A Reception Day [Part 3]

MARRIAGE DAY

That Afternoon

Work is a never-ending process.

The more you think that you have done enough, is when it starts to creep on you. But the question is, how much should you really do? And would it be worth it?

And so, if the idea of the work done is proportional to the idea of no backlogs or seemingly nothing to follow up on, after one activity is completed; then would it be called incomplete if we add on to the activity or update the task altogether?

My supervisor disagrees with me on this but considering the same person believing in the art of the binary life; it is hard to grasp on the disagreement between us.

“Everything in life is either zero or one” is what he said once.

Office can be tedious at times; new deadlines with change in business plans can upset anyone on any given date. To be fair, business people upstairs are not the comrades of Satan, they are humans too! With the dynamics of the world changing with every second, it gets very hard to keep up with these ever-changing trends, and those are the poor souls who have to come up with ideas and countermeasures to keep the business relevant and competitive.

But well, hey, everyone has their problems and we face it head-on. The developers, working and slogging hours, taking extended work hours, to get a feature completed, sometimes also gets completely taken aback and left in shambles when it comes to their realization that that feature is no longer needed as the business focus has changed and we need a new one to look into.

The binary line is zero here perhaps!

Perhaps the world is conspiring against them. For them, the devils don’t come from the hell beneath, but from the level upstairs.

Back in the café, while sipping my afternoon chocolate milkshake, I canvassed the area close to the glass wall, where the developers made a comical retreat back to their desks, coming back from a meeting perhaps. Felt like they received some updates that they were not happy about; some major changes? Or forecast of extended work hours to scrape though building a product?

No clue while sitting here. I sipped in the milkshake some more to think of who they were though. It is very weird that I don’t even know what they work on or which team they belong to, even though we work on the same floor!

Janice from the café added some chocolate in the usual milkshake today, and she didn’t charge me extra!

She has been at the heart of the café for five years now, cheering up associates with those wonderful cups of coffee and engaging with them in a tone that will destress any situation. There were discussions among the facility team to have a coffee and vending machine instead of the café; but upon noticing the impact that she had on the well being of the associates that came to her joint, they decided to drop the idea.

I guess, those developers near the glass wall did not have any inclination towards coffee.  

I was elated with her hospitality when she offered the chocolate in the milkshake. I never preferred the chocolate milkshake as it was costly and I never fathomed why would an innocent coffee mixed with milk with cost so much than a simple milkshake. Now that I have tasted it, I presume why is it so.

“This is for your career anniversary today” is what she said when she handed over me the milkshake.

I smiled. But felt embarrassed as well, as she remembers the date but no one in office do! (as for their defence, I don’t know many of them as well)

“You know my friend is getting married today” I told Janice adding “It’s his anniversary as well”

Janice replies(smiling): “Well, good for him”

“Yeah…(pause)…yeah” I said

“So why are you here today?” Janice enquires.

“Excuse me?” I retorted as I was taken aback by the question. Perhaps I did not expect that. In fact, it came out of nowhere.

“I mean, shouldn’t you be in your friends’ marriage today?” said Janice as she tried to reframe her sentence.

Inception, the movie, has shown us that an idea can be planted deep inside a subconscious mind and that idea when seeded, it grows in a tree of such magnitude that it tends to destroy the sanctorum of stability and sanity.

Yes, the question even reframed, caught me off-guard and kept me thinking. Of all the seemingly meaningless conversations she had till date, this one has hit the right but unwanted note.

A Reception Day [Part 2]

MARRIAGE DAY

That Morning

It was a beautiful January morning.

The sun kissing the bed sheet and the pillow; hitting me and glowing up my face; and it feels just so nice. That’s what I love in the winter mornings. I end up cosying in my bed ever more than usual.

People say that dark, cold mornings can make getting out of bed a harder task than it already is. That, staying snuggled under a warm duvet is a much more inviting prospect when we’ve got to get up for work. It is the same in a sun kissed winter morning as well. At least to me it is!

And yes, unfortunately, hibernating for winter is not an option; I have to get out of bed, and I am excited for today like ever before.

Well, cause it’s January the 17^th. It is the career anniversary day!

And yes, my friend is getting married on this day as well.

I think that it is better for him to get married today on this date than any other date, because he might just not forget his anniversary, like ever; much opposed to the TV shows, where, it is the guy who always forgets this day or the first time the couple met. They cook up some weird scenarios to let us down. Would it be different this time?

Or perhaps, the TV programmes has changed their agenda over time and they might even have decided to empower men on remembering the dates important to their better half’s. I really have no idea!

As for me, I have a day that I am used to celebrate alone for some time now. Not that I have abandoned everyone but it is one of those days, when I like to spend some time alone, embracing the solitude, the same way I did for other days like my Birthday, Christmas, New Years Eve, the New Year as well and once a month, if there is no excuse. You get the point!

“How many people did you meet?” 

It is the question that I get asked in every session I have with Doctor Powell. Fortunately for me, the sessions have been reduced from once in every two weeks, to once a month and now it is once in every six weeks. It sometimes used to get annoying though, but slowly Doctor Powell has become a friend and now I like to hang out with this guy. 

Maybe it was the friend in him that wanted me to go out and mingle with people more or it might be part of the standard exercise, but nevertheless all’s good if it ends well, isn’t it?

Strangely enough, Doctor Peterson Powell, in short Pete (as he likes me to call him by this name), now knows more secrets of mine than my best friend does. Okay, perhaps two or three more than my bestie; and that too because we don’t get to talk or meet like the way we did before, ever since he moved out to a different state to pursue a new opportunity. Coincidently, his girlfriend works in the same state as well. I mean, good for him, and perhaps he will also get hitched soon; his recent behaviour indicates as such, and then I will truly become alone!

Pete filled into that void of uncertainty; he just might be that different friend I need who does not asks:

“Why don’t you get yourself a girl?” or

“Why don’t you date someone?” or even worse,

“When are you settling in and having a family of your own?”

Do I have it in me to do it…again? 

Perhaps Pete understood that or did not ask it yet. He might be treading carefully due to the arrangement that I have with him, could be in the back of his head every time, or it might be nothing. I think a lot, I have to sometimes. Anyway, it is good this way. I have been content and living quite well lately.

              “Shall we hang out today?” is what Peter enquires with me in the call while I was having my morning coffee, looking through my emails and planning my day.

“Sorry Pete, but not today. I am travelling and would only return next week. Until later?” I replied.

              “That’s sad! Hiking in winter? I hate hiking anyways. I like the slumber though” proclaims Pete hysterically.

"Ha ha…no, not quite yet. I am travelling home to attend a friend’s marriage reception. In fact, he is getting married today which I won’t be able to join unfortunately” I clarified.

              “Oh, okay(pause), okay. Well, you have fun alright!”

“Sure thing”

After some pause, he replied again “do you need me to reschedule the session scheduled for next week to a later date?”

“That won’t be necessary, but I will let you know” I replied.

             “Okay sure. Let me know anyway. Have fun, bye!” Pete said as he disconnected the call.

I placed the phone back on my desk as I looked at my computer screen; opened the airline page and entered by PNR number to enquire about the flight tonight.

Flight time: 11.45pm

Status: On time

I texted my friend: 
“Best Wishes on your marriage buddy and happy career anniversary!”

I presumed that he would be too busy in the marriage activities. There might be all sorts of activities he would be engrossed in, I don’t know all the details that might give him under undue stress in the last minute. It is his ultimately his marriage and everything must be perfect. And hence, I did not want to call him and add to his stress.

He replied to my text swiftly by saying: “Thanks a lot buddy. See you on Sunday”

I should have called him maybe. But while replying, did he miss the part of the career anniversary?

Thinking about it, for him it really does not matter what day it is though. It really should not, as it is his marriage day, and that is what should he be concerned about anyway.

Perhaps the prick within friends or in a group is in fact you!

Yes, you got that correct. That’s me. I sometimes become the same person, but I do not want to be guy anymore (if I am already) or it is possible that my friends may not even see me like that anyway.

I really want to be a friend who is very reliable; with whom you feel that if in your bad times, no one stands besides you; he will. I certainly am that guy or yes, I can be that guy if I don’t seem or behave like one. Maybe I don’t try hard enough or give an effort to become one.

Told you, I think a lot sometimes. I have to!

A Reception Day [Part 1]

Every story has a beginning. The place where it all started.

For 

"The  beginning is the most important part of the work"

-Plato

However

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end"

-Seneca

Prelude

“I am getting married”

There. Let it sink in.

Woah, hold your horses already. It is not me!

That came from an old friend of mine, who just announced it when I was coming back home from a busy day.

Picture Courtesy: katcrunch