‘I know, Gabriella!’ I sighed. ‘Look, it’s an emergency, okay? A crisis of mammoth proportions! And that’s the only reason I’m calling you. You’re the only person who can help me deal with a situation like this.’

‘We-e-ll,’ said Gabriella, softening a little, ‘I only checked the GF travel records but I could check if anyone from the agencies is travelling as well.’

‘Oh yes, please!’ I pleaded, hoping against hope that there was someone with nothing else to do on a Friday evening than catch an ill-timed flight to Delhi.

‘There’s a Mr Yudhishtir Joshi booked on the 12.05 a.m. flight from Mumbai to Delhi. You’re in luck, Megha.’ I hung up after thanking Gabriella profusely and hurtled down the stairs to the cafeteria to look for Yudi. The update was probably over by now and the hordes would be digging into high tea. Under the urgency that was surging through me to get the stimulus to Delhi on time, there was also just a touch of queasiness about asking Yudi for a favour. After all, he had made it clear that relations between us had gone beyond the point of repair with his glacial treatment ever since we’d got back from Goa. However, I had no option but to beg him to take the stimulus with him to Delhi, or else the research would get called off and that would severely set us back on the project as far as timelines were concerned. We had been coming along so well thus far. There was no way I could let a silly goof-up like this delay the project.

With a feeling of fierce determination I began the frantic hunt for Yudi in the cafeteria, pushing my way past the crowds milling around the cafeteria tables, shovelling down food with single-minded dedication. I had been simultaneously trying Yudi’s cellphone as well, but in vain—it was not reachable. I spotted Vijay helping himself to some tea and rushed up to him breathlessly.

‘Tau! Have you seen Yudi anywhere? It’s an emergency!’

‘Whoa! What happened, Megha? You look like a fright!’ Vijay had looked a little startled when I’d bounded up to him and I didn’t blame him. I was having a bad hair day and all the running up and down the stairs hadn’t helped matters. It probably looked like a tornado was swirling around my head by now.

I hurriedly explained the situation to Vijay and he told me that I would find Yudi at the little coffee shop in the basement of the building that housed our office.

‘He’s gone there for his daily shot of caffeine,’ Vijay grinned. ‘That guy is a tea-totaller—he can’t stand the sight of tea and there isn’t any coffee served at these high tea sessions! Hey Megha, tell him I’m looking for him too, will ya? Oh, and Megha?’

‘Yeah?’ I turned around just as I was rushing out of the cafeteria again.