Longest two seconds of my life

“I’m waiting for almost thirty minutes. How long will it take?” asked Roopa. Roopa is my close friend in office, we work for the same client and report to the same client manager.

“Few more minutes please. I’m trying to wrap it up.” I told pleadingly. Roopa is travelling to our client office in Singapore tomorrow. She is waiting to say bye to me, but I’m held up in the call.

“Let’s go.” I told Roopa after five minutes.

“Hey you said you want something when I come back from Singapore, but reveal it only on the day I’m leaving. Tell me what that highly secretive thing is?”

“Hmmm..Roopa. You shouldn’t take it wrong…”

“Hey. Cut all this crap. What is all this?” asked Roopa

“Actually I don’t know how to tell it…”

“Come on. If you are not going to tell it fast, i don’t know what I’m going to do.” Shouted Roopa

“Okay. I want Shiva’s photo. “I told Roopa after a gap of two minutes.

“What? Shiva? The one you will be always in call with?” Roopa works in a different team, managed by same manager. So she doesn’t get to work with Shiva.

“Yes, that same Shiva. I want to see how he looks like.”

“Why don’t you ask him directly? Else why not try in Facebook or Linkedin?”

“Haven’t I told you about him? I ‘m working with him for last one year and he doesn’t speak even a word other than our official matters. And even in official matters, I have to wait for the whole day to speak with him for ten minutes. I don’t get any response for any queries I sent to him. The list goes on…”

“But..” started Roopa.

“Listen I want to see how the person who torments my official life looks like and he is not in Facebook or Linkedin”

“Why don’t you ask our boss?”

“Hey what is the problem with you? Can’t you take a single photograph. You upload tons in Facebook every day.” I shouted.

“Yeah. He works in a different department and how do you expect me to take it? I can’t go and ask, ’Hey Mr. Shiva, Smile. My friend wants a snap of you.’ ”

“Look. You will have to do it secretly “

It took me another half an hour to convince Roopa. Roopa started suspecting that I had developed a crush on him. How can I develop crush on a person whom I don’t know anything about? I don’t even know his age or any other thing. Most likely he would have been married and fathered two children. If I attach a face with the name, probably I might be able to work better with him. It’s quite common to share photographs with the team you work virtually. But somehow I couldn’t bring to ask Shiva directly.

****
When I reached office on Monday, there was a mail from Roopa saying she had reached safely and settled in the serviced apartment. I replied back “Good. Don’t forget his photo.”

A week later Roopa called me on desk to discuss some official work. Post that I reminded her about the photo.

“Don’t worry. Our client manager, Uma has one in her mobile. She said, she will send it across.”

“What?????Why did you tell her?”

“Yes. You kept pestering me hundred times every day. I can’t even find him in such a big office. So every time I met Uma, I kept on asking where is Shiva. She started suspecting me and asked what it was. I had to tell the truth that you are very keen on his photograph.”

“You…I told you to do this secretly. You blurted it out, that too to our manager.”

“Easy, easy. Why are you shouting? Uma won’t take it in wrong way. Infact she laughed hearing this?”

“Why won’t I shout? Uma knows Shiva well. What if she tells that I’m looking for his photo?”

“That will make things easy.You should have asked Shiva directly in the first place” Roopa told after laughing for two minutes

“Grrrr.. You haven’t worked with Shiva. I’m unable to talk anything other than official matters to him.”

“I haven’t met him yet so can’t comment whether the problem is in your side or his. But ..”

“Hey stop it. You know there are few times when I messaged ‘Hi, Good Morning’ over our office communicator, he replied ‘I’m busy’. “

“So why do you want to see him? Probably he is married and shy with other girls” Roopa asked

“Forget it. I don’t want to see his photo.” I shouted at her.

I was extremely upset with Roopa. How can she do such a thing? What will Shiva think?

Accidentally that week I didn’t get to interact with Shiva.

It was Eight thirty on Saturday morning and I received couple of calls from a Singapore number. I missed it as I was on the way to office.

“Were you trying to reach me?” I asked Roopa over communicator as I reached the desk.

She replied in negative.

Who would this be? That was not Uma’s number. I dialled the number back but there was no response. I soon forgot the call and started working.

An hour later my mobile started ringing, call was from that same Singapore number.

“Hello”

“Hello . This is Shiva. Can I speak to you for couple of minutes?”

My heart skipped a bit. Has Uma told Shiva that I’m looking for his photo? Is he going to ask regarding it? How to respond”

“Yes Shiva.”

“Look I was extremely busy last week. But did you finish the work that we discussed few weeks before…”

Thank God for small mercies. He called regarding an emergency office work. Thousands of thoughts entered my mind in the fraction of two seconds.

As I breathed with relief, my phone started ringing again.

“Hello. I have sent his photograph. Check your mail fast.” ordered my brother. For a minute I was confused, how my brother got Shiva’s photo. Hmmm… my brother has sent photos of my new born nephew.

I’m never never going to ask for anybody’s photo.

__END__