families? What about getting new jobs?’

‘Debu, they will figure it out. We will give them a few months’ salary as compensation. They will find another job meanwhile.’

‘It’s not that easy. What kind of blatant capitalism is this?’

I looked at Debu in shock.

‘What?’ I said. ‘Seriously? Blatant capitalism?’

‘You are trying to make the most money.’

‘Well, yeah, that is my job. We invest money, so we want good returns on it.’

‘But why do you have to fire people?’

I rolled my eyes.

‘Is this a Bengali communist thing? Bengalis love communism, right?’

‘I don’t know. It just feels wrong, what you are doing to make money.’

‘I am not doing anything wrong. We are doing what is legally possible and trying to generate maximum value.’

‘To make some rich Goldman Sachs partners even richer? What about the workers at this factory?’

‘Debu! Goldman Sachs has not created trouble for the workers. The company management screwed up, borrowed too much money, ran their business badly and went bankrupt. Hence the workers suffered. We are simply there to clean up the mess.’

‘Like vultures. They could say they have come to clean up when they are actually feeding themselves.’

‘That’s not such a nice analogy, but yes. You could say that. Yes, even in the financial system, you need the mortuary.’

‘You make money doing this.’

‘So? We also take huge risks. Nobody wants to touch these companies otherwise.’

I finished my tea. I went to the kitchen sink and washed the cup.

Debu came up behind me.

‘You like your job?’

I turned to him.

‘Yeah, Debu. I love it. I am good at it. It’s exciting. I am learning so much. It’s a great firm. I am paid well. It kills me at times with work but I love it.’

‘I don’t know. Just doesn’t feel right. I hope the job doesn’t harden you.’

‘Harden me?’ I said. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘You were this sweet, innocent girl when I met you. You had a soft side.’

‘I still do. I am the same person. This is a job. I am more than that. I do it and come home to cuddle with you. Don’t I?’

‘Yeah,’ he said, sounding unconvinced.

‘You applied to digital ad agencies?’

‘I will. Soon.’

‘I thought you said you would.’

‘I will, Radhika. Don’t keep pushing me so much. See, this is what I mean. You have become hard.’

‘I am just concerned,’ I said and threw my hands up in the air. ‘I want you to be happy in your job too. I want you to settle down so we can take the next step.’

‘What step?’

I’d had enough of him faking ignorance. He knew exactly what I was talking about. With great effort, I kept calm and spoke again.