Page 150 - James Caan - The Real Deal

The Real Deal

when you retired, rather than when you were in your twenties.
When my parents came back from Pakistan to meet Jemma for the
first time, my father was clearly impressed and I realised that ever
since I had left home I had been wanting to find out what I could
achieve on my own. That house was the first purchase that made
my success real. It was tangible, it wasn’t P&L or accounts, or a
bank balance. Success isn’t about those things – it’s about what
you do with your money – and to me that house was a
representation of what I had achieved in business. I didn’t think
life could get any better, but then Aisha told me she was pregnant
again. It’s like buses, I thought! I wait all this time to be a father
and then I get two children within a year!
There was a big part of me that really hoped our second child
would be a boy. Not because I wanted a son to take to Chelsea or
anything like that, but simply because I was curious to see how
different it would be to have a boy. When our second daughter
arrived, however, I had no sense of disappointment, just absolute
love. We chose the name Hanah as it’s a name that’s in the Koran
as well as the Bible and it bridges both cultures. With only eleven
months between them, it’s not surprising that Jemma and Hanah
have always been close. What’s fascinating is that Hanah is as
much like Aisha as Jemma is like me in terms of looks and
mannerisms. As babies I found them absolutely enchanting, and if
I got home after Aisha had put them to bed I would drive her nuts
by waking them up just so that I could spend some time with them.
‘Don’t you dare! I’ve only just got them to sleep!’
But I couldn’t help myself, and as they grew up I loved spending
every moment I could with them – teaching them to swim in a pool
I’d had built in the garden, teaching them to ride a bike, play
football or helping them read. Being a dad was great fun, and I
loved every moment I was with them.
With Aisha and me both running businesses we needed more
help at home to manage the place. So we got a gardener, a

140