Page 107 of Made in Mumbai

Gautam ran. He ran like he never had up the parking and into the lobby of his building.

“Gautam Sir? Gautam Sir!” The concierge called out to him. “There’s nobody at your house.”

He stopped, blood draining from his head.Nobody.

“Where is Maya?” He ran to the desk, checking the clock behind him. 9.15 am. “Where’s our baby?”

“Maya madam left with the baby ten minutes ago.”

Gautam stumbled back. He had told her to stay put!Why was she carrying a two-month old around like this? Where was she going?He reached into his pocket but his mobile wasn’t there. He patted both pockets, glancing down, then patting his T-shirt.You fool!His eyes closed. His phone lay somewhere in the garden of his bungalow. He didn’t even know her number by heart.

“Do you know where did she go?” He asked the concierge.

“No, sir. She took an Uber. I helped her load the baby carrier.”

“What about her luggage?”

“Luggage?”

“She didn’t have bags with her?”

“No.”

Gautam’s chest finally expanded. “No bags. Ok, good. Good. Then what did she carry?”

“I don’t know. Lots of files, some cloth rolls under one arm. Baby carrier and baby bag…”

He knew just where she had gone. Gautam didn’t wait to hear any more. He turned on his heel and set off.

————————————————————

He burst through their office gate and the watchman stood to fend him off. Gautam looked down at himself — a wretched sight. The watchman recognised him and stepped back, but Gautam couldn’t help but take stock of his clothes. He was in yesterday’s dirty, white T-shirt that had seen better days. His dark tracks had a spot where MM had spat milk, the back and knees covered in mud as if he had fought a wrestling match. Just what he would be caught wearing during his truck driving days.

Nothing to be done about that now. Once he caught Maya, he would have all the time in the world to look presentable again. He made a beeline for the main entrance, hoping she would still be here. Gautam pushed the office door and there sat Leo, early, doing his usual thing.

“Boss?” He stood to attention. “What happened to you?”

“Maya?” He panted. “Where’s Maya?”

“In her office… but what ha…”

He didn’t wait, just ran, his body not in control of his mind as it threw itself towards his two girls. The co-working space of Made in Mumbai was sparse, only a few employees milling around. He strode to Maya’s office and threw open the door.

“I'm sorry, she started crying…” Hem Sanghvi began to explain, then stopped. His mouth fell open, MM bawling in his arms that he was desperately trying to hold steady. He couldn’t even hold her fully up. Gautam ran to her before he dropped her, snatching his baby, rocking her on his shoulder from side to side.

He glared at the man — “What are you doing here?”

Hem began to retort when recognition dawned. His eyes widened. “Yyou?” He stepped back. Gautam stepped forward, MM slowly going quiet in his arms. “I told you to stay away from these two.”

The man was shocked into silence. That’s when Gautam realised that his tattered clothes and muddy spots made him look like a street fighter. A tapori. He barred his teeth and glared more, taking full advantage.

“I asked you something.”

“I ccc… came to get… Maya’s sign,” he swallowed.

“What sign?” He thundered.

“What’s going on here?” Maya raged from behind him. He turned, his body stilling. There she was, back in her formal avatar, her hair tamed and tied back, her makeup on like in her pre-motherhood days. She looked beautiful even when her eyes spat fire. At him, Gautam realised, not at her reptile of an ex-husband.

---