CHAPTER 18 - A Blossoming of Love

Love, Loss, Loneliness and Longing, part 2

A Blossoming of Love

The year 1998 which was one of the most significant events in Arinvan Maliek’s life soon turned into another gratifying year: 1999 for him. Not only Arinvan’s but also Manpreet’s, even Savitha’s life changed forever before she swung around and disappeared completely from the scene handing over a letter that almost made GG Howdy look like a, for want of better words, limbless cripple!

Savitha’s hard slog bore fruit. Her resignation email was though decent enough but it crushed GG’s overall plans about Roaming Division, including the one that talked about expanding it to accommodate more folks from outside. But of course, she pulled a fast one on him and GG suffered on account of that!

But then things were always on track and GG in his own way could make sure of that thing happening to the fullest measure. To be fair, the long-standing plans that were primarily GG’s bore fruit sooner than later. That was expected to say the least. There was nothing unusual about that. And then we had a litany of things coming up in the form of new colleagues such as Shiv Charan 'Joey' Prashad, Dilnawaz Khan, and J. Raju joining us. Previous to these folks joining us, 'Sexy' Dévee Prachad joined Satyam’s roaming division as a dedicated financial specialist. All this was hardly surprising for Arinvan and Manpreet because the Roaming Division was bound to ‘prosper’ and ‘looking ahead’ and that meant more manpower and more clients. All was indeed well. Yet, leaving all these exciting happenings, Savitha Tandavi had to go to the US.

America was her original calling and when that drew close and the deal settled in favour of her she packed her bags and moved and never looked back since. It was nice to finally see Miss Savitha Tandavi look like a rugged Uma Thurman on a Kill Bill mission! On a lighter note, if only she could do something – a Tandav nritya kala perhaps! – about GG Howdy’s tantrums, before she went off on such a solid mission, we would all have been saved! Guess it was my turn next to do such a thing! Then perhaps Manpreet 'Heartlove' Singh could step in after that. Let’s see how it fairs!

Before the lovely year of 1998 turned into 1999, Arinvan Maliek had had a very special, unforgettable tenderness moment. Chronicled here in his memoir is some total of all things related to that. As far as he was concerned, he went on feeling pampered by Una’s love; the kind of love that alters the course of his own life, once and for all.

It happened in September when Arinvan received a phone call on his office no. from a stranger called Una.

Sweet September

That day in sweet September when the powerfully evocative sweet smell of fresh Monsoon rains was rolling in the air, Arinvan’s Destiny ushered in a new era – an era that went on to define his professional (and personal) life in Satyam for over five long years. Over the years, that flitting Memory of Love changed his life the way he claimed to know it.

Destiny is such a sweet thing sometimes! It brought with it a special phone call for Arinvan to attend to in his enlarged office cabin. And the call came from, what he later thought of it was a singularly important event of his personal life in the first year at Satyam, a delightful girl by name Una. Una Artoran.

“Hello…” said Arinvan into the phone feeling very pleasant and rejuvenated after watching the Monsoon downpour outside from his 5^th floor office cubicle.

“Hi…ummm…may I speak with Savitha please?” said the cheerful voice over the phone.

“Hi…Sure, but oh Savitha isn’t in yet. And who shall I say is calling?” said Arinvan.

“This is Una here,” replied Una.

“Alright Una, as soon as Savitha’s in I shall tell her you called…and you know the moment I tell her that you had called I am sure she’s gonna reach for the phone first…to call you back!” said Arinvan.

“Ha ha ha… Okaayy Okaayy! Uummm… I’d like that… May I know who I am speaking with?” said Una Artoran.

“This is Arinvan here…,” said Arinvan.

“Alright Arinvan. Nice talking to you. Bye!” said Una Artoran, the cheerful.

“It’s a pleasure, Una. Byee…,” said Arinvan before she rang off.

Like it happened on that day, Arinvan was left feeling something about that phone call from Una. He didn’t mention it to anybody; not that it was necessary to do so. But what was it after all? Was he reading too much into it? Perhaps. Was he nervous about something his boss is going to shout out loud in the meeting or was it plain reactionary to just another bout of thought process that borders on pointlessness and stress factor? He had no answer. But trust you will, there was something naturally captivating for him to lurch deeply into a vortex of something quixotic in effect, which is simultaneously overwrought with a tense feeling of something exquisitely mystifying? That’s the complex way he felt.

There was something…something…something! Hello, honey bunny! But what was it? Was it…wait a minute…LOVE? Oh, come on! You are being such naïve now, Arinvan! Just drop it, will ya? Now don’t laugh! Yes, it must have been love…

Savitha walked in. Tall, smart, and effectively considerable. She appeared to be looking for a tussle! No no, that can’t be, I kept my thoughts to myself; she isn’t that type of individual at all who’d look for a boxing match but not for an argument? “Yeah, I could do with a fight!” she would blurt out anyway! On the contrary, sometimes her sober self-shone her the brighter side of her personality.

Mankind was thankful enough for a good addition of human species in the form of Savitha Tandavi post-Adam-and-Eve’s Garden of Eden showdown! Goodness, gracious!

Being tall and sinewy is something outwardly type. But inwardly, she’s a little brooding type. Maybe, she had a tough ride to the office thanks to the burgeoning traffic problem in the city; or maybe her normally dependable Scooty had been giving her unmannerly troubles. Never mind whatever she’s putting up within her life; she sure knows how to deal with those things, first hand. Anyone who thinks she would cry now? Perish the thought! But she will…in due course! It’s only natural though if you ask me!

END OF PART 2 OF 'LOVE, LOSS, LONELINESS AND LONGING, part 2'

(To be continued...)

By Arindam Moulick

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. All incidences, places, and characters portrayed in the story are fictional and entirely imaginary. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. No similarity to any person either living or dead is intended or should be inferred.