1 Massive slice of Chocolate layer cake = Rocket Fuel
He hated meetings which were scheduled to end just before lunch or the ones which coincided with his workplace's unofficial tea time. It generally made people jittery who never stopped looking at their wrist watch, wall clock, wrist watch of person sitting next to them, clock on their laptop, clock on computer where presentation was being shown (unless full screen mode, to be technically perfecto) or looking all around the conference room just so that the presenter gets a hint and stop talking. There are times when he totally agrees with them and the times where he doesn't agree with them are those when he is actually the presenter. So yet another "I want to be at pantry than here" meeting makes him wonder why people simply didn't learn not to set a meeting at that time. As soon as the "Thank You" slide glided nicely on the screen, people in the room had already started closing laptops, shoving papers in their file and few were already by the door. He sighed. It was hopeless and realized that he was the first one to pack. It had been a long meeting and he wanted a cup of coffee and a bite of something to eat.
As he made way back to his office, he saw people fluttering around pantry. Yet another birthday or some other celebration, he thought. Unfortunately for him he rarely got invited. Everyone thought he was too big of a guy in organization to come for a small office gathering which didn't take more than 30 minutes. Had someone invited him, he would have impassively given a wooly answer anyway. But that day he wished he was invited. He would have shamelessly barged into pantry that day given the state of his mind but he was tad too late. The party was over and everyone was dispersing.
Well everyone except for one woman who was carrying a plate of eatables and slowly making towards her cabin. And whose cabin happened to be right next to his. He wasn't so out of luck, after all.
"I am not sharing", she said as soon as he entered her cabin without even looking up.
"It's creepy how you recognize my footsteps and know it's me without seeing. This is first signs of erotomania Geet. You might want to get it checked up." He threw all the stuff he was carrying which included his laptop, a long notebook, planner, blackberry and cell phone.
"Or it could also be because you creepily followed me all the way to my cabin and we passed several corridors which have glass separation which reflected your 'I am so eating that cake on Geet's plate' look." She replied not looking up. She was carefully arranging her stuff around table and sanitizing her hands with a totally happy look.
He scowled.
"I don't know what you are talking about Geet. Why would I want to steal food from you?" He said trying very hard as to not to look at the massive slice of cake.
"You don't know? Every time someone gathers up all the courage they have accumulated all their lives and manages to invite you to pantry for cake and coffee, you look at them as if they are asking you to wear reindeer costume during Christmas party and sing carols in high octave. You don't go but somehow end up eating everything I manage to save for myself. But today its sooooo not happening mister!" She gave him a stern look. His innocent look got ignored.
It was then he decided that it was time to change tactics. He was a smart man; the one who patiently waited for right opportunities.
And with her and food, the opportunity came real quick. It came as soon as she took a huge spoonful of chocolate layer cake.
"1000. You emailed last month's invoices to UK sales? It's almost month end", he said emailing a quick reply to his overseas sales guy.
"Stop counting. Yes I emailed them. The guy from finance received acknowledgment from the bank also. Are you done? Can you please leave?" She said. She wearily bit into one of the two samosas. So what if she had a weakness for samosas and cakes. She didn't care a damn about what others thought.
"350. Good Geet, looks like our profit margins after tax is pretty steady this month." He casually remarked.
"I told you to quit counting. I know, if we keep this up this quarter is going to be one of the best in this fiscal year", she said with mouthful of samosa and dipped her spoon into chocolate cake.
"1200. Can you cancel my lunch meeting tomorrow? I heard from an inside source that the presenter daughter is going to be there and she has wandering paws." He shuddered at the thought. He saw that her perseverance was rather decent that day. She was aggressively ignoring his bait and eating her food. But he could see cracks in her perseverance. It was only matter of time.
"Only if you go away from here. Or else I will make sure that you will get gropers in your future meetings", she nastily counter attacked. He winced at the thought. Her hands faltered before she dug spoon into cake. He knew he was close then.
"1000. Keep this up, I can fire you up and you will take off like an awesome rocket. The amount of calories you are stuffing in at the moment can fuel a rocket very easily."
"That's exaggeration."
"Yes. But you will still be chubby", he swept in and pinched her cheeks.
She threw her spoon down and glared at him menacingly.
"Stop. Right. Now."
"No." He knew what he wanted. She knew what he wanted.
"One fourth."
"One third."
"Half. Take it or leave it", she glared and took her spoon back ready to dig in.
"Okay, okay. Deal!" He grinned. She slapped his hand when he swooped in for a handshake and thrust a fresh pastry spoon in his palm. His grin became wider. She cut rest of the cake in half and pushed it to other side of the plate. He swore there were tiny tears in her eyes when she pushed one samosa to his side of the plate too.
"You know what they say Geet. Sharing is a good thing", he patronized unnecessarily.
"Who said am sharing. I gave into an emotional abuse", she dramatized exaggeratedly. He grinned.
"That I did. How else would I get to eat this cake? Who bought this by the way?" He asked casually. Distraction always worked with her.
"You know that accountant's secretary and Network engineer couple?"
"The ones who are psychotic and or masochistic enough to endure parental emotional blackmail?" He grinned at her sour face.
"The same ones. They are apparently very happy. He was telling me that if she felt hurt even he did and if she felt happy so did he."
"What? Are their central nervous systems on wi-fi to feel same thing at the same time? Is that network engineer so brilliant to achieve something this amazing?" She didn't know if he was being sarcastic or genuinely curious. Knowing him he was probably sarcastic and was scheming something rotten to embarrass the network engineer and his girl.
"Whatever. They were celebrating their one month anniversary."
"What anniversary?"
"Does it matter to you?"
"Not really. Will they do it every month?"
"Why do you care?"
"I don't. Well not about them. But I do love this cake. God! It's good! Geet, if you find out where they got this from, I will let you have one small slice."
"Three." She smirked.
"No."
"Okay. Go ask them yourself."
"What? You think you are the only one who can find that out?" He bit out.
"Yes. Want to bet on it?" She challenged him. He shook his head no. Well he might make an attempt to ask but people would look at him incredulously and think that his question actually has some hidden deeper meaning and everything would be one ugly mess. He sighed. She was right, unfortunately.
"Retribution is a bitch sir." She waggled her eyebrows.
"Fine. Three slices it is. And after that don't think I will ever share cake with you." He huffed.
"Oh please."
She trilled in laughter and dug right in. He smiled at her antics and continued to eat.
Sookie
PS: On a totally unrelated note. Watch this video. Why, you ask? Cause its awesome; both the song and the clips used. It's from OST of Black and White, a Taiwanese Drama performed by a band named PICKS. I wish I could provide you the English translation because it's truly well written and is used at the apt situation.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9FBY4ZlomU[/YOUTUBE]
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