Beyond The Golden Skies

♛ 06: Clandestine Classes •

The light from the computer screen glowed on Ayush's face. His fingers clicked on the keyboard as he typed another email to his boss. His colleague patted his shoulder. “Hey, Ayush, joining us for a break?”

“It’s break time?! Oh, you guys carry on,” he said.

“Don’t be so lost in work, bro,” the man said, walking away.

Ayush stretched out his sore muscles. His fingers hurt from the constant typing. He picked up the newspaper and shuffled through the pages. Matrimonial ads seeking a quiet and shy bride, the latest car that cost more than his yearly salary, and news about small crimes.

Another article grabbed his eyeballs.

‘Udayveer Kumar and Kushwant Vardhan caught in corruption case ahead of elections.’

That's wonderful, he thought.

He had an inherent hatred toward people who misused their power and authority. His mother was a victim of such gross misuse. She was tormented by some obsessed politician till her last breath for refusing his marriage proposal. His father refused to divulge the scoundrel's name. Though Ayush was six months old at the time of her demise, he understood her agony from what his father told him. Folding the paper and tossing it back on the desk, he closed his eyes and shifted his thoughts to the evening.

Sakshi. His entire body longed to see her again.

Though others went out on dinner dates and movie dates, he and Sakshi were going on an accounts calculating date. Could he even call it a date?

“Ayushman Singh!” Yashvardhan’s raspy voice itched his ears.

He jumped to his feet seeing his boss. "Good morning, sir."

“Where the hell are the other reports?” he shouted.

Ayush had nicknamed him as 'the Yashigator', merging his first name with 'alligator'.

“It's ready sir, I'm sending it across right now.”

“You getting really lazy with this new project!”

"Sir, I've pitched in eight reports till now."

“You have to improve. I need thirty reports by this weekend?”

“Thirty?” Ayush suppressed a gasp. “I’ll try.”

"Not try, you have to do it."

He stood speechless and nodded.

"There are people who crave to have your position. Take my brother-in-law, for example. He's more qualified than you but he's being paid much lesser in a dingy company."

“I’ll do my best, sorry.”

“Sorry won't hold your job. It’s very easy to replace a lazy fellow like you,” Yashvardhan told him.

Shame washed over him.

If not for his father's medical expenses, he would have left this job a long time back.

He continued typing the reports despite the terrible pain in his body. Relief filled his nerves as soon as the clock hit 3 PM. He got onto his bike and dashed out of the office. He stopped at a medical store and bought tablets and sugarless chocolates for his father, and darted to his home. Parking his bike by the house with the initials ‘A.D Nest’, he ran inside and knocked the door. His father had spent years of sweat, pain and savings to build this dream home.