It has already been half an hour, and they have not been able to get a bus. Tina is getting restless as it is already 10 and after 10:30 entry to hostel is banned, so she asks Rishabh to get an auto so that she can reach by 10:30. Rishabh, with only 50 rupees in his pocket, still says yes as he does not want Tina getting barred to enter the hostel for being late and they take an auto to C.P. On the way, Rishabh is very calm thinking out how he will be able to pay auto fare and then come back to Janakpuri in the night. Tina finds this very unusual for Rishabh being so calm and not talking a single word and finally asks him why he is so calm, everything okay. Rishabh just says “nothing…it’s okay.” Auto reaches YWCA and Tina opens her purse to give the money. For once in the life, Rishabh feels so hopeless with himself not being able to say anything and just gets down the auto. Tina again asks him what’s the matter with him…but again Rishabh says nothing and waves goodbye and takes a leave. Back to the Parliament Street bus stand, it is 10:55 in the night and Rishabh getting restless how he will get back to Janakpuri if he does not get the bus now. Half an hour passed, still no sight of bus. Rishabh looks on his watch and freezes. It’s 11:30 in the night and no bus and only 50 rupees in his purse…how he will reach Janakpuri…and then the tension of tomorrow, the salary day…
Finally a DTC night service stops at the bus stand and Rishabh quickly gets into the bus. He finally reaches home at around 1 a.m. in the night and throws himself into the bed without even thinking of changing. The most awaited morning finally comes and they are all into the office at 8:30. No one is interested in sitting on their computer unless and until some words come from the management, and the word does come. Each employee is called one by one and rather than getting cheque, they are given a cash of 2850 rupees as their first installment (!!!) of salary. The reason they are given is that the employees have not yet completed their project and their training development process is below the mark so they need to improve their performance in the next 15 days to get the remaining amount of salary. Everyone is stunned, but still nobody wants to come forward to oppose the management and so they accept the 2850 rupees in hopes that they will get the remaining salary in 15 days, so nothing to worry guys…keep moving. Rishabh is busy calculating how he will survive, giving 1350 as his part of the rent, 1450 to the tiffin service, and the full month ahead with no money and to go to Patna also to attend his cousin’s marriage. He decides to cancel the train ticket so that he will at least get back 250 rupees from the ticket.
To be continued...
© 2009 Ranjan Kumar
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