Reunion!

Team Tandem Tensome

This is the 7th part of the story by our team. Read the previous chapters here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6.

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       Shekhar tapped his feet impatiently as he waited for the Red traffic signal to turn green. Ever since he had got call from Roohi, he was impatient. The person who spoke over the phone seemed to be nice. But a father’s heart wouldn’t listen to any logics. He knew his worries would cease only when he meets Roohi and see for himself that she was alright. His train of thoughts were broken when he heard the vehicles behind him honk. He quickly turned the ignition and zoomed towards the CCD which was just a few miles away from there.

       Jennifer paced through the corridor outside as she waited for the results of the interview. She had been pretty confident about cracking it before, but after the encounter with the Ice Lady, whom she had developed an instant dislike, and the other panel members, she doubted her chances of getting the job. The interview had felt like an eternity and she never wanted to go through so much stress again. She watched as the puffs of her cigarette made patterns against the night sky. Strangely, she found solace in it. “Jennifer” she heard a female voice and turned towards the source of it. Standing there, staring at her with a slight disapproval was the Ice Lady.

       Shekhar parked in a hurry and rushed inside the CCD. It had been years since he came to this place. It used to be the place he came with Tara during their early days of marriage. Those were the only days their marriage had – the early days. But once Tara had started drifting apart, he had stopped visiting this place as it brought back too many memories. But today, he had to come for Roohi. “Papa” came the voice and soon he found little Roohi running up to him. He took her into a big hug. Relief made him forget he had a company until he heard the other person clearing his throat. “Uh sorry” he said as he turned to look at the person who had brought Roohi back for him. He looked young, perhaps a student. Though fair, he looked like a geek with those big spectacles. Shekhar smiled as he introduced himself. “I am Shekhar. And as you already know, this is my daughter and my life Roohi. I can’t thank you enough for finding her” he was about to go on with his speech of gratitude when the guy cut him off. “It’s fine. I found her wandering by the park behind school. It seems she sneaked out from school bus to play and ended up missing it. By the way, I am Cyrus” he said. “And you happened to be there at that time?” Shekhar asked unable to contain his curiosity. For some reason, Cyrus appeared to him like a person who would fit in a picture showing students in laboratory rather than park. Perhaps his tone made it evident, for Cyrus’s face broke into a half smile. For a moment, the stern look of his face vanished. “Though you might think it to be impossible, I had a date. But my girlfriend ended up cancelling it. So I was just walking through the park when I found your daughter. I must say, she is a smart kid” he said stroking Roohi’s hair and she smiled. After a cup of coffee and some chat, Shekhar offered to drop Cyrus back to his mom’s place as Cyrus did not have a vehicle. He had said that he was from Delhi and was visiting his mom. “Come on. This is just a small favour I can do in return of what you did for me” Shekhar said as Cyrus declined his offer.

       Back at the office, Tara looked at Jennifer and wondered if they had made the right choice. The girl had been so much engrossed in her smoking that she hadn’t even noticed Tara’s visit until she had called out her name after watching her for a while. Of course her portfolio had been impressive and she was better than any other candidates. But Tara wondered if the girl had the sense of commitment she wanted in her employees. She sighed. If anything, she had learnt not to judge people by their appearances, for looks could be deceiving. Time would be the better judge. For now, she would let it go. “Miss Jennifer. I am extremely pleased to inform you that you are selected for our post. Congratulations. We hope you work with dedication and meet our expectations. And one more thing! I seriously hope you can cut back on that smoking, at least here in the office” she said and left without much ado, leaving behind a shocked Jennifer!

       Shekhar decided to pay a visit to Tara on his way back home and tell her about Roohi. He wanted to believe that, at some corner of her heart, Tara had a soft spot for their daughter. As he walked in, he saw Tara going around in the office, issuing orders about their next project and the little hope he had vanished. He was about to leave when he saw a familiar face. The photographer from the Kochi Railway Station was walking out from the office. She stopped on noticing Shekhar and gave him a big smile. “We meet again” she said and Shekhar smiled forgetting his worries for a moment. For some reason, the easy-to-go attitude of Jennifer attracted him. “I didn’t know you worked here” he said. “I didn’t! But starting from now, I will. Just got a job today” she said. “Ah How good is that!” mused Shekhar. He was happy he could meet Jennifer more frequently from now on. “I wonder if it is really that good. Let me tell you a secret. My boss is a Hitler” Jennifer said pointing towards Tara in her cabin. Roohi giggled upon hearing this. “Hey is she your daughter who believes in fairies?” asked Jennifer. After a long, stressful day, she enjoyed meeting a familiar person. For her, it was the next best thing after cigarette – presence of good company. Shekhar just smiled in response to her question and glanced at Tara and back to Jennifer. He wondered how Jennifer would react if he told her that her Hitler boss was his wife! It would be too good to see the expression on her face, he was sure. But for now, he would keep it a secret. For some reason, he didn’t want to disclose it to Jennifer; at least not yet!
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Read the rest of the story here:
Part 8, Part 9, Part 10.

PS: "Me and my team are participating in 'Game of Blogs' at BlogAdda.com. #CelebrateBlogging with us.

Until the next post,
Keep Smiling :)

Love,
Swathi :)