It Started With a Friend Request (13 page)

‘So we finally made it,’ Kritika cheered.

Aleesha introduced us to Kritika. We greeted each other formally and then sat comfortably on the bed after keeping our bags in one corner.

‘I hope no one saw us coming,’ I said, still a bit shaken up from the experience.

‘I don’t think so. Else, there would have been total chaos outside. The administration is a bit strict here. However, we are not the only ones who break rules. There are lots of seniors who don’t follow any timings,’ Aleesha said giving us a glass of water.

We hardly cared now as we were already inside. After a little chitchat with Aleesha and Kritika, I opened my bag which had all the fun stuff. Kritika’s face was so delighted when I opened my Sheesha kit that she almost jumped from her bed.

‘Double apple,’ both the girls shouted at the same time.

I took out two pipes from the bag. Aleesha immediately took one while I asked Akash to clear the other pipe by blowing air into it. I had planned to smoke hookah while we all chatted and got to know each other. Hookah smoking promotes a social atmosphere and people can sip the hookah while getting to know each other.

‘Kritika, I heard you fooled Akash by sending messages through Aleesha’s cell phone, pretending to be her? I wish I could see his reaction.’ I said giving Akash a naughty look.

Everyone started laughing, including Aleesha. She pulled his cheeks with love and then gave him a slight peck on his lips.

‘Ahem Ahem! Someone really cares,’ Kritika teased him and I joined her in teasing them.

Akash and Aleesha sat in one corner of the room to get some privacy while Kritika and I were still feasting on the
hookah. It was almost early morning and we didn’t even realize how time passed by. Kritika and I had a long chat while puffing the hookah. I remembered that I had something special in my bag.

‘I present to you a special dish prepared by the man himself. Mr Akash,’ I said in a rhythmic tone.

Aleesha and Kritika were stunned after hearing this. I started laughing and told them that Akash was a really good cook. Akash in the meanwhile kept mum, smiling all the while. He indeed was a good cook which made him a hot favourite among the girls.

‘Wow. Aleesha, you are super lucky. I wish I could get someone like him who would cook for me whenever I am tired or don’t feel like cooking. That’s so cute of him,’ Kritika said patting Akash’s back.

‘Aditya, have you ever done anything like this ever before?’ Aleesha asked me.

‘Errr… I don’t know how to cook at all. The only food items I can cook are Maggi and omelette. I can even make tea,’ I said biting my tongue between my teeth.

‘Then you are not my type. Leave. I will have to search for a better option,’ said Kritika joining in the conversation.

‘Go ahead. Who is stopping you?’ I said teasingly in my don’t-care-a-damn attitude.

Aleesha fell head over heels in love with Akash as he had whipped up a wonderful dish for her. He had made pasta for everyone. The way he cared for Aleesha and expressed his love was something very unique. He knew Aleesha liked pasta and thus he had spent the entire evening making her favourite dish.

‘I made it just for you, my Minnie. I love you and I am yours forever,’ said Akash.

‘I think even I should learn how to cook to impress girls,’ I winked.

‘Aditya, you don’t have to be a great chef to make great food. The effort you put in to make something as simple as Maggi in the kitchen is what really matters. Moreover, even if it turns out to be average in taste, the fact that you tried is what is admirable,’ Aleesha explained.

‘I would personally prefer a boyfriend who cooks a decent meal for me rather than one who spends a lot of money to take me out. I think it’s very cute when a boy takes out time and has that much patience to cook a meal for his girlfriend. I find it really sweet!’ Kritika added.

Akash’s efforts made Aleesha go crazy for him and she couldn’t resist kissing him. She almost had the urge to push him against the wall and kiss him passionately.

‘If you guys are done eating, can we get to taste the pasta as well?’ I interrupted them. Aleesha blushed and covered her face with her hands.

Aleesha and Akash were two such souls whose union defined true love. Akash was feeding Aleesha the pasta with his own hands.

After eating, we decided to move out of the hostel before anyone got up. We packed our bags and waited for Aleesha’s next instruction. She took a bottle of water and after switching off the lights, opened the door slightly. She told us to wait inside without uttering a word. She went near the cooler and while filling the bottle, looked around to see if anyone was awake. There was not a single soul to be seen,
and once she assured herself, she came back to inform us. We took our bags and stepped outside the door. I steathily moved my feet towards the gate.

I turned back to warn Akash to hurry up and saw him kissing Aleesha at the doorstep. I wanted to shout at him out of irritation. We had already broken the rules and instead of moving out as soon as possible, there he was busy kissing her! I walked towards him and forcefully pulled him by the collar. We saw someone on the first floor flicking on the light, so we ran outside as quickly as possible.

Akash waved goodbye to Aleesha before climbing out through the wall. We had safely crossed the hurdle and were now on the main road. I immediately removed a pack of cigarettes and smoked a puff to ease my tension. The night had been no less than an adventure for us. But we had all enjoyed the thrill of it. We were glad to be in each other’s company. After all, some form of craziness is needed to keep the thrill alive in your life. Otherwise, life gets boring.

Corporate Atyachaar

‘H
ey Deep, come join us. I just read somewhere that sleeping during work hours is acceptable in Japan,’ shouted one of the employees seeing Deep entering the cafeteria.

‘Are you serious?’ Deep laughed, pulling out a chair.

‘Ya. It’s viewed as exhaustion from working hard, though some people fake it to look committed to their job. I wonder when Indian corporate houses will understand this.’

Everyone laughed while Deep’s eyes searched for Tamanna. She could not be seen anywhere.

It had been almost two weeks, but the post-party incident was still fresh in Deep’s mind. From that day, he pretended as if nothing happened. Even Tamanna didn’t remember what she had said or how she had behaved. Though everything seemed to be normal on the surface, the truth was that only Deep knew that things were not in place. He had to seal his lips for he wanted an appraisal. Within a couple of months, a ‘performance appraisal’ was to be held and he didn’t want to spoil his image in front of others. Thus, he simply ignored it.

‘Try to answer this question. Tell me three signs that show a person is working in the corporate world,’ one of them asked jokingly.

Deep thought for a moment and smiled.

‘Stressed, depressed, and still well dressed.’

Everyone looked at each other and burst out in laughter. It was hilarious. This time it was Deep’s turn.

‘Guys, can you tell me what is recession?’

‘When “water and wife” replace “wine and women”.’

Their humorous session continued for a bit. Just as they were about to disperse, Tamanna entered the cafeteria and told them to move towards the hall. She also told them that the selection of candidates for the Goa project conference would be done after the training session that was to be held in the hall.

‘Deep,’ Tamanna called after him as she spotted him.

Deep looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. Tamanna covered the gap separating them and started walking beside him.

‘I have recommended your name for the appraisal along with a couple of other names,’ she winked. She was much more comfortable with Deep after the party since she didn’t remember anything about the incident.

He simply nodded at her without any expression on his face. Situations like these embarrassed him every time but all he could do was kick his own ass. Once inside the hall, he took his seat alongside the entire team while Tamanna stood beside them. All the managers were made to stand for reasons unknown to them.

Tamanna kept glancing towards Deep at regular intervals.
After some time, the trainer entered the room and, adjusting his collar mic, came and stood at the center of the stage. He greeted everyone and started with his speech. He was humorous, which was evident when he made a pretty girl stand up and said to her, ‘Let me Kiss.’

She was shocked to hear it. However, within a few seconds he laughed and said, ‘I mean ‘Let me Keep It Short and Simple. My name is Arun Bhattacharya.’

‘Can you tell me why I have made all the managers stand? Especially the women? Let me share with you one incident which occured in my office. The lady manager had to report to the head of the department. When she entered his cabin, he asked her, “Are you free tonight?” She immediately smiled and said yes. The next moment, that rascal gave her a hundred sheets to type out. Now you all might be thinking who the actual rascal was. Whoever it was, I don’t care… The lesson to learn from the example I just told you is the importance of ethics.’

As he continued talking, Tamanna glanced at Deep and smiled. The training continued for almost a couple of hours during which Mr Arun shared the product details and many more valuable experiences. He was about to end the session with a final note.

‘Before leaving, I would like to tell you about the circle of life. Many of you might be Engineers or MBA graduates but in your practical life, the sooner you understand the difference between your college and office life, the better it will be for you. The sooner you adapt to the changes, the faster you will excel in life. In college, we had different professors assigned for different subjects, but here we have
only one task and only one manager. Your task is to improve your performance. In college, you bunked your lectures and spent money whereas here if you bunk, you lose money. In college, you were at least aware about your exam dates, but here can anyone tell clearly about the audit dates?’

Everyone laughed as he carried on with his speech. He paused for a moment to drink water and continued:

‘If you score less marks in an examination but still manage to clear it, you need not be answerable to anyone. But here if you score less, which means if your performance goes down, then you are answerable to all your higher authorities. Why? Because in college you paid the fees and here, you are getting paid for your work. The most important difference is that during your college days your girlfriend was proud about your clothes but now she would only feel proud if you are paid heavy salaries. Thus my dear, you better adapt yourself accordingly. You should always remember “To improve is to change but to be perfect is to change often”.’

The training session was over but Deep still hadn’t moved from his seat. He was continuously thinking about the motivational part of the training session and felt it was good only for training sessions. He felt so because whenever he tried to apply those concepts in real, he failed. Tamanna waited for the others to move out from the hall.

‘Bullshit! All this is crap. What the fuck does he mean by “adapt yourself”’. Is it practically possible? That bloody slut whom he asked to stand sleeps almost every day with her manager. She is being paid for all the leaves and she has no other responsibilities apart from sucking his dick. Those scoundrels even make out in office premises. I mean, how
cheap is that! And this Arun talks about ethics and adaptability! We work like dogs and still get no returns unless there are a few who lose everything for success. Is success more important than happiness? Cut the crap! Until the time we realize what success is and what is happiness, it’s too late. Get up in the morning and catch the bus to reach the office and if you miss that bus then you lose your one-day salary. Now was I driving the bus? And if these people are so obsessed with the timings then why don’t they provide pick and drop transport facilities to their employees? When you come home in the evening with your brains fucked up because of the work pressure and are just on the verge of taking a breather, you get a call from your manager asking you why you didn’t raise the ticket for completing the project and submitting the work report. So was I fucking your wife the entire day in office? What was I doing on that bloody seventeen-inch computer screen? Do you even allow us to access Facebook so that I can chat with some hot chicks? No. But who will understand our problem? Moreover, the bumper prize comes ahead of this. If you are excellent in all the aspects of your work, then you are given a branded laptop with the latest configuration. You fly on cloud nine for all the appreciation you have got and try to watch some movie in the night on the same bloody laptop. Then your mobile beeps and you are ordered to come online to resolve an issue which has been suddenly raised by the authorities. Then you feel like throwing the laptop from the top floor of your building and even if you do that, you won’t be satisfied. Because your BlackBerry service is still active. Therefore, in one line why don’t these people just say, “You
are our sex toy. We will use you as our vibrator until we derive pleasure in earning profits from you. Once we learn that you are of no use and you are not giving us the pleasure we need, we will kick you or throw you in a dustbin as we throw a condom in dustbin after sex.” Moreover, all our time and energy of last few years is wasted exactly as the sperms are wasted in the condom. But ya, your virginity is lost. You are no longer a first timer. Why? Because they hand over an experience certificate saying, you are officially fucked and now you are experienced on paper. You take that and move to someone else and history once again repeats itself…’