chapter 13

Chapter 13The golden cage“My father is a self-made man, Anu, I don’t know if you know that,” Chintan said after they ordered a light lunch.“Then he should know how to respect others.”Chintan didn’t comment on that, but said, “As a matter of fact, I think the reason he is giving you so much responsibility is because he respects your talent. But, please give his ego some concession – he just doesn’t know how not to show it.”Anu looked at him with something akin to contempt. She wished he would stop making excuses for his father. “Chintan, I don’t care what he knows and doesn’t know. What matters is how he treats me and how I feel.”He inclined his head. “You are right, that is how we all operate. But if you have to work around it, then, in a way, his attitude serves you better.”She turned her head away, “Not interested.”He leaned forward and said softly, “Anu, my life has been spent learning to deal with him.”She turned back, her eyes on his. The quiet dignity and the still calmness of his face quelled any attempts at sympathising; if anything, it evoked a certain wonder. “Must have been tough,” she said, fumbling.He shrugged. “Who doesn’t have flaws? But knowing what it is gives you some sort of bargaining power. Because, you realise that that toughness is just an exterior. Inside is an insecure man, trying to cling to his sense of power. And he seeks approval from those around him all the time.”She watched him quietly, knowing that at least this was one flaw Chintan would never suffer from. He had an inner strength that gave him a presence that was hard to ignore, an imperturbability that was hard to shake.“If he beats you down one minute, he wants to show his generosity the next.” She heard him say.“What do you mean?”Chintan said thoughtfully, “My father loves to show his power, simply put. I can almost bet that having shown you how strong he is, how much he holds you in his power, he will now want to show you how generous he is. In your case, it would be a hike, a promotion… or both.”She remained speechless. Struggling for words, she blurted out, “Chintan! I…I mean…do you…is this how cheap…desperate I sound? I need to work, but not this badly.”“I didn’t mean it that way,” he said hastily. “I know it is tough dealing with my dad, but that makes it easy to get some things done.”She shook her head. “My self-respect, Chintan! How can all this compensate for that?”Oh how inscrutable the man could be! One moment he had been all sympathy, and now suddenly, a mask hid his feelings. “I know…” he said after a brief silence. “But what can words do beyond a point? Who will not respect you for your work? What can his insults do to you?”She stared at him, trying to get her thoughts right. Then she shook her head. “You are his son. He may have wanted your approval. Who am I?”He chuckled, “When you are a public figure, Anu, everybody matters. Even my gardener has enough sense to grab every opportunity he gets.”She was about to protest when Chintan surged on. “Why, your own friend Ganesh used this trick effectively… How else do you think he could have become the editor in such a short time, and later the CEO?”Anu felt the ground under her feet slipping. “Ganesh?” Chintan nodded. “H-how do you know!” She guessed, of course.“I used to intern here…maybe six years back? Were you there then?”She shook her head. “In college.”As he didn’t pursue the topic, she urged him, “Something similar happened to Ganesh?”Chintan nodded, “He was ready to resign one moment, like you, and then, ready to make the best use of the opportunity that it presented…” She heard the bitterness in his voice.Anu felt her throat constricting. “He has merit,” she said weakly.Chintan laughed. “Nobody is denying that! You have too! That’s why I am telling you this.”Anu fell silent, ploughing through her food silently. Chintan finished and sat back, smiling amusedly at her. “Dog eat dog world?” he asked. “Yes, it feels dirty and cheap. But…” he shrugged, “If it gets results, why not? I am not asking you to do anything low, after all, am I?”She shook her head slowly. But she remembered Mr. Arya’s flushed face, his eyes full of anger and his words full of poison.Chintan leaned forward again. “Go home, sleep it off. Tomorrow is another day.” Anu looked at him, her eyes swimming. He gave her a tissue. “You can deal with this.”Wiping her hands, she asked him, “Why are you helping me like this? Why do you…want me to continue?”Chintan studied her silently, his eyes soft on her face, making her heart race. “It becomes a habit at some point...” he started to say. He paused. Finally, almost as if the words were wrenched out of his mouth, he said, “And I can’t see you suffering…” His voice was thick and laden with an emotion that he struggled to hide, leaving her miserably uncertain of what he meant.