Page 55 of One Indian Girl
‘I came downstairs for a drink with my team.’
‘Debu? You were supposed to come to my office party for drinks tonight. I wanted to introduce you to everyone!’
‘Stupid politics happening. I have to talk to people. I will come.’
‘When?’
‘In an hour?’
‘It’ll be over. Really, Debu? You had to do your office stuff on the one day I call you?’
‘I got stuck. I can’t tell you the backstabbing that happened here.’
‘Debu,’ I said, my voice confident after the champagne, ‘I don’t care about your office right now. You said you would come.’
‘I thought I might. Listen, it’s just bankers, right? It’s anyway not my scene.’
‘Really? I am a banker too.’
‘You are different. But they talk about money and deals and...’
‘Debu, they are people too. Today, everyone has come with their significant others. I told Craig you are coming. What do I tell him?’
‘That I am stuck at work. What else?’
‘So they’ll think I made up my boyfriend.’
‘What?’
‘Nothing. Bye.’
‘So should I come in an hour or not?’
‘Don’t. Drink with your backstabbing colleagues. It’s okay. Bye.’
I hung up. I picked up a glass of champagne and knocked it down bottoms up. Jonathan noticed me.
‘Someone doesn’t like to go slow and savour their French bubbly,’ he said.
‘Hey, Jonathan,’ I said.
‘Craig told me your boyfriend is coming. Is he here? Would love to say hi.’
‘He’s stuck at work, sadly.’
‘Oh, that’s unfortunate. What does he do?’
I don’t know what the fuck he does, I wanted to say in reflex. His not showing up, the four glasses of champagne and my realization I wasn’t as pretty as Amanda had all added to my frustration. I took a deep breath to compose myself.
‘He works in advertising. On Madison Avenue,’ I managed to say.
‘Oh, nice. The creative type.’
‘I guess.’
‘The banker and the creative. Interesting combination.’
‘Yeah...where’s your wife?’
