Fingers Crossed for Aditi!

“Excuse me, my name is Aditi and I am badly in need of a job. It would be a real pleasure if you could give me one.” I was startled when I was looking at my computer screen and was suddenly interrupted by an Indian woman who was quite a charmer... She had layers and layers of long, jet-black hair falling on her shoulders with sparkling black eyes and a sharp nose. It seemed that she was quite worried and stressed out about something.

“Yes ma’am. We do have vacancy in our firm and I guess you might know that we provide cash to people when they sell gold jewellery to us.” “Yes. I got to know through a media resource that your firm is looking forward to hire experienced and inexperienced workers.” “So do you have an experience...?” “No.” she said, before I could complete my sentence. “Here's my resume.” She quickly flipped through a folder she was carrying and handed me a cramped sheet of paper. “Thanks ma'am. One of us will get back to you in a couple of days.” I said. “Okay.” she said and quickly left in a cab she must have hired from Kingston. It was waiting outside for her.

Being a human resource manager of my company, I was quite surprised by the way someone had approached me. I wouldn't say it was rude. But it was definitely a peculiarity that I had never come across. I went through her resume. 'Masters of Arts with 80% from Jawaharlal Nehru University-Delhi'. It read. She had exceptionally high score throughout her academic career. With no background of economics or related experience, I was a bit skeptical as to whether I should be interviewing her or not. But there was a spark in her potential which prompted me to get back to her. In after 2 days, I gave a call on the mobile number that was mentioned in the resume. She didn't pick up. I left her a message to call me back. And needless to say, I wasn't surprised that she didn't pick up the call as she seemed to be quite unpredictable.

The next day she called. “Hello Mr. Connors. I am extremely sorry for not answering your call. I was in the middle of an emergency.” “No problem, Aditi.” I said. “This is regarding the job that you requested for. Would you mind dropping in sometime today and let us know something about yourself in detail?” “Yes sure. I will be there at 4 pm today. Is that fine with you?” “Yes” I said and she disconnected the call. At around 4:30, she stormed into my cabin. “Hello sir, it is a pleasure to meet you again.” she said by offering her small hands for a hand shake. I was quite amused by the way she was being all formal but I knew she was quite uncomfortable and wasn't being herself. “Hello Aditi. Please sit.” Although she had no experience in the field, I was quite impressed by the way she answered my questions. She seemed quite well-read and was aware about the gold market. I had decided to hire her for our firm. “So when can you join us?” I asked. “Now.” she said smiling. I quite liked her transparency. My preconceived notions about Indian women being shy and timid washed away. “You can join us from tomorrow.” I said.

Since the day Aditi joined, it seemed like she added a whiff of energy breathed into the work place. She would keep everyone upbeat, laugh, share and make the best of every moment. Not only that, she would see to it that every task is taken care of perfectly as there was no way we could be careless with what we did. One day, after everyone left for work, she and I were the last one to leave. She was waiting outside probably for her cab when it started raining. “It's quite late. Do you want me to walk you home?”  I asked. She reluctantly agreed and we started chit-chatting on our way. I couldn't stop looking at the water droplets clinging to the strands of her hair.

“So how is London turning out to be?” I asked. “Mr. Connors...” “You can call me Will.” I interrupted. “Will, quite frankly, it is turning out to be a nightmare.” “What??? Why??” I exclaimed. “If you don't mind telling me.” I added. “Well, I was conned.” she said. “Conned?” “Into what?” I questioned again. “Into marriage. I was married off to an Indian guy who is a dentist in Whitton. When I reached here, I found out that he already had a girlfriend who lived in with him.”

“How is that possible? Why did the guy marry you?” I asked “I wonder why. But with Indian families, it is mostly due to parental pressure. The entire scenario was a huge shock. The next day, he left me stranded at the airport asking me to leave the city at the earliest. He wouldn't even give me the divorce” “I can't believe someone as educated as a doctor would do something like this.” I said. “I know. I didn't inform my parents as they would be worried. And that is exactly why I was looking for a job so desperately.” she said. “Phew!” I sighed. “And why didn't you tell me about this ever before?” “Never got a chance to do so.” she said. “So what next?” I asked. I am planning to approach solicitors from a firm based in Twickenham. They might help me to set my divorce procedure straight.”

There was something special about that night. We chatted all night long on the bench outside her house and exchanged numbers. Aditi was always on my mind and I had never come across a woman as strong her. I fancied every moment that I spent with her. In order to make myself look good at workplace, I often used to visit a Reflexology clinic in Richmond. I have finally gathered the guts to ask her out. Even if it is a no, I will keep up with my efforts. I feel that she deserves better things in life. As my everyday habit, I am making the to do list and reading through it. Visit the hairdresser in Epsom. One of the points says. And the next task says, “Ask Aditi out.” I hope I can do it. I am sleeping with fingers crossed tonight.