Aprana {not Aparna, the author ;)} was running late for office. She was gobbling down her toast and juice. Her roommate wandered into the kitchen and started narrating the horrible nightmares that had interrupted her beauty sleep the previous night. Aprana tried interrupting her unending narrative to put in that she was infact running late for work, but roommate was not about to be interrupted by her. So Aprana mumbled a few ‘huh’ s and ‘poor you’ s and finished her breakfast.
After the long tale got over, Aprana fled from there. She had to report before 7 am and it was already 6.57 am. The walk (or dash) across the block would take 1 min… Aprana ran for dear life.
She gasped for breath as she punched her daily attendance card..She clutched her register and slowly wandered to her cabin, greeting her colleagues on her way. She was very cheerful girl and liked to greet all with a smile, irrespective of whether they were colleagues, subordinates or bosses. And she got myriad responses for her greeting of ‘Hello! Good Morning!’ Some greeted back warmly. A few added ‘Why are you looking dull today?’, ‘Why no bindi today?’, ‘Thats a nice salwar-kameez you are wearing, where do you get your clothes?’
All these responses were infact just ‘courtesy’ remarks. If Aprana stopped to explain that she was indeed not dull today or no time for bindi or at an exclusive shop at Chennai, the questioners would have passed on by that time; they liked to question, not to listen to answers, or were simply too busy; but why question when you cannot or care not to listen, right? Aprana knew her colleagues, and sighing to herself, walked off and began her day.
As she was engrossed in her file, she was startled when the phone rang. It was her boss asking for the report. She started telling him that infact she was working on it right now and would turn it in in another half hour, but the line was dead by then. Interrupted again! She sighed and hurried with her report. She caught her mind wandering and wondering if there was indeed a bulls-eye on her forehead, that made people ruthlessly interrupt her! People! People!!
The boss was impressed with her report. He gave her a quick ‘well done’ look (thats it) and gave her more work. That was the only way her boss let others know about his appreciation, more work! The deadline was 24 hours, but there was far more work involved. She had to dig through archives and interview her senior colleagues, so she wanted to explain to her boss that she would turn it in as soon as it would be possible to complete. But her boss was already oblivious to her presence. Interrupted even before the beginning! With a suppressed sigh she went out to get a cup of tea.
The atmosphere at the canteen was very lively. Today’s special was ’puttu and kadala’. She ordered her cup and joined a gang of co-workers who were enjoying todays special. There was so much of grapevine to update her with. It always amazed her how these people collected so much of news just after a few hours of entering the work-place! Dont they ever mind their own business??
(Interrupted by a call…will be continued tomorrow ;))
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