In the Place Between the Right and the Wrong - I

This post was originally meant to be part of Indian Fiction Workshop Exercise-9. Unfortunately I couldn't finish writing on time. So I am reduced to posting the whole story here in two parts.

Sunday
4 pm in a club



"Hey Pooja! What a pleasant surprise! “

“Puneet! Surprise indeed! I didn’t expect to see you
here. What are you doing here?”

“Umm… Nothing. I am just stalking you!”

“What?”

“Hey! I was just kidding! Don’t look so shocked. Actually,
I come here often. I am a member here. But what about you? I have never seen
you here before.”

“Yeah. I am just meeting someone.”

“Meeting someone here! Who? Can’t be a client. Can it?”

Pooja doesn’t answer but one of her arched eye brows
shoots upward.

“I mean, please pardon my curiosity Pooja, it’s just that
I happen to know most of the members here so I was wondering if I knew the
person you were meeting.”

“Oh. Alright.”

Puneet eyes Pooja while she fidgets with her phone.

“I am sorry. But I have to go. He is not coming.”

“Hey. Is everything alright?”

“Yes. Everything is fine. He just got some urgent
business to take care of.”

“Who is this mysterious ‘he’ by the way Pooja? Why are
you being so secretive about him?”

“Puneet! This is my personal life. I don’t appreciate you
asking questions about it.”

***

Monday
12 pm in office

“Hey Pooja. Got a minute?”

“Puneet! Yes! Please come in! Please sit down.”

“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you yesterday.”

“It’s ok Puneet. I am sorry too. I overreacted.”

“I still want to make it up. Over lunch maybe?”

“Um… I am not sure….”

“See! You still haven’t forgiven me! Come on, I insist.”

“Hey Puneet! It’s fine. I didn’t mind anything at all. I
really can’t join you for lunch because I plan to eat here in my office. I have
some really important work to finish.”

“Ohh… ok. Yeah, Mr. Patel did mention that you are
working real hard on that Penske case.”

“Mr. Patel discusses associates with you?”

“Oh no! Pooja, not like that. It’s just that he and I
play golf together sometimes.”

“I get it.” Pooja says and goes back to work.

Puneet looks visibly dejected but says, “I guess I’ll
just go then. By the way Pooja, please don’t get offended but I have to ask
this, are you seeing someone?”

“What?”

“I am just curious. I mean the way you behaved yesterday,
it’s not very usual of you…”

“Puneet…”

“Don’t say anymore, I get it. It’s none of my business. I
will just get going.” Puneet leaves looking frustrated. A little while later Pooja’s
mobile rings.

“Hello”

…

“Pesho? Hey how are you doing?”

…

“I understand but I would appreciate it better if you
didn’t call me during the office hours. I don’t think it’s right.”

…

“Yes. I am onto it. Though I think Puneet, you know
Puneet right? From your club? I think he already suspects something but I am trying
as best as I can.”

…

“No, you don’t need to worry. I don’t fail in my
undertakings. Because I am the best. And I think you know that.”

…

“Ha ha ha! And you will! Just a few more days.”

***

Monday
11 pm in office

Puneet peeps through the door of Pooja’s office seeing a
blue light emanating from the otherwise dark room. He finds her laptop on her
desk but she is nowhere to be seen. As he enters the room, it lightens up
sensing his presence. He picks up a famed photograph of Pooja from her desk and
looks at it. A deep sigh escapes him. He stands in the middle of the room for
some time looking around fondly.

As he turns to leave, Pooja enters the room with few
files. She starts so violently seeing Puneet in her office that one of the
files slips to ground without her noticing.

“Jesus Christ! Puneet, what are you doing here in my
office?” she screams, “I can see that obviously you are up to something.
Probably you meant it when you said that you were stalking me yesterday. What
is it you are looking for?”, she hurries over to her laptop, “Did you try to
hack my computer?”

“What? No! What’s wrong with you Pooja? You are behaving
very strangely of late!”

“I am not the one prying over others Puneet!”

“Why the hell would I pry on you?”

“I don’t know! Maybe you are after my clients? Maybe you
are trying to dig up dirt on me! Maybe you think that I am your competition on
your way to becoming the partner! How will I know? All I know is, I found you
in my cabin looking at my computer when I was away. And this doesn’t look
normal to me.”

“Stop being so paranoid! You and I work for the same firm
Pooja, and we have worked together in the same team for the same client
multiple times. I cannot steal your clients because they are my clients too! Yes,
I consider you as a competition but a healthy and worthy one, I wouldn’t stoop
so low to dig dirt on you because you are my colleague too. Even if I want to,
I don’t need to sneak into your cabin to do that. I have worked closely enough
with you to find that out on my own if I so wish. And it’s not the first time
that I have entered into your cabin in your absence! Gosh! You are acting so
jumpy! As if you were burying evidence when I barged in! You know what Pooja, I
think you have worked too hard on the Penske case and I think you are too stressed
and that you should go home.”

Pooja sits heavily on her chair holding her head between
her hands and breathes heavily.

“Hey Pooja, are you alright? Is everything alright?”

“Everything is just fine Puneet! I am so sorry for the
way I behaved with you but I am just not myself today. You are right. I am
probably too stressed. Would you mind leaving me alone for some time please? I
am sorry!”

“Absolutely. I understand. Our jobs do get to us
sometimes. Even to the very bests. I will leave you now but are you sure you
can drive back home? Else I can drop you!”

“I can drive home Puneet. But thanks very much for the
offer.”

Puneet turns to leave. But then stops and stoops to pick
up the file Pooja had dropped earlier. “Here. You dropped it I think. Wait a
second! Isn’t this Pamela’s deposition file? The plaintiff in Parekh Phosphate
case?”

Pooja hurriedly takes the file from Puneet’s hand and
shoves it down her drawer with other files.

“I didn’t know you were working on the Parekh Phosphate case.”

“I don’t think Mr. Patel discusses everything with you
after all.”




Continued...






           Love,


Read part II here.

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