#Venice Diaries 5
...AND it gets a name!!!π
The phone slipped from her hands after reading the message.
It clattered on the smooth hardwood... she quickly icked it up when he stirred
Pacing the room in a tornado of panic...
SHITTT SHITTT SHITT
I SHUD HAVE WRITTEN TO HER
OFCOURSE U SHUD, U KNEW THAT!!!
BUT U DIDNT FOR A REASON
U KNEW IT
MAY NOT BE APPROVED OR MIGHT BE DELAYED
U KNEW FULLY WELL
SHITTT
I SENSED SOMETHING WAS OFF
I WANTED TO COME SEE HIM
IS THAT SO BAD?
OFCOURSE ITS NOT
IT IS WHEN U CIRCUMVENT THE BOSS AND GO TO THE GROUP HEAD
SHE LEANED ON THE WINDOW AND STARED OUT AT THE BEAUTIFUL VENICE MORNING
PRETTY, GONDOLA FILLED WITH THE WATER VIEWS
PICTURE PERFECT
Hi! Ritu
I am tottaly sorry I am not sure HOW I could have gone to Bally. It will never happen again
Scratch scratch scratch
Hi! Ritu,
I pinged u before I went to Bally, if u check your IM on Tuesday morning u will see my ping
OK... IF I DONT RESPOND TO "PINGS" COULDNT U HAVE EMAILED ME?
ARGHHH!!!
Hi! Ritu,
Hope u are doing well... Yikes!!! I didnt intend to go to Bally... I happened to bump into him when the plan occured to me so I asked him
FIIINE... BUT AFTER GETTING HIS APPROVAL IN THE HALLYWAY COULDNT U HAVE ALSO ASKED ME?
AYYYOOO!!!
II U KNEW SHE WOULD HAVE DECLINED
OR SUSPECTED SHE WILL
THERE WAS NO REASON FOR U TO GO TO BALLY
RITU HAS BEEN AROUND A WEEK
ITS NOT LIKE IT WAS HER FIRST DAY AT KMPG
HOW COULD YOU
YOU HAVE FOREVER CREATED A BIAS IN HER MIND
SHE WILL NOW BE A LIL MORE GUARDED AROUND YOU
YOU WILL EITHER OVER COMPENSATE
OR BECOME ANTOGONISTIC, BOTH... UNFAIR TO RITU
OH! BUT I DONT THINK SHE LIKES ME
HOW DO U KNOW THAT?
UMM.. WELL... I DONT KNOW...
DID SHE BEHAVE INAPPROPRIATELY IN THE 6 DAYS UVE SEEN HER?
UMM.. NOOO!!
THEN?
I AM JUST UPSET...
OVER WHATTT?
THE FACT THAT I COULD HAVE APPLIED FOR THE JOB AND DIDNT... BUT SHE GOT THE JOB
SO U ARE JEALOUS OF RITU?
UMMM... YA... MAYBE A LIL
All of her hurt, pain and imagined feelings of slight finally had a name now
Jealousy!!!
Heavy, hot tears rushed down her cheeks, like it was "OK" to cry now
She had admitted to herself right? So why cant she cry?
"Its going to take me another 2 years, before she decides to apply elsewhere"
I am as good as a IT Project Manager until then... there are millions of PMs around the world at 28
To become a Program Manager like Bally/Ritu wasnt going to be easy, going onwards to be a Senior Manager like Bally was now?
Not even sure when that was going to happen
A major chunk of goodwill and honor she possessed had just chipped off her form and shattered... breaking into a million pieces
Her new supervisor had the opinion now that "II would ping connections, damn the hierarchy"
She pulled the bathrobe closer, hugging herself... rubbing her arms
She walked over to the bed
Lay by him "Hey" she whispered on his cheek "whats ur laptop password?" she asked
He woke, his eyes sparkling like a cat's that just spotted a mouse... ambushing her with a smile
"whattt?" he asked huskily
"Umm.. I need ur password" she mumbled
As he molded her to his form, pushing the voluminous comforter off, pressing her back curves so they could "feel" each other
"Its always unlocked" he cracked a risque joke... nipping her neck.. earlobe
He rubbed her body vigorously to his
"Kiss me" he moaned
"then can I have it?" she asked sternly
He nodded... she freed herself 20 or so minutes later... left him frustrated and sulking on the bed
Walked away wearing his crumpled shirt he had taken off last night..
He snoozed face down, she connected to work remotely, and went to her email
Read re-read and re-re-read that one email from Ritu
Drafted a carefully worded response
Hi! Ritu,
Aplogies for not responding sooner. My cell phone doesnt have the best connectivity here. I checked the email this morning.
I will definitely move the meetings out to the week of the 6th. In fact I just sent a couple of changes out, then realized I must email u instead :-)
(She stopped resched Meeting number 1 and 2)
I totally aologize for not contacting you about my vacation. I guess I was on auto pilot
No excuses... in future I will send all time off requests to you alone
Do reach me at the following number, whenever u feel the need
9100001234 (R&B's India cell phone)
Hope u will have a great weekend, and next week
Thanks
II
She sat on it for 20 minutes... and then hit send
Went back to bed and curled up by him, he woke, looked at her intensely, her head was bent, as she nuzzled his pecs
"Missing me?" he asked joyously
"No... just ur body" she muttered, letting herself be smothered