A Typical Office Day

Prabir was drowsing in the bus when he hit the seat handle in front of him. He woke up with a headache. ‘God dammit.’- he cursed under his breath. Why can’t his office provide a AC micro bus? All they have is this godforsaken non AC bus which is so old that while moving, it seems as if the leaning tower of Pisa is on the road. Prabir is afraid someday the bus will casually turn upside down. But who cares until it is actually turning upside down.

Tanshen was sitting beside Prabir, browsing his phone. Tanshen didn’t need to sit beside him. He didn’t talk. He just sat there looking at his phone. Might as well sit somewhere else and let me keep my bag on the spare seat, Prabir thought.

Upon reaching his office, Prabir found a used tea-cup on his desk. He called the office boy.

‘Monir! Monirrrr! Why is this cup on my desk?’ — he shouted but the last part didn’t sound like much of a shout as Monir appeared with a menacing face.

‘It’s your desk. How will I know?’ — Monir replied with an air of indifference.

Prabir controlled his urge to go full on offensive.

‘Remove this.’ — Prabir said sternly.

‘I will remove it later. I am working now. You won’t do my work, will you? — Monir said casually, before walking away spinning his gamcha in the air.

Prabir hit his desk with his fist in anger. A wave of dust from his desk made him cough till he got teary-eyed.

The office shelves were stacked with files and every day, new piles of files landed near the shelves. Any other office would have bought a new shelve right way. But not here. Any sort of acquisition required official permission from the head office. Getting a no objection stamp was a very taxing process. Prabir bet the new shelf would not arrive before his retirement.

2.

Prabir was preparing for his afternoon nap when a young man arrived in front his desk. Prabir b pretended to not see him. People have no common sense, can’t he see I am trying to sleep, Prabir thought to himself while trying to avert the young man’s gaze.

‘Sir?’ — the young man called

‘We are on a break. No work now, please.’

‘I haven’t come for work.’

‘Have you then come from the newspaper office? Do you want to write on how inefficient these offices are? Come on, take a photo of me sleeping. Circulation will increase hundred fold.’ — Prabir lashed out.

The young man stood still. Flabbergasted.

‘No, sir. I am new here. I have been transferred.’ — the young man managed to say.

‘Did your previous office start in the afternoon?’ — Prabir asked.

‘No, no, sir! Makum sir made me sit outside his office whole day.’ — the young man was trying hard not to create a bad impression on the very first day.

Now, that made sense. Makum usually forgot stuff. Nothing new.

‘Sir, I have been demoted. I tried to stand up against some corrupt officials.’ — the young man further explained.

‘You, young people. You never learn.’ — Prabir nodded his head in disapproval, gesturing the young man to take a seat.