The Krishna Love (Wattpad India Awards Winner)

Chapter 1 - Tea, Cigarette, and Street Food

Sid was in the washroom, staring at the reflection of himself in the square-shaped mirror. He cupped his palms under the tap and splashed some water on his face. The beads of water rolled down from his neck and darkened his formal shirt.

He wasn't alone in the washroom; his friends, Ravi and Raj, stood on his left side. It was the first week of their job training. Now that it was eleven past three and only one thing mattered to them. The breather time!

Sid glanced at the mirror and tried to wear a plastic smile, which he faked during the interview to get this job. His face still didn't look fresh. The job was demanding more skills than what he lied in his resume. What were those lies?

My strength is my attitude. I like to take up challenges.

Perfect!

I have one bad habit; I can't say no to anyone.

What!? Hold your horses there, kid.

Now he realized that much of the training sessions were going above his head. The work really sucked. You gotta deal with frustrated customers and expect to speak sweetly with them. No courtesy from their end, though.

Haven't this question popped up in your head already? What are these teenage boys doing in a call center? Financial crisis? Poverty?

No, here you go. Among the trio, Raj owned the title of a leader. It was his idea that brought them all here. He turned around Ravi and Sid to work for one month since it was summer vacation. "It would be great to begin our college life with money, isn't it?" He had said.

With one month's salary, they can skip class for movies, have a meal at McDonald's, Domino's Pizza, KFC, or Cafe Coffee Day. So it was all planned.

"Let's head to the corridor, guys." Raj's voice sounded like a commander.

Ravi, followed by Raj and Sid, set foot into the corridor. Half of the staircase was occupied by employees who were busy with their cellphones.

Sid darted his eyes at the smoking zone. A typical corporate life, he thought, people here are addicted to two things: tea and cigarettes. A bunch of employees was sipping tea from a tiny cup. There was a lit cigarette stuck between their middle and index finger while holding the cup.

Damn these people, they drink tea in the morning, during the break, lunchtime, in the evening, and some drink it after every two-hour interval. Sid has been observing this for a week now. Even if they take a leak, the boy can bet that only tea would come out. A grin touched his lips as he blinked this funny thought away.

When he was returning to his desk, his mood became down in the dumps. The trainer tapped his finger on the wrist-watch, holding a grimace. "You're five minutes late."

Yeah, yeah, I know I exceeded my break time, Hitler.

"I want you to work and learn," the trainer got up from his seat, and like a magician, he produced headphones from the back of the desk. In no time, he put the plug in the socket and stuck it out toward our boy hero. "Put it on. I'm sure you're trained enough to use it."

Sid's face turned pink to red. "Ah, aren't we supposed to do this once we're done with training?"

The stern look on the trainer's face reminded Sid about the lie he had said during the interview, again. 

My strength is my attitude; I like to take up challenges.

He felt a lump formed in his throat. When his eyes traveled from the desensitized corporate drone to the computer, the excel sheet cast a glare at him. His eyeballs scanned the whole freaking list of defaulters whose payment was yet to come.