When His Powerful Boss Threatened Him, He Only Had Two Options And He Chose Freedom
A faint light from a CFL bulb is breaking the melancholy of a silent and dark Delhi flat. This light is coming from the kitchen, where a man dressed in formals is trying to cook something for himself. But he is not hungry, yet he is cooking frenziedly.
He's been forced to do this for a while now. Eat when he's not hungry, work when he's not motivated, do things he never signed up for.
This man works in an ad agency and has returned home after knowing that his boss wants to sell him like a sex slave to an old lady, from whom the agency expects a great deal of money. This man is cooking because he has been coping with the long term harassment at work and now it's just stress eating all the time.
His boss is a very known and powerful man. A typical biggie with whom one can never mess.
On one such evening after work,
*The man exiting office*
The boss (shouting from his cabin): Aye bas****! Where are you going?
The man (who is now immune to abuses): The tasks for the day are done. I am headed home.
The boss: This is not the way an ad agency's work is done.
The man: Then, is there something that I may have missed?
The boss (spreads his thighs open, rubs his groin): Come, I will teach you how business is done.
The man exists the office without a word. His mind is like a swarm of agitated bees. One part of him wants to go back and whack the boss. Another part knows how powerful the boss is and how he can really destroy his entire career overnight.
Carrying weight of anger, disgust, hate and confusion, the man walks like a zombie and inevitably enters a pizza shop. He orders a pizza and coke. Gobbles it all down and yet feels hollow.
On his way back home he evaluates the option of resigning from the job, something he has done a billion times. But even after resigning or for resigning, signatures of the very same boss would be required and the man shudders at the very thought of asking for that.
*Next Day*
The boss is angry, as usual. Full glossary of abuses and taunts welcome the man at work.
The boss: She is not happy with you! You bas****, you don't know how to treat our clients.
The man: She has no reason to be mad. All her work is done!
The boss: She is not happy with the way you treat and greet her.
The man: What do you mean? Since when has a humble "good morning" been impolite?
The boss (now shouting): YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS BUSINESS IS RUN!
The man: Ya you demonstrated it last evening. I learnt a lot! What's the point?
The boss: She has asked for you. You need to buy food and be at her residence by noon.
The man: Excuse me? Delivering food is not the reason why I am here!
The boss: I don't care! She has asked you to be there at 12 pm and you will be there at 12 pm!
The man: Please ask the office boy to deliver her food. I'm not doing it.
The boss: SHE IS NOT INTERESTED IN FOOD! AND IF YOU DON'T GO THERE THEN THE AGENGY WILL LOSE A 2 CR AD DEAL AND I WILL CHARGE YOU THAT MONEY!
The man realised what was going on. He realised that an old lady sitting at a powerful position had picked up a fetish for young boys. She was a lap dog curator and the man was not ready to drop his pants for any amount. He said 'yes' to the boss and exited the office.
The man never went to that lady. He went to all the clients he had worked with instead and he collected all his work samples for he was never going to return to that office again.
That evening when he reached home, his cell phone had 265 missed calls from the boss and 88 missed calls from that lady. The man threw his cell phone on the sofa of his living room and headed for the kitchen. He started to cook mindlessly. He knew that the boss will take revenge. He evaluated and weighed his options.
He had his work, he had all the proof of employment and on top of all that, he had his self-esteem, intact and solid.
While eating, he received an email from the agency. The boss had accused the man of absconding with 50 lakhs of cash. The man saw the email and ignored it. He had a clear path in his mind.
The man left for the airport, boarded the next flight and disappeared. The boss tried to stalk the man but in vain. Nobody knew where the man is. He was finally free. Free of 24x7 harassment and from all the stress eating.