A Small Good Bye

I don't know what was making me do all this for Lucas. Was it my own feeling of being emotional for losing one friend at office ? Though it was not actually losing but it was something like that only. Linda was right; we rarely hung out with Lucas other than the purpose of computer services. Even he visited my home once but only when I called him to fix my laptop on the weekend. But during all this purposeful meeting we shared very nice memories together and built a very nice bond with each other. And such bond was not one sided at all maybe that's  why lucas felt upset for me not remembering about his last day in office 

Or it was Lucas's words in the elevator "Be nice to me at least till evening" that made me feel special on this lunch. 

Or maybe I was trying it hard, less for Lucas to feel special but for Linda to realize how good friends me and Lucas are and I am not jealous of him at all. My brain was full of thoughts.

"Hey Girls, Hope I did not make you wait for so long" Lucas arrived, folding his sleeves.

"Not at all, only you turned my coffee in to Cold Coffee" Linda replied

"Hahaha, so funny" I responded, looking both at their faces, pretending to Lucas that Linda is kidding. 

Lucas smiled too, but Linda did not.

"Ok sorry for that, I actually was with my boss when you called, so I had to end the conversation before leaving."

"I understand" I said but it felt bad for what he said. I clearly heard his conversation with another person asking him to bring booze tonight and he replied "ok bro" it was definitely not a conversation with his boss. I don't know why he was lying. Maybe I was wrong about that two sided friendship, good bond and all. 

"Oohh my goodness, that's really very very beautiful, I love you girl" looking at all my set up for his lunch Lucas exclaimed. 

"Thank you, glad you liked" I replied. I wasn't as excited as before. 

Linda somewhere noticed my not so happening tone and jumped in the scenario though she did not want to be part of it. "So will you join us in the evening, I am thinking of giving you a dinner treat with a smiley meal." and she winked at me.

"No he has plans with his BOSS" I uttered and immediately realised I shouldn't have said that.

"Stalker, how do you know?" Lucas patted my shoulder.

"I heard your talk with your friend, when you picked my call"

"Oh I told you, it was my boss, we planned a small celebration tonight, also he is gonna introduce me to some of his friends as investors for my business" Lucas said with an omelette in his mouth.

"He asked you to bring booze and you called him bro, it's not a thing to hide Lucas, dude have some balls please" me continuing eating.

"Why should I hide, even you girls can join us if you want to, and you already know he is my friend before my boss, so I keep calling him bro, dude n all, it's fine between us."

Lucas and I had a few talks about our bosses, I used to bitch about how evil my boss is and he used to tell me how kind his boss is, only towards him.

"Ohh great man" Linda exclaimed.

I was confused whether Linda is still pretending to be interested in this conversation or she really is. So also I was convinced about him not hiding or lying to us. And all negative thoughts were erased, when I found myself over dramatic.  

"Your boss is a gem person, I must say, By the way first of all, Congratulations, and second thing you just crushed a line he wrote for you." I handed him the tissue paper I wrote the quote on. Linda laughed 

"Ohh I am so sorry" Lucas straighten the paper as much as he could, and read the quote in his mind, and continued "It really means alot to me, this is the best lunch I ever had in this office"

"You deserve more than this, but this is what I could manage."

We finished our lunch and stood up to leave the canteen, Lucas and me hugged each other and  we went back to our work place. 

Me and Linda came back to our cubicle and immediately rushed to attend calls.

Lucas and I became friend because of my stupid computer, which keep stop working every next day, so Lucas used to come for fixing it. Actually it is not allotted to them to handle particular computers, initially any random person used to come for fixing it but when I realized Lucas is best one of them and also once I had little fight with one of other guys, and Lucas helped me to get out of that drama, I shared asked for his number and requested for only him to come to fix my computer. As ADC Teleservices Inc. uses 90's model of computer or may be more older, only god knows, it was often meeting between me and Lucas. And during these Computer Fixing sessions I, Lucas and Linda used to share talks' gossips, bitchings etc.  

After attending some calls to change my own mood I thought to do something meaningful for Lucas, Linda showed a "not interested" gesture to be part of anything as she had more work to finish this week.

As Lucas already had plans with his boss, I thought why don't I complete his one more wish here only, A Goodbye Greeting Card, I immediately turned on "Youtube" Website in Incognito Tab on my Computer and typed "Simple Greeting Card Making", results were terrible, even the simple greeting cards has been made by using many stationary stuff, which I couldn't get it here, so I minimized it and opened another Tab and browsed some cartoon pictures in formal dressing, and took colored print out of the same also printed some random Light coloured wallpapers, stapled all three wallpaper printed together, cut off the cartoons printed in shape, and sticked bigger ones on first wallpaper and covered it as much as possible, and  sticked smaller ones on other 2 wallpapers. I copied some Best of luck quotes from google and pasted it on last paper and then I wrote a goodbye lines on the middle page by my own:-

"Be always in touch Lucas, you know who is more gonna miss others between us?, of course me, because I still have trash Computers on my desk. So it will keep stopping working everyday, it will keep making me call for hardware software services, so someone would keep coming to fix it from your agency, but it will not be you. So this all will be an alarm which would keep reminding me of you and make me miss you more. But You definitely not have such routine alarm to remember me, but try to to miss me sure, I love you for every bitching we did together" 

When I said he deserves more, may be this what I meant him to deserve, some really meaningful words. 

I decorated it all with all that I had this time. And planned to surprise him, so I left a second wallpaper open on my table and thought to call him for his service and when he would come to fix it, find this greeting card on the table and be surprised. I also imagined the whole scenario in my mind. The problem was my computer was working at his best level for today. Not a single day I experienced my computer working without problem, since the day I joined my job but today it was more than perfect, maybe because I did not use it for real work today. But it's ok. I had to make my plan work so I called him on his personal phone to ask for help.

Tring Tring Tring Tring, and a few more rings but he did not pick up the call. I left no option but to make a formal call complaining about my computer not working properly, I picked the receiver of Landline of my cubicle and dialed Speed Dial Number 3, they picked call before ringing, how desperate they are to work, anyway, I heard voice from other side,

"Good Afternoon, How may I help You?"

"This is Helena Smith, Calling From Table Number 388, My computer isn't working properly, Can you please send Mr. Lucas Gray for the service."

"Sure mam can you please tell me more exactly what kind of problem it is showing"

"My folders are keep closing automatically, may be some software issues" 

"Thank you mam, I will be there to help you soon"

"Thank you," I replied. I wanted to add "I don't want you to be here but I want Lucas to come" but that's the pattern how they are trained for "I will be there to help you soon" I just wished he did not mean those words. I cut off the call and immediately received another on my mobile, it was Lucas's.

"Hey Sorry I was in Washroom" He said

"Fine, I want you to come for fixing my computer"

"No work on Last day"

"This won't work on me, Come immediately, Now!!!" I ordered.

"Chill bro, I am coming in half hour"

"I have registered official complaint, you need to come immediately"

"Ohh, that's great, so they will send someone else, get used to seeing him, '' he said in a normal tone.

"Shuttup, I want you to come, I got you something"

"Give it to me later, I will surely come to see you before leaving anyway I am on second floor, came here to say bye to some of my friends, if I have to come for your service, then first I will have to go to 4rth floor and make entry about me working on your complain, then I can come, and until I reach to 4th floor, I am damn sure someone else have made that entry, so In short I can't help." Lucas laughed managing his breath after a long monologue. 

"Damn, you know what, Fuck You!!!" I cut the call off.

I was terrified not because Lucas is not coming but because the complaint I registered a few Minutes ago was fake, and I will have to show the same problem occuring.

I dialed his number again, I heard a few rings, Lucas received, "Liste.." Before I could say anything I heard someone calling my number and name '388"? "Helena Smith??" 

I took my mobile away from my ears and Turned my chair to him, "Yess"

I saw 2 men standing behind me, one of them asked "we are here to help with your complain about computer "

Damn, two men to solve one small issue, is this agency so free, maybe they desperately pick up calls before ringing,or maybe the fake complaint I registered about my folders keep closing automatically was a serious one. 

"Can you please leave the chair for us for a while ?" Another said with a rude tone, maybe because of my no response to the first one.

"Yes sure" I was more terrified and clueless now.

Both of those guys were completely opposite to each other. One who was offering help was a little overdressed for this place. He was Gray formal Suit with light blue shirt inside, gray colored tie, black formal shoes, his hairs were perfectly cut off in short length may be as he had hair cut just before coming here. And his voice tone was a lot politer than other one. Meanwhile another one wearing Black oversized t-shirt over denim pants, and wore white sneakers and had a beard grown all over his face. I could guess his age about 27-28 something but his grown beard made him look about 32-35. I already started hating him first for his rude voice tone, and second for his looks, it made me remind myself of the neon man at the bus stop. Though his dressing, shoes and beard was suiting him but still this was not a perfect place for his looks and if someone does not stop him at this age, he will definitely be that neon man at his old age.