PART 53
Shivneri Nagar, Chembur
9: 15 pm, May 2nd Monday
The rain has soaked her clothes, her umbrella had torn from one steel wire. She loved soaking in the rain, so it was rather fun.
Her phone rings
Khanak: Haan Ritu I am downstairs. Abhi lift mein chadoongi.
Shaan: Were you also planning to call me at some point? (sarcastic)
Khanak: You never asked me to call you! (teeth chattering) (something about that tone, ticked her off big time)
Shaan: I never asked you to go to Anushakti Nagar either, but you did!
Shaan: Kya hua? Chup kyon ho?
Khanak: I am cold, I got soaked in the rain.
Shaan: That's good to know!
Khanak: Thanks! Abhi mein lift mein chad rahi hoon, shaayad kat jaaye.
Shaan: Or are you hoping it would?
A guilty flush covers her face.
Khanak: I am not in a mood to fight right now''.
Shaan: That's a first!
Khanak: I am home now. So you know.
Shaan: Its past 9:30 Khanak!
Khanak (looking at her phone) Its actually 9: 27!
Shaan: Tumhe khushi milti hai?
Khanak: Kis baat se?
Shaan: (ignoring the bait) How did you commute?
Khanak: train se!
Shaan: Tumhaare "local" ka driver naraaz ho jaata agar tum cab le leti?(sarcastic, condescending).
Khanak: Nahi, I was worried the South Bombay brats would bother me if I was walking the streets at night waiting for a cab!
Shaan: Watch what you say Khanak! you are going to be married to one soon!(silky)
Khanak: Oh! How can I forget? I still haven't recovered from the shock of the engagement.
Pause
Enters the apartment, Ritu is sprawled on the divan watching TV with a smug smile, smells like food, churns up her stomach. Maybe Kritik called?
Khanak: I have to go now!
Shaan: Thanks for not bothering to call?
Khanak: You are over reacting! Ive always travelled by buses or trains. Not all of us can afford S class Mercs. Some of us have to be walking the streets to get splashed by the water your tyres kick up.
Shaan: Make sure your fist doesn't hurt after hurling that blow.
Khanak: You abandon me to go off to work and then expect me to call you after a routine day? (spontaneous, as they say "Its good to let it all out!")
Shaan: Khanak''''
Khanak: I don't want to talk.
Shaan: You are in your own world. I saw how you cross the road outside Ajmera a few times. You need an adult guiding you.
Khanak: Not sure who you saw. It was not me!
Shaan: Did Parul send you the invite?
Khanak: Yes she did!
Shaan: You should get the detail behind the scoring in an hour or two.
Khanak: I am not working tonite (miffed)
Shaan: I did not expect you to! (he realized she was back being tactless)
Khanak: I will see you if I make it to the review.
Shaan: Much of it revolves around the work you had oversight on.
Khanak: Thanks for the back handed compliment!
Shaan: Sure Khanak, I assume you will not let personal battles with fiance impact your work?
May 3rd Tuesday
1 PM
Ajmera Corporate office
The day began beautifully for Khanak. Kritik had showed up and had given her and Ritu a ride to work after taking them out for breakfast. Her tailor had finally returned a dark pink churidar kurta after alteration. She had bought it at Meena Bazaar a month ago, and it was lost somewhere. It had the most gorgeous dark pink dupatta, with yellow paint like artwork. The trim on her kurta matched the dupatta's design. She braided her hair on top of her head, and wore fake gold hoops. Her nose was red with all the sneezing, "Now! If only I could make that dark pink, then I would match all over" she thought, looking at her reflection.
Despite feeling like she was coming down with a cold, she felt great. She didn't think too much about her fight with Shaan. It had almost become a routine.
Wondered if he thought about life after the wedding like she did. He had looked up at the window just before he had hopped into his car on Saturday, she was too upset to meet his eyes, she had stepped back. She had brought out her favorite blanket and gone on to take a three hour nap on the divan, where he lay down at one point. She had asked him what he was wearing, "Clive Christian's C" he said. She wondered how many colognes he had. Wondered if he thought about their kiss. He never gushed, just one or two sentences here and there, that completely took her breath away.
Scorecard Review in progress. 2 :10 PM
There are 11 people around the table, Shaan, Nachiket, Khanak, Ram, four auditor reps, and three people from Ajmera's vendor liaisoning team. They ideally had to have a couple more Site reps but they went missing as Rahat did not want work to be disrupted for these reviews. Already mulstiple crisis was brewing at the site and Shaan was reluctant to be spending hours in formal reviews like these, when he could be working hands on.
The review covers a range of metrics,tracking, timeliness, accuracy, follow up, availability, responsiveness, collaboration, simplicity and a half dozen other key process indicators.
They are scored a solid green for 100%, lime green, yellow orange and red for below 60%. The data was obtained from email exchanges, data sheets, design plans, reports and project updates between Ajmera and Modi & Dastur.
A couple tracking and timeliness score a solid green, but most are either a lime green or a orange.
Ram is clearly not as upset as Khanak!
Khanak has a series of questions on how they were scored and how they compared to other firms on the projects etc. Some results were not disclosed publicly, further agitated her. Shaan was completely involved despite being pressed for time.
Some comments included "Errors in schematic designs" "system shut down when firm's design changes were uploaded" "review/submittal schedule overlooked in three instances" "Design changes not submitted to CAD standards compliance archive".
Ram touches her hand reassuringly. He has over 12 years of experience in the industry and had warned her that such reviews were more a formality than radical efforts to change process. Khanak's devastated anyway.
This was her first project of this size, with a client as big as Ajmera. Some scores she was quite embarrassed, because she knew she could have done better!!
There were too many charts, graphs, benchamarks, comparisions to industry standards... Her eyes were becoming watery now, with the sneezing, she had downed her third cup of chai. Wanted to go to bed...
Her dupatta had caught on her ring a couple of times, he had noticed it just when she was freeing I, both times. In a room full of people, they exchanged looks unmindful of people around them. The results were terrible on one hand and she was feuding with him on the other, and her cold was threatening to take over her body.
After multiple arguments and discussions and some corrections, the meeting finally ends after 5 PM. Ram is pleased and not too perturbed. Khanak is a mess, physically and emotionally.
She walks over to Paula's desk to check if she has comething for colds. She doesn't want to ask Shaan's admin.
He is out sprinting behind her, wearing navy trousers and a white shirt with broad vertical navy stripes. "He looks and acts like a million bucks only when I feel like a bum" she concludes.
Shaan: Khanak'..
Khanak (turns around, wiping her eyes) Ya?
Shaan: Are you upset?
Khanak: No I just have an awful cold... or something...
Shaan: Hang on... talks on the phone)
She walks to Paula's desk, Paula's missing.
Ram has asked her to take off already.
Shaan: Hey, where are you off to?
Khanak: Umm let me think''' first to some skiing, then snow boarding (miserable yet not quitting)
Shaan: You should save those punches for when you get better. They don't seem to be landing well (taunting)
Khanak: the review is over. So I am going back to work (lies)
Shaan: Khanak, you need to rest!
Khanak: I thought we shud celebrate my "all green" score card? (sneezing mid way, losing the knock-back)
Shaan(walking up to her, out of earshot of the guests waiting) Khanak, That was splendid...but Act II is just for our private viewing! 😡
(angry, hissing between his teeth) (not touching her yet verbally forceful)
Edited by aditee - 14 years ago
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