Episode 5ive

If you are new to this story, do not start here. Go to the Index and Introduction page.

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'Lucky bugger, da', snorted Muthu. He, Neil and Deep were having lunch in the Cafeteria on Monday afternoon. The two girls were busy, and would probably grab a bite at the Coffee shop later.

'Big shit, man. She's my colleague. It's not like it was a date', defended Warney.

'Dude!' Muthu was having none of that nonchalance. 'That's the hottest chick on the floor, if not this whole bank. You had dinner with her on Friday evening, and you just said you had a good time. And you sit in the same cubicle. Do you have any idea how many guys in this building would love to trade places with you?'

'If anyone really wants to trade places, tell them I'd do it gladly. Two days with Shubh - and they'll forget all this hot chick shit.'

'Dude!' Muthu wasn't shaken. 'Seriously! Can I trade places with you? We'll talk to our bosses. We'll figure something out'

Warney was getting irritated. 'Muthu, get real. We're just two months into our roles, and barely surviving. No way am I telling Shubh I want a change. In fact, I don't. Working with him is a great learning experience, even if its murder'

'All I wanna learn' - Muthu was in his own world - 'is what it'll take to get Preeti to visit Enigma with me.'

'And then?', Neil spoke for the first time in this whole exchange, 'Will you bring her home?'

'Dude! This is true love. None of your dirty jokes about my true love', said Muthu with a naughty smile. Of course, there was no true love here, and dirty jokes were exactly what was going to follow. To be fair, though, Muthu really was smitten.

'True luuuhhh-vvvv', joked Neil, 'Yeah right! I've known you for 3 years. True love will last for about 12 minutes after you've scored with her. Not that you will. But, if you ever did...'

'Impossible is nothing! The makers of adidas tell me. And I'm serious about this one. It's not just for the score. I'm in luhhhvv'

By now, Warney was quiet and very pissed. He felt deep resentment toward this conversation and the other two guys. He had been part of these little guy-talk sessions many times in the past, during his college days. But somehow, he didn't want Preeti to be discussed in this manner. Or at least, not in his presence. She was a colleague he had some respect for, and they were doing quite well as a team. He knew she didn't like guys talking like this, and also knew that she had a fair amount of trust in him. He felt ashamed at some level, as if he was letting her down. But there was something more to it. Something more personal. A feeling of 'ownership'. A desire to protect. He wasn't sure what it was, and it was disturbing him. He just wanted to get done with lunch, get back to work and forget about this whole episode.

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'Did we send the briefing document to Nielsen?'

'I dont know. Ask Jatin.'

Preeti was surprised. Deep was behaving strangely distant and aloof today. Not that he was particularly social otherwise - he mostly stuck to his seat, with his gaze firmly fixed to his computer screen. He'd only come alive in meetings, and very rarely participate in the general gossip/timepass/bitching sessions that kept happening in the corridor. He had this ability to shut out the rest of the world when he wanted to focus on something. But he'd always been nice to her. When she spoke, he'd always turn away from the computer and listen, and try his best to cover up his impatience. She admired his work ethic, and also the quality of his ideas. Though she was quite smart and confident herself, whenever they worked on something together, she'd let him take all the 'calls' they had to, and he almost-never got them wrong. But, his focus on results was so single-minded, she wasn't sure he'd ever noticed it, or realized how much respect and faith she'd shown in him.

Preeti, herself, wasn't having an easy time in this office. She was there for 10-12 hours, 5 days a week, with tons of work to do. Shubh was an absolute slave-driver, and the others, except Deep, never had any time to help her. Also, with so much of work to do, she'd not found any time to talk to other people in the office and hadn't made any new friends outside the cubicle. To an extent, she'd become dependant on Deep. Professionally, he was reliable as a rock. When she needed advice, she could always count on him. On a more personal level, he was as good a friend as she could expect to find in office. When they weren't working, he was always around, giving her company. He could be fun - at least, more than the average banker. He always seemed cheerful, and had a sharp sense of humor. He never talked about work - he always was either actually working, or talking about something else. It was easy to forget all your worries and problems after a 15-minute conversation with him, and rediscover reasons to be happy. Even last Friday, she'd ended up on a 'dinner date' with him, and had a great time. It had briefly made her forget about...

Anyway, something was wrong today, she could easily tell. He wasn't behaving normal. And she suddenly had a realization - he'd become a friend she needed at work. Especially now, with all the shit going on in her life outside the office. But for once, when she probably needed him the most, he was far away and not listening.

'Goa!', announced Jatin as he entered the room.

'Again?' Vidya wasn't pleased.

'Yes, madam. Offsite means Goa. If we were more imaginative, we wouldn't be bankers.'

'When is it?'

'We leave Thursday night. Friday, Saturday we stay there. Sunday morning, we start back.'

Preeti looked towards Deep. Right on cue, he also turned. Their eyes met briefly, before Deep turned towards Jatin to ask for some details. It was only an instant, but both of them had got the message. 'This'll be a good time. We need to talk'

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(Continued here)

Episode 4our

If you are new to this story, do not start here. Go to the Index and Introduction page.

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'What? Neil and Muthu also ditched?'

'Looks like it. So you are gotta have dinner with me, rather than your boyfriend. Sorry about that', joked Warney.

'There's no boyfriend! And I'm ok with just the two of us here. Unless you're missing your girlfriend.'

Warney felt immensely proud of himself. He'd got an answer to the boyfriend question without really asking. He thought it was very smart play, and the bigger news was that the field was clear! Obviously, Warney wasn't very experienced with women. He had no idea how transparent his play really had been for Preeti. But Preeti had judged him as a nice and totally harmless guy. She saw signs of interest, but didn't think it was anything serious, and didn't think Deep would ever directly ask her anything. If he did, she'd certainly think about it - he did appear to be a nice, reliable guy who could be fun too (probably, not definitely). But she was sure she'd never face the question from him, so it didn't matter.

'You do know which colleges I went to, right?'

'Yeah, IIT, M and IIM, L. So?' She had an idea where he was going, but wasn't sure and didn't agree with what she thought he was getting at.

'If a college's name begins with two I's, and it is a reputed college, you don't find girlfriends there. Only a few non-males. Barring exceptions like you, of course.' His feeble attempt at flirting was about to backfire badly...

'Non-males? That's disgusting! I didn't expect that from you.'

'Sorry about that. But it is true. That's what all guys at II's believe and say. I probably just happen to be the first to say it in front of you.'

'No, I've heard that before. But i expected better from you, Deep. That's such a cheap way to view your peers. FYI - I used to stay at a girl's hostel at an II, and I disagree with the cheap generalization you just made.'

'I said I'm sorry. You're taking this way too seriously. It's just a guy joke, and for the most part, it's sour grapes. I didn't really mean to offend or demean anyone.'

'That's more like the Deep I know. Or at least, I thought I knew.'

'Oh, come on! You can't judge me for one silly little statement. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. Point was just this - I don't have a girlfriend because I didn't meet anyone suitable on campus. Partly because there were few of them, and partly because I didn't think any of them were right for me.'

'So, what is "right for" you? Dumb, hot Delhi chick, right?'

'Nah. You really think I'm that shallow?... Ok, you do! But I'm NOT. Sure, good looks matter and there has to be an element of physical attraction'

'Ahh! You make "dream girl" sound like a trigonometry lesson'

'No, I was getting to the dream girl part. Basically, you need a wavelength match'

He stopped. She was staring at him, with an "I told you so" smile. "Wavelength match" didn't sound particularly romantic either. He also smiled, a little embarassed now.

'No, what I'm basically trying to say is - when you meet the right person, you just know. It's natural. You like each other... like doing the same things... the time you spend together is never enough. It's just... right!'

'Finally, you sound human! But I know what you mean.'

'Did you know someone like that?'

She stared again, this time with an "I'm not telling YOU" smile. 

'Girl like you couldn't have gone through 2 years at IIM without having at least a dozen guys propose to her. There must have been someone...'

'What do you mean "girl like me"'?

'Oh, come on! Don't try to change the subject. I meant you are good-looking and nice and fun to be with. And smart. Just take it as a compliment and answer the question'

'Smart always comes last, doesn't it?'

'I asked a question first!'

'I don't like you. Just because you think I look good, you assume I must have had a boyfriend', she said, trying to sound indignant, but wasn't convincing.

Warney's patience was wearing out. 'If you don't wanna tell me, just say so. Stop beating around the bush and throwing barbs at me. I meant that as a genuine compliment, and you know it.'

She smiled again. It was an "OK, you win" smile this time. 'Let's order dinner. I have to leave by 10'

He stared this time, and waited for a sign of impatience to pounce on. It didn't come. 'OK'

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(Continued here)

Episode THR3E

If you are new to this story, do not start here. Go to the Index and Introduction page.

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'Oh, I'd love to. But i've already made plans with some batchmates of mine.  I've just come to Mumbai, and last weekend I was busy setting up my house. I have to meet them today'

'Arre, no issues. We're anyway here nearly all the time, and I also have to get up early tomorrow.'

'Maybe next week sometime. A celebration is definitely in order'

'Hmm. Lets see', grunted Warney. He was trying to pass it off as 'no big deal', but in truth he was quite dejected. His first attempt to ask her out had been quickly and easily dismissed. He probably shouldn't have tried at all. After all, why would pretty-gal here wanna spend any more time with him. She was probably gonna meet her boyfriend in the evening. If not, she was probably gonna be on the phone with him for a long, long time.

(15 minutes later, in an auto-rickshaw, still feeling bad)  'Wait a minute. She did say next week sometime. Maybe she really had to meet some friends. Maybe I'm being a little unreasonable here. Let's see if this comes up next week.'

'But if she had other plans for today, there was still the rest of the weekend. "Next week" is just a polite way of saying no.'

'Hang on. She's a girl. In fact, she's THE pretty-girl. Obviously, she wouldn't suggest the weekend. That'd amount to her asking me out. Next week is probably the best she could have done, if she really is open/interested'

'But she probably has a boyfriend. Girl like that can't NOT have one. Especially one from an IIM. She probably had 50 guys chasing her there. Surely, one would've succeeded. If no one did, she perhaps isn't interested in a relationship. Why am I even wasting my time thinking about all this? I have to work with her, and I'm just getting started here. Any nonsense between us wouldn't help me with my job. Cool, Warney, Cool.' 

And, finally, Warney diverted his thoughts to other things.

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The alarm went off at 8:35 am. It was 'snoozed'. 8:45 am. Snoozed again...

Warney woke up with a start, and looked at the clock. 'FACK!! 9:15? I'd set this damn thing for 8:35, and was supposed to get up by 9 at worst. There's no freakin way I'm reaching Marine Lines by 10!!'

Fortunately, Boys' Hostel hadn't been very long back, and Warney still remembered the 'rush-brush-splash-dash' routine. He was in a cab by 9:35. He reached the Cricket ground by 10:05, and was relieved to find only 10 people there. By 10:30, they had 16, and divided themselves into two teams. Warney's team was batting.

They didn't start too well, and lost wickets regularly. Warney went in to bat at 44/5 in the 6th over, with only one more batsman to follow. 100 was considered a good score for these 12-overs-a-side games, and anything below 75 would not even have been challenging. Warney was confused. Should he bat with proper technique, footwork etc., and wait for the bad balls? That'd definitely make a good impression on everyone. He didn't want to bat this low in the order again. Conversely, he could just go with his natural game, and try and get his teams some runs to bring this match back to life. His main skill was leg-spin, and he wouldn't get a chance to display it if there were no runs on the board. Still undecided, he took a deep breath and a proper, defensive stance with his grip a little firmer than it would be for only-defense-play.

The first ball he received was a half-tracker on leg-stump. Before Warney could 'think', he'd leant back and swung with authority. The ball sailed over mid-wicket, and his whole team applauded! That calmed him down, and he took guard again, less worried about the result this time. Another short ball, another mighty swing, another 6 over mid-wicket, and a lot more applause! Warney had arrived. The bowler looked exasperated - he had no idea what he was doing wrong and what he should try next. He got some advice from his captain, and bowled one outside off, beating a wild leg-side swing from Warney. 'That would've looked stupid. Concentrate! 6 over mid-wicket isn't the only way to score. Focus!'

The next ball, straigher, was hit back past the bowler for 2. And the last one was carved over point for 4. The crowd warmed to Warney, and he began feeling like God-with-a-bat. He took his team to 114 all out in the last over, scoring 52 off 16 himself. He also played his part with the ball in their 42-run victory, though it wasn't nearly as spectacular as his innings with the bat.

In the second game, his team-mates asked him to open the batting, but Warney didn't like doing that, and said he'd go in at no.3. The first wicket fell on the 3rd ball with the score on 1. Warney said it was still too early. Another guy went in and was dismissed first-ball. Now the stage was set for Warney the showman!

The Sardar bowler tried a bouncer for his hat-trick. Warney hooked it with total self-belief, but got a bit of a top edge. After a couple of nervous moments, the ball plopped about two feet behind the fielder and the rope. Warney, though shaken to the core, pumped his fist and showed off a bit. A couple of balls and 2 runs later, he edged one to the keeper. The umpire didn't detect it, but Warney walked. Once back, his team-mates explained that walking was simply NOT done here. While they appreciated his 'spirit', no one ever wanted to see him do it again! He bowled even  better in this game, but it was already a lost cause. 

Being a perfectionist, Warney wasn't completely satisfied with his performance on the day, but happy with his first innings and knew he'd made enough of an impression to be seriously considered for the Corp. squad.

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'Warney nahin, Sanath hai yeh', said Jatin. Warney was thrilled and felt damn proud. But he wasn't sure how to deal with this attention at the Monday morning team meeting in office, and didn't react visibly. Divya asked a couple of questions, just being polite, and got an unnecessarily long account of Warney's Saturday cricket act from Jatin. Preeti was smiling, as usual, and looked impressed. But Warney didn't think she cared too much about office cricket, and was also just being polite. 

Having had enough of the fun and games by now, Shubh took charge of the meeting and started rattling off "to-do's" for all of them. It was going to be a very busy week. In fact, Warney realized, life was going to be very busy as long as they worked under Shubh. He made notes on all the things Shubh told him to do, and also put down some of his own thoughts on how he would be doing it. Warney also had a few passing thoughts about Preeti and how much interaction they'd have this week, but quickly put those away to focus on the tons of work.

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Warney sat opposite Preeti at the lunch table, between Neil and Ragini, with Muthu placed between the two girls. The 5 of them were the "RCLG Batch of '08". Muthu and Neil were on the same team, and old friends from the same campus. Ragini was the only newbie on her team. Though stationed on the same floor, they all kept very busy and didn't get to spend a lot of time together. The idea was to meet for lunch on any day they could, but that didn't happen more than once or twice a week.

'Guys!', started Neil - always the enthu-cutlet, 'We're in this misery together. This bank is going to leave me deprived of friends and a life very soon. All we have is each other.'

'Yeah man! We're brothers', said Muthu, hitting his chest with his fist, and speaking with a mock accent, 'and sistahs! Wuss yer point, yo?'

'Point is - we should hang out! And NOT talk about work for a change. Lets get to know each other - as people'

Neil waited to see how the others reacted. Everyone seemed OK with the idea.

'How about - we all go to Mocha after work on Friday?'

Rags wasn't sure she could make it on Friday, as it was her house-mate's birthday, but said she'd try. Everyone else agreed, and it was a plan.

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'Muthu, where are you, man?'

'Sorry, da. Boss gave us a shit-load of work to finish by Monday morning. Will be in office late tonight. Also working all of tomorrow, and probably Sunday.'

'Dude! This was your plan. Preeti and I are already here, and Rags isn't coming.'

'Sorry, da. I know I made the plan, and I really want to come, but there's too much work' 

'Seriously, man. You both have already worked your butts off all week. You need a break! Come on, you can finish this on the weekend.'

'Hmm... lemme discuss this with Neil. I'll let you know in 10 min if we can make it'

'Ok. I'll see you in 30'

Warney hung up, and turned to Preeti. 'Oh well, looks like it's just gonna be the two of us... It's a date!'

(Continued here)