Sparks Fly

CH25: Office meetings

I'm sitting in my cubicle assembling all my files for the upcoming meeting when my colleague informs me that our clients are waiting in the conference room. I assemble all the necessary files and make my way to them. I open the door to the room and freeze as I glance towards the person sitting at the head of the table. Two other associates sit on either side of him. I walk to the table and place my files with a loud thud, his gaze meets mine as he relaxes back into his chair and a smirk forms on his lips. One of his associates introduces their team, agenda and the work demand they want to get fulfilled. I am quietly sitting in my seat letting my junior associates take the meeting forward. The same is with Neil, he doesn't utter a word. The meeting goes on for 30 minutes with his team proposing we present the findings before working on the end product. Neil adds on to this.

"I'd like your senior on top of this. This project is really important for our company."

"We'll see," I reply with ice in my veins.

The atmosphere in the room dips with people not understanding this change in my behaviour. This certainly won't go down well with my boss if he gets a whiff of this. We come to and end as all formalities are now out of the way. People interact with each other freely. Some of them head over to the snacks bar in the corner of the room while few excuse themselves for a smoke break. I just have to entertain this for a few more minutes then they'll be out of the meeting. But Neil has other plans in place. He wheels his office chair next to mine and starts peeping into the file opened in front of me. I quickly close it just to annoy him. He doesn't get the hint as he takes that as an invitation to talk to me.

"How have you been?"

"Why do you care?" I answer grumpily.

"Well the key to productive work is a happy office employee. I care about my work."

"Of course you do." Once a jerk, always a jerk.

"The bling of your ring is blinding me." I started wearing my ring again.

"Good. I hope you go blind."

"Looks cheap. Engineers aren't earning much these days, huh?"

"Shut up." Something clicks in my brain. "How do you know he's an engineer?" He must see the anger in my face as he gives me the most absurd answer.

"I have made it a point to know what kind of family Jay would be joining." I shove him hard in his stomach with my elbow.

"Stay out of my business."

"Can't. I mean, we're professionally bound for a few months and don't forget, personally too."

"Sara just had to go and sleep with him." I slump in my chair.

"He feels bad about it too. But there's a child involved now." This statement makes me angry

"There's no child. It hasn't even formed. It's a glob! That thing doesn't get to decide her future." I stand from my chair.

"Thank you for coming but we'll handle it from here. My associates will show you the way out." I leave the conference room with a sour taste in my mouth.

Later that evening, I find myself again at Sara's place. I arrived when the dinner had already been served, so I quietly made a plate for myself and sat on an empty chair. After which I offered to help my mother and aunt in the kitchen but they dismissed me. So I land up in Sara's room. She's watching an American sitcom on Comedy Central. To start a conversation I ask,

"Do you feel nauseous?"

"No. That period starts from the third month. Do you know some women do not feel nauseous at all?"

"I don't think you're going to be that lucky."

"Some don't even gain weight. You won't even be able to tell that they are pregnant."

"Again, not happening with you."

"Most unmarried women become single mothers too." Her eyes are glued to the screen as she says this.

"I think those are American statistics."

"Hmm. But it's happening in India too. I mean the figures are increasing."

"I know where you're going with this." She turns to face me but I do not meet her eye.

"I don't want my child to grow up in a household where they meet their father on the weekends. I want a family. I want the parent-teacher meetings, I want fun Sunday evenings, I want laughter and joy and love." The last part almost comes out as a whisper.

"What about respect Sara?"

"To be loved is to be respected," she says.

"Only in your world." I get out of her bed and walk to the door.

"I'll send you the wedding invitation," she shouts.

I walk to the kitchen, my mother is in a deep conversation with aunty. They decide to talk later on. Since our house is walking distance from Sara's home, we choose to walk but take longer stripes as its night time with roads being deserted out here.

"What were you guys talking about?" I ask my mother.

"Sara's wedding, your engagement."

"You told her?"

"Sara did."

"Do you think that's why she is going ahead with this union because I have someone in my life and she sees this as something missing from her?"

"No," mother says simply. "Think about the kind of house Sara comes from. She wants something she never had. A family. She doesn't wanna look at her child and see glimpses of her childhood. A busy mom and an absent father. I know there are 8 months to go but she's already a mother and she's going to be better than both of us sisters." 

***************************************************

We just completed 2K reads!!!! 

Thank You for all this love. xxx