"Beep Beep..." Pradyut annoyingly looked at his mobile to turn off the alarm. It was 7.30 in the morning and he lazily left his bed and went to get freshened up. Meanwhile Anita had almost completed her work in the kitchen and prepared Snehal for school. "Can I get a cup of tea?''Pradyut asked. "Your breakfast is ready, come and have it" Anita replied.
Anita yelled at Snehal-"The bus has reached Sixmile, where are you? Let's go, otherwise we will miss it like yesterday." Anita and Snehal left home and Pradyut stared after them. It was a balmy March morning; Pradyut was reading the newspaper and relaxing in the tiny yet beautiful balcony. Later he put the TV on and casually watched the morning news- the news of the pandemic was all over.
"Is this disease really so dreadful? Will it reach our place? I don't think so'' Pradyut murmured. Anita returned and was astonished to find Pradyut still there in front of the TV. ''Why are you still here, don't you have office today?' Anita inquired. "Yes I have, ok Ok, I am going,'' saying this Pradyut hurriedly entered the bathroom.
"Good morning,'' Pradyut greeted everybody in the office. "Hey how are you, when did you come back?" Pradyut asked Manoj who had been on leave. "Luckily reached home yesterday'' Manoj replied in agony. "Why what happened? Is everything alright with your family, how was your vacation?'' "Nothing wrong with my family, have you heard about the disease? It is spreading like wildfire everywhere; it may spread in India, even in Assam! Have you seen the situation in Italy, America and other western countries? The fatality is so high that graveyards have run out of space!" Manoj exclaimed wearily. "This is so scary and tragic. I hope we are spared from the disease, please pray to the Almighty that we do not face a similar situation,'' Pradyut replied and turned on his desktop. Sipping a hot cup of coffee he started his daily task, but could not divert his mind from the conversation he had with Manoj. He looked up and a sense of gloom and suffocation enveloped him.
At 6.30 in the evening the door bell rang. Anita opened the door and welcomed Pradyut with a warm smile. "Good evening, how was your day'' "Nothing special'' Pradyut replied. "Go freshen up quickly, I shall prepare something spicy with a cup of tea which will relieve all your fatigue,'' Anita told him cheerfully.
Snehal was studying for his upcoming exams. Anita occasionally stepped into the study to help him. The entire apartment was unusually silent. Even the nearby street, which was visible from the balcony bore a deserted look. Breaking the silence Pradyut asked his wife, "Snehal will soon have his session break. During the session break we should visit our native place, what do you think? "I was thinking the same," replied Anita.
A fresh morning breeze from the open window splashed onto Pradyut's face and broke his deep sleep. However, he was reluctant to get up. The late March morning weather in his native place was truly serene and he wanted to enjoy it fully. Unlike in the city, there were no irritating sounds of different locomotives and vendors. However, Anita's nagging voice finally woke him up.
"Why are you shouting?'' Pradyut asked in a harsh manner rubbing his eyes. '' I am doing all the household work singlehandedly from yesterday. I am exhausted, please help me to clean the house,'' Anita demanded. "Ok, first give me a cup of tea. I am coming with you'' Pradyut replied.
Their time in the native place turned out to be pleasurable. All three of them enjoyed spending time in the local market in the evenings. The newly erected LED lights illuminated the small yet beautiful town. Parking their car near the Hanuman Mandir they walked through the heart of the town and greeted everyone that they knew. Thereafter they went to the Chaat house and relished some delicacies.
Pradyut informed his family that he would reach Guwahati by Sunday and advised them to stay back until the school re-opened.
***
The office floor seemed to be very shadowy that day. Some lights had been switched off, some cabins were empty and everybody seemed tensed and frightened. Pradyut sensed that something awful had happened to the staff during his absence. He went straight to Manoj who seemed to be in a state of panic. "What has happened? Why is everyone looking so strange?" inquired Pradyut.
"It happened last Friday, our boss got an email from the head office stating that he should resign immediately," some voices replied. Pradyut was astonished.
"Because of the pandemic our main branches abroad are incurring losses so the top management has targeted Indian offices in terms of axing employees. It is a cost cutting measure. Today another list of employees has come who are being terminated, all our fate is dependent upon that list and hence we all are tensed," sighed Manoj. Pradyut said nothing, went to his cabin turned on his desktop and eagerly waited to check his official mailbox. He was praying to God for his safety in the organisation.
He wondered what would happen if something went wrong. How would he repay his home and car loan and how he would run his household? The recent mail from their central HR department finally blinked on his desktop screen. Pradyut's hand shook constantly in trepidation -"Dear Mr. Pradyut Bora as decided by the top management, you are no longer required in our Guwahati branch effectively from tomorrow. You will be compensated with three months full salary and other dues that you are entitled to.............."
By: Nabajyoti Bhuyan
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