The Truth
The next day I was definitely much better. According to Purvi, after firing me a whole bureaucratic practice had been followed and this meant I still had to sign the documents.
Signing the documents meant only one thing: I had to return to Mumbai Bank and I did not want to go. Why? I did not want to see him again. I sighed and parked the car in front of my house. I had to check if the parcel Mom had sent had arrived so I went to the mailbox. No packages, except the usual advertising and ... I stopped at the mailbox, frowning. Another anonymous letter? For a moment I forgot about the Orchid Crystal I'd received the previous day. I studied every inch of the new envelope. I noticed that this time it did not seem to contain anything fragile since there were no bumps. Mah! I opened it without hesitation, impelled by curiosity rather than any real interest. Inside I found a kind of bookmark in clear plastic, which framed a red orchid petal. Scents. Frowning, I took out a note from the envelope. I read the content several times.
And I'll be there till the stars not shine anymore ...
Till the heavens burst
and the words do not rhyme ..
Pure Originality: A poem and a petal.
"The mysteries of life," I murmured, slipping the bookmark and note back into the envelope. I entered the house and arranged it next to the pink orchids on the nightstand in my bedroom. Who the hell could have sent these? It couldn't be Mom otherwise I would have found a stamp and a postmark on the back, right? Natz would not have sent such things, or, if she had done it as a joke, I knew enough to know that she wouldn't resist telling me for more than a day. And then after the condition in which she had seen me today ... no, I thought, also rejecting this hypothesis.
I went into the living room, sitting on the couch while I doubtfully thought of a name: Karan? Could it be him? After all, he had repeatedly tried to make me understand that he was interested in me. And ... oh, God he knew my address! Yes, now I remembered that a few months ago, he had offered to take me home along with Natz. Ahh, he was not the kind of man for me. The doorbell rang suddenly, making me jump. I rushed to the door and was surprised to see Nikhil. "Hey, you didn't run away then."
He smiled slowly, but he was wearing a strange expression.
"As you can see I am here in the flesh," he made as if to enter. "Can I?"
"Sure," I opened the door wide and welcomed him into the small hallway. He came inside and then stared at me, his gaze indecipherable.
I frowned. "What's wrong?"
Nikhil put his hand to his neck. "I must tell you something." He even ignored me when I crossed my eyes. I crossed my arms across my chest.
"Please tell me that it's not about HIM, because yesterday I was sick so I stayed with Natz. But today I'm so well that I still can't believe I'm truly free from his imprisonment." Specifying his name was not necessary.
"Um, I know, I went to see you last night, but I didn't find you." Nikhil said quickly, his eyes fixed on the floor. "How about we sit down?"
It seemed as if he were really hiding something… he also had the attitude of a person who feels uncomfortable. He looked grim, so I began to get nervous.
"No. Tell me what you have to say, but hurry up because I have other things to do before going to the centre."
"Okay," he said. This time he looked at me. "I heard that Arjun fired you, and I'm here to tell you that I disagree with him."
I shut my eyes, tapping my fingers on my arms. I looked at him, giving him a sarcastic smile.
"And you came here to offer your compassion?"
"Promise me that you won't get angry," he said, shaking his head slightly.
"I'll see about that."
"I lied about the bet to you, Arohi," he said dryly, and I felt a twinge in my stomach. "The bet concerned you as a person. Everything started like a play; I assure you I didn't expect that Arjun would go this far. I'm really sorry, Arohi, that he fired you." He tried to place a hand on my shoulder as if to comfort me, but I shook it away violently.
"What was the bet?" I asked directly. I was starting to get furious and he had just started talking. I didn't dare to imagine what I would do once he had said everything that he had to say. Nikhil sighed. He seemed very troubled but honestly my only goal was to know what his story was. Then I was right: I was right in the middle of a bet.
"We met about four months after you started your job at the bank. One evening he came to the centre, and we ended up talking about his problems. So he talked about his secretary ... but I realized after the conversation that it was you. At that time you were absent. I simply suggested that he drive you mad a bit to see how far your patience would go. It was just a silly game with no intention to harm you, I swear, but then he began to exaggerate. The late-night phone calls, commissions that weren't in your jurisdiction..." he paused again, then looked into my impassive eyes.
"I'm sorry, Arohi. I don't understand why he fired you. He called me yesterday. I can assure you that he did not intend to do so, because-"
"Go." I said suddenly, interrupting him. By now I wasn't listening to him whatsoever. My anger was reaching a point of no control. Nikhil stepped forward, and attempted to put his hand on my shoulder.
"Listen, Arohi: he simply-'
"Didn't you hear what I just said?" I interrupted again. I even raised my voice, letting the anger take the upper hand. "Get out of my house."
Nikhil sighed in resignation. He slowly walked past me, heading toward the door. He turned to look at me. "I shouldn't tell you this, but you are NOT fired. It was just another provocation."
"Go!" I screamed. Only then did he leave the house. I stood still for several minutes in the living room, staring blankly. Then the phone call a few nights before was not from Sur. It was Arjun. He had intentionally made me mad to get a reaction. I clenched my hands into fists until my knuckles were white, while anger burned furiously in the pit of my stomach. I had spent months in fear of getting up in the morning to go to the office and finding out what I would be given that day. There were months where I had been afraid to even close my eyes at night in case I heard the phone ring in the middle of the night. And he rather enjoyed it all. All a game. No. No. There was only one thing I was thinking at that moment. Without contemplating it for more than a second, I went into the hall furiously and snatched up my car keys.
***
I parked the car opposite Mumbai Bank. The last rays of the sun at sunset reflected on its glass walls. I reached the elevator, pressed the button corresponding to the basement and rushed to his luxurious car with violence that I thought I didn't possess. I tore the logo off of the front of his Mercedes." This is for depriving me of the right to sleep at night."
Then, with the help of the metal in my hand, I tore the covering at the windshield. "This, for making me go crazy." But it was not over yet.
I took the elevator again, but this time I pressed the button to the top floor.
I reached the already opened door of Arjun's office. He was alone. Good.
With double the anger, I threw the Mercedes symbol I had torn off onto his desk. I crossed my arms across my chest, looking at him from top to bottom.
He frowned, puzzled, his green eyes alternated between me and the metal on his desk. "What the hell-?"
"This is nothing compared to the damage you'll see after you get to your car."
He stood up, abandoning his eyes from mine. "Are you crazy?"
What? WHAT? I was the crazy one? Me?
He hardly knew what the word meant so I decided to show him.
With vehemence, I threw all the papers arranged on his desk to the floor. There they rested scattered all over the office. Not only that, I even threw the pen, the appointment book, and a picture frame with the logo of the bank.
"Arohi, stop! Damn it, stop it," he objected, grabbing my arm.
I practically thrashed down whatever was in my reach. He called me crazy, right?
I looked at him as I escaped violently from his grasp. "You want further proof, or is that enough? This is only a thousandth of what you deserve for how you've treated me this year. I do not give a damn that you're rich. People like you deserve the worst!"
"Let me speak before you react like a foolish child." he exclaimed.
"Don't you dare give me any more orders," I blurted out, ignoring the tone of his voice.
"You're over-reacting." he said putting on a serious face. "And you're not allowing me to explain. Things are not the way what you think they are."
"What's to explain, Arjun? You're as STUPID as can be! Everything is clear to me. You bet on my level of insanity? Congratulations, you've won. Now what you want to do?"
He protested, "You expect me to give away my position to you? I've hired you as my secretary, Arohi. It should mean something!"
He was sympathizing with me? He clearly didn't understand how bad an effect the bet had on me? No, I would not let him crush me now. Absolutely not!
"I do not want to hear anything." I said.
He raised both his eyebrows.
"Oh, you don't want to hear me out? But you'll have to! Now you listen to me carefully." He commanded pointing his finger at me, stepping closer. "Nobody gives you the right to pounce on me here and vent your frustration out on me without giving me the opportunity to explain how things are. This is an utterly immature attitude."
My eyes widened. "Vent my frustration? I was being immature?" I repeated, incredulous that he even dared to say such a thing. "You have big issues, Arjun." I escaped a sharp smile. "Your brain operates only when it comes to finance. Relationship isn't your cup of tea. I believe that you are alone. People like you are destined to live in solitude for eternity. "
Silence.
Arjun looked down on the floor and said nothing.
Now embarked on the path of anger, I continued to rage. I took a step closer to him, pointing a finger at his chest now. "What is it, Arjun? Seeing your secretary react furiously like you, are you not enjoying it? You have no idea what I'm capable."
He crossed my eyes, remaining silent once again.
To my surprise, Arjun suddenly grabbed my waist with vehemence. My heart skipped a beat. "Arohi ..." he began, whispering into my ear. "You are an important asset to this bank and to me. I cannot lose you."
And then his lips rested on mine. He kissed me. It took me a few seconds to get hold of what had happened. In instant fury, I rested both my hands on his chest, and pushed him away. The anger I had exerted minutes ago, returned again just like lava rises up to the crater of a volcano. It did not take me more than two seconds to explode.
Without giving him time to understand, I slapped Arjun violently on the cheek, leaving a red mark.
He immediately covered the injured part with his hand, turning his head away.
"How dare you?" I yelled in disgust. Stepping back, I continued, "I HATE YOU MR ARJUN PUNJ!" Finally, I managed to tell him what I thought of him. What he deserved to listen.
After that, I ran away from the office.
***
read next part below😊
Edited by -Parm- - 15 years ago