Stuck In The Office

“Oh, crap!! It’s begun raining again,” said Tanya to herself.

Mumbai, called as the city of dreams. Home to millions of dreamers, strugglers, and The Achievers. They say a person’s biggest weapon is his hope. Hope to succeed in life. Hope to have a decent life. It is this hope, which fuels every Mumbaikar to grind through the early mornings and late nights, each and every day. Here, even an overcrowded local is considered to be empty enough till you can manage to step at least one foot inside the compartment. One should only try this stunt at their own risk as this act is only performed by trained professionals i.e. the Janta of Mumbai.

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On one of these ordinary monsoon days in the ordinary lives of these extraordinary Mumbaikars, there stood Tanya, gazing through the blue-tainted glass window of her office main hall. She worked in one of the biggest Finance and Investment Banking firms in Mumbai, called "The Daily Investor" as a Senior Analyst. Her office hours were between 9 am to 5 pm. And it was one of those days where she had to stay in the office past her working hours to catch up with a deadline. Just when she was about to leave the office at 6:30 pm, it started raining heavily. To add to her frustration, all her Ola and Uber bookings got canceled due to the traffic jams. So to cool herself down and wait till the rain stops, she stood at the window gazing at the tiny umbrellas moving under the streetlights and the vehicles standing neck to neck to each other. As soon as she felt a moment of peace in her mind, her phone started ringing.

“Hi Raghav, did you reach home?” asked Tanya as soon as she answered her husband’s call.

“Yeah! Just 5 minutes back. What about you?”

“I am stuck inside the office”

“Oh, dear! Is there anyone to give you company or has everyone left?”

“Yeah, there are some people on the floor below. None on this floor. So technically speaking, I’m not alone”

“Poor thing!! Have a coffee or something. Your little Picasso wants to show me his drawing. Give me a call when you leave the office. And, reach back safe. Bye.”

“Aaan...tell him Mumma is coming. Mumma misses both of you,” said Tanya cutting the call.

It was 7:00 pm now. She looked at the window. She would be in her house by now she calculated, but the weather had other plans for her. It was still raining as heavily as it was before. She removed her Kindle to start reading. She sat relaxed, leaning back on the chair, and then kept the device on her lap. She enjoyed how she was alone in the entire office hall which meant she could do anything or sit anyhow, there was no one to judge her.

“Oh, I forgot the coffee. Let’s get that A.S.A.P so that I can chill,” she thought to herself.

She took one cup from the paper cups stacked one over the other and switched on the machine. She could feel the heat of the liquid dripping into the cup. She emptied one granular sugar packet into the cup and started walking to her desk inhaling the aroma of her fresh coffee. She has always been loving this aroma of their office coffee. On her way back to her desk, she noticed the light of the Finance Director’s cabin.

What is he doing so late here? Does he always stay up in the office so late? These were the questions that she thought as she sat on her chair.

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It was 7:30 pm now. Tanya realized that she was blindly looking at the letters of her E-Book. She couldn’t distract her mind from thinking about the person in the Finance Director’s cabin. She felt as if her private time was no longer private because she was now aware that she’s not the only person inside the office. On second thoughts, she stood up and walked towards the cabin just like a kitten, without making any sound. As she moved closer to the cabin, the light falling on her face started becoming brighter. 

She stopped at the door of the glass made cabin. The structure of the cabin though made up of glass, was translucent till the height of five and a half feet. So to peep inside the cabin, Tanya required to stand up on her toes. She saw a very bulky file open on the table and Varun, who was reading it. Tanya opened the door and said, “Hi Varun sir.”

Varun Mittal, a thirty-eight-year-old Finance Director of The Daily Investor was a name that was quite well known in the company. Alumnus of IIT Bombay and IIM Bangalore, he was excellent not only in academics but also in his career. He was the only favorite of the founder and owner of The Daily Investor, Mr. Rajesh Jha. Many employees in the company were jealous of the promotions Varun had achieved within only twelve years. Many said he was a maniac when it came to working. A few years back, the news of his divorce was afloat and even Tanya wasn’t oblivious to it. Tanya was an Intern in the same company during the period Varun was hired. She had never talked to Varun directly during these years but had only heard him speak during important meetings until today.

“Hi, Varun sir.”

As she opened the door to greet him, she saw the table, the files, the charts mounted on the soft board, the articles hung up on the wall, and his laptop. Each and every corner of this room was as perfectly aligned as it could be. The sight of Varun sitting in this cabin engrossed in the bulky file was as perfect as its surroundings and in its absolute harmony. The only disharmonious thing in the entire room was Tanya, she thought to herself. And this thought made her loose her confidence.

“Oh. Hi Tanya! Haven’t you left for home yet?” said Varun with an innocent childish smile on his face. He was surprised to see Tanya in the office too.

Tanya felt a sudden comfort in his concern. “No, sir. Stuck here because of the rains.”

“Come, sit on the chair,” said Varun, signalling her to sit on the chair in front of him.

“How is it that you haven’t left the office so far, Sir? Do you always stay in here so late?” she asked curiously meanwhile sitting on the chair.

“I am always the last person to leave this building. I like to stay here late. It’s easy for me to stay up here and keep myself busy. Otherwise, I feel the empty house will eat me from inside.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to ---“

“I know, Tanya. Take a chill. How are things up with you?” asked Varun.

“Things are great, sir. I was working on the data of Fader Insurance, which you might know how important it is to be submitted to Jadhav sir tomorrow itself. Anyways, does he have a problem with me? He always looks at me as if I am about to make a mistake and his life is going to be immensely affected by it. He’s surely going to give me gray hair soon.”

Varun laughed. He liked how she went off-topic and how she spoke of his colleague and dear friend, without thinking in front of him. He said, “He must be definitely trying to pull your leg. I know him very well. He is quite funny, but likes to maintain a serious look with all his juniors.”

Tanya chuckled. And then there was a silence for a short time after which Varun said, “You can call me Varun. Office hours is only 9 to 5. I like to be friends with all my colleagues after 5.”

“Oh. Okay, Varun.”

“How are things at home? Your husband and, your daughter? You have a daughter, right?”

“No, no. I have a 6-year-old son. His name is Aarav. Raghav and I love him a lot. As soon as the clock strikes 5, I yearn to reach back home to meet him as soon as I can. These past years have been amazing watching him grow from small to big. Raghav and his startup have also started to settle a bit. He spends more time at home now. So it’s going great now. Touchwood.”

“That’s wonderful, Tanya. Very nice to hear that,” said Varun closing the file in front of him.

“Thank you. Can I ask you what happened between you and your ex-wife? You can choose not to answer if you want”

Varun stretched back on his chair. He gave out a loud sigh and smiled at her as if he already knew she was going to ask him. “We got divorced because she fell in love with another person.”

“Oh. I am so sorry, Varun. Why didn’t you consider getting remarried?”

“I loved her a lot. I loved her more than anything. She complained I never gave her time. That is the reason she fell in love with someone else, who had time for her. If I ever remarry, my wife is going to have the same issue. I am already very scared of any relationship as of now. I think I am better this way.” He said loosening the tie around his collar.

“Let’s get some coffee for both of us. I am sure it will make your mood lighter. Come on.”

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Tanya and Varun walked across the empty and dark hall to the office kitchen. Tanya prepared coffee for both of them and then handed him one cup. Sipping from their coffee cups, they felt the warmth and its aroma overpowering the kitchen. It was raining with slightly less intensity now. Tanya checked her mobile. Ola and Uber still weren’t accepting any bookings. She called up Raghav to inform him that she will be late even more. Then Varun and Tanya talked for some more time in the kitchen after which a long pause followed.

Breaking the pause, Varun said, “I feel like telling you something. Not many in the office know about this. I have a daughter. When I and my wife separated, my wife was pregnant. She bore my child and I had no clue. I came to know about it when she invited me to her wedding with her lover. I wish I could see how she has grown from small to big like you are able to see your child grow. I wish I could run back from the office to my home to see her and play with her every day. I wish…” Varun’s eyes welled up as he uttered this.

Confused how to react, Tanya kept quiet. Varun didn’t expect a reply anyway. Tanya’s phone rang. She picked up.

“Are you still in the office?”

“Yes, Raghav.”

“Got bored?”

“No, No. Surprisingly Varun Sir was in the office too. So we were chatting.” Said Tanya, checking her watch which said it was 9:45 pm.

“That’s nice. I thought to come to pick you up myself. We have almost reached your office. There’s a lot of traffic in this area. Come down as soon as possible. We are just two buildings away. Aarav is also saying ‘Come fast Mumma’,”

“Yes, my son. I’m coming immediately.” Tanya cut the call. She turned towards Varun and signalled him it’s time to go.

Both of them went to her cabin. He stood patiently near the wall as she packed her items. She turned to him saying, “Varun you are a good man and I can sense that you were a good husband too. You are still young and have plenty of options out there. Don’t get carried away by your past. Set out a new life. Find a reason to go back home every day on time. You should go home too now. It's 10 pm.”

“You’re right. Although, I already have a reason to go home every day at this time.”

“Umm. Goodnight!” said Tanya, wondering what he could probably mean but didn’t want to ask him.

“Good night, Tanya. See you tomorrow.” Said Varun and walked with his hands in his pocket, towards the cabin.

11:00 pm

Varun sat across a bungalow under a tree with a packet of hot vada pavs in his hand. He waited each night at this time looking at the window of the top floor of this bungalow. His ex-wife, her husband, and Varun’s daughter lived here. Varun watched his daughter through the window every night before she went to bed. His heart would every night wish to storm through the entrance into the house and hug his daughter, talk to her, and hear her voice. Then he would stand up, pick up his belongings, and set his foot to his home. That was a normal day for him.

That night Tanya kept repeating her conversation with Varun in her head. She realized, there are so many people in this world whom we admire and wish to have the lives they have. Deep down all of us are struggling with one thing or the other. Mostly, what we see is only the positive side. We do not know but there are parts of our life which many people admire and wish to have. Like, how everyone wanted to have a fast growing career like Varun, while Varun wished to have a family life like her.

Are our lives really complete? So why do people search for happiness in the wrong places? 

Before her thoughts could consume her, she turned off the lamp and went back to sleep

Peace.

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Posted by Pranav Gaikwad.