Sophia: An Enigma

I met Deepak over lunch in Dubai in 2008 after a hiatus of over three decades. We had not kept in touch. After the initial hesitancy from the absence of contact for a long period, we went back to the easy conversations we would have had when we were students and new in our work life. There was so much information to be exchanged as we talked about ourselves and our common friends from college days. Deepak informed me that while there were several alumni from junior batches of our alma mater, there were none from our batch in Dubai. A loosely knit group of alumni had emerged over time that met on social occasions such as Diwali, Christmas, and the New Year.

We realized that the luncheon meeting was woefully inadequate to build the bridge of reminiscence over a time gap of thirty years. Deepak was therefore delighted when I told him that I would be visiting Dubai more frequently in connection with my institute’s activities. As we exited the restaurant, Deepak suddenly asked me whether I remembered his fleeting meeting with Marjorie in Mumbai decades ago. I told him that I did. Deepak then narrated to me how he had met her again in Dubai, in a business meeting where she had been introduced to him as Sophia, a professional who facilitated business deals. When confronted about her identity, Sophia glibly (as Deepak saw it!) told Deepak that he was mistaking her for her look-alike cousin Marjorie. Sophia had maintained that Deepak must have met Marjorie in Mumbai.

Our conversations did not proceed any further as I got into the car to go to the destination of my next meeting on my way to the airport for the late evening flight back to India. We promised to keep in touch but did not. A mere six months later, however, in early 2009, I was in Dubai again. I met Deepak and Swati for dinner at their residence. That was my first meeting with Swati. She greeted me with genuine warmth and said, “It is wonderful that you could come. Deepak has told me so much about you. I was keen to meet you.” Swati had prepared an elaborate meal comprising items with difficult recipes on the menu. With a chuckle, Deepak said, “It is good you have come. I will get to eat well today!” Over the course of the evening, I learned that Swati had chosen to be a homemaker, supporting Deepak in his early years of struggle in business, while bringing up their son, Anant. Life had been difficult for Swati after Anant left for higher studies abroad. She had started spending more time in India leaving Deepak alone in Dubai.

I sensed an absence of chemistry between the two. I was reminded of a covalent bond that is formed by the sharing of one electron from each of the two participating atoms. The atoms achieve stability as the covalent bonds thus created help the atoms coalesce into a molecule. Anant had been their covalent bond, absent which they had lost their bonding. As Deepak still had his business to fill time, the impact on Swati was more profound. I realized that the challenge Swati faced was not regretting the choices she had not made when it was possible for her to prepare herself for the eventuality of leading a life without Anant being around. Knowing Deepak, I wondered whether there had been abortive or actual romantic escapades that may have contributed to their moving away from each other. We spent a great evening conversing in Marathi and reminiscing about our growing-up years in our hometown which had retained the flavor of yesteryears.

As I left for my hotel after dinner, I hoped that the evening would remind them about the good time that was still possible despite Anant’s absence. I was going to meet Deepak again in his office before leaving Dubai. He wanted me to visit his business setup and meet the key staff whom he had groomed to grow the business. I resolved to find out whether he engaged with Marjorie (nay, Sophia) after their second meeting in Dubai. And I did.

Deepak followed up on the suggestion of his business partner and started using Sophia for negotiating deals with existing and potential associates after Sophia signed an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) with Deepak’s company. Sophia would take charge of the deal that was to be either negotiated or renegotiated by first understanding all aspects of the deal and what it meant to the business. She would then work on the information about the partner organization. In addition to the information available from Deepak’s team, she would collect information from other sources. She would make considerable effort to collect information about the person/s who would be negotiating the deal on behalf of the partner organization. She would do that by speaking to the secretary and the junior staff of those person/s. By the time they were at the negotiating table, Sophia would have complete details about the person/s including their hobbies, interests, and passions.

Sophia would then prepare herself for a conversation with the negotiators on their interests. If the person were interested in classical paintings, she would know which painters were his favorites. If the person was interested in music, she would know which genre of music interested him. If the person were interested in films, she would know the films, the film directors, and the actors he admired. In short, she would be ready to carry on an engaging conversation with the person. She also insisted that the meeting for negotiations be preceded by an informal get-together over a meal. That is where her intimate knowledge about the personal interests of the person would be used in the conversation. Deepak noticed that signing contracts had become much easier after Sophia took charge of the process. Deepak’s staff complained that Sophia insisted on a much greater lead time for the meetings and that the meetings cost more due to the cost of the get-together prior to signing the contracts. They, however, conceded that several difficult clauses were agreed to more easily by the business partners after Sophia had taken charge of the process.

Sophia also paid attention to deepening her acquaintance with Deepak’s family. She had insisted on meeting Swati soon after signing the NDA. They went to lunches together without Deepak. Sophia made it a point to call Swati regularly and meet her whenever she was in Dubai. She also got along very well with Anant, whom she would indulge with gifts every now and then. Sophia would invariably call on their birthdays to wish them, and Swati and Deepak on their wedding anniversary. She was a charming influence on the entire family. That was the first time and looking back perhaps the only time when someone from Deepak’s office had personal interaction with Swati.

Within the first year of her association, Deepak recognized that Sophia had made a significant contribution to the growth of his business. The fee she charged for every deal was clearly worth incurring. On one occasion, unable to contain his curiosity, Deepak asked Sophia, “Which other clients do you work for?” With a disarming smile, Sophia said, “I couldn’t tell you that Deepak. Wouldn’t that violate the NDAs I have signed with them?” In addition, despite several attempts, Deepak had been unable to find out much about Sophia. He only had the details of the office Sophia operated from in Mumbai. She had a staff of two, who were equally tight-lipped about providing any personal information about their boss.

The more Deepak learned about Sophia’s method of working the more he admired her. By the end of the first year of the association, Deepak’s admiration had transformed into infatuation. Deepak looked for signs of reciprocation of his feelings. Sophia’s behavior however did not show a hint of any personal feelings towards Deepak. Her interactions with Deepak were entirely professional. Despite searching desperately, Deepak could not detect even a trace of understanding in Sophia of his situation. In the meantime, Swati had developed an excellent friendship with Sophia. She would keep track and make sure that they spent some quality time together whenever Sophia was in Dubai.

Almost a year and a half went by in the above manner. Deepak was to visit Europe for his annual meetings with business associates to reiterate the business relationships. Deepak asked Sophia, “Why don’t you come with me to Europe? It would be useful for you too to get to know our business partners.” She appeared reluctant. Deepak persisted and said, “I was planning the trip for a week starting next Monday.” “I have an important meeting in India on Thursday. I need to prepare for the meeting,” said Sophia. Deepak would not give up, and said, “Knowing you, I am sure you are already prepared for the meeting. Come with me for the first half of the week. You can fly back to India from Europe while I continue with the meetings before returning to Dubai.” Sophia still hesitated as she looked at Deepak, and asked, “Are you sure?”. “Yes,” said Deepak.

They reached Europe on a Sunday evening. On Monday, after an exhausting day of meetings, Deepak took Sophia to a fancy restaurant for a leisurely dinner. While Deepak ordered single malt scotch whisky, Sophia settled for a glass of champagne. After the initial discussions on the day’s meetings, as they sipped their drinks, Deepak started drifting towards more personal conversation. Sophia deftly refrained from answering the personal questions Deepak asked. An increasingly frustrated Deepak finally blurted out, “Why do you stonewall every effort of mine to get to know you better? Don’t you notice I have feelings for you?” ?“I do. That is why,” said Sophia. They finished their dinner in relative silence before retiring for the night.

Deepak woke up the next morning and resolved to apologize to Sophia for his boorish behavior the previous evening. He went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast at the appointed hour. Sophia had still not reached the restaurant. One of the waiters approached him with a tray bearing a small envelope and said, “The lady with you asked me to hand it over to you.” Inside was the note in exquisite handwriting:

Dear Deepak: The time has come for us to part ways before something happens that both of us will regret. Thank you for trusting me and giving me the freedom to work in my way. With best wishes, Sophia.

That was Deepak’s last interaction with Sophia who also severed her contact with Swati. From Deepak’s irritated vague responses to her queries about Sophia’s sudden disappearance, Swati pretty much knew why she lost a friend.

#OfficeRelationships #BusinessStories #Intimacy #Life #Dubai