The Best Match

The Sari Monster

"We learn something from everyone who passes through our lives. Some lessons are painful, some are painless... but, all are priceless."

Mom and dad look at me amused. What? Was I supposed to remember?
"You don't remember, Abhimanyu?" Mom asked me in surprise. I scratched my head and shook my head. "Why?"

"Okay, that's not an issue." Dad cut the silence thick, "Abhimanyu is Shikha's nephew. I think Prerna has told you about him."

"Oh! Yeah. Mom did." I confirmed. My brain box started working at a great pace and scenario before two months rolled on.

ESV gasped, 'How could you forget that hot mess?'

As if you remembered him. I retorted. You are my subconscious after all.
"So, be on time then." Dad said.

"Okay. I will be on time."

It would be suffice to say that I didn't suffer from pre anxiety syndrome. Days were slipping from my fist like water and I could hold on to them. It felt like yesterday when I said 'okay' to dad and the Friday knocked my door with a rush. I had a lot in my hands. I had fingers in every pie and pie dishes were in the hands of bulldog. After my decent refusal to the proposition made for me, he thought that I lack the potential of doing anything good and that belittled me in his eyes. Hence, he loaded me every next task that caught his eyes. I could've knocked the door of human rights department but I didn't. He was the guest of what we say, two days? I had heard it correctly from Mrigank that he was going to be deported to Chennai and this was his last project over here.

"Thank God, Shree, you're here, bulldog practically went mad with stress." Aarti lashed out as soon as her murky brown eyes noticed me. She had a heap of files and her petite frame was almost invisible under the weight.

"By god, if he asked me one more time about the demonstration. I will destroy the pen drive and delete the backups." Rhea snarled, throwing her hands in air and slumped on the leatherette chair.

"Oye, that's a wrong pen drive." I called out to Josh when he rushed around and grabbed my pen drive which was supposed to be the backup.

"Oh, sorry. Where is the presentation?" He queried and I thrust the PD in his hands, "Here check the details and please do the corrections if any."

"Let's go." Aarti nudged me.

"You've taken the software details with you, right?"

"Yep. Everything is ready."

"May we come in, sir?" I knocked on the door twice before peeking in.

"Come in." A very dull voice of our boss came. Why Mr. Batra had to retire so early? I found myself egging over the same question on loop. We entered only to find him sitting on his table with head buried in the cup of hands, loosened tie and the multitude coffee cups around him.

ESV tsked, 'This man takes unnecessary headache.'

Well, I agreed. I mean who started taking anxiety pills before a project launch. For, he did.

"Sir, you asked for the details, here it is." Aarti placed the file and compact disk on his desk and he showed his pumpkin face, glaring at us. "I asked you to show me it before ten minutes and you're getting it now."

"Sir, actually you are very early today, we still have two hours in our hands." I explicated.

"So, now you are questioning why I came early?" He glared me.

"No sir, I'm just saying..." I tried to articulate but he stopped me.

"I'm the boss, I know what to do and how?" He boosted, getting up.