OS - Neighbours
Shobha walked into the office late that morning. What after that scuffle outside the coffee shop, the traffic and not to forget Tarun's presence in their house trying to barge into and overtake her life!😔
She greeted the receptionist with an apologetic smile and almost ran to her desk panting hard. He watched her from inside his office fuming that she dared to reach late on her second day to office. Of course she would come up with her never ending excuses of home like any other woman.
Vikram buzzed the phone and barked at Mahesh, "Tell her to come in."
Shobha had hardly placed herself on the chair, when she heard Mahesh give out a tiny shout out, "We are both dead today, go Vikram Sir is asking for you." Mahesh was sweating as usual,and praying or cursing hard under his breath.
Grabbing her writing pad and a pen, straightening her hair she pushed open the doors of his cabin. He has purposely turned his back against her and stood at the window.
He turned to look at her, dishevelled look, eyes cast down, breathing hard she fumbled, "Sorry I m late but I have a valid reason," and looked straight at him.
Eyes squint, unable to read what he was thinking...he sure looked mad...or maybe he was glad he found a reason to bark and scream at her all day long.
Strangely he simply asked, "Explain! I am listening...go on...and I am trying to be civil here...so don't give me some stupid traffic or kids sick excuse Miss Einstein."
"Well sir, it was all because of your Coffee shop?"
"My coffee shop! What?" he screamed..."What do you mean?"
"Well Mahesh called me to return that file on Tarapora...which is just across the street that.."
"Cut the crap short .." Vikram interrupted..
"There was trouble at your coffee shop this morning. A gang of boys were eve teasing young girls. I happened to be there. so Mahesh and I..."
He screamed again into the intercom, "Mahesh! Get here right now."
Mahesh dashed into Vikram's office wiping his sweaty brow, "Sir let me explain."
"Yes, you better and quick." he barked at the poor guy..
Mahesh narrated the whole incident, gasping for breath and eventually concluded, "Well Shobha called the Commissioner of Police and solved the issue, or else either the girls would have been in more trouble or I would have ended up with broken bones Sir. Thanks to Shobha Sir she was so brave.
Shobha smiled at Mahesh, he was the real hero there who was ready to fight the gang of goons, "Not me Mahesh...it was you."
Vikram snapped, "If you both are done with singing praises for one another, here is my warning to both of you."
"Mahesh don't think you are Superman and you Miss Einstein dn't try and become Jhansi Ki Rani.. Any trouble in my facility must be reported to me first. I don't want to be the one to come and bail you out of more trouble. I decide what's to be done...Is that clear."
They both nodded...she walked out...he saw the way she held her head high...damn the woman knew to get the worst out of him...
"And Miss Shobha make sure that you stay back and compensate for the hours your reported late today."
She turned to look at him, trying to control back the tears, 'Yes Sir."
Shobha walked back to her desk and held her head in her hands. What a day! First the ruckus, and then be fired for getting involved. Not that she had less headaches that she had to come to office daily to handle this Wolverine!
A tear trickled down her cheek, she sipped the tea on her desk...took a deep breath and got down to work. Keeping herself busy was the best way to forget the matter for some time. Anyways Samarth had given her three days to decide.
Evening came by and she was busy getting all the paper work together for their ad campaign. Gosh the man was so difficult to work with, no please no thank you, nothing! All he did was bark and scream!
Forget hair he was soon going to lose his voice! Two months and then she was gone from here, thank goodness for that.
Her phone rang, it was Garu, "Haah bol Garu?"
"Bhabs! Have you spoken to your office? Please do something. I too don't want to stay at Tarun's place because of that leech."
"Garu, this boss of mine is mad at me already. And I don't want to go to him for anything...i'll..I'll talk to Mahesh or the girls. Let me see. Chalo TTYL."
Mahesh overheard, "Shobhaji what is it?...I have seen your coming crying out of the washroom this afternoon. It's not my business, but."
Shobha went on, "Actually we have to vacate the house we live in, government orders...in four days."
"I just don't know where to go. I need to look for some temporary accommodation, Mahesh...something close to the kids school and now this office...Garima's University...where do I find something so quickly."
"They say when troubles come, they hit you like a tsunami..like huge waves swallowing you." she was in a very pensive mood.
Mahesh looked at her with eyes lit up. "Wait, I'll be back."
"Mahesh, where are you rushing?"
He was gone into Sandeep's office. And she could see they were into a very rushed discussion. Strange that she saw Sandeep smile, his eyes checking her out.
"Mahesh 'i'll do the talking to the Boss...sometimes he needs to listen too...leave it upto me will you? I cant afford to lose Shobha and go around looking for endless PAs for him." Mahesh nodded,
Shobha stayed back the extra hours finished what she had to do and left for home, thinking...the day had ended without a solution. She would look in the papers tomorrow and see for something. But wont discuss it with anyone for now.
Sandeep and Vikram were leaving for a late evening drinks and dinner meeting together, when Sandeep decided to broach the subject, " Vikram, before you say no, hear me out."
"So you want something from me? What?" Quick! spell it out."
"The flat that we bought in your building, lying vacant. I have a customer."
Vikram beamed, "Really! You do?' How much rent, a lakh?"
"Its for a short lease?" went on Sandeep hesitatingly..."See we need the apartment when our international guests come. But right now with the current season no one is scheduled to arrive in the next 6 months. So I thought of putting it on a short term lease."
"Ok go ahead, draw up the contract...how much is the rent?"
"Twenty thousand per month."
Shocked Vikram barked, "What peanuts? For that flat? Are you crazy? Is this for one of your girlfriends...Sandeep be honest with me?" looking strangely at Sandeep.
"No! I won't keep my girlfriends as your neighbours."
"Then who? anyone I know..."
"yes and no...Its Shobha...your new secretary."
"What? No ways...I am tolerating that woman in my office for 8 hours everyday...I am not going to have to see her face in the building that I live."
"And why must I? why does she need housing by the way?"
Sandeep tried to put some sense into the man, "Listen Vikram...it works out in the best interest of everyone."
She stays on the job, we get some rent out of it, so housing fee, electricity & water expenses are paid up. We can ask her to work extra hours if the need arises and it's not for free. I deduct the rent from her salary.
"And also man not like she will be your next door neighbour...but a couple of apartments away...though same corridor...I admit."
"So?" Sandeep waited for the man to simply say no, but yet asked, "Yes?"
Vikram looked outside the car and remembered the night he had gone to return the book, she was crying, so this was the reason it seems.
"Fine"
"Fine what Vikram?"
"Fine...go ahead but on the following conditions...her kids won't create noise in the corridor or house, any breakage they have to pay for noise pollution or breakage. No media allowed even around the building.No planters or flowers to be grown. No parties."
"Vikram?" Sandeep looked at him weirdly.
"You want them to live like saints?"
"Sandeep I make the rules, do you want to lease it or not? Sandeep nodded. "Fine then do as I say and put it down in the contract."
Next day Shobha was 10 minutes early at work, when Sandeep called her to his cabin.
"Hi Shobha good morning, kaisi ho?"
"Good Morning Sandeep, I am barely managing? What happened? Another order from the Khadus Boss?"
He beckoned her to sit, "No...I have good news for you. Mahesh told me about your housing problem and I have the perfect solution."
"What?"
"We have our guest apartment which is lying vacant. And I cant put it on long term lease. So its works out best for both parties to lease it to you for two months. The rent would be 20K which will be deducted from your salary."
Shobha gave her million dollar smile, "Oh Sandeep, thank you so so much. You are my angel...honestly."
"But where is it? I mean it can't be far..because of the circumstances.."
"Oh it's in the same area that you live, I will take you there and you can have a look at it."
Whilst Shobha sat elated and looked happy...and smiling at Sandeep, Vikram watched her being quite friendly with Sandeep. She spoke with so much ease to him. They were both laughing and smiling.
Vikram felt strange about it. Was irritated. He buzzed Sandeep.
Sandeep walked into Vikram's cabin. "I don't pay you guys to crack jokes with my secretary. Give her the contract, sign up, and get it done and over with Sandeep. Don't waste your time, hers and mine."
What happened to the guy, why was he snapping? thought Sandeep.
He nodded and walked out, drew up the contract and sent it to Shobha to have it signed. She read the weird dos and donts...must be saints and nuns who did not like kids living there. Anyways she did not have much choice so signed it right away.
The rest of the day went by and the clock struck five. Sneha came to her saying, "See you bye Shobha and good luck with your new neighbour"
"What...wait Sneha matlab?"
Sneha laughed, "Oh did you not know, Mr Vikram lives in the same building...your new Neighbor in fact...May God Save you...is all I can say!"
Shobha gasped mouth open shocked to the core! O Lord...what had she got herself into!
Halloween was just around the corner. Could she change the commandment to "Hate thy neighbour as you hate hell itself?"
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