The Symphony of Saudade

Chapter 1

Chandni Shree

23.05.2019
Mangalkulam

There was no dearth of star fruit in Mangalkulam in May. Everywhere I looked, fruit sellers were calling out to our townsfolk to buy the sweet and sour delight. I loved the yellow ones which tasted sweet, mostly. Since I was in a rush, I smiled at the fruit-seller lady who asked me whether I would want some and replied, 'No, aunty. I will come back in the evening. I had to take the train today as I missed the last bus. So, running late for work.' Why was I even explaining to her? But that was how I made small talk. My laconic behaviour went up to spewing three to five sentences instead of one-word answers. So, that should make me talkative. But I wasn't that either. I hung somewhere between being talkative and laconic; someone should have already coined a term for that.

I nearly lost my footing in a murky puddle while talking to her. Instantly, my eyes journeyed to the fuchsia leggings to check whether the puddle stained the corners. It hadn't. Sometimes, the universe listened to my silent cries for help in the most trivial things. Even if the leggings had stained a bit, I shouldn't worry about it much. But I wasn't manufactured like that. I was an over-worrier sometimes.

I made it to my office just before the time on my mobile phone turned to 09.35 AM. Not wanting to get on the wrong side of my branch manager, I sidled directly inside her room and greeted her with a wide smile.

'Ha, good morning, Chandni. I was waiting for you. Joseph Zachariah popped in at 09.20 and asked for this policy to be cancelled within an hour. He had to leave for an urgent meeting. He said he'd collect the acknowledgement tomorrow.' Mrs Brindha Mohan gabbled without stopping to breathe.

'Okay, madam. I'll do it once I log in.'

'By the way, you'll always come at 9.25 sharp. What happened today?'

There it was. However favourable a boss can be, when it came to punctuality, she'd instantaneously change into a true boss.

'Er... I had a row with Avinash first thing in the morning. And it just got to me that my brain cells slowed down naturally and it became late...'

'Okay, okay, Chandni. I can understand. You may go now.'

My lips twitched into a quick, fake smile as I exited her room. I opened the door to my cabin and placed my handbag and lunch bag on the side desk. I slumped down on the revolving chair, hitting the keys on the keyboard simultaneously. The monitor lit up with the Ctrl + Alt + Delete screen. I keyed in my login credentials and waited for the system to boot up. Meanwhile, I found Malarkodi, my colleague, in the next cabin engaged in an intense conversation with someone on the intercom. I waved a hi at her and signalled to her, asking about the caller. She moved her lips as if spelling 'customer call'. I nodded and went back to staring at my screen.

Why is this system taking centuries to boot up? I thought and clicked on the mouse frantically, running my fingers through my hair to order it up a bit. I had left it loose since my feather-cut two days ago. My new hairstyle was a hot topic of discussion for Malarkodi and the housekeeping staff, Ravi. They'd also engage in mild mocking during the lunch break. Their usual banter was that I had beautified myself to impress Avinash.

Eff! They don't know a thing. I went for a makeover because I wanted to do something quirky. Never even in my dreams, I'd do something like this for Avinash. He doesn't appreciate such things. He doesn't deserve it too, I had thought.

Finally, the desktop screen appeared, and I logged in to our company's portal. Malarkodi hung up the call and turned towards me.

'Hey, your top is great!' She exclaimed in her plastic tone that could make anyone fall for her cunning traps. Three years older than me, and married to a freelancer with a one-year-old daughter, she always had this poker face expression that left us confused. Because we wouldn't know whether she was being sarcastic or truly meant what she said. She had an olive skin tone with a fine-boned face, steely black eyes, well-pencilled eyebrows, and pouting lips that enclosed her snaggletooth.