As Proto waited in the office reception for the Boss to arrive, he was feeling restless. Damsel was busy working on a campaign and she was not taking her eyes off her laptop. As she handled multiple jobs she worked on campaign management and simultaneously managed the reception. Companies most often deployed a beautiful girl to handle the reception.
Other employees kept moving in and out of the office. Proto could not get his looks straight as Damsel was pretty and he hesitated to make an eye contact. He slipped his eyes balls rolling in a different direction whenever she looked at him and he pretended as if he never looked at her. Proto was growing restless waiting for the boss and he displayed varied body language in the process. He stretched his arms sometimes, and then his legs a minute later; sometimes he stood up peeped through the window glancing at the moving traffic.
Sometimes he flipped through the news paper or magazines in the reception and sometimes fiddled with the pen that he was carrying. He had waited long and still no signs of the boss nor did he hear anything from Damsel. He stood up to ask Damsel about the long wait, but then his confidence pulled him back. He sat back in the couch again and waited.
The otherwise serious Damsel; couldn’t resist a smile watching him. It flowed like pearls dripping down the floor and Proto’s heart seemed to cease again seeing her smile.
A little later; a middle aged woman turned to him.
Are you Proto?
He said: Yes
Please come with me to complete your joining formalities. Sure he said and followed her to the discussion room. As he did, he took some courage to roll his eye balls towards Damsel.
But she was busy with her job. While all this were happening, Anto was sitting at one corner on the same floor and observing this new comer in the office.
The Senior HR is a middle aged woman in sleeve less blouse and a saree. A typical cosmopolitan styled woman. She had given him multiple forms to be filled up. It almost took him half a day to finish filling up the forms. The Application form, The PF form, Gratuity, Asset declarations and the list was on.
As Proto was filling up all the forms, the Boss finally had arrived in office.
The middle aged woman – Aunty comes back to the discussion room and asks him to meet the boss once he is done with the formalities.
He says Ma’am I am done. I can meet him.
Aunty escorts him to the Boss. Otherwise aunty was famous for being an escort for the boss. That has been the secret for her fast growth as a senior HR with the company.
Boss is a short, stout man with dark shaded spectacles. He had a belly which was larger than him and he frequently pulled up his pants and stopped it from falling. He breathed heavy while climbing the stairs and he would probably have been in his late 30’s. A divorcee who had this middle age syndrome and therefore he hired more woman than men in the organisation.
Aunty introduces him to the Boss, though he had interviewed proto earlier.
Good Afternoon Sir – He said
Hmmm Good afternoon! How was your day? Have you finished all the formalities? Yes sir, he nodes his head.
You can go take your seat. I will send Anto to brief you on the Job.
Sure sir. He says and walks out of his Cabin.
Aunty shows him his cubicle. It was very far from the reception and closer to where Anto was seated.
To be continued…
Read Jacob Hills