THOSE FOURTEEN DAYS (3)

September 3 2015 didn’t depict any difference from previous days. One more day, one more journey! My mother had got the news from either of them. I didn’t tell anything. No need to say that she was unhappy after hearing it.

“Pack my belongings. Let me come to leave. This must be my last day in this house.” I told my mother and hanged the bag on my shoulder.

“Why do you come to a conclusion? They gave a hope right? Then why?” She inaugurated the question on that day.

“Cause, that’s the conclusion.” I said and left the home. We reached the central railway station at 9:30 a.m. We caught an auto to reach the venue. The auto-man dropped us somewhere. We had to struggle to find the central office.

“What did you come for?” The security blocked us and initiated the question in the entrance. We had to write it in the note. We knew the procedure already for we had come for my interview to the same place.

“We have come to meet general manager for getting transfer.” We declared. We didn’t even know the name of the general manager. Moreover, we didn’t know whom to meet for this. Simply uttering the ‘word GM’ and writing the same, we proceeded towards the building.

“Where should we go now? The security said right side.”

“We’ll leave the first one and proceed to the second.” I replied.

“What do you want?” A staff interfered while intruding.

“He’s my son, got a job in Indian overseas bank. Yesterday, we went for his certificate verification, but, got posted in Erode. It’s very difficult for him to work there, hence, we asked for transfer, and they told us to report here.” My father finished saying. We thought he would say something after listening to it.

But, with no verbal reaction, he sent us inside. There was a person sitting with the note.

“Kindly write the purpose of your arrival here sir.” He said.

“May I ask you something?” I asked him while my father was writing.

“Kindly wait sir. Let him finish writing, and then you can express your needs.” He said. I was waiting for him to ask. He didn’t take much time.

“Okay sir. You can ask now.” He said.

“I am coming from Tiruvallur. I got job and was called for my certificate verification in Erode. When we went yesterday, they said I was posted in Erode itself. It’s not easy for me to stay and work there. Hence, they asked me to report here. Now, we are in a desperate need of transfer. Whom should we meet for this sir?”

“You can proceed to the first building third floor. For you, the HR will help.” He said.

“Thank you.”

“Whom do you want to meet?” It happened in the first building where we proceeded.

“We want to meet HR for my transfer.”

“Kindly write it down, and ask that ma’am.” The receptionist pointed out a desk.

A lady came, we said the same thing.

“You’re not supposed to meet HR for this, kindly go to the personal administration department (PAD), which is on the first floor. There is a person called Mr. Ganesh the chief manager (GM), and, you must explain your problems to him.” She said.

“Thank you very much ma’am.” We said and started clambering.

We didn’t prefer lift by the way. With strange hesitation, we entered in to a huge hall, which was filled with bevy of staffs, inanimate objects and some busy conversations. As that lady said, we walked towards the chief manager’s room. The door was fastened. We asked the staff, who was sitting in the corner.

“What do you want?” He asked us.

“He’s my son…” My father started and finished.

After listening to his narration, he asked us to wait till his arrival. Immediately, the other staff began enquiring the same question. Once again, the same story! My father told him and took me to the seat.

“Daddy, keep watching. We should not miss him. They said they will let us know but, they may not for they may have several works to do.”

“Okay. I will keep watching.”

By the time, a lad came and sat before us.

“What have you come for?” my father began the conversation.

“To get transfer.”

“Transfer from where to where?”

“From Erode to Chennai.”

“Have they posted you in Erode?”

“Yes sir. Two years ago. Now, I’ve come for transfer.”

That’s all! My father created an unexpected question paper about Erode and its life. Surprisingly it was time for him to question someone.  He answered, he answered, and he had been answering for nearly 10 minutes.

“Some officer is going, looking like chief manager.” My father told me, we ran.

He asked us to come inside, and listened to our problem. After checking my certificate, after getting my order copy, he said.

“Get a letter. I will see to it.”

“Sir, this is my one year struggle. Please help me.”

“Okay. You write a letter, and we will send you a letter to your home.”

“Sorry to say this sir. We are not in a position to depend our postal service. It will definitely delay the process sir. Moreover, as you know, 14^th is the last date.”

“We know! Don’t you worry! You go and write a letter I will get it done.” He said, we nodded our head and moved.

“Why did they post him there? Usually they won’t post like this.” He was saying to someone.

“Where did you write your exam?” He asked us.

“In Chennai sir.” I said and stood for a second near the door.

“Okay.” He replied and began talking to the other officer.

We sought a lady staff to write a letter and she helped. Nearly after 5 minutes, we went to his room and submitted the letter and waited for his instant reply. He asked us to wait outside, we complied.

We waited in the same place where we were sitting before. A middle aged man came and sat in front of us along with a jeune fille. She seemed as his daughter. They also had come for transfer we understood after talking to them. The chief manager asked them also to wait.

“He’s taking our order copy and going somewhere.” My father whispered to me.

“He’s coming back and going to his room.” He said after 5 minutes. I was anxious to know the result.

We would have waited nearly half an hour I think. A person came and said,

“Have you come for transfer? We also came for that. He didn’t give us transfer and asked us to work in the appointed place.” He said, took the bag and vehemently went.

The chief manager came out, stood near to a cabin and bobbed his hands towards us.

“I will give you transfer.”

“Thank you sir.”

“Near Tiruvallur or in Chennai right?”

“Yes sir.”

“Tell your number, and, I will call and let you know.”

“9 0 9 2 7 6 9 8 6 9.” I said, he took it down, and checked it with the order copy.

He returned the order copy, and said once again,

“You can go now.”

“Shall we come tomorrow?” My father asked.

“You need not come tomorrow. I will call you when the order is ready.”

We thanked him and came out.

“I don’t believe them daddy.” I said while traveling.

“Why?”

“I think so. They are all officers. They may have several works to do. I don’t say that they will not transfer me. The problem is,” I said and continued,

“They will not call. He could have allotted a particular day for me to report but, he didn’t. They will forget! They will surely forget. I can’t wait anymore. Let us wait till Monday. Only till Monday! I believe there won’t be any call to us. We need not wait for them. Let’s come on Monday. If they don’t take any step, no other go, without any further thinking, I have to go to Erode. I can’t wait. I can’t definitely wait!” I sounded very negative on that day. My brother and mother were ringing my father and, my sister was calling me to give sleeping pills to her tension.

Everybody lavishly served me some confidence to pass those days, and, I was far to receive them.

“Unknown calls are more important than known calls.” I said to myself and kept my mobile with me. I ate with my mobile, I walked with my mobile, I sat with my mobile, I went to the rest room with my mobile, I slept with my mobile and I woke up with my mobile as well. 3^rd September slipped with some hopes, 4th September slipped with expectation, 5th September slipped with fear and 6th September slipped with sorrow. Betwixt, I was called for participating school alumni games, held on 5^th September. My juniors and seniors had got the information and started congratulating me. Outwardly I was hiding my fear and, inwardly I was suffering to express my joy. In the mean time, my father was looking for some other option as I hadn’t received any call. On September 6^{th morning,} I went to my grandma’s house. In the evening, I went to the movie Thani Oruvan with my brother to kill the time. The movie had planted bit of positive energy which I could never deny. However, my pessimistic mind was still hesitating to sleep. The silence of central office had been slowly slaying those planted positive vibrations. My father tore the paper from the hanging calendar and ensured the new day.

September 7.

But, as I sullied, as I believed, I had received no call from central office regarding my transfer. Despite those optimistic words from my surrounding, at that moment, I believed the stamina of my fate, which was shaping me as a special and a personal product of pessimism.

To be continued.      http://www.slvinoth.blogspot.com/2016/01/those-fourteen-days-4.html