When Subodh reached the conference room with Rohan, the meeting was about to commence. Every high-official of the Metrobank Corp. had gathered for the meeting.
It was one of those rare meetings in which the conference room looked like a princely court. The India CEO of Metrobank as a king, presiding over it.
“Fuck, we’re late...” Rohan whispered in Subodh’s ear. Suboh unwillingly responded to his concern with a sluggish nod.
They walked towards the two empty chairs on one side of the conference table which were reserved for them. Subodh looked around as he pulled his chair. The room was filled with bodies clad in dark suits and pastel shirts. The stench of their constrained ambitions reached his nose. Gucci and Armanis that they had sprayed on themselves weren’t able to dissolve that stench. Their eyes talked of treachery to each other. Their words resonated with a sounds of ravenousness enveloped in pitiful brutality. None of their smiles were real. Subodh felt his feet tremble when a few of them looked at him and smiled. Like a bunch of unfulfilled hovering evil souls that had settled down on in the room. They were inviting him to shun his live form and join their haunted quest. A strong feeling of unbelonging swelled up inside Subodh. He placed himself on the chairs restraining the discomfort that was sweltering inside him.
“Hello everybody...” CEO began with a phoney smile. Everybody returned him a smile¬¬ except Subodh. If he could, he would’ve shown him a finger. But Subodh held himself back and let him continue with his display of bogus affection.
“It’s nice to meet all of you together...” He smiled again. “I feel like I’m having my last supper...” and he broke out into a fake modulated laughter. All others joined in. Subodh kept staring at his face. Blankly.
“Well, jokes apart... I’ve gathered this meet to discuss something very critical with all of you... And that is the current financial competence of our bank...” He opened the topic gravely, chewing every word to crush it hard under his borrowed niche accent. “That must’ve got you wondering as to why all of a sudden, right in the middle of a financial quarter do I want to assess it... How many of you do?”
None of them raised their hands or voices. They stayed transfixed upon their chairs, with their eyes focussed on the CEO with a pretentious curiosity and consideration. Raising a hand meant putting up your unpreparedness for such occasions on a display. None of the beseated wanted to be caught off-guard. Silence was the smoke-screen behind which they hid their insecurities and inabilities. Insecurity that they would end up displeasing the CEO and inability to consider such a mid-quarter assessment from the CEO a usual thing and foresee it. Except Subodh. His hand had risen a few inches above the table, conveying his inquisition.
“Subodh!... You never disappoint me... This is what impresses me about... You are inquisitive... You have the nerve to ask a question...And persistence to find an answer... I like that.” This time, the smile on CEO’s face was a genuine one. The smile that an archer might have when he discovers that the sharpest of his arrows hasn’t lost its edge yet.
“Well... I would put it this way... it’s time to wear your diving suits... All of us... because now... Metrobank Corp. is jumping into the deep sea to catch sharks...” he let the end of his sentence dissolve in silence.
“I didn’t get you sir...” suddenly of attendees raised a doubt. That’s how the world in which Subodh existed was. If one was appreciated for sneezing, whole hall would end up blasting out their noses. To earn that penny of appreciation, anticipating that it would be a gold coin someday. Here was one more effort to earn that penny.
“Well... I think Subodh did get it... What do you say Subodh?” CEO looked at Subodh with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“What are we financing sir?” Subodh asked plainly.
CEO smiled heartily “Something very big...”
His words drifted slowly towards Subodh. They traversed between the two like clumsy directionless clouds. Subodh let them pass over. He sat staring at the complimentary writing pad and pencil that lay before him. He picked up the pencil. With a swift stroke, he drew a circle on it. Pressing the tip of the pencil hard on the paper, he traced the circle. The edges of the circle got darker. He continued tracing the circle, turning it into a deep dark ring. Then he filled it with darkness, scribbling lunatically inside it. It resembled a bottomless pit. A pit that his hands had created on that piece of paper. A small gateway to another world. Or probably, another side of the world. It could be a tunnel, which appeared dark and endless, but opened on another side to a land of pure joy and fulfilment. But it seemed unfinished. He had to dig more to reach on that side. He had to go excavating to discover a route to that world. He went on digging. Making it darker with his pencil. Slowly the layer of earth got thinner. He could feel it through his pencil. A few final scrapes, and he would be closer to that life of eternal happiness. He wanted to finish it faster. He wanted to reach that side as early as possible. One final stroke, and the darkness tore open before him, unravelling a strip of brightness that peeped out of it. It was the first glimpse of the universe that he was about to escape into.
He felt a tuck on his elbow. “Subodh... Sir’s asking you something...”
“Huh?” Subodh looked at the voice with astonishment. Rohan was looking worriedly at him. Subodh turned towards the CEO.
“I heard you have made a report on our financial competence...” CEO’s eyes were fixed on Subodh. They were stern and rocky. Like a wall one couldn’t bring down or penetrate.
“Actually... It was Rohan who took more efforts on this report than me... therefore, I would like him to present this report before you instead of me...” Subodh spoke with a slight stammer.
“As long as it is accurate, I don’t have any problem with who presents it...” CEO said in a rigid tone.
“Thank you Sir...” Subodh turned to Rohan immediately after the note of gratitude and whispered in his ear, “Dude... present it! This is your chance. Make it big!” and handed over the memory chip to him.
Rohan looked at Subodh with quizzed gratefulness for few moments. He didn’t want to do it. He felt a strong impulse to see Subodh present it. Yes, he wanted to be Subodh. But not this way. Not when Subodh was dismantling himself purposely into ineffectiveness. He wanted to earn it. Not steal it when Subodh was tossing it into the air.
“Are you prepared Rohan?” CEO’s voice struck them gently.
“Go go go!” Subodh patted Rohan’s back.
“Yes sir!” Rohan said in a choked voice.
Rohan plugged the chip into the SmartProjector and entered the screen full of figures. Subodh stared at him. He looked funny with digits all over him. Maybe he looked the same when stood there. Covered with numbers. The numbers grew over Rohan as he zoomed in on the details. They moved over him as he scrolled the sheets. They went up, down and sideways all over Rohan. Sometimes they settled over him like countless flies, sometimes they crawled over him like a bunch spiders weaving a web over him. When he presented the overview, it looked as if he had emerged out of numbers. Subodh felt an unsullied contentment to see Rohan like that. He was the same couple of years ago. Enthusiastic, enterprising and diligent. Not because he wanted to grow fast, like his counterparts in the corporate world, but he was in an intense hurry to move away from something. He was in a rush to leave things behind. He was on a mission to overcome a bearing. That’s where Rohan differed from him. But still, the vigour was the same. It was time now for Rohan to take over. To fulfil his aspirations. To get covered by numbers.
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