February 5, 2011 was my last working day at a prominent multimedia concern at Okhla, Delhi. For reasons best known to them, after hiring me in end-October they decided there was no place on board for me by Feb. I had actually worked just 2 months for them, i.e. from December 2011 to Jan 2012.
This was the first step of what was to be a long and eventful journey. Our baby boy Dwayne came to us on Makar Sankranti, viz 14 Jan at Holy Family hospital, Okhla. Queenie always maintains that the job was god-sent, as I got lots of time to be with her in hospital during the lunch breaks. The hospital and the office were a stone's throw away.
But when the axe fell - for no apparent reason - we did not know what to do, except pray. In the teeth of good sense, we celebrated baba's christening on 27 Feb. Manish Kusumwal of Capitol hotels at the Ashoka gallantly offered to bring his cook along and stir up a rousing chicken xacuti to serve the guests we had invited. Dad came from Goa, and my sister and her family came from Pune.
Meanwhile I kept looking for a job. Time was not on my side and a senior position in editorial was not easy to come by. Besides there was baby to look after and mama was recovering.
Slowly we got around to the realisation that Delhi was not to be the place to be. We furtively asked dad if we could come down and stay with him - and he agreed.
A year now, we are happy to be together in Vasco, Goa. Maybe I could not spend much time when mum was there, but I'd like to now. I have a job I enjoy - as a teacher in college. I come home for lunch and I have the time to write.
I am thankful that I was asked to leave that job - because it gave me the pretext to do what I always wanted, i.e. come home.
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