Bombay Heights- Sleepless in the City of Dreams

by Adite Banerjie

  No sooner had his eyes closed than he heard someone banging on the door. Cursing the caller to hell and back, he trudged to the door and threw it open.

  “What the f---”

  Standing outside were six of his friends. The tallest among them—a heavyset strapping Sikh who went by the unlikely name of Lovely Singh—was holding up two crates of beer. Sonia, who looked like she was ready for a night out, said, “Gosh, Ash, you look like death warmed up!”

  “What the f--- man! What are you guys doing here?” Ash cried.

  “You called us for your housewarming party tonight, don’t you remember?” said Lovely. “It’s time to party.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Really, Ash, seems like you’re back to smoking pot. Come on, you shouldn’t hide the good dope from your best friends,” winked the petite Neena, as she pushed her way past him into the living room.

  “Hey guys, let’s do this tomorrow? The last twenty-four hours have been hellish.”

  Amrish, Jaideep and Victor groaned in chorus.

  “C’mon, man!” Victor protested. “You can’t throw us out.”

  Neena blew smoke into his face and handed him her cigarette. “Here, take a puff and chill, dude!”

  Ash ducked away from her. “Neena, you know, I haven’t touched weed in several months now.”

  “Since when have you become such a crashing bore? Anyway, now that we’re here you aren’t getting rid of us that easily.”

  She moved into the living room and the others followed her lead. Neena headed straight for the music system. She fiddled with the controls and soon the room was filled with the sonorous voice of Ella Fitzgerald.

  Neena sighed and said, “You know Ash, you have excellent taste in music. You’re forgiven for being such a terrible host.”

  Pulling Ash away from the door, she headed straight for the couch. “Now sit down and we’ll organize some food. Pizza, okay with everyone?”

  A chorus of ‘yeahs’ went up. Ash gave up the struggle. Dumbass had already gone into party mode—greeting his friends and being lavished with praise and cuddles. He might as well splash some water on his face and throw on a shirt.

  He turned to close the door that was still wide open. Music blared loudly and he hoped Sanjana would make an appearance. He had not seen her for what seemed an aeon—ever since that mind-blowing kiss in the pub. His tiredness evaporated into thin air as he saw the door to her apartment open.

  Sanjana emerged, a shopping bag slung on one shoulder.

  “Hey,” Ash called out.

  Her gaze lingered briefly on his naked torso before she averted her eyes. He didn’t miss the fact she was flustered by his appearance.

  “Hey.”

  She stabbed at the elevator button and Ash felt an urge to reach out and pull her in his arms.

  He approached her and covered her fingers with his.

  “Aren’t you coming for my housewarming party?”

  “Ah…well…” She pulled her fingers away from his grasp. “I have a lot of work to finish. But Pinky will—”

  He recaptured her hand, tangling his fingers with hers, “I promise I won’t kiss you, unless you beg me to.”

  Her eyes flew to his face. The grave manner in which he spoke was totally at odds with the sparkle in his eyes and his lopsided grin.

  He was dying to suck her eminently kissable lower lip which she was now worrying with her teeth.

  “Stop it, Ash.” Her protest was breathy and fanned the flame of his desire even harder.

  He knew she wanted him to kiss her as much as he did her—and he wasn’t going to make it easy for her. He was wicked that way.

  “So, let’s strike a deal. You come to my party and I will be a good boy.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “You’ll have to kiss me for breaking my heart.”

  “Heads or tails, you win?”

  He shrugged. “I never said I play fair.”

  She just shook her head at a loss for words.

  He leaned against the wall and watched the play of emotions on her face. He noticed how her eyes became large and luminous as they darted away from his naked chest.

  “And you’re just going to stand there till I say yes?”

  “Looks can be deceptive. Actually, I’m praying very, very hard for you to say no.”

  He grinned back at her and a glimmer of a smile twitched her lips.

  “You’re impossible!”

  “I have been called worse names,” he shrugged. “So what’s it gonna be?”

  “No…” She gave him a coy look. And as he leaned towards her, she said, “yes….yes…I’ll come.’’

  “You’re a tease, lady.”

  “I’ve been called worse names.”

  Her flirtatious giggle made his heart go bump and he was tempted to go back on his word and kiss her hard.

  “Now, you definitely are playing with fire,” he intoned in a gruff voice before going back to his apartment. “See you soon.”

  Chapter Nine

  An hour later Sanjana was still toying with the idea of going for Ash’s party. She was shocked at herself for flirting so outrageously with him. To come face to face with a half-naked Ash had been an unnerving experience. She’d tried to remain coherent while resisting the urge to run her palms over the muscled planes. She wondered what it was about Ash that reduced her to a blathering idiot!

  After shopping for groceries, she decided she’d call his bluff and avoid the party altogether. He would be too busy entertaining his friends to worry about her. By the time she arrived home, Pinky was working herself into a tizzy over what she should wear. She had discarded three outfits already and was parading in front of the mirror in her fourth selection of the evening.

  Sanjana was used to her friend’s dressing up theatrics and had learnt to make the right sounds and gestures from time to time.

  ‘I think you should wear the blue earrings you bought the other day,’ she advised.

  Pinky fired the next question. “Hair up or down?”

  Sanjana was ready with her answer like one of those makeover experts on TV shows. “Up. You want to show off those lovely loops, don’t you?”

  Finally, after much fuss and flourish, Pinky appeared looking radiant and all ready to party. She stood in front of Sanjana accusingly, “You’re not ready yet!”

  “I’ll work for an hour or so and drop in for a while.”

  “Are you trying to give it a miss?”

  “Um…of course not. It’s just that I have to finish some drawings for the client tomorrow. You carry on and have fun.”

  Pinky gave her a suspicious look. “I hope you’re not chickening out. And if you do, I’ll come and drag you away.”

  Sanjana rolled her eyes and shooed her away.

  As soon as Pinky left she dug into her bag and pulled out her notebook, sketch pad and pen. She had filled up several pages of notes during her chat with Jeroobai and Pestonji. Their stories had been fascinating and had helped her imagine vividly what life had been like for them. Based on that, she planned to draw up crucial elements of the building which could help recreate an authentic look for the renovation work.

  Jeroobai had been very excited when she had done a rough sketch and discussed her approach with her. She suggested that Sanjana could use the pictures and documents that were in her possession to rework some of the plans.

  This was a definite way forward and she hoped Sir and Sunrita would not feel she was overstepping her brief. Right now, she didn’t want to worry about it. She was eager to see if her plan would work. Besides, if she had Jeroobai on her side, convincing Sir and Sunrita wouldn’t be difficult.

  She set to work and totally lost track of time. After finishing a few sketches, she was more than pleased with the outcome. She couldn’t wait to show them to Ash. He might be able to run her drawings on his 3D software. Wow, now that was an idea!

  A loud knock on the door accompanied by the continuous ringing of the door
bell made her look up. It had been more than an hour and a half since Pinky had left.

  Running to the door she opened it to find Ash standing, arms akimbo. Every thought of work was snuffed out at the sight of him in a sheer white shirt over cream khakis. His hair was slicked back as if he had just had a shower. He cocked an eyebrow at her.

  “You have reneged on your promise.”

  Suddenly the whole atmosphere changed. Her heart tripped a beat and her throat went dry. Her gaze dropped to his delectable lips. Would he extract his punishment? The thought made her heart accelerate its speed.

  “I have been more than fair, don’t you think?”

  He whispered as he moved in closer towards her and into the apartment.

  Her heart was thumping hard against her chest and she turned away from him, only to have him reach out and grab her hand.

  “I was about to come…”

  His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “I think I’ve waited long enough for you to show up and I’m here to—”

  He pulled her up against him and she could feel her resistance fall away.

  She looked into his eyes and nearly came undone at the blazing desire in them.

  Before she could succumb to the temptation, she pushed herself away from him, “The party isn’t over yet. Give me two minutes to get ready.”

  She didn’t miss his muttered “temptress” oath as she rushed away to her room. For some strange reason a wave of happiness swirled in her heart.

  The party was in full flow. Soft lights had completely transformed the room. A small section had been cleared out for dancing. Lively music blared over the speakers. The hum of laughter, conversation and tinkling glasses reverberated. A slight haze of smoke hung in the air as a hookah made the rounds.

  Sanjana laughed at Pinky’s antics who was valiantly trying to teach Lovely—owner of two left feet, who towered over his petite dance teacher by at least a foot—how to jive.

  The host of the party was headed straight towards her with a drink in his hand. Most of those around her were in various stages of intoxication—induced by weed and alcohol. While Sanjana didn’t mind the occasional cocktail or glass of wine, she had steered clear of stronger stimulants, after she nearly died of asphyxiation the first time she had experimented with marijuana in Chetan’s company.

  “Here you go, vodka with orange juice.”

  Ash handed her the drink and squeezed into the tiny space on the couch next to her. She didn’t need vodka to feel high. His presence was more than enough. She took a sip…perhaps it might help relax her nerves which jumped around like crazy every time Ash was anywhere in the room.

  Jaideep passed the hookah to Ash.

  “Want a puff?” Ash asked her.

  “No, thanks…the last time I did, I nearly had to be rushed to hospital.”

  He smiled and passed it on to Neena who was on Sanjana’s left and was deep in conversation with Victor about transcendental meditation.

  “What about you?” she asked Ash.

  “I gave up on weed a few months ago and have been trying to kick the smoking habit altogether. That’s still a bit of a struggle.”

  “To get over addiction always is.”

  His eyes sparkled. “True, and I think I may be developing a new one.”

  She looked at him, eyes wide. “Heroin? Cocaine?”

  He laughed. “Something even more potent….”

  The intensity of his gaze made her stomach dip a notch. She took a sip of her drink for courage. “Your lines are getting cheesier by the minute.”

  He grinned at her unrepentant. “Still worth a shot!”

  She hid her smile behind her glass and said, “Oh by the way, I have come up with a possible solution for the Wadia project. If you have the time tomorrow, perhaps you could take a look at my drawings and tell me what you think.”

  “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we go to your flat and I can check them out right away. I’m curious to see what you have come up with.”

  “Now? And your friends?”

  “Let me tell you a secret about these guys. They need a place to party and my apartment just happened to be available. Besides, they are more interested in depleting my stash.”

  She laughed. “Don’t move. It will take me a couple of minutes to get my sketchpad.”

  He threw up his hands in defeat and sank back into the couch.

  She fetched her pad and soon they were so absorbed in discussing how she could improve the drawings, they barely noticed that the room had emptied out.

  Hoots of laughter from the kitchen made a curious Sanjana look up. Dumbass was weaving his way towards them—unable to hold himself up, his drunken gait causing much merriment.

  “Good heavens,” muttered Sanjana. “What’s wrong with Dumbass?”

  Ash whipped around and just as he did, Dumbass collapsed to the floor. He was next to him in seconds, Sanjana right behind him.

  The dog’s tongue hung out from one side and his eyes were rolling around. He looked like he was having an epileptic fit as spasms shook his little body.

  Ash looked stricken. “What’s happened to him?”

  Jaideep was still laughing uncontrollably. “He’s sloshed, man! I blew some smoke into his face and he freaked out.”

  Ash’s face turned grim. “You punk…you think that’s funny?”

  “Come on, it was just harmless fun. How am I supposed to know dogs get stoned?”

  Neena walked in from the living room, declaring, “Ash, I haven’t had such great stash in a while.”

  Sanjana’s eyes fell on a blob of creamy white substance on the floor.

  “What’s that?” Sanjana pointed to it.

  “Oh my God!” Ash exclaimed. “Obviously someone has dropped some of it.”

  “Oops!” said Neena, looking guiltily at the floor.

  Ash threw a withering look at her. “You guys are really the pits.”

  Sanjana put her hand on his arm. “I think we should take him to a vet right now.”

  “You know of any in the neighbourhood?”

  Sanjana shook her head. A penitent Jaideep pulled out his phone and started a Google search. “Don’t worry, Ash, we’ll find one.”

  Pinky piped up. “Hey, the Vermas who live on the third floor…I have often seen them walk their two dogs. Perhaps…”

  Even before she could finish, Ash dashed off.

  Everyone was now anxious about Dumbass. Jaideep kept up the search on the Net and said, “It’s unlikely that a private vet will be available at this time of the night.”

  Ash had returned and he shrugged. “The Vermas are not in.”

  Jaideep gave a whoop. “There is a 24-hour vet hospital in Parel run by the BSPCA.”

  Lifting Dumbass in his arms, Ash grabbed the keys to his car and headed out. “Text me the location, Jai.”

  Sanjana followed in his heels, “Wait, I’ll come with you.”

  The drive to the hospital was tense. Thankfully, the traffic had eased up in the city that does not sleep. Ash sped down the Bandra-Worli Sea link in record time. She loved the Sea link which bridged two ends of the city over a stretch of the Arabian Sea. It made her feel as if she was literally skimming the surface of the sea—the roar of the waves beneath and the moonlit sky above made for a surreal drive.

  Today, however, with Dumbass whimpering softly in her lap, she barely noticed the big fat moon or heard the rush of wind over the waves. It was well past midnight by the time they reached the hospital.

  Thankfully, the staff at the hospital turned out to be super-efficient and soon Dumbass had been put on drips.

  Ash narrated the sequence of events to the vet as he gave Dumbass a thorough inspection.

  “I don’t think it will be safe to induce vomiting,” he pronounced ominously. “We’ll have to keep the dog under observation.”

  Sanjana asked the vet the question that was uppermost in Ash’s mind.

  “Will he be okay, Doctor?”

  “It all d
epends on how much marijuana he has ingested. It’s a small breed and the potency of the dope can be fatal. We can only hope for the best.”

  As the vet turned away, Ash stroked Dumbass with hands that were shaking.

  “I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to him,” he muttered.

  “He’s going to be fine,” Sanjana consoled him. “You need to think positive.”

  Ash simply nodded and continued to look down at the dog who was barely aware of his presence. A hospital attendant came by and asked them to wait outside. Sanjana and Ash sat down on the metal bench in the corridor.

  Suddenly Ash turned to her and said, “Do you know how Dumbass came into my life?”

  Without waiting for her to reply he said, “Six months ago, I was working at Nariman Point for a client. The lady who had hired me to do the job owned Dumbass. She would bring him in to work every day.”

  Ash leaned back against the bare wall behind him and reminisced. “Dumbass soon became part of the team. One of us would walk him or feed him. But he took a special liking to me. He would sneak under my table and sleep with his head on my feet. And he always begged me for a share of my food.”

  Ash laughed as he remembered. “He was smart enough to detect a sucker and he found one in me. Two weeks into the project, Anita—Dumbass’ owner—told us that the financier had backed out. She paid us our dues and we left. But I had grown attached to Dumbass and a week or so later I went to Anita’s office, only to check on him. The guard in the building told me that Anita had sold the place and moved out. When the landlord came to collect the keys, he found the office empty, except for Dumbass. And the keys were dangling from his collar along with a note.”

  Sanjana gasped in shock.

  “In the note, Anita had asked her landlord to give the dog a home. But the man was not an animal lover.”

  “Oh my God! So what did he do with Dumbass?”

  “He took him to the nearest animal shelter and left him there. As luck would have it, I arrived at Anita’s office a day later. When I landed up at the shelter, Dumbass looked lost and heartbroken. The staff told me he hadn’t eaten anything since he had been left there.”