It’s an Emergency!

It is 19:30 hours, people were busy wrapping up. My mobile resonates ‘Cheeni kum theme’ and the screen flashes Kumaraguru B calling. A call, just like that, out of the blue from a friend whom I haven’t talked to over months.

I was in the middle of something important. Am not supposed to trifle around, I just can’t take the phone for the sole reason we haven’t talked for quite a while. The conversation with my manager continued and my phone started ringing all over again. This time my manager insisted I take up the call for he hated disruptions and I did as I was told to.

I’ve never heard him sound like the way he did now — he was sounding panicky and he asked, Where are you?

No Hi, no How are you? a plain Where are you? I expected more from a friend who hasn’t called me up for over an year! I had to stop gaping as people were around me, I couldn’t yell at him for the same reason. Anyway I taunted back Dhanush style “Machi, am in the middle of an important meeting now, will call you later”

He held his breath and he shouted out loud that as and when I was about to hang up, got back to phone and continued my conversation. This time his question was, Are you in front of your system?

Yes I am, actually I am in-front of my system with about 12 juniors, one TL and one Manager. But I held back those thoughts and said, “Yes, actually I am”

 Next he didn’t ask me for a favor, he was always like that even back in college; he’d say – Friends don’t ask for a favor, they just make them do! He’s done some to me, well this was like my payback period.

I came to the reality as he next ordered me to search for “Apollo hospitals Main branch”

I googled just as he said, he again screeched – ‘or just search for Cardiology specialists from Apollo’; I revised my search criteria! He was speaking frantically sometimes with me, rest with someone whom he was getting instructions from, sounded like a lady.

While I was searching, he yelled back, How long?

I wanted to yell at google – Why don’t you just get me what I want; but again I was reminded “What you feed is what you get”

Again I got another command from him – “Do one thing, just get me the main branch” I finally got hold of the address and read out ’21, Greams Lane off Greams Road.’

His next command was how far was it from Nungambakkam, I responded the accurate distance ’2.9 kms’ as google showed me.

That’s it, my call got disconnected; he hung up on me while I was playing lunatic at my work place having my manager and TL and not to mention the 12 juniors as my spectators !

All this while the entire office has stepped out of their cozy workplaces to poke their noses in my business. It was embarrassing for me, my manager was just starring at me, he might have fried me for if it was not about some serious medical emergency. It was a matter of pride and honor, for I had showed my disrespect to him and other higher ups. I had made them wait on me!

Though I was a bit shaken, the colleagues came forward and started shooting their concerns. Manager himself backed up to his cubicle after declaring his verdict, “we can continue this tomorrow” as if a judge adjourning a council !

I stepped outside, gave him a ring, my hands were still trembling from what just happened. He ignored my call. I sent him a text of the hospital address that which I vaguely remembered, just in case if he might need it.

Stepped outside the campus, burned a couple of Gold flakes. Felt like a good idea at that time, my mobile rang AGAIN!

The same Kumaraguru B calling flashed on my screen.  I took the call, was a bit hesitant to ask who it was, I was afraid he might burst out into tears. I was floating back past to a virtual world imagining the days we spent on semester holidays at his home and how their parents treated with care and love. But he jumped in before I could start – Hey pal, wassup!

I was startled to hear his slang, did he say ‘wassup’ or am I imagining things? I gathered courage and asked who was it. Guess what his reply was – “Who knows”

Either I am still dreaming or he is high, I asked him for the second time and there was no change in reply. Later he explained it was no one, he had just volunteered to impress a lady (the one he was talking to while I was still on phone!); he made an ass out of himself, accompanying me as well!

Thenappan..,