Replies begin from page 130.45. Call Me SirThe day was spent with Raya, roaming around the city. First, we went to her place and she checked everything out. Since she and Raunaq had been away for almost four weeks, some restocking had to be done. She was expecting Raunaq to be back in a day or two so we shopped for stuff first and dropped it at her place before leaving for lunch. Anaya was going to join us at the restaurant.
"What have you thought about joining Khurana Constructions?" Anaya asked point blank after the order was served.
I concentrated on cutting my steak with a knife. "I haven't really decided yet."
"But Di, I think you should take up the offer, especially since Aunty, Zara and Maan, all want you to join him." My eyes flitted towards Raya.
"Who told you they all want me to join?"
In response, she just pointed a thumb towards Anaya. I raised my eyebrows in question towards her then.
"Aunty did." She shrugged casually and then gave me a level stare. "If you hide something from us, it won't mean we won't ever know."
"I didn't hide anything from you." I said defensively.
"But you never told the complete story last night." Anaya countered. Raya nodded in agreement.
I put my knife and fork down and looked at them.
"What do you both want me to do then?"
"Well..." Began Anaya.
"If you be true to yourself, the offer is worth giving a shot." It was Raya who spoke.
"Look," Anaya chimed in. "There are so many pros to this offer that refusing it will be unwise."
"What about the cons?" I countered impromptu.
"What cons?" Both the girls questioned.
I fumbled to think of something. "I'd have to leave Innodea."
"So?" Anaya raised an eyebrow. "People change jobs all the time, Geet."
"But..." It was a weak protest and I knew it.
"If you're thinking about loyalty and emotional attachment, Di, then please don't." I looked at Raya, who was speaking softly but firmly. "Like Anaya said, People change jobs all the time. And if you think practically, how are you supposed to climb the ladder of success if you deny yourself better options? Remember you always wanted to work independently? This is your chance, Di. Maan is offering you a whole department to manage by yourself."
"But it still does not equate to working independently." A gruff objection came to my lips.
Anaya took a deep breath. "Geet, consider this your practice. Managing a department by yourself is still a step up from the point you're at. Give it a chance, at least."
"What about Vyan?"
"What about him?" they both asked simultaneously.
"I... We work together. How can I leave him?"
"Di." Raya sighed in frustration. "Drop binding yourself in unnecessary ties. You are not bound to make everyone happy all the time. You need to think about yourself too. As for Vyan, he used to work alone before you arrived and I'm sure he'll do fine if you leave. Stop pulling yourself because you believe the world rests on your shoulders!"
Raya's rant stunned me and Anaya into silence before Anaya broke the thick air.
"God, Raya! I never knew you could speak so much in a single breath." She was staring wide-eyed at her. "And that too, so angrily."
Despite the mood of the moment, all three of us laughed, breaking the tension. But the girls still remembered to advise me to think over the offer before it's too late. I promised I would.
Over the next couple of days, they both hounded me with messages on a mutual chat group, trying their hardest to make me say yes to the offer, giving reasons like Maan would be the best boss because he was also an acquaintance outside the office, or Maan was impressed by my work so he would be lenient and prioritise my opinions, et cetera, et cetera. I just took it all in and let my mind think things through.
Raunaq came back on Tuesday so Raya was gone and I had more free time on hand. One evening in the next week, I decided to walk to the same coffee shop I had gone to a number of times earlier. There was still light in the sky and there was enough time for me to make a quick trip before the sun set. I wrapped my arms around myself in an effort to keep warm. The autumn chill was now giving way to the colder winter.
Just as I reached the vicinity, my eyes fell on the familiar black car parked across the road from the coffee shop. Of course I knew whose car it was, and I knew exactly where he would be at the moment: in the meadow. My feet halted of their own accord. Rain, cold, darkness, anger, guilt, many sour memories flooded back as I stared at the path which led down to the meadow. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I ignored the car and the stoned path and headed straight to the coffee shop.
Ordering myself a frappe, I scanned the area for an empty place to sit but my eyes fell on an unexpected person, sitting with his head bent down, his fingers tracing the rim of his cup while his eyes were lost somewhere far away. Maan seemed to be in some deep thoughts. I stood at the counter for a while and gazed at him. Paying for my coffee and taking the cup in my hands, I tentatively walked towards where he sat alone.
Coming to stand in front of him, I cleared my throat to catch his attention but he didn't seem to hear me.
"Hi!" He looked up listlessly and seeing me, immediately straightened up, passing me a bright smile.
"What a pleasant surprise!" His voice matched his words, and there was absolutely no sign of the perturbation on his face which I had seen just moments ago. "Came to join me for a coffee?" He wriggled his eyebrows.
I shook my head and pulled the chair across him, without taking his permission.
"Why are you always so fanciful?" I rested my back against the chair and crossed my legs.
"Fanciful and me? Nah! I'm more of a realist." I snorted at that. "But it's a different matter that your realism and mine are poles apart."
"Oh please!" I rolled my eyes and waved my hand dismissively at him. "I'm tired of hearing you praise yourself."
He smiled sardonically. "And that is exactly why you came after me to this coffee shop and chose to sit with me instead of the numerous empty tables here."
My eyebrows shot up. "Huh? I'd like to burst your bubble. You weren't even on my mind until I saw you sitting here all alone with a long face." I shrugged nonchalantly. "Consider me sitting here and talking with you a favour."
Taking a sip from my coffee, I saw his amused expression. "I'm obliged, Miss Handa, of your thoughtful company, but let me tell you that I'm a ladies' favourite. I can get any young woman to talk to me and give me company within a matter of seconds."
"Really?" I hid my smile in another sip of coffee.
"You don't believe me? Let me give you a demo." He looked around and his gaze zeroed in on a young girl standing at the counter. Pushing his chair back, he got up and walked towards her. I saw him wear his most charming smile as he called for her attention. I could see him talking to her seductively. Although I could not hear what he said but in response, the girl giggled and conversed with him until her coffee was served and she left the shop with an alluring wave at him.
He winked at me as he walked back after the girl was gone.
"So? What do you think?"
I laughed. "You're such a flirt, Maan!" He shrugged and emptied the contents of his cup in one sip. "So that means you chose not have any company tonight." I began after sipping on my frappe again.
"Unlike what you think about me, I don't always roam around with a woman on my arm." He had sobered up a bit and now he was toying with his cup, his gaze fixated on me.
"I see." I nodded solemnly. "And may I ask what reason you have for being unsociable tonight?"
He chuckled humourlessly. "Unsociable is not what I would call me if I were you, especially since I am making a decent conversation with you."
I blinked with a half-smile. "Right. My bad."
Silence prevailed for a moment before I spoke again. "I saw your car outside and I thought you'd be in the meadow."
"And you said I wasn't on your mind until you saw me sitting here." His reminder about my words earlier made me smile but he was serious. "I was there." He murmured almost in a soundless voice before dropping his gaze back to his cup.
He fell silent. No explanation, no clarification. The seriousness on his face made me fidget. He was visibly upset over something and I was indecisive if I should ask or just distract him.
"I've been thinking over something lately." Distracting him seemed like a better option. I did not know if I had the right to share his problems.
"About what?" He looked at me, leaving his cup and leaning his back against the chair, folding his arms across his chest.
"About taking up your offer..." It was the first time I had spoken to him about this job. "...if it is still open for me, I mean."
"And what if it's already been given to someone else?" He stared at me, his expressions well-hidden. A pang of disappointment hit me which I tried to suppress.
"My luck." I shrugged as if it didn't matter.
I looked at him, right into the unfathomable chocolate of his eyes, trying to decipher his thoughts. "Has it been taken?"
He inhaled deeply, blinking a couple of times before shaking his head slowly. "No."
That was it. His one word answer told me what he was stressed about.
"Are you worried about it?" I couldn't help asking.
"Naturally." He leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the table. "I've been on my toes to find someone for this post since quite a while." He looked at me and then moved his gaze towards the glass-walled front of the shop which was a direct view of his meadow. "And now that my clients have now begun requesting for interior services, I'm in a bit of a fix here. I need someone as soon as I can, or I might have to reconsider the decision to keep this wing."
I nodded in understanding, even though he wasn't looking my way. It was then that my decision was made. Whatever differences Maan and I may have, however many clashes, but one thing was for certain. I would never want his work to suffer when I could help him because I knew how much his work meant to him.
I followed his gaze and was startled out of my thoughts seeing darkness outside. I hadn't realised how much time had passed.
Getting up hurriedly, I caught his attention. I answered the question his eyes asked.
"I need to get going. It's already dark outside." He seemed startled too as he took another look outside before he got up.
"I'll drop you home." I began to shake my head but his voice was firm and decisive. "I've already told you this place is not safe at night." It was true. He had warned me when we had met here earlier.
I did not protest much when he unlocked the car, got in himself and waited for me to sit beside him.
Yes, I thought to myself. I was going to take up his offer. I was going to join Khurana Constructions and work for Maan, with Maan.
Late in the night, I sat in front of the television which played a sitcom but I wasn't attentive towards it. My mind was still somewhere in the coffee shop, but the initial steadfastness of my decision of joining Maan had warded off somewhat. I was contemplating now, trying to reason with myself that I had decided to take up the offer more for myself than for Maan, that I had agreed because I wanted to, not because I sympathised with Maan. Who wouldn't want to work in a big firm like Khurana Constructions after all? The offer was a dream job for someone like me with a handsome salary and a respectable post. Yes, I needed the job more for myself than for any other reason.
Picking up my phone, I decided it was time to break the news to my girls.
"Girls." I typed and sent the message on our mutual chat group. I did not have to wait long since Raya's reply was immediate.
Raya: "Yep?"
"I have something to tell you both." I sent.
I saw both of them were now active since messages started pouring in.
Raya: "Speak."
Anaya: "Ooh! Please tell me you're getting married. I wanna get dressed up!!!"
Huh, I thought as my mouth opened. Where did that come from?
Raya: "OMG! Di... Anaya... What do I not know?! WHO IS HE?!"
Before anyone could say further, I quickly typed up my message.
"God! Calm down girls! At least let me finish!"
Anaya: "Can you type a little faster? Gosh Geet! You're such a turtle sometimes!"
Raya: "Well??"
Gah, I thought. Both of them typed too fast for their own good. Typing a short message, I sent it before they could jump out of my phone screen.
"Since you girls won't give me time to explain properly and in detail so here it goes. I have decided to join Khurana Constructions."
Anaya: "Yaaayy! I'm so happy for both my friends. Trust me, Geet, you won't regret it."
She might as well be doing a happy dance.
Raya: "Aww Di! I'm soo glad! Anaya we should work together on more things. We're a good team. We can make the impossible happen in a snap."
I laughed a little and replied to Raya's message.
"LOL Raya! Please, once was enough. And thank you girls! I'm at peace with my decision too."
Their replies came at the same moment.
Anaya: "I really thought I was going to get a chance to get dolled up..."
Raya: "But is there seriously something or someone I don't know?"
I slapped my forehead.
"Aaahh! Girls I'm off. BYE!" Sending the last message, I put the phone aside and readied to sleep.
I planned to inform Tracy the very next day. There was no point in delaying it if I had made up my mind. However, I wanted to inform Vyan first. When I reached the office, I discovered he would be out for a while since he had gone for an early morning visit to the project he was handling alone, that was Kittu's project.
I sat in my office and waited for Vyan while surfing through the file which had been sent to me by Tracy. It was related to the recent project which Innodea had completed. It was two hours later when the door to my office opened and Vyan entered whistling. He had been with Kittu so his mood seemed to be great.
"Well, hello there!" He said in his cheerful manner. It brought a smile to my face to see him so happy.
"Hey, Vyan!" I smiled.
"How have you been, pretty woman?" He slumped on the only couch which was placed in a corner of our office.
"Good. And you?" I relaxed in my chair.
"Busy, and tired. Seriously, sometimes I wish I could just quit working and run somewhere far away!" He sighed heavily but his words startled me. I had just been thinking of telling him I was going to quit and here he was talking about quitting.
"Do you then plan to quit?" I asked in a very controlled manner.
"Oh no! I can't even think of leaving this job. Have to save up for the wedding and for later." He shrugged. I nodded in understanding. His and Kittu's families were in talks to fix the wedding date. Some date in the beginning of the next year was expected.
I thought and spoke calculatedly. "Vyan..." I took a pause and had his attention. "I wanted to tell you something."
He had probably sensed the seriousness of my tone because he straightened up a bit and nodded in encouragement.
"I... I've decided to quit Innodea."
I gauged his reaction. His eyebrows scrunched deeply as he stared at me in confusion. "What?"
"I'm leaving Innodea." I repeated.
"Why?" was his one word question.
"Umm..."
He got up from his place and came towards my desk, pulled one of the chairs across me and sat down. Anxiety was clearly visible in his posture as he leaned towards the desk and put his palms on the cool glass top. "Has something happened? Is everything alright?"
"Yes, everything's fine." I assured him.
"Are you leaving town or something then?"
"No, actually." I inhaled. "I've gotten an offer from another firm for the post of head designer."
"O...kay..." He nodded slowly. "That's news to me..."
"Yeah," I said casually. "I didn't really make up my mind about anything so didn't think of sharing it with anyone."
"And now your mind is made up?" I nodded resolutely. "No backing off now? No chances of staying back?" I shook my head. Vyan sighed. "Well, I guess it's for the best. Seems like it is a nice opportunity to proceed a step ahead in your career." I smiled. "And I really do believe you should do anything and everything that works in your favour to climb up that ladder."
"Thanks, Vyan!" I smiled whole-heartedly. "You're a true friend and a wonderful support!" I really meant what I said.
He smiled but then pouted dramatically in the next instant. "But you're leaving me to join-" He broke off mid-sentence as he thought of something. "Hey, you didn't tell me which firm you're going to join!" His tone turned accusatory.
"Khurana Constructions."
His reaction was almost funny. His eyes bulged out and his jaw dropped a bit as he stared at me.
"What?" I was becoming self-conscious.
"Seriously? You're going to work with Maan Khurana?!" His eyebrows had raised a bit.
"Yes." I replied carefully. "Is that something to worry about?"
"No, I guess." He shrugged, instantly losing his shocked look and behaving casually. "It just took me by surprise that you'd choose him out of all the people."
I stared at him deeply. Were his words hinting at something else? "I chose his firm, not him, Vyan."
"Of course, that's what I meant!" He shrugged again. Perhaps, he hadn't meant what I had thought he did. "Did you tell Tracy yet?"
"No, I was going to give this resignation in after I told it to you." I held up the envelope to show it to him.
"I'll miss you, Geet!" He confessed.
"And I'll miss you and Innodea."
"And I'll enjoy having my cabin to myself. Privacy, you know." He winked playfully.
"Hah! Of course you won't! You'll miss my rocking company!" I laughed.
"That," He smiled tenderly. "Without a doubt, I will."
I gave a bittersweet smile. I sure was going to miss him.
As expected, Tracy was regretful she had to let go of one of the oldest employees of Innodea, but she couldn't do much to stop me. She did not protest either. Since there were no ongoing projects in my hand which I needed to finish before I left, I was only required to work this week. For the rest of the week, Vyan spent as much time with me as he could. We went out for dinner, stayed together through the lunch breaks and talked a lot, made promises not to lose touch. On Friday, the staff threw me a small farewell party. It was no fancy event, just a bunch of my co-workers singing songs and giving me cards and wishing me luck for my future. It did feel nice to be pampered.
Friday evening, after freeing from Innodea, I went to Khurana Constructions. It was time to go to Maan and talk to him. I realised belatedly I should have done this earlier, before leaving Innodea. What would I do if Maan had hired someone already? I had not seen or heard from him for almost a week, neither had I given him any confirmation that I was taking up his offer after over three months of being provided with it.
Pinky, the receptionist, asked in cordial detachment how she could help me.
"I'd like to meet Mr. Maan Khurana."
"Do you have an appointment, ma'am?"
"No."
"Your name please, ma'am?"
"Geet Handa." Pinky wrote it down on a notepad in front of her and requested me to sit and wait while she went to inform Maan.
After a few minutes, she came back and told me Maan was in a meeting and would see me shortly.
Ten minutes passed when I heard Pinky's intercom ring. She answered it and then turned to me.
"Ma'am, Mr. Khurana is ready to see you."
I thanked her and walked down the path I had only treaded once earlier. The second door on the right was closed shut but unlike the last time, the blinds all over the front wall were left open. I could see inside the office cabin but Maan was nowhere in sight. Knocking on the door, I waited for permission but there was no movement inside. Just as I wondered if he was there at all, I felt someone come and stand behind me.
"Hi." His voice made me turn around.
"Oh, hi!" He passed me and opened the door, entering in the room himself.
"Come on in." He prompted me and I followed suit.
He went around the huge black desk, took his place and looked up at me. Dressed in a maroon shirt paired with a brown vest and pant ensemble, his hair gelled back neatly, he looked every bit the owner of a multi-million firm. His hand lifted and pointed towards the chairs across his desk. "Take a seat."
"Thanks." I smiled and sat down.
"So," he began. "What brings you here?" There was a slight smile on his face.
"I'm here to take up the offer which was proposed to me."
I expected to see some surprise, or some other reaction from him but there was none. He nodded like he was already expecting me. There was a shift in his eyes and smile though. His demeanour had turned victorious, it felt to me.
"I'm sure if you're here, you must have thought this through."
I nodded confidently. "Yes."
"Great then." He pushed his chair a little backwards and turned it to reach the cabinet which ran across the wall behind his desk. Pulling a file from it, he opened it and took out a sheet of paper before placing the file back and returning to his place.
He slid the sheet across his desk to plant it in front of me. I looked at it. It was a form.
"Please fill this out and submit it at the reception." I heard him say as I took a quick look at the form. "It's just a formality."
Raising my head to look at him, I smiled. "Sure, no problem."
"Congratulations." He stuck his hand out to shake. "You're hired."
I shook his hand. "Thank you, Maan."
As he pulled his hand back, he shifted a little. "Miss Handa." His tone of voice was so sharp it startled me slightly. "This is a professional space and you are not supposed to address your boss by his first name."
I stared at him dumbfounded. It felt like he had transformed into a completely different person.
"You can either call me Mr. Khurana, MK, or," He paused and leaned against his chair, his chin jutting out a little. "Call me Maan sir."
Edited by mayyo - 7 years ago
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