Fat Chance

With all sorts of festivities around the corner, people can be spotted glaring the calendar, comparing the red dates to the blue/black ones, scribbling down dates and frantically accessing train/flight/bus booking apps on their phones. I wonder how much those companies would be earning this time of the year. Anyways, that would put me off topic, not to mention I am simply awful at finances.
Well, coming back, with festivities round the corner, I too am frenetically looking for loop holes in the calendar system so that I can walk up to my boss and avail that leave when everybody in the entire office is on leave. When I finally managed to find a date, I gathered up courage to walk up to her to ask for a two day leave. She looked up at me with those non-contemplating eyes as if trying to make up the meaning of the word holiday/leave/Diwali. After about 5 seconds of a staring competition, she decided that it might be against her reputation to not know the meaning of the words; soon after which, she quickly let out a sigh as if I had done the same spelling mistake the 50th time, even though I made to write it down with my hand held by her. She quickly turned to her computer screen to search for a calendar. After finally having spotted the evil blue window, she fiddled with the months and finally looked up at me to ask in a very disappointed tone, “How long do you want the leave?” When I finally explained that it was only a three day stunt, I was scrutinized with the same question about 5 times – “You will not extend the leave? You will be coming after that, right?” I was having a really hard times controlling the urge to say that I am not resigning, it is a leave, I shall come back unless get stopped by the government of India. After saying yes for about six times, I heard the Golden word “Fine” , although in the most disinterested tone ever, and music broke into my years.
I went back to my workstation, almost dancing to the music I just heard, and comfortably retired into my seat. Little did I know that my happiness would be short lived. It was only a few hours before I heard that beep, and a small blue pop-up appeared at the bottom right corner of my computer screen. It was THAT mail. Just like any other day, I brought my cursor over the blue shadow and clicked. That, my friends, was the end of my happiness. Irrespective of what was written there, it read to me that my holiday plans needed to be changed. I was broken, shattered and shocked, not because I had to take a leave some other day, but because I had to ask for a leave change….

I gathered up my courage again and went over to that small cubicle, and the episode repeated, with a greater disappointment in the “Fine”. I have since been praying only one thing, please let this be the final leave plan.

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