The Spendthrift - Chapter 5

                                “Gauri, Gauri.  What’s the matter, darling?  Why are you crying and why’re you looking so drawn and painfully thin?  What’s the problem?  Tell me my child.  I know that you are in some kind of a trouble.  Here, I’ve got the money as requested by you!”  She reached into her bag and started groping for the money-purse.  It had vanished!

                                “The money!  It’s gone.  All of it!  I’m sure that I’d kept it here.  I think someone has stolen it while I was standing in the other bus which brought us here.  It was already full and all of us had to stand for 2 hours in the bus, right up to Pune.  That’s when someone has deftly picked my purse!”

                                Gauri’s expression crumpled into one of abject misery and hopelessness.  “I desperately need the money, Mom.  Oh, why did you be so careless and lose it?  Why?  Why?  Why?”  She started beating her forehead with her hands and wailing.

                                Her Mom stared at her, perplexed.  Surely, no one would cry that much for a missed trip to Mahabaleshwar!  Slowly her expression of dismay turned into a stern one as she questioned her daughter. 

                                “Tell me the truth, Gauri.  However unpalatable it may be!  I’m ready for it.  Are you pregnant by any chance?  Are you having an affair?  Tell me please, you’ve to come clean.”

                                “Oh Mom.  I’ve behaved very foolishly and spent lots of money on acquiring clothes and accessories.  In the pursuit of a lavish lifestyle, I’ve run up a huge debt of Rs.10,000/-.  My room-mate Kanika has threatened me that if I don’t return her this amount by tonight, I’ll have to…..”

                                “You’ll have to ‘what?’  Come on tell me.  I’m sure I can help you.  We’ll find a way out, dear.  Don’t be scared or shy.  I’m your mother, you can trust me.  I’ll not tell anyone else.  I promise.  This matter will just be between the two of us.”

                                Gauri couldn’t look her Mom in her eye.  She stared at the floor and said in a timid voice.  “I’ll have to become an ‘Escort’ tomorrow!”

                                “Escort?  What is that?  Wait a minute!  You mean to say….” She slapped Gauri hard across her face.  Then again and again, wracked by sobs herself.

                                “Oh, the shamelessness of today’s breed!  How dare you, Gauri?  Why didn’t I die before I heard your words?  So this is what you young girls do in college these days?  Better sit at home and do housework!  Besides, why can’t you live within your means?  You know how hard your Dad is working to give both of you a good education and a secure future.  I’m cancelling your admission here at once!   You are coming back with me to Mumbai.  And why is that bottle of capsules lying there?  I hope you weren’t foolishly contemplating suicide!”  

                                She then took her nervous and miserable daughter in her embrace and hugged her fiercely, as if she’d never let her go.  

To be continued...

This story was published in Woman's Era magazine in its second issue of August 2012.

The Spendthrift - Chapter 4

 

          It was the last day of her deadline.  Gauri was extremely worried and on tenterhooks thinking about whether her mother would be able to send the money that day.  4 days had gone by in a jiffy.  Kanika had maintained a stony silence all throughout these days.  She was smug in the knowledge that Gauri’s noose was tightening around her neck by the hour!  One of her ‘boy-friends’ had offered her Rs.25,000/- for the beautiful and smart Gauri.  He was part of a prostitution racket which was flourishing in the name of an ‘Escort Service.’

          They were always on the look-out for vulnerable, beautiful and needy girls.  They had no qualms in exploiting them.   None of the girls had ever dared to expose their racket or inform the police.  After all it was their reputation that was at stake too!  And 90% of these girls came from highly respectable and affluent families.  Video films of these hapless girls in compromising positions were recorded on handy-cams and they were blackmailed endlessly into giving in every time that they demurred or rebelled!

           At 4 p.m. she got a phone call from her Mom’s  cell-phone saying that she was half-way on her way to Pune in an Asiad bus.  Gauri was highly relieved.  She would be freed from that vicious Kanika’s clutches at last!  She prayed fervently to God for her safety.  She’d never again indulge in mindless splurging on shopping sprees. 

           At 5 p.m. she got another call from her Mom saying that the bus had suffered a breakdown and they were waiting for another bus to come by.

           At 7 p.m. Kanika broke her silence to tell her that that day was the last day of her ‘virgin’ life.  The next day, at 8 a.m. sharp, Ranjit would come and pick Gauri up for their rendezvous.  Gauri broke down as she realized that she would be trapped in life-long misery and exploitation.  After all the dreams that her parents had for her bright future, she would make them ashamed of her, for life.  She would become the black sheep of her family!  She decided that she’d consume poison and never wake up on that shameful day at all.  Only death could redeem her from her dilemma!

           “Oh why is Mom taking so long in reaching here?  Why’s she coming here instead of sending the money?  Had she guessed that something was wrong?  Was she bringing the money or coming empty-handed with some excuse?” Gauri’s nerves stretched to breaking point with all the tension which was threatening to wreak her very existence. 

           At 9.30 p.m. her Mom reached her hostel, exhausted and worried.  Gauri was alone in her room, with a book half-open in front of her and a bottle of some capsules too!  She walked into the room and saw Gauri staring into space, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears, which silently rolled down her cheeks. 

To be continued...

This story was published in Woman's Era magazine in its second issue of August 2012.

The Spendthrift - Chapter 3

 

            “You can become an ‘escort.’

            Enraged Gauri slapped Kanika and burst out crying.  “So all those rumors are true!  That is how you earn your money.  Shame on you!  I’ll never stoop to your level.”

            “Well if it’s shame on me, it’s shame on you too!  Remember, that the money that has been funding your extravagant purchases has been given to you by me! ”

             Gauri was speechless.  She felt violated and ashamed.  She wished that she’d heeded her other class-mates’ warnings to steer clear of Kanika.  Now she was trapped.  She desperately wanted to find some way to extricate herself from the web of deceit that Kanika had so cunningly woven around her.  Her debt-trap could very well prove to be her death-trap.  Well, short of committing suicide, she couldn’t think of anything else!  She deserved it!  Oh, why did she have to hanker after a flashy lifestyle!  The attractive lights and ambience of shopping malls had blinded her to life’s reality all these days.  Yes, money didn’t grow on trees.  It had to be earned!  Had she ever wondered about the source of income of her middle-class room-mate?  If she had, she’d have realized that the source was dubious.  But she had just got carried away!

            “I’ll return all your money in a week’s time.  I swear!  Please give some time.  After all, you’re my friend,” Gauri pleaded again.  “I’m sorry that I hit you.  I’m really sorry,” she sobbed piteously.

            “Well then, I forgive you.  But five days and no more, remember!”  Kanika said nastily, brushing back the fringe on her forehead with her well-manicured hand.  She looked so contemptuously at Gauri that she cringed.  Then she swept out of the room for going on her ‘date.’

             Gauri was at her wits’ end.  She racked her brains for a plausible excuse to give her Mom for asking her to send so much money urgently.  Her Mom, being shrewd and wise would instantly know that something was amiss.  Besides she would bombard her with numerous unwanted questions and demand satisfactory answers.  Asking her father for finances was out of the question.  He was an astute businessman.  He knew that all the yearly expenses had been already paid for her education, in advance and hence the question of giving her such a lump sum didn’t arise at all!  Gauri too felt guilty about expecting her parents to pay for her unwarranted ‘shopping binges.’  Still, since ‘beggars cannot be choosers,’ she steeled herself for the confrontation and called up her Mom on her cell-phone.

             At first her Mom was pleased to hear her voice.  She had missed her!  “How are you ‘beti’?  Enjoying your college-life?  Are you eating well?  Don’t eat junk food!  Sharvari (Gauri’s sister) has got an A-grade in all her subjects.  She remembers you a lot!”

            “Mom, everything’s fine here.  Please listen to me.  I don’t have much balance in my cell-phone.  I need Rs.10,000/- urgently for a trip that we friends are going to!  Please don’t tell daddy.  He’ll be wild with me.  He has already warned me that I’m not supposed to go on over-night trips which will include both boys and girls.  Don’t even mention the amount to him!”

To be continued...

This story was published in Woman's Era magazine in its second issue of August 2012.

The Spendthrift - Chapter 2

 

          As she was from a well-off family, Gauri had expensive tastes. She loved to wear everything that was branded, hence expensive. She abhorred the ‘street-side’ casual clothes that her other classmates wore on their outings. They were too ‘infra-dig’ for her ‘refined’ tastes. She considered herself to be a connoisseur of sorts; even going to the extent of advising them to wear branded stuff, with regular and accurate updates on the brands, fashion labels and their comparative prices. She knew where to buy what and prided herself on her perceived ‘exclusive’ knowledge! After all she was a self-confessed shopaholic, in the second year of her course; who knew the city inside out, thanks to her frequent outings with her friends.

          Obviously, she couldn’t turn every now and then to her parents for extra money. Hence she ended up borrowing money from her generous room-mate Kanika.  Kanika was a middle-class girl; one of three siblings.  But her pocket belied her humble background.  She always had enough money to splurge and some more to lend!

          Their room-mates spoke in hushed tones about the clandestine affairs of Kanika.  She was rumored to be an ‘escort,’ in other words, a call-girl.  Though no one dared to ask her outright about her dealings, fearing her ‘whip- like’ tongue, the rumors flew thick and fast.  How else could she live like a queen, everyone wondered! 

          Designer wear and designer accessories, weekly visits to expensive spas, eating out in fancy restaurants, partying at discos and riding pillion on the expensive bikes of well-heeled ‘boy-friends’!  Her beautifully made-up face and well -manicured hands and feet, well-groomed hair and haughty demeanor; at once attracted people to her and her caustic tongue instantly made them cautious about talking to her too!  Hence she was without any friends.  Naturally she gravitated towards her elegant room-mate Gauri for company and friendship. 

          Though Gauri was aware about the stories circulating about her dubious room-mate, she preferred to ignore them.  As long as Kanika was nice to her, she didn’t care.  Besides, Kanika willingly gave her the ‘moolah’ as and when she needed it.  That was more than enough for Gauri to turn a blind eye to Kanika’s shenanigans!

          Unknown to the naïve Gauri, Kanika had deliberately been lending her the money and refrained from asking her to repay, as she wanted her to be neck-deep in debt!  That was when she would demand her ‘pound of flesh’ knowing fully well that Gauri would be unable to repay!

          “Well, there is a way by which you can repay me the money instantly!” said Kanika, glancing at her slyly.

          “What is it?  Please tell me at once!”said  Gauri eagerly anxious to do anything to please her ‘so-called’ friend. 

To be continued...

This story was published in Woman's Era magazine in its second issue of August 2012.

The Spendthrift - Chapter 1

 

                   “Give me some more time please. I’ll return all your money in a week’s time,” Gauri pleaded. Her room-mate Kanika was unmoved. I’ve already given you enough time. I want my ten thousand rupees back, just now!”

                   “Kanika, you know I don’t have any money right now. Please do give me some more time. I’ll cajole my Mom to lend it to me without my Dad’s knowledge. You know how strict Dad is! He’ll blow his top if he gets wind of the fact that I’ve been borrowing money from you for my expenses. I’ll have to be careful even while asking Mom for the money. I’ll have to cook-up some story about extra tuition fees or some additional, unforeseen, college expenses.”

                   “I don’t care what you do. That’s your problem. You should’ve thought about all this before borrowing money from me. You’ve been conveniently treating me like an ATM! But now I can’t wait any longer. My boyfriend wants to urgently buy a new mo-bike and is pressurizing me for the money. Obviously, I want to please him, lest he leaves me for that bombshell Sujata!

                   Gauri stared helplessly at her friend. She recollected how she’d read somewhere that ‘money matters’ always spoilt friendships. She shouldn’t have ever borrowed money from Kanika. The otherwise sweet Kanika had turned into a mean and despotic tyrant when she’d realized that Gauri had no means of repaying her huge debt.

                   Gauri was studying for her MBA in a reputed B-School in Pune. She was staying in a hostel, while her parents and younger sister lived in Mumbai. The students wore a smart uniform of black trousers and white shirt with a grey jacket and black shoes worn with white socks for their classes. It was the evenings when they got to show-off their chic attire where one-upmanship was at its peak!

To be continued...

This story was published in Woman's Era magazine in its second issue of August 2012.

The Control Freak - Chapter 4

     She knew that she would never be given an opportunity to evolve and shine as long as she worked under Shikha. She was too envious of her! Her criticism was not aimed at improving her professional ability, but at undermining her capability and confidence. She wondered about how people could stoop to such low levels, just to boost their super egos.

      

     She left ‘Shikha’s Creations’ much to the bewilderment of Shikha who had announced an increment for her, and stepped out, after giving her a piece of her mind, without a backward glance. All her colleagues looked on, with unabashed admiration. She had belled the cat and how!

      

     She roped in her brother who was an MBA (Marketing) and started her own Ad Agency in partnership with him, in a rented place. Her brother Sukumar had lots of contacts. He procured prestigious assignments for her and she looked after the creative side of the business. Her former colleagues from Shikha’s agency, slowly made a beeline to work for the gentle and super-talented Supriya. It is rightly said that employees don’t quit an organization, but they quit the Boss! Who wanted to work for a control-freak, like slaves, when they could enjoy creative freedom in Supriya’s Ad agency, ‘Super Success Communication’!

       

     In a short span of three years, Supriya was the darling Madam of her employees whom she addressed as friends, and her agency, housed in spacious ownership premises, was handling all the exclusive and profitable advertising and publicity work of that town. Her agency was accredited as No.1 by the Advertising Council of India and progressed to win several national awards for the Best Advertising Agency, in terms of creative output and turnover; and international awards, including the Cannes Award for the best copywriting and the best ad campaign.    

      

     All that Shikha could do, was fret and fume at the impudence of that chit of a girl, who had stolen the limelight from right under her nose. She had also ‘robbed’ her of all her clients! Not to mention her peace of mind! There came a day, when Shikha was delinquent and had to wind her business. She advertised in the newspapers for sale of her agency. ‘Shikha’s Creations’ was bought by ‘Super Success Communication’. 

     The merger saw the dissolution of what was once the pride of that town, as also the pride of its former owner Shikha. Supriya felt sorry for Shikha, who had lost all her bite and was reduced to a nervous wreck. Shikha refused to accept a position of a copywriter that Supriya offered her on purely compassionate grounds. Supriya realized the truth of the adage “Pride always goes before a fall.”

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     Unknown to Supriya, Shikha had already plotted her next plan of action. She would now woo the handsome Sukumar, marry him and regain control of the merged ad agency! Whether she would achieve her goal, only time would tell!

THE END


This story written by me, was published in Alive magazine in January 2012.

The Control Freak - Chapter 3

      Supriya had joined ‘Shikha’s Creations’ just the previous month. She held a Degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University and had completed the same Diploma that Shikha had. So Supriya was more qualified than Shikha, a fact that Shikha found hard to digest. 

     Supriya’s work had been highly recommended by someone, in a conference that Shikha had been to. Eager to acquire the best of talent for her agency, Shikha had gone out of her way in wooing Supriya to work for her Agency as a Senior Visualizer. She had assured her a good pay package, which surpassed her existing one, and succeeded in adding her to her Agency’s pay roll. Little would Supriya have imagined about the torture that she would be soon undergoing on a regular basis. 

     Right since day one, Shikha had found faults with her work and even commented unfavorably on her dress sense and demeanour.  After a month, when Supriya found the situation unbearable, she expressed her desire to quit. “You are forgetting that you’ve been appointed on a contract basis, during the term of your probation in this agency. You’ll have to forgo your one month’s salary if you leave now,” Shikha reminded her smugly.

      

     Supriya knew that Shikha was giving her a rough time due to her complex about her higher educational qualifications and superior talent. She wanted to demean her and destroy her self-confidence by constantly running her down. But what Shikha had said about her stupidity that day, incensed her beyond measure. She resolved to overpower the ‘control freak’ through her sheer intelligence and will-power. ‘Yes, I am not a coward. Two can play at the game. I’ll beat her in her own game.’

      

     That evening, after work, she headed straight for that client’s office, which had rejected her idea. She met the Director and convinced him about the viability and economic feasibility of her original idea. “Trust me, Mr. Kumar. I assure you that this campaign will be a huge success. Just give my idea a chance.” 

     The real estate developer looked carefully at the young girl in front of him, and decided to give her a chance. He was willing to take the risk after her earnest assurance. She surely looked supremely confident about her idea being a success. “O.K., I’ll think about it,” he said in a non-committal tone. But after she had left, he called up Shikha and told her that he had changed his mind and wanted to go ahead with the Campaign plan as proposed by the Agency earlier.

      

     “Supriya, hearty congrats. Your idea has been approved,” Shikha welcomed her when she entered the office, the following day. “Thanks. So my stupidity has worked,” she exclaimed cheekily. Shikha’s face reddened with embarrassment. She squirmed and vowed to get even with her later, though she maintained a brave front.

      

     The Campaign for selling plush residences of Mr. Kumar’s Housing Project was a huge success. All the apartments on offer were sold out on the day of announcement of the project itself. This was unprecedented in the construction sector of that town where builders had to wait for years to sell off all their apartments and make any profit!

     
     It was then that Supriya made an important decision. She would start an agency of her own and give Shikha’s agency a run for her money. 

To be continued...

This story written by me was published in Alive magazine in January 2012.

The Control Freak - Chapter 2

      Being a perfectionist, she goaded her employees to give their best and wooed their successes with fantastic gifts and enhancement of their emoluments. Though her employees admired her guts and talent, they often wondered about why she was so short-tempered and impatient when they weren’t up to her mark. Her mark was the benchmark against which she judged all her employees. She was ruthless and intolerant of sloppiness, mistakes and carelessness and dealt with the people who indulged in these, with an iron hand. If a client disapproved of a brochure sample and wanted to select another one, she would ask the accounts department to recover a certain pre-determined amount from that employee’s salary. If the copywriting was the issue, the copywriter’s salary would be affected, and so on. No wonder, all her employees worked with clockwork precision.

      

      Though it was a creative field, her employees had no creative freedom. They couldn’t improvise on anything without her prior approval. Only she decided on what was good enough to be shown to the clients as the final ad. But as her employees trusted her experience and judgement, they were only too happy to indulge her. In a way, this also divested them from any future responsibility regarding the failure, if any, of the work done by them. But here lay the catch. If she was the one who approved of all their work before-hand, how could she blame them in the event of the client’s disapproval? Though resentful about this injustice, none of her employees would dare to openly cross swords with her. After all, they worked for their livelihood and enjoyed the work when their overbearing Boss was not around!

      

      And she was not around throughout the day, being busy in client meetings, presentations or going out to prospect new clients for the Agency. She would review all the work done during the day, late at night and be ready with suggestions and improvisations, which would be readily agreed to, by her employees. They knew which side their bread was buttered. Besides, no one wanted to alter the status quo, or be ridiculed and taunted publicly by the interfering and haughty Boss. Secretly though, all of the twenty-five employees wished and hoped that she would meet her equal one day!

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      Shikha was the only child of her doting parents. She had been granted all her demands, unreasonable or otherwise, right since her childhood. It was little wonder then, that she just couldn’t take no for an answer, or tolerate any one else’s opinion. She didn’t listen or value anyone’s advice or suggestions. Her rule was the law and woe be tide anyone who challenged her supremacy. This ego was the bane of her existence, in her school and college days. Though she excelled in her studies and cleared all her grades with distinction, she had also earned the dubious distinction of being a snob. Needless to say, she didn’t have any friends. Whereas any normal person would have felt disheartened and lonely, Shikha was blissfully existing in her own exalted world, where she didn’t mind being completely alone!

      

      After she obtained her post-graduate Diploma, her parents had started looking out for suitable proposals for her, all of which were declared to be unsuitable for their darling daughter, by Shikha herself. Her parents had at last given up, after taunts by the suitors and their parents, that they should consider marrying their beloved daughter with some King, rather than some lowly mortals like them! They told Shikha that the ball was entirely in her court now. They would agree to any one whom she liked or found to be worthy of her. 

      Shikha’s father told his wife one day, “She’ll meet her match one day. Just wait and see.” She retorted, “Let’s hope that she does, before she becomes an old hag or before we are no more! I just want to play with my grand-children before I die.”

To be continued...

This story written by me was published in Alive magazine in January 2012.

The Control Freak - Chapter 1

      “I told you that your idea just wouldn’t work. But you didn’t listen to me. Now the client is upset and threatening to go to another agency for this campaign. It is one of the costliest campaigns we were working on, and just because of your stupidity, we will be losing it to our rivals,” Shikha remarked caustically to a nervous Supriya, the attractive visualizer of the Advertisement Agency, ‘Shikha’s Creations’.

      

      This agency was the brain child of Shikha Bajpai, the beautiful, dynamic and high-strung Director; who had started it single-handedly and struggled to make it one of the best Ad agencies in the town, ten years ago. After interning at a small ad agency, during her studies for a Diploma in Public Relations and Advertising, she had realized that advertising was her calling. She had also realized that she was not cut out to work under anyone or take orders from anyone! She wanted to be her own Boss!

      

      Being highly creative and talented, she set her sights on achieving her aim of starting an Ad agency of her own. She read up all the information regarding the field of advertising and mastered its nuances from the internet, journals and books by authorities on the related subjects, watched the media for the latest trends in advertising, worked as a freelance copywriter for numerous ad agencies, before she was fully confident of striking it out on her own. And then she never looked back.

       

      She obtained a bank loan and leased a huge office space for three years, bought computers and office equipment and other essentials for running her agency, registered her agency as ‘Shikha’s Creations’ and started her venture, with very less money in her pocket but with a whole load of enthusiasm and positive attitude. She couldn’t afford any staff, except the maid who came to clean the office once a day, hence she managed all the roles of marketing manager, client servicing executive, accounts executive, copywriter, visualizer, graphic artist and designer; besides being the office boy; and looking after recoveries and research.

      

      She was good at time management hence straddled all the jobs with aplomb. But as her business grew, she could not cope with the increasing work-load and pressure, hence she advertised for staff for the various positions in her agency. She interviewed and employed the best talent on offer and decided to thenceforth concentrate solely on business acquisition and expansion. She was raring to start branches of her Agency in all the metropolitan cities, A-grade cities and so on and so forth. Even the sky was not the limit for her burning ambitions.

To be continued.....

This story written by me was published in Alive magazine in January 2012.

The Classifieds’ Match - Chapter 3

          The stainless steel call-bell on the parapet next to her rang loudly interrupting her reverie. It was time to make tea. 4 p.m. She neatly folded the paper, got up clumsily, holding her protesting knees and waddled into the kitchen. Soon her children would return, clamoring for tea and snacks. Chirpy Koyal and touch-me-not Kashish. How she adored them!

          

          Her husband came to the dining table, wheeling his wheel-chair and caught her from behind, tightly clasping her neat paunch. She squealed and laughed.

          

          “You are so naughty! Impossible.” She teased, as she turned around and ruffled his sparse, pepper and salt hair; her unconditional love for him, shining in her eyes. Tall, handsome and well-off…. Just fallen on bad days! Her hero nevertheless!

          

          “So which ad caught your attention today?”

          

          “The same one to which my Dad had answered, 15 years ago!”

          

          “Any regrets?” He was eager. His dark eyes were wary with anticipation. His ‘Hema’ had mellowed and bloated with age. His face was as handsome as ever. Adonis. Amitabh. Whoever!

          

          “None whatsoever, darling! You are my soul-mate. I love you. I love my family. I am living my dream. Nothing else matters.”

         

          “I love you too Kavita! We’ll be always together, come what may!”

          

          Koyal and Kashish bounced into the room. Papa and Mummy were locked in a tight embrace. They quietly tiptoed away.

The End

The copyright of this story is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

This story has also been published at www.penfactor.com.