Rule no.1 :- Don't go to reunion parties
Sivaangi groaned at the blaring light pouring through her very long curtains as she squinted her eyes open unwillingly to look around for her phone. She was met with a very unpleasant message,
“Dear Ms. Krishnakumar. After careful consideration of your resume we think our requirements would not align with your qualifications..”
She stopped reading at “careful consideration”, honestly. Another day, another rejection.
She sat up stiffly, trying to ignore the anxiety that was slowly pulsating through her. 6 months without a job. She didnt how she survived this long. The state of her room soured her mood even more, with all the clothes and papers strewn about.
As she was simmering with self-pity, her phone dinged again. She held it up, to see a text from her best friend, Kavya.
Kavya:- Give me two good reasons why I shouldn't kill my boss
Sivaangi:- 1. Rent 2. The incredibly hot guy in HR
Kavya:- Yeah, those are good reasons
Sivaangi:- What did he do this time?
Kavya:- Oh you know, just the casual bout of sexism and misogyny. Nothing else.
Kavya:- What happened to your application?
Sivaangi :- Unfortunately, I haven't been given the chance to experience sexist bosses yet.
Kavya:- Oh honey. I’m sorry.
Kavya:- You know what? I’m taking you out for dinner after work today, okay?
Sivaangi:- As long as you're not in jail for murder.
Kavya:- No promises *tongue sticking out emoji*
Sivaangi sighed as she tossed her phone aside. She didn't know how to feel about rejections honestly. One part of her filled with dread, knowing that she needed money another part of her was secretly happy that she wasn't stuck with a job she would hate so much
She wanted to write, she wanted to be an author. But because her parents are Indian, they’d forced her to get a degree in Commerce which meant her prospective yet non-existent job would involve numbers. And she hated numbers.
Her living room was equally messy, with her TV still turned on, and takeout boxes strew everywhere. She got about cleaning it up and herself when her eyes landed on her unpacked boxes from her last apartment. When she lost her job 6 months ago she moved out of her expensive apartment and moved in here. Her eyes raked over the box that was labelled, “High School stuff.”
Her legs moved on her own and before she knew it, she was opening the box. She saw her old certificates filed away and she dug deeper before she pulled her slam book. She knew that such things were out of practice now, but when she was a kid it was a big thing to show around your slam book and get it filled. A smile of nostalgia-filled her face, as she spotted Kavya’s entry and much more before she landed on a page that made her heart stop.
Aadarsh Kapoor.
Despite the uncomfortable feeling in her chest, she read the entry. In the “how much do you like me?” question, he’d scribbled a 9.
Her chest felt tight and she stuffed the slam book hurriedly back into the box before tucking back into the corner. She’d have to stuff that box away somewhere.
Her ears caught the attention of the TV which was spewing out morning news, “...infamous CEO of Blackburn Companies was caught with popular model Naina Mehta. Naina is known for her controversial opinions on the working class and poverty which was a matter of notice in her previous Vogue magazine interview..”
