“I wish to meet Mr. Pradip Sengupta,” the girl told the security man at the gate.

“Who?” the security man asked rather rudely. Perhaps he was annoyed to see a young girl at the factory gate early in the morning distracting his men’s attention at a time when workers were queuing at the punching area for going out after the night shift.

“Mr Pradip Sengupta, Chemical engineer,” the girl repeated slowly, stressing each syllable.

“Sorry, no such person is working here!” The security man did not think twice to answer her.

The girl appeared uncertain and remained at the gate for some more time.

“Didn’t I make myself clear? There is no one by that name working here. So don’t stand there blocking the way,” he said annoyed, summarily dismissing her.

The girl stepped out and started to return disappointed when she saw an elderly man coming to the factory.

“Excuse me, sir, can you tell me where Mr. Pradip Sengupta is working now? I heard he was employed here earlier.” 

“Mr. Pradip Sengupta? I’m sorry, my dear child, you’ll not find Mr. Sengupta here.”

“Oh,” her face fell. “Is he dead?”

“No, he is very much alive.”

“Then do you know where he is now?”

“I said you will not find him here, because he is now working in our head office.”

The girl let out a small sigh. “But the security man said Mr. Sengupta doesn’t work in this company.”

“The security men are outsourced people. They keep changing. They know only those officers who are working here presently,” he explained.

“I see.” The girl seemed a little relieved to know that Mr. Sengupta was still in the company.

“I would like to meet him, but I cannot go that far. Wouldn’t he come here at all?” she asked hopefully.

 “He might visit here once or twice a year. Contact our office and they will tell you when he is expected next,” he advised and started walking towards the factory gate.

“Thank you, sir,” she called out but in the dim of the company’s siren that went off suddenly to announce the shift change drowned her expression of gratitude.

“You seemed very happy, Selina. Did you meet Mr. Sengupta?” her mother Jennifer asked as soon as the girl reached home.

“No mummy, he no longer works there,” she answered.

“Oh! That’s unfortunate,” Jennifer commented. “I was hoping that you may be able to meet him.”

Selina let out a small laugh. “I didn’t say mummy that he had resigned and gone. He is very much in the service but works in their head office.”

“Oh. It’s as good as he has left the company. I don’t, therefore, understand why you look euphoric that he is now inaccessible.” 

“You know what he is now?” Selina asked.

“How do I know? I’ve no news of him for the last eighteen years.”

“He has gone up many career rungs and is now the Vice President (Operations). Isn’t it wonderful?”

“A distant moon is no use when you are looking for light in the darkness,” her mother remarked. “He has become a Vice President in the company doesn’t surprise me. I knew that he would take advantage of every opportunity that comes his way, would seek out every angle to maximize his abilities and strive hard to improve his job skills for advancing his career. But many men as they climb up the ladder of success become haughtier and self-centered. So don’t be very sure that he would agree to help you.”  

“Oh, mummy, don’t be pessimistic. If my name means ‘a star in the sky’, meeting the moon poses no difficulty. I was told that Mr Sengupta comes to this city once or twice a year, and fortunately, he is coming next week for a conference. I’ve already taken an appointment to meet him when he comes. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.” Selina said. 

Selina felt rather nervous as she waited at the reception lounge for the appointment. Except for the low buzzing of the air conditioner, there was perfect silence in the office, occasionally broken by the insistence ringing of the telephones. There were few trade magazines and newspapers on the wooden center table in front of her but she was not in a good frame of mind to flip through them to while away the time. She was asked to come at 2.00 p.m. and it was already 1.55 p.m.  As time ticked by, her apprehension multiplied. She saw many young and elderly persons returning after lunch, but her imagination of how Mr. Sengupta would look like failed to match with any of them. After what seemed an eternity, she found an athletic-looking man getting down from a chauffeur driven car and going up the stairs followed by few other persons. “This cannot be him; this man looks too young to be Mr. Sengupta,” she mused. A few minutes later, the lady receptionist called her. “Ms. Selina, Mr. Sengupta would see you now. Come with me, and I’ll show you the room.”  

The girl followed her.

“Come in, Ms. Selina,” a strident voice greeted as soon as she knocked on the massive door of the conference room. The person she thought could not be Mr. Sengupta was sitting behind a long glass top table. There were many chairs around it. “Come and take your seat,” he invited authoritatively pointing a chair near him.

After she was seated comfortably, he asked, “Now, Ms. Selina, you said you wanted to discuss with me something very personal. What’s it? Make it very short. No long stories. I can allot only five minutes for you since I’ve some more engagements to attend before I return by the evening flight,” he cautioned as an introduction.

“Well,” she began hesitatingly. “My name is Selina Sengupta,” she began.

“I know. The receptionist told me. Very odd name, I’d say,” he commented, interrupting her.

She ignored it and said, “I was asked to meet you by one Jennifer Samuel. Hope you still remember her?” she asked.

“Jennifer! You mean to say Jenny Samuel of 49 Ripon Street?” he asked, suspiciously.

“Yes, Jenny Samuel. She was also known by the name Jennifer Sengupta. I happened to be her only daughter!”

“You are…. You’re my daughter? My God!” he exclaimed, stunned at her revelation. 

For some time, he just gaped at her without speaking. “I’m sorry my dear child; I should have recognized you the moment you came in. You've got the same features as Jenny. I’m sorry,” he apologized again. “How’s Jenny? Is she all right?”

“She’s now all right. She had open-heart surgery after she had a near-fatal attack about two years ago, and now she’s on rest. Whatever savings she had evaporated with that one ailment and since she had to resign her job at the Loreto Day School for Girls, she now finds it hard to support my further education. Incidentally, I got the 67th rank in the medical entrance exam but we have no wherewithal to proceed further. That’s when she advised me to meet you and request you whether you can help me,” she said without any ill feeling. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she looked at her watch to know how much more time she had from the allotted five minutes.

“Don’t bother about the time,” he chastised her. Then he picked up the intercom and instructed someone, “Reschedule my return flight to tomorrow morning and fix my afternoon meeting at 4 O’clock. Ok?” He did not say the reason for change of plans.  Turning to her he said, “Now we’ve all the time in the world for you to fill up the past eighteen years of emptiness,” he said beaming.

Selina was elated to know that he had acknowledged her as his daughter. He had told her not to make long stories, but as she filled the long years of vacuum, it changed from stories to novellas and novellas to novel but he listened to her attentively, sometimes appearing pensive and sometimes amused at her anecdotes.

“I missed the thrill of seeing you growing up,” he said sadly. As if remembering something, he asked, “How’s Bob Samuel? It’s been long time since I saw him.”

“I’m sorry, grandpa expired about six years ago. He died in his sleep. A silent attack,” she said succinctly.

“Oh! I’m sorry, no one informed me,” he lamented, “otherwise I would’ve attended the funeral.” He was silent for some time. Then he added, “Bob uncle was a wonderful person, and a perfect gentleman.   Though he was working in a cinema theatre, everyone in the locality, from the street cobblers, rickshaw pullers, doctors, engineers and others respected him. I’ve not seen such a lovable person anywhere in my long career. He was a good counsellor too and had the ability to make the person realize where he or she erred and correct themselves. People would openly discuss their problems. He was a good listener and an empathetic guide. His nephew was my classmate in the college and he introduced me to Bob Uncle. Bob uncle used to give us complimentary passes for English movies and for Film festivals. He was very fond of me.”

“Then why didn’t you try to meet him after you broke up the relationship?” Selina questioned, almost accusing him.

Sengupta did not reply immediately. Then appearing somewhat maudlin he said, “I was ashamed to meet him. I had failed in his expectations. Jenny had returned to her father’s house within one year of marriage. That would have given their neighbors good subject for gossiping.   I thought Bob uncle would counsel his daughter and send her back, but somehow he failed to convince her. I was also afraid Jenny might shut the door on my face if I go there. That was one of my greatest miscalculations,” he admitted.  “I have heard people say that Jenny left our house because of frequent mother-in-law - daughter-in-law squabbles but that was not true.” He was silent for some time. Perhaps he did not wish to discuss the matter.

“Ha,” he said suddenly. “I forgot to congratulate you for getting the 67^th rank. Not a small achievement. Don’t worry about college fees and other expenses. Leave it to me.” He took out his checkbook and began to write. Then he paused and asked, “What name shall I put on the check?”

“You may write it out to Jennifer Sengupta,” Selina replied. “She never reverted it to her original name.”

He appeared as if someone slapped him. Then recovering fast, he completed the name. “I’ve made it out for one hundred thousand rupees. I guess it would cover the initial expenses. Here’s my card,” he said fishing out a card from his wallet. “You can call me anytime for anything you need. Now, let’s meet my colleagues here. I wish to introduce my daughter to them,” he said getting up.

As he introduced her to few of his colleagues, he said, “Okay my child, it was a wonderful time speaking to you. I would like to hear from you more when we meet next. Now I’ve a meeting at 4 O’clock.”

”Ok, papa, then ‘bye.”

“How would go back?” he asked.

“As usual, by bus. Why?”

“No, I’ll ask the driver to drop you at your house,” he offered.

She was sorry that she could not remain with him for some more time.

“Don’t look gloomy, my child,” he said. “I’ll come next month on a short vacation. Needs to meet my folks here and would like to come to your house, if your mother does not object,” he said.

“She’ll not; I guarantee. You’re always welcome.”

“Then we’ll meet next month.”

As she was walking through the narrow lane towards her house after she got down from the car at Ripon Street, she wondered whether it was a daydream or actually happened. Everything seemed so unreal and hazy. She had finally met her dad. Now she could tell her irksome neighbors and friends that she was not an illegitimate child as some of them doubted.

As soon as the door opened, Jenny asked, “Could you meet him, Selina?”

“Of course! But mummy, the questions I had mentally prepared to ask him while waiting to see him, eclipsed when the moon appeared. Yet I’m happy that dad has given two long hours of his busy time to know each other. In fact, I remember reading somewhere that lunar eclipse is a time to look inwardly to find out our defects and get rid of those patterns. I think it is high time that you self-reflect your life and accept that you’ve grossly failed to understand your husband.”

Jenny did not make any comment.

Exactly one month later, Selina went to the company’s New Alipore guesthouse to meet her father. This time, she was more relaxed and did not have her earlier nervousness of meeting a stranger.

Selina had some questions numbered chronologically to ask him, but when he came embracing her with open arms, they just evaporated and all she could ask him about his job and his life in Gurgaon.  He replied to her questions in one or two simple words, but did not elaborate. She was not sure whether he had remarried and or not after the estrangement. It seemed awkward to open that subject.

Suddenly he asked, “Did your mother tell you the reason for our break-up?”

“No. Mummy doesn’t like to talk about it. She always appeared irritated when I questioned her. If the reason is not embarrassing, can you enlighten me?” Selina asked becoming a little bold.

He laughed lightly and said, “There was no embarrassing situation in it, but let me summarized it and say that it was entirely my mistake. In my younger days, I considered my job as the most important thing than anything else. I was working in shifts in those days and on many time I could come home after Jenny was in deep slumber or after she had left for school. She suffered my lack of attention demurely, and never complained, and I thought she encouraged my attempt to augment our income by working overtime. On that fateful day, which was our first marriage anniversary, I had taken a leave and promised to take her to a popular Hindi cinema and later to a sumptuous dinner at an expensive hotel, but on the previous evening two of our shift engineers failed to turn up and I had to do three shifts at a stretch. When I reached home in the morning, I was a dead duck and slept throughout the day forgetting about the promise and the outing. Jenny could not contain her disappointment and all her suppressed emotions burst out and she hit the ceiling crying that I loved my work more than her. I did not reason with her about not keeping my word. I thought she was a sensible woman and knew my work profile. At that time, I did not know she was pregnant. Jenny had told me that she would tell me a happy news on our wedding day, but that night she behaved like a trussed bird. The next day she packed up her things and left without even telling a goodbye to me or to my mother. That was the last time we saw her. My mother was very much distressed and had often counselled me to bring Jenny back. But my ego persuaded me against it and I thought she had walked out from my house without any reason, and she should come back if she really loved me. Unfortunately, without our knowing, days turned to weeks, and weeks to months, months to years, and when my mother died two years later,  I found myself alone. It was then I opted for a transfer.” He was silent for a long moment.

Selina wanted to comfort her father, but she did not know how he would react to her sudden expression of love.

“I’m sorry, papa. I thought you are a villain to desert my poor mummy.”

“You’re perfectly right, my dear child,” he said. “I know how difficult to bring up a child alone all these years. I realize now that in a marriage there was no defeat or win. No partner would gain or lose anything by compromising. One thing I would like to caution you. After you become a doctor, remember that profession may be important, but family is more valuable. Balance your work and family. That is one lesson, I learnt from my life,” he said almost apologetically.

For long time they remained silent.

“Come, let us go to  Quest Malls or Acropolis Mall or any other good malls here and buy some dresses for you. You may need some good clothes when you go the medical college. Afterwards, we’ll have lunch in their food court. Ok?” he offered.

“Ok. I’m excited.”   She was thrilled at the prospect of shopping at these expensive malls.   In her shoestring budget, shopping at malls was a distant dream.

She was surprised when he directed the driver to go to Ripon Street. “Let’s go to your house first. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your mummy joins us?”