One step closer. Chapter 3 - Dinner for two

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When I go to the office and talk to Manoj, I understand that what I had wasn't a dream or a nightmare, but a premonition. Hmph!

Adi and I will be working together on a project now? Why? I have worked with many of my colleagues here and Adi is always in the loop. But this is different - this time, we will be working together. Why isn't there anyone else in the team? I understand it is the studios personal project and we can't invest too many resources on it - but Adi is not easy to please. This is going to be difficult.

I walk up to Adi and he looks like he's heard the news already. And he looks as uninterested as ever. Does he even want to work with me?

I sit down and go through the project file. The concept is good and I'll have a lot to learn from Adi, but I am so scared. We don't really make a good team, why did Manoj have to pair us up?

I get a barrage of texts from Adi.

'Did you go through the project draft?'

'I've some ideas for the background design'

'Can we discuss them now? Or should we talk about them once you are done with the preliminary designs?'

'Let me know what you think.'

Wow. He sure jumps right in.

'Ok. I'll go through the draft once again and let you know' I text him.

This is our studio's own project - an animated film - we wish to showcase it at a couple of art conventions and then plan for a limited theatrical release.

Four months into the project, we've made quite some progress with the film but things between us have gotten worse. Working with him closely made me realize how annoying and inflexible he is. He nitpicks on every little detail and, god,  it gets on my nerves.

I understand that this project is very special for the studio and to him, he wrote it, but why did he agree to have me work on it if he's not happy with my work?

"Another change?" asks Shyam as I grudgingly open my lunch box.

I nod.

If not for Shyam, Siri, Manoj, and Karthik, I would have felt so alone here. Manoj has always been extra kind and nice to me. Shyam is a sweetheart. He's just so gentle. Siri has been working in the animation field for much longer than all of us and she's like a guiding light. And Karthik is my first team member after joining the studio, and he continues to be my best bud. There are a couple of others in the studio, but these are the ones I'm closest to. They are the ones I consider my friends. Finally there's Adi, and I don't know if I can call him a friend yet. Acquaintance. Colleague. Boss.

"What's happening here?" Manoj walks towards us.

"Lunch," Shyam smiles.

"Oh! What have we got today?," Manoj joins us and we share our food and some banter.

I run my eyes around to look at where Adi is and I find him going into the kitchen. It must be difficult for him, having his office and home merged into one.

When I newly joined this place I wanted to stay here for a good while, but now I wish we could move to a different office. It's starting to feel like the studio has invaded his personal space. Also he might want to go home on time as everyone else if the studio is somewhere else, and I will not have to stay overtime with him almost everyday.

Six hours later, I'm still here at work. Adi and I are going head to head at another round of 'this is good' 'no this is good' debate.

We reach a middle ground after a good couple of minutes, saving our keyboards from a certain doom. We slide our eyes away from our computer screens and towards each other - He looks tired. It must be tiresome. Working on the background art for a couple more projects, while working full time on developing this one.

I want to make things easier for him, but some of his ideas are way too elaborate and complex. If I don't step in and stop, he is going to exhaust himself drawing a million tiny details that wouldn't even make it into the frame.

Ours is a relatively new studio, and this is our first personal project on this scale. I understand his urge to pack it with amazing details and breathtaking visuals, but with the resources and time we have on hand, it is going to be a very difficult task, so we have to draw the line somewhere. I think that's where I come in. He's the imagination so I become the reason.

'Let's eat,' he signs to me.

I nod.

This has become another norm for us. As I almost work overtime these days, we eat together before calling it a day.

***

It all started because of him. He said he felt sorry for holding me back at work almost everyday, so he offered to feed me. I was super hungry that day and I agreed. He ordered food from outside and continued to do so for the next couple of days. I obliged because I didn't want nanna to wait for me everyday. Eating at the studio felt convenient.

"Do you order food everyday?" I asked him one day.

He shook his head.

"Then?" I probed.

He took his notepad out and wrote - 'I don't cook very well. When it's just me I'd eat bread with milk and go to sleep.'

"What about Mornings?" I asked.

'Coffee,' he wrote on his notepad. 'And Manoj gets me my lunch.'

"Oh," I said, not knowing how else to react. So he has been ordering food because of me.

After giving it a thought, I said "I'll have food at home from tomorrow, you don't have to do this for me."

'Why?' he signed.

"We can't order food everyday, I can just go home to eat," I explained. I couldn't just tell him that I don't want him to blow a hole in his bank balance.

He gave me a slow nod.

I thought our eating together days had ended, but the next day when I was getting ready to leave, he stopped me. He made me sit in the conference room, and brought me a glass lunch box, filled with rice, some kinda dal, and a curry. I stared at it in disbelief.

On the box there's a note that said 'I did not order these. I cooked them in the morning.'

"You made these?" I asked, looking at him.

He nodded.

He went back into the kitchen and brought another box for himself.

"You didn't have to do this," I said. It was too much effort.

He took his notepad out and scribbled something real quick and passed it to me.'Eat before you leave. It'll be late by the time you reach home.'

"But," I tried to say something else, but he cut me off.

'Eat,' he signed, while pushing the lunchbox towards me.

He started eating and I followed his lead. I will not say it tasted great, but I liked it. I understood why nanna never complains even if my food tastes bad. It's the effort.

"Thank you," I said, as we cleaned up. He nodded.

Adi continued cooking for the next couple of days, and he started getting better at it. I thought it was unfair to make him put all that extra effort. So, I suggested that I'd bring food from home and we could heat it up and eat at night, but he didn't agree. After a lot of back and forth we decided to alternate.

Today is his turn.

***

I go into the kitchen and he follows me. I get the plates. He heats up the food. We grab a dish each and walk into the conference room. As I set them up, he goes back to get the water bottle. We eat together. If I bring the food, he does the dishes. If he cooks, I do the dishes. We have a neat little system going on for us, and it runs quite smoothly. I guess three and half months of eating together does that to people. We get very familiarized with the routine.

We don't really talk or argue during these dinners though. We might be at each other's necks during the day, but it all quiets down at dinner. This time is our peace offering to each other.

"Thank you," I sign as I pick my bag from the desk.

He always looks right at me whenever I walk to him. Even if he seems engrossed in work, the moment I walk up to him, or look at him, I find him looking back at me. His senses are extremely sharp.

"Careful on your way. Text me when you get back home," He signs.

"Good night," I say while nodding.

It is a little walk from the studio to the bus stop. It has been almost ten months since I first walked on this street. Adi is the one I first met and he turned out to be the one I spend most of my time with. I still remember the confused look he gave me when I met him here. I thought he was scary. He still is, but I guess I'm not so scared anymore.

The bus arrives right on time.I get on.

I see nanna waiting by the door as I turn into our lane.

"Nanna... I told you to go to bed," I say as I walk into the house.

"Ok..i'll go now. Good Night," He smiles.

I smile back at him. He's just the sweetest.

I go to bed, thinking about what to cook for tomorrow's dinner. Not beans. He doesn't like them. Or carrots.

***

We are finally done. It's been eight months since the project began. At first it was just Adi and I working on the screenplay, the character designs, and the background design. After working by ourselves for four months, others joined in. The film is ready and it turned out so well.

Our little dinner party for two, hosts about 6 people now. Siri, Karthik, Shyam, Fathima, Adi & I.

The system remains the same though, all of us alternate between bringing food and doing dishes. Sometimes Manoj joins us. He's not really working on this project, but he's always around.

"Good job everyone," says Manoj. "You guys are the best."

"Words are not enough," snorts Shyam. "We need a vacation. We deserve a holiday."

"True," agrees Siri.

Karthik is quiet. So am I. I didn't think about a holiday. Ever since I joined the studio, I did not get to take a leave. Though I worked overtime a lot, I was never exhausted. Our team is great and it made work all the more enjoyable. Also, the overtime pay really helped. And the food.

"Yes. Of course. All of you will get a vacation," assures Manoj. "I promise."

Adi turns to Manoj and signs something. Though I've come to understand a couple of signs, I'm nowhere as fluent as them and I don't quite understand what Adi is saying.

I feel left out. I know I shouldn't, but I wish I could do it too. He seems to be so at ease signing. Apart from Manoj, Shyam and Siri can sign quite well. They must have put in a lot of effort to learn it.

Adi must have too. When the world is speaking a language you can't hear, but expects you to understand it, I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for him. That is why I respect Manoj and others a lot more, they tried to learn the language Adi speaks. They didn't settle for him understanding them, they wanted to communicate with him. I respect them. I envy them. Do they have inside jokes?

"Sanju," calls Manoj, and it brings me out of my thoughts.

I look at him and others. Everyone is looking at me.

"Are you so happy that you're speechless?", he smiles.

I don't understand what he is saying. I look at Fathima to get a clue.

"You are first," says Fathima. She looks happy.

"For what?", I mouth.

"Vacation! You are getting 3 weeks," says Shyam. It's more of an excited cheer, and yes, vacation sounds good.

"Really! 3 weeks?", I question.

"Of Course. And paid." He says. Now this is too good to be true.

"Good for you, Sanju," Shouts Fathima, and that makes me believe in it.

Wow. Nanna will be so happy. He has been asking me to take a day off, but I've been putting it off since there's too much to do at work.

"Thank you," I smile. I am thankful that they are letting me take the vacation first.

I look at Adi, and I find him looking back at me. I avert my gaze. I don't know why. Why did I do it?

Conversations, laughter, and some friendly banter flows with time and before I notice it's already time to leave. I say goodbye to everyone and to him. It'll be 3 weeks before I see him again...see them again. But I guess I needed this. It has been a quick fourteen months here and it went by in a wisp. I need time to rewind and just be.

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