When Raj Learned to Ignore Ravi to Fall For Me :

I am Sri, a lot has gone into making the 39 years old that I am now. I will come to that shortly and as briefly as allowed within the scope of a life-story. So, let me straight away start with NT and my love story. Sorry, for reasons better known to me, I can't give you the full name. NT must have seen me some day on my way back home from the Institute where I was learning computers after graduation. I couldn't do all that well in B.A. and my result made one thing clear to me. I had to upskill, upgrade myself to find a job. My parents were middle class people. So, they couldn't put up with me all my life. For your information, I took to computers like a duck takes to whatever it is supposed to take to. I was in the final year of computing and had been performing quite well till then. So much so that Srijadi, my computer teacher, asked me to take over the task of teaching computers to the beginners, right after the completion of the course. That way I already had a job offer. NT sent his man to my place right at that time. The rest, I must say, was history. "Sri, Sir is going to the Sports Complex today for a demo. As the Assistant, you have to accompany him." The Manger of Tata's Showroom in the central part of Barrackpore, informed me a few months after I had joined the Company as a Receptionist c*m Computer Operator. I had hardly met the Boss till then but for the occasional glances I had cast in his direction whenever he happened to visit the Show Room. The day I accompanied him to the Sports Complex was the first time I could see him from close quarters. He picked me up from near the market. As he opened the front door and asked me,"Or would you rather sit at the back?" To conceal my surprise at seeing the Boss driving the car himself, I slid into the seat next to the driver's. He navigated in silence for the next 15 minutes till we were out of the market area on our way to the Sports Complex via the Barrackpore-Barasat highway. He had by then switched on the music system as a very popular song from "DDLJ" started playing. Knowing that he had his eyes fixed on the highway ahead, I decided to sneak peak at him. To say he was a handsome man would be an understatement. He was The Most handsome man I had ever met in life. He had the physique of Salman Khan, though taller by half a foot. Broad-shouldered, clean-shaven with hair neatly combed and backbrushed. He had a very expensive Sonata watch on his wrist and the three-piece deep blue suit looked like it was just designed for him. He turned his head towards me just at that moment and broke into one of his patent smiles that I learned, to my utter dismay much later, could break a girl's heart. "Enjoying the ride?" He asked me. I was so surprised at his capacity to drive on without looking at the road ahead in front that I quipped a hasty, "Yes, Sir." Having put his hand out through the window, he had by then gone back to adjusting the mirror on the right before turning back to me with his bysecting eyes again. There was something about his eyes that made me uncomfortable for a minute. I felt like he was seeing much more of me than what I really wanted him to. "You don't have to addr… ., " He began before changing his mind to rephrase what he wanted to say into, "In case, you are worried about what we are going to do there," he paused briefly to give a sidelong glance at me before continuing," Let me tell you that I have to give a brief demo speech about the various brands of Tata cars we have in our Show Room. That may take half an hour to forty minutes at the most. We have to attend the dinner organized for the guests after that. We will be back to from where I picked you up latest by 8.30 at night. I told Dip (Dipayan, the Manager) to inform you about our schedule, did he? " His concerned, friendly tone was doing some kind of magic and I was relieved to be rid of the worry that was taking hold of my mind just a while ago. As those loving, laughing, very much lively eyes looked at me again, I realised that he was expecting an answer to the question he had asked me. Luckily, without having really heard it, I came out with, "Yes, Dipda did tell me that the whole thing might not take very long… That's okay. The homerule is that I can't stay out after 9." Did the extra information disconcert him or was it purely my imagination? As I looked in front and saw the beautiful majestic hills and green fields recede in the background, I felt happy like I rarely felt in my life. "I have the file and pen in my bag in the dicky. I'll give it to you before entering the Meeting Hall. Do you have any questions to ask me?" His voice sounded so friendly and I don't know why I started feeling loney and blissfully happy at the same time. The next two hours were like a dream c*m true for someone like me. As the Assistant of the famous NT, I was treated like a Royal by all and sundry. The reporters and flashlight, the magnificent Meeting Hall of the Sports Complex, some of the richest men in the locality and Mr. NT and Mr. NT is all that I recollect now. That evening I realised for the first time that without preparation, no one can make it big in life, We all measure people by the success they have earned in life without thinking much about the hours of hardwork that have gone into the preparation for success. Mr. NT was not only one heck of a handsome man, he was undoubtedly the most no-nonsense, most impressive speaker I had heard in my life. No doubt, I was busy taking notes of his presentation. The ease with which he presented all the facts and figures, the names of the models and the comparisons he made with the closest rival companies, was just phenomenal. As the people and a section of the press rose on their feet to a tumultuous outpouring of acclaim and appreciation, I thought I it was time to congratulate him. He was busy talking to a glam doll sitting on his left at that moment. The dinner was as sumptuous as Mr. NT's presentation and made me feel for the umpteenth time how lucky I was to be working for such a prestigious company and under someone, who was so famous, so rich yet so down-to-earth and friendly. Mr. NT was very quiet on the return home. He had met the press briefly before dinner and I was just overwhelmed with the way he answered some of the most tricky questions thrown at him. I would remember especially one when a veteran journalist from NT Reports had asked him how he managed to keep such balance between family and work. Mr.NT, I thought had taken longer to trace the man out from the dozens or so privileged media men in the hall before answering : "Thank you, Mr. Arnab. You are from New Town Reports, right? Let me answer your question by telling you that I don't mix family with work. Some people seem to do it very easily. Unfortunately, for someone like me who began without any God Father, I knew from the begining that when the time came and I got married, family must be as important, if not more, than work for me. I have always kept this at the back of my mind. Besides, Life becomes easy when you have a supportive and understanding family. Won't you agree, Mr. Arnab? " All the way back I kept thinking about how poised, sharp and enviable Mr. NT looked while dealing with the Press, Distributors and a few representatives of the Consumer's Forum. The more those scenes of interactions flashed through my mind, the more I felt I was falling head over heels for the Boss. As the car stopped near the market entrance to drop me there, I blurted out the sentence I had been practising for some time. "Thank you, Sir. It was truly one of the most pleasant evenings of my life. Good night and safe drive back home." Mr.NT had the widow glass rolled down. Even after such a busy day, he looked fresh and handsome. "Thanks for being there with me," he stopped seemingly thinking about whether to say anything more before wishing me."Good night. Let me know if there is anything I can do." The next moment he was gone out of my view. To be continued....