Love Takes Time {Completed} {#Wattys2017}

29. Around the World - I

                  Peter successfully performed the functions it was supposed to, and everyone in R&D Robot Team was celebrating with a Pizza party in office. Abhimanyu called Shanaya in his office and told her that he wants her to accompany him on his two weeks, back to back meetings with the potential collaborators in South Asia and Europe. He wanted her to answer their technical questions since she knew the heart and brain of Peter, and if she cannot, she should let him know, since then he'll have have to think of someone else. Shanaya was more than happy. Abhimanyu asked her to complete all the paper works and submit all the required documents to HR, so that they could premium process her visa at the earliest. He gave her the details of companies they were meeting in different countries after two weeks.

                 Shanaya returned to her desk looking very happy. Arun asked her the reason of her happiness. She told Arun that she was accompanying Abhimanyu as a technical expert on his meetings with the companies interested in collaboration with them. Arun congratulated her. Soon the news spread in the office and reached Manoj.

Manoj went to Abhimanyu's office after calling him on intercom.

Abhimanyu: What is it that you want to talk about?

Manoj: Heard, Shanaya is going as a technical expert in meetings with prospective investors.

Abhimanyu: Yes, you have heard right. He said looking in his mac book

Manoj: Abhimanyu, but she is inexperienced with hardly seven months of work experience. Three or four conference calls to her credit, in name of handling client questions. We have employees who have worked on Peter for over an year, and I think, they deserve this chance more than her.

Abhimanyu looked at him.

Abhimanyu:  Tell me someone who can assemble Peter, program it's hardware, knows the flow of data through the several modules designed by all, and knows every technical detail of the functions that Peter performs and will perform. If you have any better name to suggest, I am open to consider.

Manoj stood thinking.

Abhimanyu: Do you have a better name to suggest, Manoj? He asked again.

Manoj: No, Abhimanyu.

Abhimanyu: Anything else you want to talk about?

Manoj: No.

Abhimanyu: Good. Then, you may go.

Manoj leaves the office.

             In lunchtime, Manoj sat at a table with Arun in a relatively empty rooftop cafe. He couldn't keep to himself, what was troubling him.

Manoj: I think Abhimanyu is partial towards Shanaya, and has some soft corner for her. I mean there are many who are working on this robot for one year. I am the one with most experience of answering client's technical questions.

Arun: You are overthinking, Manoj. Are you feeling sad that you lost on a good daily allowance of two weeks? He joked.

Arun: I think you are hurt that you attended the conference calls with him and he chose Shanaya over you. It's natural.

Manoj: No, it's not that, it's question of who deserves this opportunity.

Arun: I think, Shanaya totally deserves it. Most of the work that has gone into Peter is hers. She has worked day and night on it. It wouldn't have been possible to get Peter working like this in such a short span of time if not for Shanaya's and Abhimanyu's hard work on it. May be, he liked her way of handling client's questions in the few conference calls she was part of.