An Office Friend.

    Linda pressed the Button of Elevator, and immediately took out her mirror and lipstick from her backpack.

    There are 2 types of women in the world, one who is very specific about her touch up places, like her home, washroom, changing rooms, or any other place meant for such personal work. But 2nd those, who do her touch up at any place in the world, bus, bus-stop, taxi, or such office elevator.

    Yes, me and Linda are those 2nd kind of women, elevator is our place for touch up. Actually all we do on our way to the office is to chew Linda's tiffin, so it wipes out my non-long lasting super cheap lipstick. So we do our touch up in the elevator, or one can say to put lipstick again and only. I just don't get the concept of long lasting lipstick when you can simply apply it again.

    As soon as we entered the elevator, Linda pushed Red Button indicating '3', meanwhile I was applying lipstick looking into the mirror. I heard voice of screaming man "Stop Stop Stop Stop Helena..Stoooppp" with loud running footsteps, it made me look out of mirror. It was "Lucas".

    He works for an Outsource agency serving there Hardware and Software Management Services to ADC Teleservices Ltd., So whenever my desktop shows any difficulty, Lucas runs for the services. He works in this premises since so long, but I have never seen him frustrated as me and Linda are. Even sometimes I wished to swope my with him though I have no skills for his work. And For my work ?? No skill is required, maybe that's the reason I am working here.

    His stop, Stop voice made me react immediately and I pressed the STOP button, also stooped the door by hurdling it with my right leg.

    "Thank you girl", He said with a smiling face and rushed inside the elevator and continued "But Pressing Stop Button was enough, U did not need to show your unsafe stunt here" and laughed.

    Linda laughed too without looking at me. 

    "Yeah I know"  I passed the Lipstick and mirror to Linda. 

    "I'm gonna miss you" Lucas pressed the 3rd and 4th floor's button again.

    "I am not dying" I said with a sarcastic smile on my face.

    "So rude, I expected it to be 'Me Too" Lucas said with heavy breathing

    'For what??" I was curious and shocked this time because of his strange voice tone.

    "Please don't Say you don't remember", still managing to breathe normally.

    "Remember??, You will be missing me??" "Why am I supposed to miss u back ??" wait let me check my texts, I don't remember you sharing me your cancer report or something" I replied and pretended to check my mobile, at the same time  I winked at Linda she smiled at me back still busy in her touch-up.

    "Can you girls please stop, you know this is my last day, be nice to me at least till evening" 

    "Wait! Last day, What are you talking about? Are they firing you?" I said with my voice more shocked this time, and put my phone in my bag to focus more on our conversation.

    We reached 3rd Floor, Lucas had to go on 4th Floor but he stepped out with us on 3rd floor to complete the talk.

    "As I remember, I told you all about leaving this office soon and to start up my own business." he asked with his voice numb.

    "Yes I do, '' Linda said, putting her makeup stuff back to her backpack.

    "Even I do, but it was just a week ago" I replied.

    "Week is enough to make a Simple Good Bye Greeting Card at least" he sounds upset. We stopped at the corridor to talk and Linda gave a catch you again gesture to us and walked to the cubicle.

    Linda is less bothered about what Lucas does, actually they were good friends before, not as us but better than how they are today. But since I suggested her to think about Lucas, I think they can make a great couple together, she has stopped talking to him. 

    This is why I disagree her for her opinion about boys, when I tell her to think about someone, she starts ignoring them but gets attracted towards fuck boys and calls them hot though some of them are really hot but why to ignore good guys for them.

    "Ohh Damn, I am Sorry, I thought you really care about me leaving this place forever" he sounded more upset this time.

    "I didn't really realise you were about to leave in a week" I said with a convincing voice.

    "So you ignored, its fine, I am in hurry anyways, catch me before you leave" he said and sarcastically further added "If u can"

    "Oh C'mon Lucas, You know I love you, Right?"

"Yeah I know, I know!, Gotta go otherwise my boss will kill me"    

    "Yeah fine" I turned to walk, but stopped him again "Wait, your boss? He never visits here, do he?"

    "This is my Last day, so he come here to wished me good luck for future and also he is appointing my replacement"

    "Great, catch you for lunch", I smiled at him with pat on his back.

    I walked towards my cubicle as soon as he left.

    'He isn't kidding" I told Linda in a worried voice, keeping my backpack on my desk.

    I pulled my chair close to Linda before seating and waited for her response.

    "Who" she replied with her eyes on her computer screen.

    "Security Guard" I said.

    "Really, but about what?" she replied without looking at me and pretending to work on a very important nuclear project.

    "You know what I am talking about" I asked with a numb voice, and pressed the Green Button of my CPU to turn it on.

    "No I Don't", still pretending to be working.

    "Can you please keep your world's most important and urgent work aside for a while and listen to me. You know I am talking about Lucas, please don't behave like you don't, even if you really don't do." I screamed at her with my voice as low as possible but she could hear.

    Finally she turned to me and made eye contact with me stating "Say" with a normal voice.

    "He is leaving" I said

    "So what?" Who is going to work here for life long? At least not me between us, and you?"

    "Me neither, but don't you think one week's notice is too short, when he told us a week ago about his wish to leave his job, he wasn't even sure."

    "Do you love him?" Linda asked me straight into my eyes with one of her eyebrows raised.

    "Are you mad? Not even in my dreams" "Not at all", I answered in the same way she asked.

    "So why do you bother?"

    "Because he is my friend" 

    "Yeah, who visits you only when your computer shows problems, do you remember any day you called him for purpose other than his hardware services.

    "Maybe that's how we became friends, because of my computer and even I never visited him or called him but it doesn't mean we are not friends."

    "Okk, so what do you want to hear now?"

    "At least he shall have informed us a month ago, don't you think?"

    "But, who do you think of yourself? his boss?? Chill, he told us a week ago, what we did? Ignored like we never listened."

    "Yeah, we made a mistake but isn't it too sudden?"

    "Look, you are sad, less because he is leaving and you're gonna miss him but more because people around you are leaving and you are still stuck here." Linda turned back to Computer and pointed me to work.

    I was speechless, I had no answer to what Linda said, but meanwhile was asking some questions to myself "Was it my fake concern?, Am I jealous of Lucas?"

    Somehow I managed to concentrate on my work. I put my headphones on for my first call of the Day.

    I don't know what kind of help we really do to people through our outbound teleservices? My job is to call people and ask whether they are interested to have credit cards, and tell them procedures if they respond yes. I find it the most baseless and useless job in the world. If any person is in need of a credit card, what is he expected to do? To sit on the sofa, in front of the television, changing channels with the remote in one hand and eye on the phone in the other hand and waiting for my call?? Like yeah, Helena Smith is going to call me soon and ask me whether I need any Credit card? Really?

    If someone really wants a credit card, he will look for services, agents or get it by any other way. And definitely will not wait for a call saying "Knock, Knock, do you want some credit cards?"

    "Damn! It is a credit card, not ice cream, that people could crave for a credit card after hearing the words "Credit Card", as they do for ''Ice Cream". 

    Another dumbest thing about my job is to achieve the target of Selling credit cards. It is credit card not random food product that anyone can have it and they will need more supply again on just next day, how can you expect us to sell credits card to specific number of people we call, when more of them are busy in doing their stuff while taking our call and even if they are chilling do you expect them to mute television, or switch it of, and jump on the sofa with excitement, saying "Yes, please tell me the procedure, this is the call I was waiting for since day I born."

    "Lunch Time"  words of Linda brought me back to office from my thoughts. I removed my headphones off and followed her to the canteen.

         We did not share a word after our last conversation. It has 2 reasons,first what I said about her hot guy and second what she said about Lucas.

    Lunch time is the only time in my office that I miss on my weekend, because preparing meals and washing dishes takes half of my day on weekend, though my food does not match with what I eat here, nor in taste neither in looks. Food here I eat is delicious.e

    Linda was walking faster than me, she already took her place in the canteen with a plate in her hand, where I just reached the counter. I took two meals, for me and Lucas and went to the table Linda was sitting on. I made a smiley on Lucas's Omelette with tomato ketchup and called him, he uttered "On my way, on my way" immediately after picking up the call. "

    "Ok" I replied  

    Lucas did not even listen to my "Ok" maybe he took his phone away from ears, but I could hear someone else, "get some booze too!!" and "Okk Bro" Lucas replied to him then I cut the call off.

    Linda looked into the plate and smiled wider than the smiley I made on that plate.

    So I added some more effort and made Origami flower of the tissue paper on our table and kept it on one side of his plate and wrote a quote on another tissue for our formal friendship. I was just about to wrap a fork in that tissue paper, Linda snatched that paper from my hand and read it. She gave it back to me and said "Copied from google".

    "Feelings Matter" I smiled at her and continued to wrap a fork in that tissue paper and kept it on the other side of the plate.

    "I can shift to other table if you don't want me to disturb your date"

    "Shut up, you jealous bitch" I replied.