A Punch In The Lurch!
Shyam arrived
unannounced, as usual. Ram got really annoyed that evening; he had an important
task to accomplish, his son being away on a college excursion. “This fellow is
incorrigible! We meet five days a week in office and yet he lands up almost
every evening!’ Ram thought ruefully. “Perhaps…his bachelorhood, sealed by now,
is the crux of the matter!” he added to kinda solace himself. His problem was
accentuated, particularly because his wife and son loved passing time with
Shyam. In fact, they expected Shyam’s company as often as possible.
Ram welcomed him, as
always, and Shyam, entering with a yawn, sank lazily in the comfortable sofa.
He started talking immediately; nothing of importance, as always. However, that
evening Ram was determined not to entertain his visitor for long. Before his
wife could emerge he went inside, and said, ‘Give him all the pastries, sweets,
salted delicacies with the tea, so that he loses his appetite for supper…and
leaves soon.” His wife smiled with a wink and agreed.
Snacks came, tea came;
but the visitor seemed to be in no hurry to leave. Ram was fidgeting, getting
impatient as the clock ticked on. He seemed to hear a pitiful moaning sound
from their bedroom balcony which made him restless. In his family tradition Ram
never learnt to be hostile to a guest, always entertaining them, often, in the
process, missing or delaying important personal engagements. Besides, Shyam was
a colleague and a good friend working in the same film production house.
As the clock struck
eight Ram could withstand no more. He stood up.
“I’d rather take my
doggie out for his customary evening stroll,’ he announced summarily.
Shyam looked up at
him, a bit surprised, and said gravely, “If I were you, I’d rather sit down for
some time.”
“What for?” Ram almost
cried.
“Sit down first, dear
friend. I have something important to tell you,” he waited for Ram to sit down.
“Three days back you punched that guy, Ravi, you know...in office!”
Yes, Ram knew it very
well, he broke his nose, and he had been bunking office since then. Ravi was an
extremely lazy yet cunning and slippery fellow; he always thrived on trying to
steal credit for others’ work, and knew how to oil his bosses. That day there
was a crucial programme meeting with the regional boss, and all new ideas were
on the agenda to brainstorm upon. For that purpose only, earlier, Ram called
for a meeting with his colleagues presenting few of his own ideas for
concurrence. It was a perfect rehearsal, and Ram had no reason to suspect
anybody, even Ravi.
But everything went
wrong in the regional meet for Ram. Immediately after the boss’s motivational
speech Ravi started speaking presenting a series of innovative ideas as his own
creative thoughts which, to Ram’s horror, were the ones discussed by him in the
internal meeting, and, to heighten Ram’s horror-turning-to-fury, got tremendous
appreciation from the boss. To control himself or rather to save himself Ram
tried to put in, helplessly, “Yes sir, we discussed these ideas already.
Actually...” he broke off knowing very well that anything he uttered in favor
of himself would only project him as petty and envious. Therefore, after the
meeting he simply went up to Ravi’s desk, punched him furiously on his nose and
stomped out.
“...he threatened you
that he would lodge a police complaint, no?” Shyam continued, “but instead,
with a bleeding nose, he went to the hospital, and then home to consult his
wife before taking any legal action. At the sight of his bandaged nose his wife
went into hysterics. She was uncontrollably happy that someone had done what
she could never ever have accomplished herself. And how she wanted him to have
it…somehow! She felt like an avenging angel, as it were. But then, surprise of
surprises! She started taking very good care of him, so much so that their
eternally strained married life became healthy and joyous… And my friend, I’m
carrying Ravi’s compliments for you this evening. He is so grateful for your
resounding punch; a game changer, I say!”
Ram couldn’t react at
all for some time, sitting as if transfixed. Then he started laughing, in short
bursts of breathless guffaws.
“Enjoy your moment
with your wife, pal!” Shyam put in happily. “Let me take out your doggie
tonight, it’s my pleasure, entirely!” he went inside and fetched the chained
pet, its pitiful moaning now giving way to joyful crooning. At the door he
turned around again and said to Ram, “In the meantime boss came to know fully
what’s what! So, you can join office tomorrow without fear!”
Still laughing, Ram
cried out, “No problem, buddy. Thanks. Come back and have supper with us!”
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