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It was almost 8 P.M. when Naina was called for a discussion with Arshad, which lasted hardly 10 minutes.
“If we are done Arshad, can I call it a day?” Naina asked.
Arshad looked at his watch and then at her. He then retorted, “Okay. Carry on. If there is something, I’ll let you know.”
Naina’s fleeting smile had come back. She almost rushed to her seat, put the laptop inside her carry bag and took the lift down to the parking. Her red Ford Fiesta car was lying forlorn in one corner. She got in and drove off to her second floor home in New Friends Colony.
The first thing she did on entering the house was to change from her sari to a t-shirt and comfortable pyjamas. She then went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of lemon tea without sugar.
The hot tea did little to uplift her mood. The house was too lonely with nobody to speak to. Naina felt restless. She needed to talk to someone. She wanted to be around people and not alone, in a boring flat all by herself.
Naina reached for her Blackberry Curve and dialled Sameer’s number.
“Hi Sameer, what are you doing tonight?” she said.
“Good, then let’s meet up in the Blue Elephant pub in around an hour. Okay. Bye,” she said.
Naina immediately changed into a shiny cream shirt and a black-silver skirt cut just above the knee. She quickly applied a bright red lipstick, black glittering eye shadow, and a hint of a mascara and was all ready to party.
She banged shut her door, moved downstairs in her high heels, got inside her car and drove away.
In an hour’s time, she was parking her car outside the Blue Elephant pub. She saw Sameer approaching dressed in a light check shirt and black trousers. He was around six feet tall and was carrying, what looked like, a bouquet of flowers.
“Hi Sameer, how are you?” said Naina, getting out of the car. She kissed him on his right cheek.
“My darling,” Sameer said and presented her with a flourish a bouquet of beautiful red roses.
Naina froze.
“Red roses...How many times I have told you that I hate red roses. They drive me mad.”
She shouted as she grabbed the bouquet and threw it on the street. She next, with her pointed heels, started to crush the roses. A horrified Sameer could see the roses slowly turning into a pulp and becoming totally unrecognisable.
When she was done, Naina said somewhat hyper-ventilating, “Now you will never forget how much I hate red roses. Come. Let’s go.”
A suitably chastened Sameer followed Naina to the joint. The sound inside was deafening but the pub otherwise presented a riot of psychedelic colours. The revolving light strobes on the ceiling were creating myriad red and yellow spots on the dance floor. The pub was otherwise jam packed and the DJ was belting out one popular tune after another.
Naina spotted a few more friends and joined them. She ordered a glass of wine and Sameer ordered a can of beer. The music was so extremely loud that it was impossible to carry out any conversation.
“By the way you appear to have put on a little weight,” Sameer said to Naina trying to distract her from the red roses episode.
Naina didn’t react. By the time, she had warmed up to say something, Sameer’s phone was ringing. Sameer moved to a corner where it was relatively quieter. Naina could notice him yapping away, with a finger plugged into the other ear. When he finally hung up and was coming back to Naina’s side, his phone rang again. This time he spent a good half an hour answering it.
When he finally hung up, he said “Yah...What were you saying babe?” When she was about to speak, she noticed that he wasn’t really interested in her answer. He was busy flirting with Naina’s other friends or looking at his mobile phone. He was checking his BBM messages again. And then he was grinning.
“Oh no, not again,” Naina grimaced. She knew that some idiot would have sent Sameer a silly joke and that he was busy forwarding it to everyone in his contact list, including her.
A mobile started ringing again but this time it was hers. She looked at her Blackberry and noticed that it was Arshad who was calling. She moved out of the pub and answered the phone.
“Hi Naina. I need to discuss that agreement with you. Would you mind making it back to the office?” Arshad said.
“Now? It is eleven P.M. and I am out in a party. Is it really urgent? Can’t we do it tomorrow morning?” Naina protested.
“No. It is urgent. The document needs to be sent out tonight. Please come back at once,” Arshad said and hung up.
She went back inside. Sameer was chatting to one of Naina’s female friends with an arm around her.
“Look Sameer,” Naina continued, “I need to go back to the office. My boss says that it is urgent.”
He looked up and said “Okay. Fine. We’ll meet up some other day then.”
Naina reached for her car and drove straight back to office. She walked through the grey carpeted corridor. Most of the lights were switched off. The office looked eerily different to her at this late hour. There was no hustle bustle. Nobody was in at all.
Naina was a little spooked but she kept walking. From a distance she could see some stronger light coming in. She walked towards the light. It was, of course, Arshad sitting at his cubicle with his lamps on and with no one around.
When Arshad saw Naina in a shiny shirt and the black-silver skirt that was cut above the knee, he was taken aback. He paused for a while trying to gather his thoughts. Naina was staring at him.
“I need you to proof read this agreement,” Arshad said handing over the document to her. She looked at the agreement.
“Isn’t this the same ‘Blue Water and Black Night Soft Drinks’ Share Purchase Agreement that you had asked me to print this morning?” Naina was incredulous.
“Yes, that’s right,” Arshad said.
“Then why didn’t you give this to me in the morning? I had no work the whole day. I could have proof read it then,” Naina’s tone was rising.
“Well, you see, I was busy in the morning,” Arshad was still deadpan.
“Anybody could have proof read the document. Any second year intern could. Any secretary could. Why me?” Naina protested.
“That is because I needed to train you,” Arshad said.
She put the document back on Arshad’s table and without speaking another word started to leave the office.
“Where are you going? If you leave, I’ll speak to the HR. Or to the Managing Partner about your insubordinate behaviour,” Arshad threatened.
Naina turned back and looked straight into his eyes.
“Do whatever you feel like,” she said and walked straight towards the lift.
