The beginning at the end,
because why not?

Introduction

“It’s too chilly here”, the phrase was a constant reminder to the walls of the boxed cubicles that were once overcrowded with stories told untold and well people. Perhaps it had something to do with the planned migrants who have found something better, something great. And all that vacant space was replaced with less noise and a desert of a floor at the once very overcrowded office. The cold wind still ruffled through their hair. The breeze was now an embodiment of slowly fading memories and a mainstream routine. Tap Sip Tap Eat Tap Sip Tap Sip. There was a huge uncertainty and it was growing more with each tap. While the uncertainty was one side of the side of a much larger book, there were certain things that never seemed to change. Like being always the first to get the organic veggies at subsided prices or the discussions about their kids and the dresses they got or will be getting. Perhaps, this discussion was the only noise that one could ever hear at any given point of the day besides the keyboard taping. As if the dresses, kids, and vegetables weren’t enough, the floor was later graced with a few too many people who added to the existing meagre noise with topics such as makeup and the bizarre things that no one else wanted to know.

The afternoons were mostly cold and it was perhaps due to the city they lived in or maybe it was close to the winter season. The city had one peculiar gift, that it generally stayed cool for a major part of the year. Be It rain, spring or winter, it always made sure that the city was cool. However, the recent summers have gotten hotter and yet there are occasional rains which are always a pretty great refreshment. Speaking of rain, the same thing causes a huge traffic in the city which is almost perfect. Traffic is a huge pain in the ass and there are mitigations in play but they seem to be more of a problem than a solution since they are still underway and it will be awhile before they start to take effect. But it wasn’t raining that day. The rain never had a proper cycle, like it was sort of rebellious and has a mind of its own. Winters as well are sometimes graced with unpredictable rains. But not that day. The weather was cool like it usually is and they came out of their daily lunch. The once huge lunch group trickled down to three. But that didn’t change anything in the canteen scenario, which was always swarmed with people and their chatter and whatnot. There was never a dull moment in the canteen, it always entertained someone or something. Though, there were times when the management decides to amp up a little bit and in that process make quite a lot of drastic changes.

The office saw some pretty wild changes, with adding rabbits to clearing the garden for ducks, with creating a fish pond to taking out the fountain, from donating the rabbits to a farmhouse to god-knows-what happened to the ducks. While there is a system for sewage water treatment which in turn is used for watering the garden, which is also a factor that needs to be evaluated whether the same water is being used for the organic plantation. Oh, the vegetables! This stock gets over in a matter of seconds. People swarm for the limited quantity of veggies that happen to be grown within the office campus and the contribution to which will be given for charity. Everyone goes a winner. If only they gave a receipt for this generous donation, one could update the same in their tax returns. The management always has the work around the year, without giving anyone a chance to take a long vacation, i.e. if anyone ever wanted to take. The recent update is the walls being painted. The work always seems to be there or to put it perfectly the work always gets created. But however the employee safety is of the utmost importance, there seems to be no work done with respect to that badminton court which saw a few broken ankles and a few too many slips and kissing the floor.

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Neil hovered over Aryan, who had just talked to Sameera about the previous day debacle that he had just trying to avoid, realized that there was a message waiting for him in the notification tab from Siri. 

Neil has quite a busy schedule. They say marriage changes people. That might exactly be what was happening with Neil as well. He would be busy seen at his place seriously working or leaving early after of course completing his work for the day. Smart work is the term for it. Well, besides being quite talented, good looking and he is one great foodie with an admirable love for the seafood. Now that he is married and has a companion who is equally a great food enthusiast. While being good at smart working and a food enthusiast, he has played soccer quite extensively and an ardent fan of most sports.

Aryan is one lazy ass with an addiction to coffee. You say coffee he will be right next to you. Even if he had had a humungous meal that he could have had for a week at a stretch. Or like even after he had that cold chilling beverage or an ice cream. Oh, ice cream, he has given up on ice cream close to a decade ago. There’s apparently no way anyone can get him off his addiction for coffee. Addiction would be a strong word, perhaps a fascination to it. Otherwise, he would be overdosing on caffeine and there would be nothing more to write about him except in the obituary. Basically, the right term would be weird. Or stupid. Or let the audience decide on what he should be called. With an affinity to attempting to buy anything, he wants with the money he doesn’t have to get an extra pair of the “SAME” shirts that magically fit him once upon a time without realizing the junk food intake making that same shirt which was a perfect fit completely unfit now. Genius, that he is!

Sameera is one the friendliest bunch, who was quite easy to talk to and more so, she understands quite easily. Apart from that, she has a knack for being straight-forward which is one of the good things in a place filled with people and their various masks. She has an admiration for coconut water which is her go-to drink. While yoga seems to be the morning icebreaker, she keeps the walking in the office campus as a daily routine. Coconut water is a health thing but besides that, she is sort of a selective foodie meaning she goes out every once in a while trying different cuisines.

Siri has an affinity for perfection and an OCD for cleanliness. However, she has been married for over two years which seems to be a good enough reason to break a few people’s hearts, quite literally. To begin with, she is a fiercely smart worker and an equally talented sportsperson. She does hold a few trophies for her badminton skills. She has proven the same time and again. Aryan had seen quite a lot of defeats with the very person. With being good at sports, she is also great at coding. No wonder the people overseas want her to travel asap.

To be continued….

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The Fifteenth Hour