mutely. Once inside the room our luggage was thoroughly checked. All our suit-cases were almost emptied on the floor. I was crying by now. Each and every packaging was ripped open. It was highly humiliating. It was beyond my comprehension why they were doing this to us. My father and Reddy uncle were also frisked personally to the point of embarrassment. Later a female officer checked me also. By now I was sobbing inconsolably. Finally they confiscated Reddy uncle’s camera and the synthesis route that was given by Dr. Deng. The cops asked my father and uncle what they were about. Dad was nervous. His hands were shaking. To hide this he dug his hands deep into his pockets. He tried to cut out a brave figure but his anxiety was only too obvious to be ignored. Nonetheless he explained to the cops that he and Reddy uncle were working with a pharmaceutical company in India and that they had come to China for audit purposes of the supplier companies based in China. The cops informed Dad that Chemco chemicals headed by Dr. Deng had filed a civil suit against both dad as well as Mr. Reddy Sekhar. As such they could not leave the country without first clearance of the filed suit in their favor. Also, that they had to arrest them on grounds of possession of the said evidence incriminating them. Their only option now was to seek redress in the court of law. Dad mustered up great courage and pleaded with them to be allowed to make certain phone calls to which they agreed. He first called up Thomas and Michelle and informed them of the situation we were in. They promised all help and consoled him saying everything would be alright and that there was no need to panic.
After what seemed like an eternity, Thomas and Michelle arrived with a lawyer. She was about thirty. Thomas introduced her as Ms. Liza Ku to the cops who were in charge of the situation. Ms. Liza Ku asked that she be allowed to talk to her clients in private and she was given the opportunity to do so. Dad seemed to talk nonstop about the case they were in and about how important it was for him to be acquitted as both he as well as Reddy Sekhar had done nothing that was improbable. They were just doing what was expected of them in their individual job capacities. Ms. Liza Ku asked him if he spoke to his company chairman about this as this indeed looked like it was a dire situation to be in. This case would take some time to be resolved.
‘How much time’? Dad asked.
‘Once the case goes to court this might take anywhere between eighteen to twenty four months’ she said.
‘How are we going to survive this?’ Reddy uncle wondered.
‘We have to survive this somehow’. Dad had said determinedly. Hours slowly ticked by and no one had any idea when was the last time that we had any meals. We had skipped breakfast or meals for a long time now. We almost forgot to eat anything. We were all that stressed out. Reality slowly settled in as the numbness began to fade.
Dad’s chairman was sixty-one years old, unflappable, cold, decisive, calculating and one who stopped at nothing.
‘We are in a mess’ Dad said.
Slowly he brought himself to call his chairman. It was inevitable. Father briefed the chairman about the situation they were in.
‘Looks like you two there have been going great guns’ said the chairman sarcastically.
‘What happened?’ he snapped on the phone.
Dad patiently explained the turn of situation again. So you two clowns there have been messing up with my reputation there.
‘How long is the settlement of the case going to take?’ he asked.
‘It is going to take about some eighteen to twenty four months say the lawyers’.
After a few minutes of uninspired arguments, it was evident that help from that quarter was hard to come by. Dad seemed to have little answers to the chairman’s barking accusations.
Finally the chairman said, ‘I do not care what you do! Just go hang yourself BUT bottom line I do not want the company’s name dragged into any kind of controversy. Take absolute care of that,’ he bellowed and hung up.
‘What happened, Sir?’ asked Reddy uncle.
‘We got our asses handed over to us. No help coming from that line. The chairman out of convenience has washed his hands off us’ Dad said angrily.
‘Stay calm and do not reveal this to people around here. We need to be patient. We just cannot let these people drive us crazy. We may be dealing with trade across international borders but this is inexcusable. Dr. Deng accuses us of stealing secret chemical formulas while our scheming, manipulative head honcho - the sly old fox that he is - wants to wash his hands off the entire matter. Sekhara we must not lose reason at this point of time. We are not dealing with just Dr. Deng alone but two of his ilk. You understand. So take care of what you speak or do now. It could land us in deeper trouble’.
It was getting really late in the night and Dad requested Thomas and Michelle if they could house me with them for a couple of days. They were eager to help. Kind hearted souls they were. So there I was in their car going to their house. Nervous, scared, frightened I just wanted to wail loudly into my mother’s lap. I regretted now of ever having made this trip. So safe and secure it was to be in our own house near Charminar. Oh! Just when could I ever get home.
Once I was in their house they gave me a Chinese meal which I ate up without even a whisper. I was shown my bed in the children’s room. Thomas and Michelle were blessed with two children Leanne and Savio. Introductions were made and small talk pursued for a while. They were burning the midnight lamp. Very hard workers it seemed. Daily they studied for at least seven hours daily. They were worth drawing inspiration from but right now, I did not care or was not interested in anything. I just wanted to get over this ordeal.
Next morning after having refreshed I was given plain breakfast of sandwiches and oranges. Leanne served me. Since both the parents were working the children were taught to take care of themselves. She also handed me a book of short Chinese stories if I wanted to read. I thanked her and she started getting ready for school. Over breakfast she spoke at length about the education system in China.
Later I found myself in the car beside Michelle. She said we were going to see dad and Reddy uncle. She drove me to what looked like a Chinese prison. Thomas was already there waiting for us. He patted me on my shoulders as if to reassure me. Ms. Liza Ku was there too. They signed in the visitor’s register and we waited for dad and Reddy Sekhar uncle to arrive. They were still in their old clothes. They had not changed to a fresh pair. Both of them looked tired, sleepless, haggard with a stubble of beard. Upon seeing my father I ran to hug him and I cried, cried and cried inconsolably. Dad hugged me and said that I needed to be brave at this point of time. He asked me to promise him that I would not cry. I promised him that. Ms. Liza Ku informed him that the case was to be produced in the court the next day. She asked if there had been a word from the chairman to which Dad replied in the negative. Thomas reassured father saying he would do all he can to bail him out of the crisis. He also told him that he was in touch with all his pharmaceutical entrepreneur friends to produce them as witnesses before the court of law to testify that the audit procedure that had been conformed with Dr. Deng’s chemical plant was not out of norm with the normal business protocol followed. It was in conforming with the normal practices that had been followed up until now to help strike a deal between the production and marketing teams of any pharmaceutical producing company for the sale of its products or produce. He had enlisted the support of at least twelve such business friends who were willing to testify in their favor and also willing to submit the required evidence when necessary. As such Dr. Deng’s case was weak and would not stand ground. It indeed was a comforting gesture. Father thanked him. He then called mother from Thomas’s cell phone. She would be worried. After Dad spoke to her and explained to her about the situation we were in I also spoke to her and reassured her that I was fine. Later Reddy uncle also called up his wife to inform her of the situation. After that Thomas and Michelle took leave of father and Reddy uncle. I hugged my Dad once again and told him that I was a brave girl and would not cry.
‘That’s like my gi
rl’ he said.
Finally I went again with Thomas and Michelle to their house again. After having a cold Chinese meal prepared by Leanne, Thomas asked me if I would like to go sight-seeing or to the court the next day. I said that I would rather go to the court. I was too anxious about Dad to think of anything else. Good so we wake up early in the morning so as to be able to go to the court at eight a.m. I was awake at five early in the morning, had a shower and got ready before anyone else. After Leanne and Savio had been sent to school we had a light breakfast consisting of cornflakes in milk and orange juice. Then we were off to the court. It was an old courthouse. I could tell that by the architecture and the design of the building and the court rooms. People were hurrying into the courthouse from all directions. I could see father and Reddy Sekhar uncle already there waiting near the court room. The court room was massive with four or five wide arches for entrance. All the entrances were blocked with people eager not to miss their turn or so it seemed. Ms. Liza Ku arrived with the legal brief all ready and spoke to Dad. He and Thomas read the brief non - stop for what looked like an hour to me. It is well written, well reasoned and persuasive. Thomas finally