07-02-2023, 03:58 PM
"So Mansiji, how long have you lived in Bombay?" he broke the silence.
"Eight years. And please don't call me ji, Duttsahab. You are my elder." Mansi respectfully said, remembering her manners.
"Are you calling me an old foggy?" Dutt feigned feeling hurt.
"No no, I didn't mean it like that." Mansi immediately explained.
"Haha, relax. I am just joking. Okay, I will call you just Mansi."
"Hehe." she smiled.
Although she had initially been disappointed to see him there, as time went by, she got used to his presence. Dutt was a very charming old man, great at conversations.
"Eight years...do you like it here?" he asked.
"It is what it is." she shrugged.
"I can never get used to Bombay, although I have been coming here for decades. The humidity, the crowds, the smells...it's all so overwhelming."
"Yes, that it is."
"Very different from Meerut, huh?"
"Very different."
That's when Reena came out with a class of juice for Mansi.
"Don't tell me you are chewing her ear off already, Duttsahab." she said jovially. "Mansi, this man can talk the paint off the walls."
She laughed, as did Dutt. Mansi politely joined in as she took the juice.
"So...I have my two dear old friends here. I wish we could go out for lunch. But I have a ticking clock. So I just ordered some room service for us. Hope that is okay."
"Of course." Mansi said. She was looking forward to whatever yummy pricey food aunty would order now.
"By the way, Duttsahab is a business tycoon in Delhi. He owns factories, theaters, retail stores, and what else I am sure even he can't remember."
"Don't embarrass me, Reena." Dutt smiled with false modesty. "It's just god's grace. Nothing more. What business is your husband into, Mansi?"
"He isn't in business. He is a college professor. History."
"Oh history? It was my favorite subject in college. If I hadn't gotten into business, I too would have ended up in the world of history. I need to meet professor sahab sometime and pick his brains. What is his specialty?"
"World war 2."
"Oh, I love that topic. Blitz Krieg. Battle of the Bulge. Vichy France. The siege of..."
Mansi winced a little bit, which Reena noticed.
"Yes yes Duttsahab. you are very learned. Stop it." she jumped in.
"What happened? Did I say something wrong?"
"She is married to a history professor. I am sure she gets to hear all this non stop. Don't bore her more."
Again the two laughed. And Mansi joined in.
"Is it true, Mansi? Do you find history boring?" Dutt asked looking into the demure housewife's eyes.
"Not boring as such." Mansi said shrugging. "But you know, when you keep hearing about it all the time..."
"I understand. We shall drop the subject at once. What are your interests? What are your...passions?" Dutt said that last word with a little bit of passion in it himself.
Reena said to herself, take it easy, old man. Don't overdo it.
"My interests?" Mansi was taken aback.
"Yes, what do you love? What excites you?"
He looked at her as did Reena. Mansi couldn't think of anything to say. No one had asked her this before. She herself hadn't really thought about it ever. The only life she knew was of a housewife and a mother.
"My daughter."
"That's not what I am talking about. Everyone is passionate about their kids. I have three of them myself. Two daughters and a son. With kids of their own. What i am asking you is, outside of your family and your commitments and responsibilities, what excites you?"
Mansi had no answer.
"Will you stop grilling her, Duttsahab?" Reena reached over and slapped him on his arm. "That's the problem with you tycoons. Every interaction is an interview."
"It's okay." Mansi smiled. "I just haven't thought about it."
"Ok, here's an old test. Let's say someone gave you unlimited amounts of money. After buying a great house, setting aside money for kids etc etc. What would you spend it on?"
"Tra..."
"Don't say travel. Everyone likes to travel."
That's when there was a knock on the door.
"The food is here." Reena said and got up to open it. "Let's move to the dining table."
A waiter came in with a trolley of food.as Mansi and Dutt walked to the ornate glass table by the edge of the suite. As he started uncovering and putting the bowls on the table, Mansi realized that it was Chinese food. She liked Chinese food. The kind they had from street carts once in a while at Pinky's insistence. But this looked very different.
"Please, have a seat." Reena said. "I hope you like Chinese food, Mansi. This is real Chinese food from our hotel's highly rated restaurant. The chef is from Shanghai."
Mansi nodded absent-minded like she was thinking of something else. The waiter put big plates out and started serving them noodles, a couple of different chicken dishes, and some appetizers.
"Paintings." Mansi suddenly said.
"Excuse me, ma'am?" the waiter asked.
"Dutt sahab." she turned to him. "If I had an unlimited amount of money, I would buy paintings. Maybe even buy a museum. Buy a lot of art supplies and spend the whole day painting."
"Ah, that's the kind of answer I was looking for." he gently touched the back of her chair. "So you are an artist?"
"No. I wouldn't say that." she blushed. "I just like to draw and paint. Your favorite subject in college was history. Mine was arts and crafts. I always won a lot of prizes in college contests."
"Eight years. And please don't call me ji, Duttsahab. You are my elder." Mansi respectfully said, remembering her manners.
"Are you calling me an old foggy?" Dutt feigned feeling hurt.
"No no, I didn't mean it like that." Mansi immediately explained.
"Haha, relax. I am just joking. Okay, I will call you just Mansi."
"Hehe." she smiled.
Although she had initially been disappointed to see him there, as time went by, she got used to his presence. Dutt was a very charming old man, great at conversations.
"Eight years...do you like it here?" he asked.
"It is what it is." she shrugged.
"I can never get used to Bombay, although I have been coming here for decades. The humidity, the crowds, the smells...it's all so overwhelming."
"Yes, that it is."
"Very different from Meerut, huh?"
"Very different."
That's when Reena came out with a class of juice for Mansi.
"Don't tell me you are chewing her ear off already, Duttsahab." she said jovially. "Mansi, this man can talk the paint off the walls."
She laughed, as did Dutt. Mansi politely joined in as she took the juice.
"So...I have my two dear old friends here. I wish we could go out for lunch. But I have a ticking clock. So I just ordered some room service for us. Hope that is okay."
"Of course." Mansi said. She was looking forward to whatever yummy pricey food aunty would order now.
"By the way, Duttsahab is a business tycoon in Delhi. He owns factories, theaters, retail stores, and what else I am sure even he can't remember."
"Don't embarrass me, Reena." Dutt smiled with false modesty. "It's just god's grace. Nothing more. What business is your husband into, Mansi?"
"He isn't in business. He is a college professor. History."
"Oh history? It was my favorite subject in college. If I hadn't gotten into business, I too would have ended up in the world of history. I need to meet professor sahab sometime and pick his brains. What is his specialty?"
"World war 2."
"Oh, I love that topic. Blitz Krieg. Battle of the Bulge. Vichy France. The siege of..."
Mansi winced a little bit, which Reena noticed.
"Yes yes Duttsahab. you are very learned. Stop it." she jumped in.
"What happened? Did I say something wrong?"
"She is married to a history professor. I am sure she gets to hear all this non stop. Don't bore her more."
Again the two laughed. And Mansi joined in.
"Is it true, Mansi? Do you find history boring?" Dutt asked looking into the demure housewife's eyes.
"Not boring as such." Mansi said shrugging. "But you know, when you keep hearing about it all the time..."
"I understand. We shall drop the subject at once. What are your interests? What are your...passions?" Dutt said that last word with a little bit of passion in it himself.
Reena said to herself, take it easy, old man. Don't overdo it.
"My interests?" Mansi was taken aback.
"Yes, what do you love? What excites you?"
He looked at her as did Reena. Mansi couldn't think of anything to say. No one had asked her this before. She herself hadn't really thought about it ever. The only life she knew was of a housewife and a mother.
"My daughter."
"That's not what I am talking about. Everyone is passionate about their kids. I have three of them myself. Two daughters and a son. With kids of their own. What i am asking you is, outside of your family and your commitments and responsibilities, what excites you?"
Mansi had no answer.
"Will you stop grilling her, Duttsahab?" Reena reached over and slapped him on his arm. "That's the problem with you tycoons. Every interaction is an interview."
"It's okay." Mansi smiled. "I just haven't thought about it."
"Ok, here's an old test. Let's say someone gave you unlimited amounts of money. After buying a great house, setting aside money for kids etc etc. What would you spend it on?"
"Tra..."
"Don't say travel. Everyone likes to travel."
That's when there was a knock on the door.
"The food is here." Reena said and got up to open it. "Let's move to the dining table."
A waiter came in with a trolley of food.as Mansi and Dutt walked to the ornate glass table by the edge of the suite. As he started uncovering and putting the bowls on the table, Mansi realized that it was Chinese food. She liked Chinese food. The kind they had from street carts once in a while at Pinky's insistence. But this looked very different.
"Please, have a seat." Reena said. "I hope you like Chinese food, Mansi. This is real Chinese food from our hotel's highly rated restaurant. The chef is from Shanghai."
Mansi nodded absent-minded like she was thinking of something else. The waiter put big plates out and started serving them noodles, a couple of different chicken dishes, and some appetizers.
"Paintings." Mansi suddenly said.
"Excuse me, ma'am?" the waiter asked.
"Dutt sahab." she turned to him. "If I had an unlimited amount of money, I would buy paintings. Maybe even buy a museum. Buy a lot of art supplies and spend the whole day painting."
"Ah, that's the kind of answer I was looking for." he gently touched the back of her chair. "So you are an artist?"
"No. I wouldn't say that." she blushed. "I just like to draw and paint. Your favorite subject in college was history. Mine was arts and crafts. I always won a lot of prizes in college contests."
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