Free Trouble Has a New Name by Adite Banerjie

broke his heart to sell off Wazwan, which had been his father’s legacy and so much a part ofhis growing up years, but then what other option did he have?
    All he wanted was to survive and make sure Ma and Meera were taken care of. He joined a small chain of eateries as assistant manager, where he had met Shiva. Patient, practical, compassionate Shiva had been the emotional anchor he hadn’t realised he needed. Soon after, Pia had entered his life and in less than a year had exited it again. Stripping him of every shred of self-esteem. Making him feel like such a loser. His only thought had been of escape.
    ‘What happened next?’ Rayna prompted and he snapped back to the present.
    Fate had stepped in to give him the break that he craved—a phone call from an old schoolmate who was looking for someone who could help convert a tourist lodge into a hotel in the Andaman Islands. He had lunged at the chance. The attractive salary they offered would help in getting the best treatment for Meera.
    ‘I applied for the job of supervising the renovation project and landed up here.’
    The property owners were more than happy to find someone who would relocate to a remote island in the Andamans and they were willing to overlook his lack of experience in the field. ‘So here I was, learning from scratch…about water management, using local materials, handling labour issues, dealing with the authorities.’
    It was just what he had needed—an escape from the torturous memories of his shattered relationship with Pia, from his guilt at not being able to do enough for Meera and his mother, from everything that was familiar and tinged with the dark colours of pain. He had exiled himself to the furthest corner of the country. Theonly two persons he would contact were Ma and Dr Banerjee, Meera’s psychiatrist.
    ‘Just when the resort was nearing completion, the lease owners decided to sell off their stake to the investors who were backing them. The property changed hands and Chris came into the picture. He had exciting plans for the project and many of our ideas complemented each other. He offered me a stake in the property and I readily accepted.’ He had invested a part of the money from the sale of Wazwan and it had grown into a sizeable nest egg, which came in handy. As for the rest, he had been able to secure it through bank loans.
    ‘Whoa!’ she said. ‘Impressive! But it couldn’t have been as easy as you make it out. You didn’t miss your family, your friends?’
    If only she knew how much he had missed being there for Meera and his mother when they needed him most! But, given their precarious financial situation, he didn’t have the luxury of choice.
    He shrugged enigmatically. ‘As they say, you have to lose something to gain something—clichéd but true.’
    The steel was back in those grey eyes. Rayna knew better than to push him for more details. For a brief moment he had given her a glimpse into his inner world—and she realised without a shred of doubt that it was one of those rare times he had opened up to anyone.
    As Neel swerved the Jeep onto a narrow winding road, she spied tantalising glimpses of the blue-green ocean through the lush greenery. Within moments they were at the beach. The most stunning view greeted them—emerald waters and silver sands spread out as far as the eye could see, with coconut palms hugging the shore all along. The sky had shed its early morningblues and was turning a brighter orangey-yellow. ‘Gorgeous!’
    Yes, indeed she was gorgeous, thought Neel, as she pushed open the door, swung her long legs out and headed towards Julie and the TV crew. He’d better watch out before she had him wrapped around her little finger.
    Julie was shaking her head in disbelief. ‘It’s difficult to imagine such a deserted spot anywhere in India. It’s almost like a private beach.’
    Neel smiled. ‘Welcome to Emerald Isle.’
    ‘Is that the original name for the island?’ asked Julie.