Tea for Two and a Piece of Cake

by Preeti Shenoy

  Then she gives me a brief job description and lists out what I am expected to do. It sounds nothing like my boring desk job at Point to Point. Even though I have no experience at the entire job, I am quite confident that I can do it. I am supposed to be coordinating with the senior partner and generally organize all his schedules and appointments. I am also expected to handle the mundane office correspondence. She also says I have to screen visitors, handle communications, and coordinate with various departments in the organization, take care of travel arrangements, hotel bookings, flight bookings, as well as arrange for airport transfers and car rentals, track other tasks, and also handle important visitors as part of my duties. In short, I have to be like a right hand to the senior partner. She asks if I would be able to handle it all. She says the person from whom I am taking over would train me for two days. I answer that I am quite confident of being able to do it. It sounds exciting. Also, this is real work, not just passing on bookings like I did at Point to Point. Here, I would actually be responsible for so many things. I do a double take when I hear what my pay would be. It is three times the amount I have been earning at Point to Point! I truly can dance now. Smriti says they need a person urgently and asks when I can join. I tell her that I can join immediately and she sounds pleased with that. She says she will inform Latha, the lady serving the notice period. She also asks me to come in the next day at 9.30 a.m. sharp and asks me not to be late. Of course I won’t! She has no idea how much this job offer means to me.

  Then she asks me if I have any questions. I cannot think of any questions at this point, but then it occurs to me that I don’t even know who the senior partner to whom I will be Executive Assistant to is.

  So I ask Smriti for the name of the senior partner point blank.

  There is a surprised silence at the other end.

  Then she says, ‘Oh! I thought you knew. The senior partner is Samir.’

  It is only then that the realization comes whooshing down on me like an unexpected shower of rain on a very hot summer’s day. I had no idea I would be reporting to Samir. Somehow, I had presumed that senior partner meant some old guy in the organization and not the charming and suave Samir.

  On the one hand I am pleased about it. But on the other hand, I must be the only employee in the world who has dated her boss-to-be, and even spent a night at his home, not to mention fallen down undignifiedly in front of him, flashing her underwear, all this even before she has started working. But still, all this is not reason enough to turn down such a fabulous offer.

  Especially when I have no other offers in hand.

  I mutter that I will be there on time tomorrow and hang up.

  When I lie down that night, it takes me a long while to fall asleep. I am filled with excitement and trepidation, and I feel something in my life is about to change, and it is not just a change of job. I feel that this is a life-altering decision, but at this point, I just cannot put a finger on what exactly it is.

  Happily Unhappy

  Next morning when I walk into the offices of Magellan International to report for my new job, I feel on top of the world. I finally have a real job. I am eager to start, and I am very eager to prove to Samir that I am efficient at my work. I reach the office well on time and go to meet Smriti.

  She takes me around the premises. It is nothing like the tiny, cramped space at Point to Point. This is a real office, spread across thirty thousand square feet over two floors and employing more than two hundred people.

  Smriti tells me that the average age of the employees would be about twenty-six or twenty-seven. It is indeed a young crowd with a lot of parties and fun stuff that happens every Friday evening at the work place itself. She shows me the cafeteria (the most important place she says and winks), the water coolers, the coffee-and-tea-vending machines, and the toilets. I slowly absorb my surroundings and throw a casual glance at all the employees. They are completely absorbed in their work. They do real work here, not merely pass on the bookings. I feel very proud to be a part of it all. Smriti takes me around and introduces me to everyone on the floor with whom I would be interacting. I smile pleasantly as they look up from whatever they were busy with and make small talk with them. They respond back jovially. This is a young, friendly bunch and I instantly feel comfortable with them. Ashok, Julie, Divya, Kamal, Nitin, and Mihir—all their names spinning around in my head, as I try to remember their faces and names.

  Then I stop dead in my tracks when she introduces me to the next person. It is Leena, the gorgeous woman whom Prashant had walked off with in the party.

  ‘Hi,’ she says and then she frowns, ‘I have seen you somewhere but I don’t recall where,’

  ‘Yeah, we met at the Magellan party. I was with Prashant,’ I say dryly.

  ‘Oh yes, I remember now,’ she says curtly.

  I force a smile, and as soon as my back is turned, I see her making a phone call. I intuitively know through her hushed whispers that she must be calling up Prashant to inform him about my recruitment. Somehow this irks me. But I say nothing, and the rest of the day flies by as Latha briefs me and takes me through all that she has been doing. I am very interested and fascinated with the scope and details of my new job and don’t even feel the hours pass. At Point to Point, I would stare at the wall clock all day, waiting for the shift to end. I would leave at 5.30 p.m. sharp to catch the local at 5.42. But here at Magellan, it is already 6.30 p.m., and I have not even realized it.

  Samir is travelling abroad and would be back only a week later, she informs me, by which time, I should have settled well into the job. She tells me that I can speak to her if I have any doubts or queries and says that she is happy that I am taking over immediately.

  ‘It is so difficult to work with this,’ she adds, as she flops down wearily into an armchair, pointing to her huge belly which looks like it will explode any moment. I feel a little sorry for her and assure her that I will be okay.

  In four days, I have eased very well into my new role and feel so much at home—as though I have been working here for ages. My cubicle faces his cabin, and I ought to be able to get a clear view of him when the blinds are pulled up.

  When Samir returns, the first thing he does is greet me with a ‘Hey Nisha! Good to see you settled here. Come on right in.’

  Smriti smiles at me knowingly and winks as I walk into his cabin.

  He asks me if there is anything at all that I need, or whether there is any clarification that I want regarding my job. I tell him that Latha has briefed me well and I have been checking with her about a few doubts that I have.

  ‘That’s great then!’ he says.

  I tell him that I have drafted replies to almost all the routine correspondence, and I want him to go through it once to see if my replies are okay, before I send them out. I assure him that this is a one-off thing and I would be handling it on my own once this is approved by him.

  He laughs as I reiterate this and says, ‘Relax, Nisha, I know you are efficient. Why else do you think I offered you the job in the first place?’

  I smile then and know I am going to really enjoy my time here.

  In a month’s time, it feels as though Samir and I have been working together as a team forever. I badly want to prove myself, making sure I take care of every single thing. I organize his appointments, schedule his meetings, handle routine correspondence, screen his phone calls and visitors, and also give him my inputs on important projects that Magellan is considering when he asks for them. I even see to it that his coffee is kept ready just before his arrival and is just the way he likes it. I, for the first time in my life, am thoroughly enjoying my job and feeling valued. Besides, I am also getting paid well for it. And having an attractive and understanding boss like Samir is truly the cherry on the cake with an already rich icing. He says he cannot understand how in the world he managed before me, and that I have made myself indispensable to his professional life. He says he wants to be able to reach me anytime, for which he gets me a brand ne
w cell phone. It is my first ever, and I am so darn proud of it, as cell phones have just made their entry into India and not everyone has one. I am like a little girl who has got the exact present that she wanted for Christmas.

  Most days, I have lunch with Smriti and Mihir in the office cafeteria. But one day, Samir asks me out for lunch, saying we can discuss the very important art tourism project which he plans to introduce in the last quarter of the year.

  ‘Err…,’ I hesitate, because somehow, even though I really enjoyed my previous two dates with him, I feel uncomfortable in the office environment, now that he is my boss.

  ‘Do you have other plans? It’s okay if you do. I don’t mind,’ he says.

  ‘No, I just have to tell Smriti and Mihir. They would be waiting,’ I say.

  ‘Okay, will meet you at the parking lot then,’ he says.

  I find them in the cafeteria, and today Leena as well as a few others are with them.

  ‘Hey Nisha, biryani today. It’s really good!’ says Mihir, as he scoops a spoonful into his mouth. It does look tasty.

  ‘Guys, I am going out for lunch. I won’t be joining you today,’ I say.

  ‘Ooooh! Someone is going on a date! Who with? Tell, tell!’ chimes Smriti.

  ‘It is not a date! I am going out with Samir. It’s a working lunch, and I did know him before I started working here,’ I defend myself.

  I see Leena smirking, but I ignore her and walk out.

  As usual, Samir has chosen a magnificent place, one that makes you forget everything the moment you walk in, a place where the ambience relaxes you so much and transports you to a different world. The last thing I want to do is talk about work here. I want to kick off my footwear, sit back with a glass of champagne, and just relax.

  But I am on high alert, as I am now Ms Efficiency personified. I remember my disaster on the first date when I had drunk too much, and I definitely have learnt my lesson. I surely do not want to repeat that and spoil the good impression I have now made professionally.

  So I opt for a mocktail instead much to the amusement of Samir. We converse mostly about business. Once we get into the discussion, we become so engrossed in it that I forget all about my surroundings. We talk about his pet project—introducing art tourism in India. It is the hottest thing in Europe and major parts of America. There is a conference on art tourism in Bali in a fortnight. Samir and I had been working hard on preparing all the slides for the presentation that he would give, portraying the hotspots in India, and why India could be a great destination for it.

  ‘Nisha, I think you should you accompany me to the Bali conference,’ says Samir, taking me totally by surprise.

  ‘Me?’ I am taken aback.

  ‘Yes. You will indeed be a valuable resource. Besides, you will also get to learn so much. All the potential investors will be there. You can meet all of them. We need to really make a good impression, Nisha. You have indeed worked hard on it, and besides, you know all the details as much as I do.’

  I don’t know what to say. This is going to be my first trip abroad ever. Finally my dream of going abroad and having that stamp on my passport can come true! I am elated, overjoyed, and really dancing. I am also secretly thanking my lucky stars that I got a passport made at Akash’s insistence while I was still working at Point to Point. I make a mental note to call him up later and thank him. Outside however, I appear calm.

  ‘I hope your dad has no objections to your travel?’ asks Samir.

  ‘Naah, I don’t think that will be much of a problem,’ I say, trying to sound casual.

  My father is passive and shows absolutely no reaction, as I dance all the way home and tell him about my trip to Bali. But even his I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude cannot dampen my spirit. I volunteer all the details about the conference and how we have been working hard on it and what it means to me. I rattle on endlessly in excitement. I must have never spoken this much to him my entire life. But this is a foreign trip, the first in the family, and it’s no small feat.

  ‘Where will you be staying?’ he finally asks.

  I already know the resort and it is a five-star one. It is out of the world, and the fact that I will soon be there is really a dream come true. I tell him that the company would make arrangements for all that.

  I decide to go clothes shopping over the weekend. I no longer need Chetana’s help or advice now. Also, I have a lot more money now than I did earlier.

  I also call up Akash and thank him for making me apply for the passport. He truly seems overjoyed for me. He says Parinita chucking me out of Point to Point was the best favour she could have ever done to me. Now it may seem so, but while it was happening, I remember how dejected I was. Things truly have a way of turning around. A month back I was desperate, begging for a job, and going for countless interviews. Today I am planning a trip abroad, and my self-esteem has multiplied by leaps and bounds.

  No sooner than I hang up after speaking to Akash, the phone rings again. This time it is Prashant. I am surprised as he has never ever called me before. I ask him how he is and he comes straight to the point.

  ‘I heard you are going on a trip abroad with Samir?’ he says. His tone is rancid, accusing. I am taken aback at the bitterness in his voice. It is like he cannot stand anything good happening to me. I was ‘Nisha—the underdog’ back at Point to Point. Now I am a somebody, and it looks like his ego cannot accept it.

  ‘News travels fast. Who told you? I spoke about it only just now to Akash,’ I reply.

  ‘Oh, so it is true?’ he asks.

  Then I realize that Leena must have told him. And if Leena has told him, then the whole office at Magellan must be gossiping about it.

  I am annoyed with him. What cheek does he have to call me up and question me?! He wasn’t even nice to me when I was his colleague. It was also partly due to him that I lost my job at Point to Point, though things have turned out for the better. But at that time, none of us knew it. My need to rub it in further and really get my revenge, returns.

  I want him to burn with jealousy. I want him to regret the way he has behaved with me all this while. I want to once more gloat in my moment of triumph, and this time, it is a genuine achievement, not just a silly date which I am boasting about. So I tell Prashant about the conference, its importance, and about how I cannot reveal what Samir and I have been working on, as it is top secret.

  I tell him about the five-star resort we would be staying at. I tell him I am excited and eager and really looking forward to it.

  He listens in pin-drop silence. I am happy to have really given it back to him and rendered him speechless. A kind of slow satisfaction is spreading over me.

  Then he says in a quiet tone, ‘Of course, what else can you expect when you sleep with the boss? You have cleared your way up, spreading your legs. That is all you were worth, and that is all you will remain,’ he says.

  His words hit me like a shower of arrows. I am so angry that I cannot think straight. My breath is coming in short gasps. I clutch the phone hard in anger. I am so angry that I can barely speak.

  ‘Fuck you, arsehole’, I finally manage to say, but he has already hung up.

  Prashant has managed to throw a shovel full of ice and dirty muck on my cherished dream.

  I am hurt, upset, and angry—all at the same time. Yet it was me who had implied that I had slept with Samir. But still, there was no need to use the words he did and be mean, nasty, and cruel.

  I sit for a long time, thinking about it that night, and even though I know Prashant is being deliberately cruel, I still cannot get his words out of my head, and they sting like hell.

  Like a Hurricane

  The Bali resort is even more picturesque than the brochures portray. It is at a secluded location on a cliff top at Jimbaran Bay. It is cosseted by seventy-five hectares of superbly landscaped gardens and has a two-kilometre-long private coastline, with miles and miles of white sand. The ocean is a colour which I have never seen before. The moment I set foot on
the resort, I go speechless at its beauty and perfection. It even has lavish restaurants facing the ocean. The place seems more like a romantic getaway than a venue for a conference.

  Samir seems oblivious to the beauty of the resort as he completes the check in formalities. The other delegates too seem to be arriving, and the reception is soon crowded with people of different nationalities, all waiting to check in. Our rooms are adjacent to each other, and the moment I am inside mine, I keep my luggage in the wardrobe, and run my hands on the ultra-luxurious furnishing of the bed. I throw open the blinds and sharply inhale the magnificent view of the ocean, the beauty of it all, and feel so fortunate at getting a chance to experience such luxury. I have never stayed at a fivestar resort before and am enjoying and savouring every moment. I bounce up and down on the bed and smile in joy at my childish act.

  Then I explore the room further and examine all the shampoos, the conditioners, moisturizers, and various lotions kept in the loo. When I come out, I notice another door in my room and I am curious as to where it opens out to. Perhaps it is a private terrace?

  I unlock it and I scream.

  There is a near-naked man standing with his back turned to me, wearing the tightest of briefs, his back muscles rippling, and his well-toned buttocks standing out prominently. The man is as startled as me, and when he turns around, I gasp in horror as the slow realization dawns on me that I am looking at Samir who says, ‘What the fuck?’

  I retreat in haste and shut the door, and when I recover from the shock, I collapse on my bed, laughing uncontrollably.

  Oh, the horror of inadvertently seeing your boss nearly naked! I am so darn embarrassed that I want to dig a hole in the bed, crawl inside, and stay there for eternity. I feel like a prized fool to have barged in on him like that. But the silly hotel should have kept the door locked. How was I to know that the rooms had an interconnected door? It is the first time in my life I have even heard of such a thing as rooms with an interconnected door. I try my best to stop laughing, but I find the situation too ridiculous. I nearly jump out of my skin when there is a knock on the same door. I suppress my giggles and open it.