Chapter
17: Comedy of Errors
PAST...
"Achacho!
(Oh my!)" she screamed at plight of the blazer. "En Muruga en? (Why Muruga
why?)" she said shaking her head at the fate of the blazer. She had just ripped
Maan Singh Khurana's blazer and now he would just rip her head. The day just
began and here she was already wishing it ended. She hit her head clenching her
fist cursing herself for her act. "What better way to start the day than with
ripping of Maan Singh Khurana's blazer?" she whined. She pinched herself to
make sure she was not part of her worst nightmare. Unable to think of any other
options she sighed and decided to buy a new one and rummaged through the torn
blazer tangled on a rusted nail to find his size. She mentally noted his size
down and ran to find Arjun to explain her present plight to him.
Geet
found Arjun in his room busily getting ready and fixing his hair. He was
surprised to find her and looked questioningly at her. She showed him the piece
of torn cloth in her hand and looked almost ready to cry. He asked her to join
him on the small couch in the corner of his room while she tearfully explained
the plight of the blazer and begged him to buy her another one to replace the
current one else Maan would bite her head off. Arjun readily agreed to do so on
the way to the office. Arjun insisted she have something to eat before heading
out but she refused to eat breakfast so that she had ample time to order the
blazer and reach office on time. Arjun had no other option but to starve
himself too in the morning, as she would not even allow him to take a few bites
before leaving due to the fear of going late.
Since
the traffic would be heavy, Arjun decided to drive his motorbike rather than
the car. Geet headed out with him with her bag and urgently sat behind him.
They reached Raymond's showroom in no time, thanks to Arjun's superb motorbike
riding skills. While he went to park his bike, Geet hurried to the shop to buy
her blazer.
The
salesgirl greeted Geet with a smile and asked whether she needed any help. Geet
nervously smiled back and told her that she needed to buy a blazer, size large
and dark navy blue color with two buttons. By that time Arjun parked his bike
and came into the showroom to stand near Geet. The salesgirl went to bring the
blazer Geet had asked for but to Geet's dismay the salesgirl informed that they
had run out of that size. Geet was utterly dejected and slumped down on a
nearby chair unable to think clearly what to do next. Geet started blankly
straight ahead as if the blazer would appear to her in front of her from
nowhere. Looking at Geet Arjun tried to alleviate the situation by asking the
girl if there were any other store nearby that they would find the blazer that
they needed. The salesgirl nodded gravely at the fact that it was not likely to
find any other showrooms nearby but she offered they could order one now and
they would be able to get hold of one by late afternoon today. Geet's head shot
at the mention of the salesgirl's option. She wondered if Maan would wait that
long to get his blazer back but what if he had meetings lined up all afternoon
so that Geet could slip in the blazer right on time. Having left with no other
option she agreed to the salesgirl's suggestion and asked if they could deliver
it to Khurana Constructions. The salesgirl consented that it was not a problem
and asked her to leave the address and other details for delivery. Arjun paid
in advance for the blazer and took care of other charges while Geet hurriedly
scribbled a note along with the address and other details for the delivery.
Arjun
dropped off Geet and told her not to worry too much as they had taken care of
the issue. Although Geet was not entirely satisfied with Arjun's assurance she
gave him a weak smile and left for the office.
As
soon as she entered her cabin she found a message from Sasha asking her to keep
all the files regarding the new project file for Mr. Khanna as they had a
presentation in an hour. She discreetly peeked into Maan's cabin to make sure
he wasn't there and to her relief she didn't find him anywhere near. Thanking
her stars she went to get the necessary reports, power point, and blue prints
for Mr. Khanna's project. She had them neatly compiled and walked into the
conference room 15 minutes prior to the start of the presentation so that she
could set up everything neatly for a smooth ride during the presentation. She
set up the laptop, plugged in the thumb disk, and opened the power point. On
the side she kept a laser point pen so that as the presenter presents, they are
able to point out the things they want to on the screen. Keeping everything in
place she looked at the time, it was almost time for the meeting to begin. Sasha
walked into the room and took a look at the things Geet had set up to make sure
everything was in order. Just as the clients began filing into the room, she
heard Sasha say that they need to be in their best behavior as Mr. Khanna was
their important client and Maan Singh Khurana himself would present. The
mention of Maan's name rang a bell in Geet's head, she shot an alarmed look at
Sasha and then at the door dreading the moment she had wanted to avoid very
badly, facing Mr. Maan Singh Khurana! She turned around facing the wall, shut
her eyes tightly, and folded her hands together to send a quick prayer to her
Muruga.
"Amma Muruga! Nee than please please
help pannanum, nekku romba bayama irukku, Muruga nee intha vaati enna
kaapathale apparum un pechu ka! (Oh Muruga! You have to please help me for I am
really scared, if you don't help me this time then I shall never talk to you!)
Muruga? Ketkutha? (Do you hear me?)," she said looking up as though she saw him
telling yes she smiled back. Just as she turned around Maan walked in with his
head high. Everyone turned to greet him but he simply curtly nodded in return.
By the time Geet could take her seat but everyone occupied most of the seats
and the only seat left was beside Maan. The paradoxical coincidence of fate
needed to be applauded at the moment. She was left to take the seat beside him
as everyone were waiting for her to sit so that the presentation would begin.
She quietly slipped into the seat beside him.
Maan
stood up to give the presentation; he gave the presentation without a flaw. His
speech seemed to flow perfectly while he stood perfectly still with his hands
in his pockets. This man deserved to be called the best and he made sure he
never swerved from the definition of the best. Pausing at the right time,
asserting his opinions to get his point across and carrying a domineering voice
to keep the audience from getting distracted was a great task at hand indeed.
But Maan Singh Khurana seemed to carry off as though it was his cup of tea well
in his case his cup of coffee. Geet was engrossed in watching him more than the
presentation that she was oblivious to him talking to her.
"Geet,"
Maan said a little louder, trying to catch her attention.
"Umm,
huh?" Geet stuttered returning from her staring session. She seemed very lost
while Maan seemed to get restless every passing second.
"Geet
where is the laser pointer," he whispered not wanting to disturb the clients as
he missed to see it beside the laptop in the dimly lit room to accommodate
visual projection.
Geet,
still lost in her world failed to catch what Maan was trying to ask properly
and looked bewildered. She had heard him ask something, something 'err. Huh?
Did he just ask for his blazer, she wondered.
"Geet,
laser, laser," he repeated.
All
Geet could think of was the blazer, the blazer she had ripped to pieces. And
here he was asking for that blazer. She gulped before attempting to answer him.
"Sir, voh, voh," she said fumbling to get the right words. "Sir, aapka vo toh,"
her words failed to come out.
"Just
give it to me damn it!" he said getting annoyed by the delay.
"Sir,
I ripped the blazer in half," she said as quickly as possible while closing her
eyes tightly to avoid his piercing gaze.
"Kya?"
he asked looking confused.
"Aapka
blazer sir I tore it in half by mistake," she said looking at him uncertainly.
"Geet
main laser, laser pointer ke baare me baat kar raha hoon," he said sternly, "GIVE
ME THE LASER POINTER," he said stressing every word.
Geet
realized her folly and stumbled to get the laser pointer that was beside the
laptop. The clients seemed a little restless over their encounter and therefore
Maan was very angry his presentation was disturbed due to her silly banter. Even
a genuine emergency was not allowed to disturb his work, Maan's primary
priority was work and this girl here was acting like they were on a holiday by
talking nonsense.
"Yes
sir, no sir, sorry sir," squeaked Geet while giving him the laser pointer.
Maan
snatched the pointer as quickly as possible and carried on with the
presentation hoping he hadn't irritated his clients enough. The rest of the
presentation was uneventful. The clients seemed convinced of Mr. Khurana's
presentation and Mr. Khanna assured him that he would get back with a positive
reply. Although Maan had tried to wipe away the hitch the clients, he was not
satisfied. A man's ego once hurt doesn't stop to reason out and every gesture
by the clients looked as though they still eyed him and Geet curiously while
walking out of the room. Maan was furious yet kept his cool to prevent further
damage in front of his clients. Once everyone left, Maan told Geet to get to
his office that very second. He seemed he would blow up any second, so Geet
without further delay ran to his cabin.
Maan
was standing facing away from Geet when she entered the cabin after knocking
the door. From what she could see, today she was as equal to dead meat, she
thought, ugh meat? Chi chi no maybe she was dead vegetable, yes that was
better. She was about be ripped into pieces and here she was debating whether
she was dead meat or dead vegetable, talk about irony!
"Sssir,"
she stammered.
Maan
turned to face her with his hands crossed on his chest and his eyes red with
fury.
"Tum
kya socti ho apne aapko?" he grunted. "Meri bahut si important presentation thi
and you were making a fool of me!"
"Ssir
nahi sir, its not like that, I thought you were asking for the bblazer," she
said quietly not trying to meet his eyes.
"Blazer?
Are you out of your mind?" he started to scream and continued to blast her on
the rules of behaving in office and went to lecture her about the ethics and
codes of conduct of an employee in the middle of a conference meeting. He
chided her reckless behavior as childish as well as completely irresponsible.
He continued to hurl insults at her while Geet stood silently with her head
bent downwards. Tears flowed uncontrollably as she listened to him belittle her
mistaken behavior as completely unprofessional. She was overwhelmed with the
thought of the blazer that she had heard him wrong. She was extremely sorry for
her misconception but that shouldn't mean Maan could call her unprofessional
and unruly. Maan walked back and forth while continuing to scold her and failed
to notice Geet had silently left the room. Frustrated, he left the matter as it
is and got back to his work while cursing his fate to have met such a negligent
girl.
Geet
ran back to her with her face streaked with salty tears. She urgently wiped
them away and resolved to seal the issue of dealing with Maan's everyday wrath
once for all. She sat on her chair and typed a short resignation letter before
gathering her things. It may have been her dream to work in Khurana
Constructions but not more than her own self respect. She had endured enough
insults since the day she entered Khurana Constructions and she would take no
more of his utterly baseless accusations. She printed the letter, signed in
bottom, and folded it neatly before inserting it into an envelope that was
addressed to Mr. Maan Singh Khurana. She picked her bag and walked to Maan's
cabin to give him a piece of her mind before permanently walking out of the
building. But to her dismay he had left for another meeting so she left the
envelope on the table under the paperweight and turned to leave to inform Adhi
and Pinky of her leave, as they were her only friends in the concentration camp
known as Khurana Constructions.
Adhi
asked her to think once again before making a hasty decision but Geet was firm
in her resolve to keep her self-respect. She bade good-bye to Pinky on the way
out and tried calling Arjun to pick her up. Arjun's number was unreachable,
thus having no other option; she took a taxi back home. Geet quietly stifled
her sobs on the back home while on the ride back home to prevent too much
attention from the curiously eyeing driver. She reached home after a long ride
back home due to heavy traffic and paid the taxi driver.
As
Geet entered the mansion, she found that Gowtam uncle had left out of town on
some urgent business and Arjun had gone to drop him in the airport from the
servant. She thanked the servant for the information and rushed to her room to
wash out her remaining tears. She jumped onto her bed not minding her eyeliner
that was smudged all over her face by now due to excessive crying and fell flat
face on her pillow. She cried her heart out remembering the episode that
happened a few hours ago. She was nervous that Maan would find a way to harass
her about the blazer she had borrowed and his domineering presentation had made
her lose track of what he was asking for. She had misheard him and she was
really sorry for that but that didn't mean she had to be treated like dirt.
Meanwhile
in Khurana Constructions, Maan came back from the meeting to find someone
waiting for him with a packet in hand. He walked into his cabin while the
delivery boy came and knocked on his door. Maan gestured him to come in while
the boy carried what seemed like a huge pack in hand with a hanger on top.
"Good
afternoon sir, yeh blazer was asked to deliver Mr. Maan Singh Khurana by Ms.
Geetanjali Handa with a note," the boy said handing over the blazer neatly
packed and a side note. Maan looked a little confused but took the note and the
pack from him. The boy bid him goodbye and turned to leave. Maan opened the
note that was neatly folded in an envelope that read:
Maan
sir,
First
of all, let me thank you for the timely help you offered me yesterday. Thanks
for offering me you blazer to cover my ripped sleeves. I am extremely sorry but
the blazer you gave to me yesterday ripped into two pieces while I tried to
untangle it from my bed frame. Since it was stuck in between a rusted nail on
the bed frame and the wall, while I tried to pull it out, but it completely
ripped. Once again my sincere apologies, I have brought you an exact replica of
the one I damaged. My utter carelessness shall never be repeated again but I
hoped to be excused this one time.
Thanks.
Regards,
Geetanjali
Handa.
Reading the note that was neatly written
in her beautiful handwriting, the events came rushing back to Maan. That was
the reason she was mumbling blazer, he thought. She had tried to explain her
fumbling but he didn't even allow her to speak. He shut his eyes tightly reprimanding
his uncontrolled behavior. He had called her an immature little imp trying to
ambush his presentation. He had always kept himself under control but this girl
had evoked the dangerous devil inside him and even before he knew it he had
hurt her beyond the point of no return. She had tried to apologize and bring
his attention to the blazer he had demanded she return but he never allowed her
to utter a single word and had continuously yapped away on the conducts of
behavior. He banged the table out of frustration and decided to go and
apologize for his blemished act. While he got up, another envelope caught his
attention with a very similar handwriting that was addressed to him. He opened
to find Geet's resignation letter tucked away in the envelope. He rushed out of
the cabin with both letters in hand hoping to catch her before she left but
found from Adhi that she had left long ago. He cursed his anger and tried to
find her home address to personally apologize.
Maan
finally reached the Singhania mansion, the address given by Adhi listed as Geet's
home address. He had rehearsed his apology quiet a number of times on the way
to her house. And at one point he tried saying it out loudly that his driver
looked shocked at him as though he had seen a ghost. Maan Singh Khurana had
never apologized for his actions and here he was rehearsing his act before
executing it! His driver eyed him time to time to check if he was not dreaming
but made sure Maan didn't catch him looking at him.
Maan
walked to the entrance still clutching the letter in one hand, adjusted his tie
and cleared his throat, before ringing the doorbell.
Precap
1: Geet absent-mindedly opened the door and without looking up said, "Maama
illa po (Gowtam Uncle is not there)" and shut the door even before the person
on the other side had a chance to say something. Maan had taken a deep breath
to speak but was taken aback when she slammed the door on his face. Confused,
he knocked the door again; Geet again opened the door, "Maama illa po, oorukku
poirukkaru po (Gowtam Uncle is not there, he has gone out of town, go)"...
Precap 2: He felt tiny little hands on his
stomach trying to punch with all its might. He looked down to see a cute little
cherub staring angrily at him with her hands on her hip. He looked amusedly at
her dark brown eyes dancing with fury and her nose flaring with rage. Her tiny
fingers snapped at him and indicated him to bend down to her level.
hey guys this is solely dedicated to my darling Jyoti whose inspiration made me complete. also people i hope i am not losing ur interest in reading my story coz i dont see people responding like before 😭 please comment and hit the like button i need inspirations to write!!
@Jyo dalring ab tum khush ho na??
Edited by Maaneet_09 - 13 years ago
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