Sunday went by in a blur. I spent it making my quarterly reports, updating all the job sites, and wrecking myself in the gym. Anything to keep my mind off Monday.
That day dawned too fast. All too soon I was walking to my desk to await my fate. My other teammates came in one by one. They were still on a high from having hit the targets, not knowing what had been going on behind the scenes.
Anjali came in around 10 and my heart started beating faster. She stopped at my desk on the way to her cabin and whispered "Eleven".
At eleven both of us took the elevator to the top floor where the executive suites were. The Sales Head had his office on this floor. In my three years at the company, I had never been here, it was like Mount Olympus for managers like us, where the gods resided directing the lives of us mortals.
Anjali seemed at home and knew where she was going. We walked up to a door with a gold nameplate on it – Sawant Agarwal.
The name started my heart racing faster. He was a towering figure in the IT services industry, revered for his unparalleled expertise and illustrious career. Considered one of the foremost experts in the field of IT services, he had a long and illustrious career marked by numerous groundbreaking milestones that had garnered widespread attention and acclaim within the IT services domain. Each of his accomplishments would have been a career pinnacle for most, yet he had amassed a multitude of such milestones.
I had rarely interacted with him in person, only when I had gone on stage during our annual events to receive awards from him.
In his fifties, Sawant Agarwal possessed an aura of quiet authority and wisdom. He was a man of average height with a stocky build, exuding an air of confidence and gravitas. His thick, salt-and-pepper hair was expertly styled, adding to his distinguished appearance. Behind his bespectacled gaze, one could discern the keen intellect and depth of experience that had propelled him to the upper echelons of the industry. His clean-shaven visage complemented his charismatic demeanor, while his jovial air endeared him to colleagues and industry peers alike.
As we entered his large office, the jovial manner was absent. Instead, he greeted us with a quick smile that didn't reach his eyes and motioned us to sit.
"Good morning, sir", Anjali started, "This is Samayak Das. We had spoken about him earlier".
Sawant interrupted her, "I don't need the introduction, Anjali. I am well aware of Mr. Das here. He has done quite well for us. But it seems his talents lie elsewhere".
I felt that I had to say something since all this was said with Sawant Agarwal's cold grey eyes fixed on me. I opened my mouth but was silenced by a sharp pain in my foot from Anjali's heel coming down on it.
Sawant Agarwal continued, "Well Das, it seems that your actions have caused Anjali here quite the inconvenience but the work you have done has managed to impress not only her but some other people as well".
I spoke up, "I apologize for any trouble caused sir and am willing to face any action that you feel should be taken against me". My sentence ended a bit abruptly as Anjali's heel came down even more sharply on my foot. I looked quickly in her direction to see her looking sharply at me.
"Action", Sawant said thoughtfully. "No, no Das. We recognize talent when we see it. There will be no disciplinary action taken against you; yet. Instead, we would like you to start working with the business intelligence team doing what you do best. Needless to say, you will be missed by the sales team."
Hope flared inside me. I was not being punished. Instead, I would be joining a team that was revered and held in awe across the entire company - the business intelligence department, where all the data wizards worked. This elite group wielded immense power and influence, as they were the gatekeepers and magicians of invaluable company data.
Their mastery over numbers, statistics, and analytics gave them an almost mystical aura, as they could unravel the deepest insights hidden within vast troves of raw information. No decision of significance was made without first consulting the oracles of the business intelligence realm.
Their tentacles stretched into every nook and cranny of the organization, gathering data from multiple sources and distilling it into actionable intelligence that guided strategic moves. Marketing, sales, operations, finance - every department relied heavily on the profound wisdom extracted by these data alchemists.
To be part of this hallowed team was a dream for me. But maybe I had hoped too soon. This was the corporate. Deeds like mine did not go unpunished. And so, it unfolded.
Sawant spoke to Anjali, "Please take this up with Human Resources and ask them to expedite the transfer."
Anjali smiled, "Yes sir. I will do that immediately"
The meeting was over or so I thought. As we both started getting up. Sawant motioned me to sit and said to Anjali, "You go on ahead. I want to have a quick word with Samayak here"
Anjali left looking puzzled.
Sawant waited till she was gone. In that time his demeanor also changed. A chill emanated from him.
"So Samayak Das", he said in a voice bordering on a threat. "Quite a number you pulled. Whatever you did, even our audit team could not detect. And the Head of BI personally looked through your work. You are quite talented. But talent isn't everything. We need people we can trust. Left to me, I would have terminated you then and there. But Anjali highly recommended you and gave us this solution."
I stayed silent calmly holding his gaze. My insides were freezing but I was not going to show fear or any other emotion for the matter.
Sawant continued, "Don't think of this as a reward. Whatever your accomplishments in sales; forget them. From today, you start right from scratch in this company. And every move of yours will be closely watched. One step out of line….." He let the threat hang in the air.
I spoke up quietly. "I appreciate the opportunity that Anjali and you have given and will uphold that trust sir"
Sawant looked at me sharply, "We shall see. And one more thing. You will be transferred to our North India regional branch. You will work out of there. Three days should be enough for you to make the shift."
The shock was almost physical and I blinked at the blow. Deeds like mine never went unpunished in corporate and this was the start for me. But I managed to maintain my composure and said, "I understand sir"
Sawant leaned back with and said, "That will be all Samayak. And you will not speak of our conversation to Anjali or the team."
I walked out wondering how my life had been turned inside out again.
Taking the elevator down, I was already adapting to my situation and going over the formalities and logistics of my move. Moving to a new city meant the company would provide me hotel accommodation for a week by which time I would have to find my own digs. I would of course have to give up my current apartment and have to arrange for a moving service to move my stuff.
Lost in my thoughts, I stepped out of the elevator and right into Anjali. She took one look at me and grabbed my arm.
"Come on," she said. "We are going for lunch"
This was something I had not thought of and had to avoid at any cost; being alone with her. She would simply extract all the information from me and knowing her, straightaway put things in motion to stop my transfer. Exactly what Sawant had in mind when he had asked me not to reveal the news of my transfer. And Sawant was a man I did not want to cross.
"Anjali, I can't," I said, pulling away from her. "I still have to go to HR and put together my handover"
"You can spare an hour", she insisted. "Least you can do for me for saving your ass"
"Can we go for dinner?", I asked. That would give me enough time to get my defenses up.
"Okay", she said, her brow creasing a bit in worry.
My face must have been showing the shock I felt. I had to put her mind at ease.
"Anjali, I really appreciate you doing so much for me in spite of all the trouble that I caused you.", I said earnestly. "Sawant said that it was only your recommendation that kept them from firing me. I was right in trusting you. Maybe if I had done so earlier, things would have been different"
Anjali's face eased up. I had allayed her suspicions for now.
"Come on", she said. "Let's break the good news to the team. That you are now joining the wizards."
By itself this was actually very good news. I was the first from the sales team to join the business intelligence team.
The team was called into one of the conference rooms for the announcement and as expected, broke into cheers.
"This calls for a celebration bro", yelled Sagar.
"Yes", chorused Rupan, Bhuvan and the rest of the team. I had been part of a great team and would miss them. The guys I knew in BI were pretty quiet and secretive. Who knew how long it would take for a pariah like me to fit in?
The rest of my day went in HR formalities and meetings with Anjali and the team members who would be taking over my responsibilities.
At 6 we all packed up and headed off to a nearby pub. Anjali was with us, so we couldn't go to our usual haunt. But we didn't mind since the company was footing the bill. One of the perks of being an AVP Sales was a fat business entertainment expense account.
It was my last party with the team and I put aside my glum thoughts to have a good time. I was again beside Anjali and leaned in to whisper, "Raincheck on the dinner?"
She nodded flashing me a quick smile that only I saw.
It was quite late by the time we left. I was too drunk to ride and decided to leave my bike in the office parking and take a cab. Anjali had already taken a cab and the team had gone their separate ways.
I walked along trying to hail a cab but it was quite late and the few cabs that passed were already taken. I resigned myself to a long walk and strode along wrapped in my thoughts for half an hour. I was quite surprised and irritated when a car pulled up close behind me and honked persistently. I had already taken a quick look and seen that it was a private vehicle and not a cab.
I decided to ignore it. It was probably some crazy drunk getting a kick out of irritating me. Then I heard it stop, the door open and footsteps approaching me. I tensed and braced myself. Whoever it was would get a ferocious beating that he would remember for a long time. I pulled my bag closer to my body and waited till the footsteps had nearly reached me.
Then I spun around and in a single motion swung up my left hand to block any attack and drew back my right first for the first punch. And nearly passed out seeing who it was.