One Indian Girl(54)

All banks accumulate bad loans over time. Sometimes the bank feels it is easier to sell off those loans at a discount rather than chase the borrowers. To speed up things, they sell those loans as a portfolio, or in a bunch. In a sense, it clears their entire dirty plate in one shot. However, for bidders like us it means a crazy amount of work, evaluating what is on the plate.

‘We can pass. People are busy with other deals, right?’ Neel said.

‘Actually, I could look at it,’ I said. All eyes turned to me.

‘I can. I don’t have too much going on,’ I said.

‘It is fifty companies. You’ll have to go through them all. You sure?’ Josh said, in his mixed American and Chinese accent.

‘We have two weeks. I can work weekends too,’ I said.

‘I could spare two days too,’ Peter said.

‘So can I,’ said Simon, another Taiwanese analyst in the group.

Neel tapped his fingers on the conference room table.

‘Let’s do it,’ he said finally, and stood up to signal the end of the meeting.

For the next two weeks, I camped in my cubicle. Boxes of documents to be reviewed for the bid surrounded me. I only went back to the hotel to sleep, shower and change. One Friday night I didn’t even do that. I worked straight through the night and watched the Saturday morning sunrise from the office window.

‘Radhika, what are you doing here?’ Neel’s voice startled me.

I turned around. In workout clothes, he looked different from his usual formal self. He was wearing a black Under Armor T-shirt, a brand that reminded me of Debu. The portfolio work had kept him off my thoughts over the last few days. But now I felt pain flood my heart. When will I get over that man? I wondered.

‘Good morning, Neel,’ I said. ‘Just wrapping up the bid. Will have it ready Monday morning.’

‘You have dark circles under your eyes. Did you even go back last night?’

I smiled and shook my head.

‘This is too much, Radhika. You have to maintain a balance.’

He placed his hand on the edge of my cubicle door. I could see his bicep flex through his sleeve.

‘Going to the gym?’ I said.

‘I’m going on a mountain hike. I prefer working out outdoors.’

‘That sounds like fun.’

‘Yes. More than half of Hong Kong is country parks. Beautiful hikes.’

‘I have heard.’

‘Hope you see a bit of this city and not just this office.’

‘I will. Just want this portfolio out of the way,’ I said and then covered my mouth as I yawned.

‘Radhika, you need to go home.’

‘I will. Soon. What brings you to the office?’

‘Left my mobile phone behind yesterday. Just picking it up for the hike.’

He went into his office and came out after a few minutes. He saw me staring at my spreadsheet.

‘Still here? Go rest.’

I smiled.

‘Twenty more minutes. Tops,’ I said.

‘I’m leaving. Good work, Radhika.’

‘Thanks. Bye, Neel, have a nice hike,’ I said, eyes on my monitor.

He walked away from me and paused. He turned around and came back.

‘Radhika, there’s something I want to tell you.’

‘Okay,’ I said and shifted my gaze to him.

‘There’s a confidential deal. Some distressed companies don’t like the world to know they are in distress. It can affect their business.’

‘Sure, I understand,’ I said.

‘This one is in the Philippines. Only the Goldman Sachs Asia head and I know about it. I can’t even discuss it in the morning meeting.’

‘Oh, okay,’ I said.

‘I need an associate on the deal. Would you like to be on it?’

The prospect of more work in my current exhausted state made me feel even more tired. However, to be in a confidential deal and work with a partner meant a lot.

‘Sure,’ I said. ‘What’s the timing?’

‘You finish the bid. Then I will brief you. We’ll also need to meet the company people.’

‘Sure. What sector is it?’

‘I’ll tell you. Real soon. Bye now. And get out of here fast,’ he said.



What the hell, I said to myself. Debu had unfriended me on Facebook. For the first time in Hong Kong I had finished work early and come back to my hotel at 5 p.m. The team had liked my final presentation on the portfolio. We had submitted a bid for fourteen cents on the dollar for the loans. Exhausted, I had been looking forward to a calm evening in the hotel and a good long sleep. However, I made the mistake of opening my laptop and logging on to Facebook. Like an idiot, I searched for Debashish Sen’s profile. I couldn’t find him on my friends’ list.

Damn. I typed his name for the third time. Yes, he had unfriended me. I could understand why. Actually, I could not understand why. I wasn’t some stalking witch who would cast an evil eye on his posts and pictures. Sure, we had broken up. People break up. They don’t have to vanish like this.

I didn’t have his phone number anymore. I had deleted all his previous emails. I felt like calling Avinash to ask for Debu’s contacts again. I stopped myself and turned on the TV instead. Most of the channels were in Chinese. One channel showed a soap opera. I couldn’t understand one word. However, I saw a girl on the screen cry, probably for her lost love. I don’t know what it triggered in me, but I joined her. I clutched my pillow tight and cried. I had resisted this so perfectly for weeks. Ever since I came to Hong Kong I had buried myself in work. I thought I had made great progress with my break-up. Now I was back to square one.