She picked up the 2 files...RAHEJA'S REPORT FILE & KIWISH INTERNATIONAL FILE. She walked towards the door and before opening the door, turned around to give her cabin one last glance. She then opened the door and left... GUNJAN BHUSHAN left the cabin taking with her everything that belonged to her... what she could not take with her was her memory... and... a folded piece of paper... which,she had unknowingly dropped from her purse when she took out her handkerchief.
----------*****----------
Meanwhile SAMRAT
Exactly at 9.30am, SAMRAT entered his cabin. He sat on the chair and swirled the chair towards one side... his mind crowded with thoughts of his conversation with DAI Maa... (( Yeh DAI Maa ko GUNJAN ke baare mein kaise pata chala...? Kahin maine hi toh nahin...Oh shit ! Shayad,maine hi uska naam liya tha...tab hi unhein shaq ho gaya...Pata nahin kaise,main khud par control nahin kar paaya...Par,main unse kehta bhi,kya jab main khud hi sure nahin hoon...I wish ki woh yeh jald hi bhool jayen...warna kya bataaoonga main unhein ki,main kyun GUNJAN ko apni life mein accept nahin kar sakta...Main usse pasand karta hoon par,usse apne paas nahin aane de sakta... DAI Maa kabhi mere dream ko nahin samajh paayengi... 1 Middle Class ladki kabhi meri manzeel nahin ho sakti.Whatever,woh mujhe sabse achhi lagti ho...))
This thought and sadness clearly showed in his eyes. He stood up and walked towards the window... dark clouds... He hated those. He looked at the cars... the people... Life was moving at it's own pace... then why did he feel so listless??? Why did he feel so empty today?? The clap of thunder and the raindrops falling on the glass brought him out of his thoughts... He looked at the clouded sky... It was raining pretty heavily. He turned around and looked at his wrist watch... 9.40am... (( Pata nahin,woh aayi bhi hai yaa nahin...? Shayad aa gayi hogi...kya karoon...?? Usse terminate karoon yaa nahin...? Dai Maa ne jo kaha...Kya woh...?? No,SAMRAT...Dai Maa jaanti hi kya hain...Yeh 1 Official matter hai...I think,mujhe uss se 1 baar baat karni chahiye...cool mind se...Shayad usse apni clarification deni ho...? Shayad woh mujhe 'Sorry' kehna chahti ho...? Pata nahin..Kyun par,main use terminate karna nahin chahta...Usse 1 chance dena chahta hoon. Main sirf apni insecurity ke liye,uske saath itna rude kaise ho sakta hoon...mana ki,usne galti ki hai,par woh galti anjaane mein bhi toh ho sakti hai...Mujhe usse maaf kar dena chahiye...Ok...Usse bulata hoon...Jo kuchh hai woh abhi clear kar lena chahiye...uske baad hi koi final decision loonga...))
He walked towards his Desk... and he dialed her Cabin number... only to hear the ring at the other side. He was waiting to hear her sweet as honey voice say HELLO... he was getting impatient with every ring... but no one received the call... ((Woh Phone kyun nahin le rahi...? Woh aayi toh hai naa...? 1 minute...kahin woh mujhe ignore toh nahin kar rahi...? How dare she...? Wait...pehle uski Attendence conform karta hoon...phir,batata hoon isse..))
Angrily he disconnected the call and dialed the attendance Dept. In his arrogant tone, he asked... "Tell me,kya aaj GUNJAN aayi hai...?
The Call Receiver at the other end was petrified hearing SAMRAT's loud voice. Not that this was new, but still, every time SAMRAT spoke like that, his employees would get scared. In a low tone, he said... "Ji...Ji...Sir...par..."
Angrily he slammed the Receiver down without hearing his employee out. He was angry... ((What the Hell...?? Woh achhi tarah jaanti hai ki,mera phone hai phir bhi usse receive nahin kar rahi...I know,woh jaan boojh kar mujhe pareshaan karna chahti hai...Itna attitude...?? Isse 1 aur sabak sikhana hoga...)) He again called the Attendance Deptt...
S - (said very angrily) Miss BHUSHAN ki aaj ki attendance cut kar do..and now,tell me iss waqt woh kahaan hain...?
CR - Sir...wo...woh...toh...
S - WHERE IS SHE...?? tell me fast damn-it. (Yelled in very loud voice)
CR - Sir...Woh toh morning se hi aayi hui hain...But,Unhone aaj apna Attendance nahin banaya...Attendance Card bhi yahin chhod kar chali gayin...Abhi kuchh der pehle unhein Mr.SHARMA ke Cabin mein dekha tha... shayad,wahin hongi...
S - (Shockingly) WHAT...?? Abhi tak Attendance nahin banaya...Ok...aur,kab aayi thi woh...?
CR - Sir,I think approx. 7.30,morning.
S - Ok...Tum Attendance Register aur GUNJAN ka card mere Cabin mein bhej do...Main SHARMA Jii se baat kar leta hoon. He dropped the receiver in its hook... and he was lost in his thought... what was GUNJAN up to?? (( I am totally confused...Yeh ladki aakhir chahti kya hai...? Itni subah se Office mein kya kar rahi hai...? Aur aane ke baad bhi,Attendance kyun nahin banaya...? Irresponsibilty ki bhi hadhh hoti hai...Card bhi wahin chhod diya...waise hi jaise kal 'Report File' gum kar di thi... Aur,Kya kal raat ke incident ka usse zara bhi bura nahin laga...? aur,Main yun hi darr raha tha ki,shayad woh ab office na aaye... But,actually its not shocking... (a winner smile) I knew it...Woh kabhi yeh job nahin chhodegi...She knows,SHERGILL's jaisa working place aur Remuneration usse aur kahin nahin milega...
Shayad thodi busy hogi...iss liye ab tak nahin aayi...yaa shayad mere saamne aane se darr rahi ho...? But,I know woh aayegi aur apne last day ki mistake ke liye 'Sorry' bhi kahegi...lekin,iss baar main thoda strictly behave karoonga...Uski 'Sorry' accept karoonga bhi toh... kuchh 'Conditions' par.Whatever,uske liye meri personal felings jo bhi ho par,professionally main usse easily forgive nahin kar sakta. Usne SHERGILL's ka jo loss kiya hai,uske liye usse easily maafi milni bhi nahin chahiye...Bas,1 baar woh mere saamne aaye toh...phir,batata hoon main usse...))
Though he put up the facade of being angry, somewhere deep down in his heart, He was happy... He was getting a chance to meet her...to see her pretty face,again... Her expressive eyes... Her lovely smile... He was smiling at his own thought... waiting for the door to open ... waiting for her to enter... but, 15 mins passed and still no sign of her... He was unable to tolerate this wait... ((What ?? 10 baj gaye...aur ab tak usne mere cabin mein aana zaroori nahin samjha...? Aisa kya important work kar rahi hai woh..? Jiski wajah se itni busy hai...? SHARMA Jii ko hi call karta hoon,aakhir poochoon toh ki, Miss BHUSHAN kahaan busy hain...? )) He dialed SHARMA JI's number. This was immediately received by SHARMA Jii...
Mr.SHARMA's Cabin :
Mr.S - (said normally) Hello Sir...! Woh main aapke paas hi aa raha tha...woh kuchh..
S - (Cuts angrily) Mr.SHARMA...Kya GUNJAN aapke Cabin mein hai...??
Mr.S - Ji Sir...Aur,woh abhi...
S - (Cuts again in strict ordering tone) Usse abhi,issi waqt mere cabin mein bhejiye...Fast...I M waiting...Mujhe aur bhi dusre kaam karne hain.
Mr.S - Ji...Ji..Sir main Keh deta hoon...woh abhi...
And once again, SAMRAT disconnected the call without waiting for SHARMA Jii to complete his sentence.
GUNJAN heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, all her pending work was over and done with. She smiled at SHARMA Jii as she spoke in her soft, sweet voice... "Thank You,SHARMA Jii...ab chalti hoon...Thanx for every thing...Aapne hamesha mujhe kaafi co-operate kiya hai,Aapke sare ehsaan kabhi nahin bhoolongi...Anjaane mein agar mujhse koi galti ho gayi toh Please,mujhe maaf kar dijiyega."
As she stood there, her hands folded as she asked for forgiveness, her tone had changed...She sounded low and sad.
Mr.SHARMA looked at GUNJAN and he quickly walked towards her. Holding her folded hands in his hands and gently moving them apart, he spoke to her...in a kind tone... for in these 8 days, He had understood GUNJAN very well... He knew what a nice human being she was... "Tumhein koi maafi maangne ki zaroorat nahin...Kyunki,tumne kabhi kuchh galat nahin kiya hai GUNJAN... Maine kabhi iss Office mein tum jaisi hard-work karne waali employee nahin dekhi...main jaanta hoon ki,SHERGILL GROUP ne aaj kya khoya hai...par,main ab tak tumhare 'Resignation' ki sahi wajah samajh nahin pa raha...Tumhaari aankhon mein baar-baar aansoo kyun aa ja rahe hain...? Kahin yeh decision tumne kal shaam ki meeting ki wajah se toh nahin liya...? Wahan Kuchh hua hai kya...?
GUNJAN wiped her tears before they could leave her eyelids. Trying to smile and barely succeeding at it, she said... "Nahin...Kuchh nahin hua...Woh,actually...8 Dinon mein is jagah se kaafi attach si ho gayi hoon...bas,iss liye thodi emotional ho gayi thi...aur kuchh nahin...I M fine.Par,Please aap yeh Files aur Envelopes SAMRAT Sir ko de dijiyega...shayad,woh inka hi wait kar rahe hain..."
Mr.S - (said in very caring tone) Par,Tum ab karogi kya...? Tum mujhe kuchh batana nahin chahti thik hai...par,at least..1 baar SAMRAT Sir se mil toh lo...Aur,tum yeh Resignation kyun de rahi ho...? Sir,ne waise bhi Freshers ko 1 month ki advance salary ke saath terminate karne ke order diye hue hain,"Resignation" dene ke baad toh tumhein sirf 8 Days ki hi salary mil paayegi.
G - Nahin...SHARMA Jii,Main yeh sab paisoon ke liye nahin kar rahi...In fact,main toh apne 8 dinon ki salary bhi nahin maang rahi...Mujhe toh SHERGILL's se kuchh bhi nahin chahiye...NOC yaa 'Working Certificate' bhi nahin...Main toh kabhi apne 'Resume' mein SHERGILL's ka name bhi quote nahin karoongi. Mujhe really,SHERGILL's se kuchh nahin chahiye...Bas,aapse 1 hi request hai...agar aap mere Certificates ke original Copies jald nikalwa dete toh ,Main aapka yeh ehsaan kabhi nahin bhooloongi... Actually,Next job ke liye uski zaroorat hogi naa... (she said very innocently)
Mr.S - Thik hai...Main koshish karoonga ki,tumhaare Certificates jald se jald tumhein mil jaaye...Par,phir bhi 1 week toh lag hi jaayega...Lekin,Main ab bhi kahoonga ki,jaane se pehle tum 1 baar Sir se mil lo...Unhone tumhein apne Cabin mein bulaya hai...
GUNJAN picked up her purse and as she slung it over her shoulder, she looked at SHARMA JI, hurt all so evident in her eyes... as in her voice... "Nahin SHARMA Jii,Ab uski koi zaroorat nahin...Main already unka kaafi waqt aur paisa waste kar chuki hoon...Unke aur kisi loss ko compensate karna ab mere bas mein nahin...Main pehle hi apna kaafi kuchh kho chuki hoon,Ab khone ko kuchh bacha hi nahin...1 self respect hai,usse khona nahin chahti...Main ussi ke saath khush hoon..."
As she completed her statement, her tears had left the safe confines of her eyes, falling freely on her milky white cheeks. Wiping them, she feebly smiled at him as she nodded a BYE and left. SHARMA Jii said nothing to stop her. He could feel the pain in her voice... see the pain on her face...though she tried to unsuccessfully hide it... She had left forever...
----------*****----------
SAMRAT's cabin :
SAMRAT was unable to concentrate on his work. His wait was getting unbearable... his anger touched unbelievable heights as he thought... (( How Disgusting..!! Yeh aaj sab ko ho kya gaya hai...? Naa toh ab tak GUNJAN aayi..aur naa hi,uss SHARMA ke bacche ne call back kiya...I M loosing my temper...Mujhe khud bhi pata nahin ki,main kya kar doonga...? GUNJAN ka jo haal hoga so hoga...Pehle,Iss SHARMA ki khabar leta hoon.))
He made a call to SHARMAJI's cabin. Before, he had dialed SHARMA Jii's number, he heard a knock... His heart skipped a beat... could it be???? But then his hopes were dashed as he heard a male voice speak... " May I come in Sir? ". He answered in very rude tone...
S - Yes,Come in...
As the door opened and SHARMA Jii entered, SAMRAT kept looking at the entrance, hoping she would follow... but, the door swung shut... dejected, He looked at SHARMAJI and saw him keeping some files and envelopes on the table. Along with that was his Diary...his 'Appointment Diary'...
Mr.S - Good Morning Sir..! (said in little worried tone)
S - Oh ! Toh Aap hain...? Mil gaya time aapko yahaan aane ka...? Itni jaldi bhi kya thi...LUNCH Break ke baad aate...Main kahaan bhaag raha tha...? Main toh hoon hi, yahaan tum logon ka wait karne ke liye...? Mujhe aur koi kaam toh hai nahin... (said in very harsh and sarcastic tone)
Mr.S - Sorry Sir ! Par,Kuchh zaroori kaam tha..issi liye...
SAMRAT banged his hand fiercely on the Desk as He stood up and yelled...
S - What do U mean...,Ki zaroori kaam tha ?? I M your Boss. aur,Mujh se zyada important tum logon ke liye aur kuchh nahin hona chahiye...Mere order ko koi ignore kare,Main yeh kabhi tolerate nahin karoonga...? Do U understand...??
Mr.S - Sorry Sir ! next time aisa kuchh nahin hoga...? I M sorry for that...
S - (little calm way) Its Ok...anyway,GUNJAN ko bhejne ko kaha tha...Where is she..? Agar mujhse darr kar bahar khadi hai toh, usse se kahiye...,Woh andar aa sakti hai...main usse kha nahin jaaonga..."
Mr.S - (said in soft but,plain voice) She is not the outside the cabin...nor in this Office.
S - (Shockingly) WHAT...?? Kya matlab...?? Jab maine Aapko call kiya...woh,Aapke Cabin mein thi...phir,kahan gayi woh...??
Mr.S - Usne apna 'Resignation Letter' de diya hai...Now,she is not part of SHERGILL GROUP of COMPANIES.
S - WHAT...?? Usne 'Resign' kar diya...? But,Why...? Aur,Aap kaun hote hain yeh decide karne waale ki,woh iss office ka part hai yaa nahin...? Aapko apni limit nahin bhulni chahiye... (said very angrily)
Mr.S - Sorry Sir ! Par,Usne jaane se pehle yeh kuchh Files aur Envelopes diye hain...aapko dene ke liye... (Gently pushing the files and envelopes towards SAMRAT) aur...
S - Aur kya...??
Mr.S - Sir,Woh aapne kal order diya tha ki,Sabhi Freshers ko 1 month ki advance salary dekar unhein terminate kar diya jaaye...Hamare Office mein sirf 12 employees hi as a Fresher appoint the,including GUNJAN...par,usne woh 'Termination Letter' aur woh Salary Check lene se mana kar diya...even usne apne 8 days ki payment par bhi koi claim nahin kiya hai.Woh yahaan se kuchh lena nahin chahti...NOC aur 'Work Certificate' bhi nahin.
S - (said very angrily) Kya main pooch sakta hoon,Aapko kya zaroorat thi usse Termination Letter dene ki...? Woh meri P.A. hai, Usse appoint yaa terminate karne ka decision main leta.Zaroor aapke uss letter ki wajah se hi usse bura laga hoga.Aapko mujh se 1 baar pooch toh lena chahiye tha...!!
Mr.S - Sorry Sir,par aisa nahin hai.Maine usse 'Termination Letter' nahin diya tha.Woh aapna 'Resignation' saath lekar hi aayi thi. Maine toh sirf uss se kaha ki,agar woh 'Termination' accept kar leti hai toh usse 1 month ki salary bhi mil jaayegi par,usne kaha ki,uss ne paisson ke liye kabhi kuchh nahin kiya.
SAMRAT was startled as he heard SHARMA Jii's last sentence. Had he misunderstood something??? No... SAMRAT SHERGILL never misunderstood anything... He would never make a mistake... but,then... He wanted to be left alone...somewhere, he was too hurting... totally disheartened. He said in a serious and sad voice...almost meekly... "Ok...Aap abhi jaaiye...Main baad mein aapko bulata hoon."
Mr.SHARMA was kind off surprised to hear this tone of SAMRAT. But, he quietly turned to leave and then as he thought about something, stopped and turned to face SAMRAT. In a normal tone, he asked... "Sir,Aapse kuchh poochna tha..."
S - What?
Mr.S - Sir , Woh aapne GUNJAN ki salary ko 18,000 se 25,000 karne ko kaha tha par,usne woh increment lene se mana kar diya tha. Now,I want to know that,next P.A. ki salary ke liye kaun sa amount quote karoon?
S - WHAT...?? (Shockingly) Usne increment lene se mana kar diya tha...? Aur,Yeh baat aap mujhe ab bata rahe hain...? How could U do that...? Kya aapko nahin lagta ki,aapko yeh baat mujhe pehle bata deni chahiye thi...? (Yelled very badly)
Mr.S - Sorry Sir, Par maine woh File aur 'Increment' rejection letter ka Note File mein hi rakh kar aapko de diya tha... Shayad,aapne usse check nahin kiya...wait...Shayad,woh File yahin table par hi hogi.
Saying so, Mr.SHARMA searched among the files lot that was lying on SAMRAT's desk. He picked up the relevant file and handed it over to SAMRAT. SAMRAT accepted the file from him and opened it and read the Note on the first page, written in GUNJAN's handwriting...
"Thanx for the increment ! However,my previous Pay-Scale is sufficient for me.I am in no dire need of any increment.Thanx."
This Note and Its contents hit SAMRAT hard. He was feeling guilty. Tears welled in his eyes and he quickly turned away as he did not want SHARMA Jii to see him like this... In a low tone that somehow did not reveal his real condition then,he said... "Aap abhi jaaiye...Main aapse baad mein baat karoonga."
Mr.SHARMA nodded and turned around to leave. He was stopped by SAMRAT once again. He turned around as he heard... "Mr.SHARMA...!! 1 Sec."
Mr.S - Ji..Sir...?
S - (said but without facing him) Jab maine aapko call kiya...GUNJAN aapke cabin mein thi...? Aapne usse mera message diya...?
Mr.S - (said after a Pause) Ji...
S - Phir,Kya kaha usne...?
Mr.SHARMA said nothing...after some minute...SAMRAT said again... "Maine aapse kuchh poocha hai...Kya kaha usne...?"
Mr.S - (said in little low tone) Woh kaafi depressed thi...Usne kaha ki,Woh ab aur zyada aapka Time aur Money waste nahin karna chahti...B'coz,woh already aapka kaafi time aur Money waste kar chuki hai.Aapke aur loss ko compansate karne ke liye ab uske paas kuchh nahin bacha...Yahaan aakar woh apne bache hue Self-Respect ko nahin khona chahti.
Each word uttered by SHARMA Jii was piercing his heart. SAMRAT said nothing, just listened... His eyes shut as he heard the words that she had spoken... after a long pause...in an emotionless voice, he asked... "Aur Kuchh...?"
Mr.S - Nahin...Haan,bas baar-baar uski aankhein bheeg ja rahi thin...
This statement hurt him even more...Those pretty eyes brimming with tears... yesterday, he had seen them moist, but he was too angry to notice the hurt and the pain in those eyes... but,today... these words by Mr.SHARMA hurt him to no extent. In a normal tone, he said... "U can go Mr.SHARMA...Jab zaroorat hogi...Aapko bula loonga...aur haan...Don't want any disturbance in my Cabin...so,please koi call yaa msg.,transfer karne ki zaroorat nahin hai.
Mr.S - Ji...Sir ! and he left from the Cabin.
As he heard the door shut, He turned around slowly. He saw the files and envelopes kept on the table. He picked up his 'Appointment Diary'... and read Today's schedule... In GUNJAN neat handwriting... maybe, the last time he would read her handwriting... He shut the Diary... and kept it aside.
He sat down and opened the file that had KIWISH INTERNATIONAL written on it. He remembered the day before...his rudeness at an all time high, He had not even allowed her to have her Lunch, inspite of knowing that she had not eaten anything since morning. He moved his fingers over the file, trying to feel her touch... but... He kept the file aside and picked the copy of THE RAHEJA's Report file. As he opened it, He realised how perfectly well the Presentation was... everything Systematic... everything well organised.He shut the file.
His eyes fell on the 2 Envelopes that were lying on his Desk. 1 White Envelope which read...'RESIGNATION LETTER' and a Cream coloured Envelope which read 'COMPENSATION'. This surprised him as he had no clue to what this envelope contained. He kept the White envelope in his drawer and picked up the Cream colored one. He opened it and was surprised to see 1000 Rupee notes in the envelope. He saw a White paper... a Note which she had written. He removed the note from the envelope and kept the envelope on the desk as he opened the folds of the paper to read the contents -
Respected Sir,
I am sorry but this is only,24,000 rupees.Mujhe sirf 'Booking Charges' ke 23,000 hi pata the...Other expences ka idea nahin tha...Kabhi itne bade Hotel mein gayi hi nahin...par,abhi 'Account Deptt.' se pata cahla ki,after 'Service Tax'...Bill amount zyada ho jaata hai. Unhein abhi actual Bill amount pata nahin tha...Par,mere paas abhi itne hi paise the...But,don't worry...maine unhein kaha hai ki,woh actual paid bill ka amount mujhe bata den...Jab 'Original certificates' lene aaoongi toh I'll try ki,usse bhi compansate kar doon...Agar amount zyada hue...aur agar mere paas utne paise nahin hue toh...Don't worry...main 'original Certificates' nahin loongi...jab tak ki uss amount ko compansate naa kar doon. I know ki,meri wajah se kal aapka kaafi 'Valuable' time waste ho gaya...par,usse compansate karne ki meri 'aukaat' nahin...so,uske liye again 'Sorry' kehna chahoongi.Kyunki,kal raat maine jaan liya hai...ki,agar mujhe kahin bhi kaam karna hai...toh mujhe 'Sorry' kehna sikhna hoga...warna,kal raat jaise incidents har baar honge...
Thanx for teaching me,this valuable lesson.
Your ordinary ex-employee,
GUNJAN.
SAMRAT was upset as he read the letter. He kept it on the Desk and leaned backwards. What had happened was beyond his imagination. He stood up and walked towards the window. The rains had increased... and his eyes saw her...frantically searching for mode of transport... the rains were making it difficult for her to get any Taxi or Rickshaw to stop... totally wet...she was trying her level best. Finally, one cab came to a halt near her and she spoke to the driver. He saw her enter the Taxi... and the Taxi drove off...
SAMRAT turned back and walked towards his Desk. He flopped on the chair... His eyes moist. He was lost in his deep thought... and then his mood changed... suddenly,guilt and sadness made way for anger... That 'Middle Class Girl' had hurt his ego... and no way was he letting her off so easily... He wiped his tears as stood up and walked around his Cabin...thinking... ((Yeh tumne sahi nahin kiya GUNJAN...Maine kal jo bhi kiya,woh anjaane mein kiya tha... par,tum toh sab sach jaanti thi...phir,Kyun nahin mili mujhse ? Kyun mujhse milkar,mujhe saari sachhai nahin batai...? Maine kal jo bhi kaha...Gusse mein kaha...Maine kabhi tumse Paise nahin maange the...Phir,yeh paise de kar tum kya prove karna chahti ho...? Yeh ki,kal raat main kitna galat tha aur tum kitni sahi...?? Tumne yeh bilkul sahi nahin kiya...Tumne SAMRAT SHERGILL ko milne se mana kiya , Aaj tak kisi ne SAMRAT ko 'Naa' nahin kaha hai, SAMRAT kisi ki 'Naa' nahin sun sakta.Tumhen shayad nahin pata ki,tumne kya kiya hai? Tumne meri insult ki hai,SHERGILL Empire ke owner ki insult ki hai.You'll pay for this. Tumhein yahaan aana hoga GUNJAN...mere paas mere saamne.Tum chaho yaa naa chaho..tumhein yahaan aana hi hoga.))
He stood near his chair and he angrily swirled his chair... keeping his hands on his desk, his eyes blazing red...He made a decision.
[To Be Continued...]
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