Changing Shades - I

Anjali came over to Mansi's desk. "Heard the news?"

Mansi looked up from her drawing board quickly. "What? He's coming?"

Anjali nodded. “Just heard from the old man.” This was the disrespectful way they referred to their old boss, the head of the small architect firm in which Anjali was secretary to the old man, and Mansi, a young architect on her first job. Being similar of age, they had fast become good friends. Anjali had been working in the firm since graduating from her secretarial course 2 years ago, the 'old man' being a friend of her father's, and Mansi had joined a year later, after her own problems began and she needed to stand on her feet. They enjoyed their work. The firm was small, the work pressure manageable, and the 'old man' a good and fair boss. They had a good amount of work, and as their boss was not too ambitious, the atmosphere was friendly and very comfortable. He did not compromise on quality, and as a result, the work they had was of a very high standard. But he was choosy, and never took on too many projects, although they had clients queuing outside his office, and this maintained the cosy, informal atmosphere of the place.

But there were changes on the way. The 'old man' had been told to slow down. His heart was giving way. He was unmarried, and had nobody to turn over the business to, nobody to delegate to. Mansi was the only other architect in the office. He had given her the job after his first attack of angina, the first time he had another architect in his domain. But she was too junior to take over the place completely, or to delegate everything to. Hence, he had announced, about a month ago, that he had asked another architect, the head of a small but upcoming firm in Bombay, to visit on a regular basis, with a view to taking over the firm eventually. This other man was young, but headed a very successful firm of his own, and was interested in expanding his own business. The 'old man' stressed to Mansi that she would not be sacked – that was a precondition. Now the new man – 'young prince' or ‘rajkumar’, as Anjali had immediately and irreverently dubbed him, was expected any day, and according to Anjali, that day seemed to have arrived.

“When?” Mansi asked, a shade nervously. “Today, tomorrow?”

“Today, I think. He's on the way,” said Anjali, her own face mirroring her nervousness too. “He's talking to the 'old man' on the phone. I heard the 'old man' ask him what time. Maybe later this morning. Get your drawings into apple pie order. I'd better tidy up my desk. God, what a mess. Why did the 'old man' have to go get angina? This place was so nice! Now everything will change.”

“Maybe not,” said Mansi hopefully. “Maybe he just wants a foothold here, and will let things run the old way for a time. After all, the 'old man' isn't retiring yet. He's going to run the shop for a while.”

Anjali nodded and moved to her own desk, but neither of them were convinced. Both knew in their hearts that things were going to change, and in a big way. How big, neither of them ever envisaged.

The 'old man' appeared at the door of his room. He looked at both the girls, one busy with her drawings, and the other with her correspondence. Both were working with complete concentration and did not notice him. They were good girls, he thought, and very good workers. Anjali ran his office like a dynamo, an excellent and extremely efficient secretary. And Mansi – he sighed as he looked at Mansi. She had gone through so much of hell in her personal life, that the office was a sanctum for her, where she spent the maximum possible waking time, going home only to sleep. She had no social life, no friends apart from Anjali – she kept to herself, surrounded by the protective cocoon she had built up around her, scared to venture out, scared that she would only get hurt again. Her whole being was concentrated in her work, her drawings, her plans. She made plans for beautiful houses for other people, but did not have a place she could call her own home.
The 'old man' sighed again, and then straightened, his face firming. Mansi had come in at a time when he had needed help. She had needed it too, but she had done far more than was required of her, and he was determined that she would not suffer in the deal he was about to make.
He cleared his throat loudly and both girls looked up.

“Ahem, girls,” he said. “Mr. Khanna will be coming in an hour. Please make sure you are both ready and up to date with all your work. But both of you, remember this. You are part of this office, as I am. I'm not kicking the bucket yet, and till I do, neither of you leaves here, unless of your own free will. So you don't have to be worried about anything. That is one of the conditions of this take over.”
“Takeover?” Mansi asked sharply. “Sir, are you…is he taking over the place? Will you not own the firm any more?”

He looked at her kindly. "No, Mansi, I don't mean that. We are going into partnership, but I will still hold controlling rights. I have insisted on that for the time being. I want you both to have time to decide whether you want to work with the new management or not. Things are going to change, I warn you. He is a young man, more ambitious than I ever was, and he will not be content with this small operation for very long, when he sees how much more we can do, with all our contacts and goodwill. But this is goodwill that I have built up, contacts that I have nurtured. He cannot and will not walk in and take them over till I know how he is treating my staff, who has helped for so long. Listen, Anjali, Mansi. This office has been my life. I am alone – I have no wife, no children. This office is all I have. I am not interested in money, never have been. I only ever wanted a place where I could do things my way, and show that one can live very well, without being greedy. I have done that. If I had children, a family, somebody to grow this place for, things may have been different. But I am quite content the way things are, and now that the time has come for me to enjoy the fruits of my work, I can retire quite happily. You both and Suresh are the only people I can call my own, and I promise you, that before I go anywhere, I will make sure that you all are doing well. I have to stop work for some time – my doctor is very clear about that. But I will make sure you are settled before I go.”

Mansi and Anjali listened with growing disquiet. This did not sound like the old man was going to carry on for too long, and that was not good news at all. He smiled at them and they both smiled back, but it took an effort, one that he was aware of, but could do nothing about. He walked back into his office with a heavy step, leaving them to continue with their work.

Anjali and Mansi looked at each other cautiously.

“What do you think?” asked Anjali.

Mansi spoke carefully. “Let's see, Anjali. Let's not be too hasty. Maybe things will work out ok. After all, this place runs well. We have good projects on hand. All the present plans have been approved already. From what the 'old man' said, seems to me that what we can really expect is expansion. If the ‘rajkumar’ wants to expand this place, stands to reason he won't get rid of us – rather, he should want to get in more people. Unless he doesn't like our faces, of course. That we can't do anything about!”

Anjali laughed. “If he's young, and doesn't like our faces, it will be because he is married, and his wife doesn't want two such gorgeous creatures tempting her husband. Unattached ones, that too! Sheer dynamite! Is he married, by the way?”

“No idea,” answered Mansi, smiling back at the other girl’s nonsense. “But as for unattached, I'm not unattached, remember? You seem to be forgetting that very conveniently!”

“You are almost unattached,” scoffed Anjali. “Or soon will be, at any rate. That thing you call a husband has been nowhere on the scene for the last two years, and you can get your divorce uncontested. If you want to, that is. I personally don't know why you're hesitating at all.”

Mansi paused, the smile fading from her face as it became shadowed. “It's not so easy, Angel,' she said slowly. 'Divorce is somehow such a final break. I keep feeling that if I could do something more to help him, maybe he would come back … Maybe I haven't done enough, tried hard enough…”

“Have your in-laws been getting to you again?' asked Anjali shrewdly. 'I think you’ve done more than enough, not just for him, but for them as well. They seem to be taking you for granted now. Everything you earn, you give them. Everything they need, they want, is organised and they don’t even ask how you manage … do they even know …?”

“Enough!” Mansi held up her hand, laughing as the other girl started getting swept away on the tide of her annoyance. “I’m really not such a martyr as you make me out to be, you know. They have been very good to me, Angel. Anyway, that is beside the point. How did we start talking about Manish, anyway?”

“You did,” retorted Anjali. “Claiming you're not unattached! If you'd take my advice, if the rajkumar is good-looking and single, make a bid for him! Young, up and coming, already has his own business. Sounds excellent. I know I'll have a jolly good try!”

Mansi started laughing again, this time without any shadows in her face. And that was the first glimpse that the new boss got of her, when the 'old man' opened the door of the office, to introduce him to his new staff.