Shanbhogue Publications

People joined teams the way people joined families at weddings.

Nobody understood how it happened.

One day they were strangers.

A month later they had inside jokes that nobody else understood.

Ganavi worked on another process.

Sudharma had seen her on the floor many times before they actually spoke.

She was the sort of person people looked for when a customer mail had to be answered carefully.

Not because she spoke loudly.

Because she did not.

One evening a team leader walked up to Sudharma’s desk.

“Can you help her with this?”

Ganavi handed him a printout.

“The client is asking for a different report. I think they have mixed up the account.”

He looked at the mail.

“They have.”

“You are sure?”

He nodded.

“You already replied?”

“No. I thought I should ask someone before making myself famous.”

He laughed.

“Good decision.”

She smiled as if she knew she had done the sensible thing.

After that, they met from time to time.

Sometimes over work.

Sometimes in the cafeteria because the only empty chair happened to be near the other person.

Ganavi drank coffee without sugar.

Sudharma asked her once if it was because she was health conscious.

“No.”

“Then?”

“I forgot to add sugar one day. It wasn’t that bad.”

“That is a terrible reason.”

“I know.”

She continued drinking it that way.

The office had entered the season of appraisals.

People walked around pretending they did not care.

They cared.

Every discussion somehow reached salary.

A better rating, planning to resign, printed a resume. A common view in any BPO after appraisals.

One night, a group from different teams ended up at the tea stall outside the office gate.

Plastic stools.

Paper cups.

The same old man making tea.

Ganavi was there.

Sanvi came a little later.

She sat beside Sudharma.

The conversation moved from work to movies, cricket, and music.

Ganavi listened for a long time before saying anything.

Finally she looked at Sudharma.

“You don’t actually believe half the things you argue for.”

“What do you mean?”

“You just enjoy arguing.”

The others laughed.

Sanvi looked at him.

“That is true.”

“Both of you have formed a team?”

“We didn’t have to,” Sanvi said.

“You make it easy.”

A call came on Sanvi’s phone.

She got up.

“I’ll come.”

She walked a little distance to answer it.

Ganavi watched her go.

Then she looked at Sudharma.

“You should go.”

“Why?”

“She came with you.”

“She can manage.”

Ganavi nodded.

“I know.”

Sanvi returned after a few minutes.

“Sorry. My brother.”

Nobody asked anything more.

The tea was almost over.

Sanvi looked at Sudharma.

“I am leaving. Jahnavi is waiting near the gate.”

“You came with us.”

“I know.”

She smiled.

“I can also go without you.”

There was no irritation in her voice.

Only something settled.

She looked at Ganavi.

“See you tomorrow.”

Ganavi smiled back.

“See you.”

Sanvi walked away.

Sudharma watched her for a moment.

Then he looked down at the empty paper cup in his hand.

Some things did not end with a fight.

Sometimes people simply stopped waiting for something that was never going to happen.

The conversation moved somewhere else.

A few days later, Sudharma found Ganavi in the cafeteria reading a paperback novel.

“You study during breaks also?”

“I am reading.”

“Same thing.”

“It isn’t.”

He sat down.

“What is it about?”

She closed the book and showed him the cover.

“I borrowed it. I don’t think I like it.”

“Then why finish it?”

“I have already read half.”

“That is a worse habit than drinking coffee without sugar.”

She laughed.

“You give opinions very quickly.”

“You don’t?”

“I usually wait.”

“For what?”

“To know more.”

He shook his head.

“Too much work.”

She put the book back into her bag.

“Exactly.”

When she left, the book was still sticking out of the bag.

He noticed that she had folded one corner of the page to mark her place.

The next evening he asked her why she had not used a bookmark.

“I forgot.”

“So now the book is damaged.”

“It was already old.”

He looked at her.

“You have an answer for everything.”

“No.”

She adjusted the bag on her shoulder.

“I just don’t mind small damage.”

Then she walked back to her bay.

Sudharma stood there for a moment.

Across the floor, Jahnavi was climbing the stairs instead of using the lift.

Sanvi was laughing with her team near the transport desk.

Someone from operations was shouting because a report had not been mailed.

A printer had stopped working.

Two boys were arguing about whether they should order dinner.

The shift carried on.

Near his keyboard was a pen with a mismatched cap.

He looked at it for a second and dropped it into the dustbin.

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