MIRA

2. A Visitor

''Yeah, I'll mail it to you Sandeep,'' Mira said while spreading jam on her toast that morning. 

It was a Friday and Mira was getting ready to go to the office. Apart from a load of pending work, a weekly meeting was also scheduled today and Mira had to make sure she had all the required documents and reports ready for the meeting. As usual, Mira hustled through the morning and left her apartment to catch the bus to work.

Working from home for a year had made going to the office on alternate days of the week very challenging, especially since Bangalore's heavy traffic was something Mira despised the most as if it would drain her out every time. Nonetheless, with Covid's restrictions removed, her boss Vengadheshwaran (aka Venga) insists on social interaction as part of the work experience. So the thrice a week concept emerged to facilitate interaction among the staff at work. 

On her way to work, Mira had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know why but thought it could be the nerves for today's meeting or just the early morning hustle that made her feel that way. Maybe, it will eventually go off later in the day.

*******

Mira's office was located at a business park in Sarjapur. As Mira walked into the office building on the 7th floor she greeted the receptionist, Neha in the lobby. The rest of the day went by smoothly at work. At lunchtime, Mira and her colleagues went to the food court downstairs. 

''You guys think Venga has a  girlfriend?'' Vidya (Mira's friend and colleague at work) asked.

''I think he might be secretly married.'' Nidhi, another colleague said.

''You girls don't have anything else to talk about or what?'' Sandeep mocked.

''Exactly guys! Leave the poor fellow alone!'' Mira said and laughed. 

''Arre come on! We're just curious! Besides, he's really good-looking!'' Vidya giggled. 

Vidya was right. Venga had at least ten years of experience in the risk analysis industry but he looked a lot younger than his age. He was tall and lean, sporting aviator styles specs and a beard. He would always be in casuals which meant a casual checked shirt and denim. Maybe this was the reason why the ratio of women at the office was much higher than that of men, Mira would wonder. None of it mattered because Venga was a very chill boss. He was friendly and accommodating as long as the work was done. In case anyone had not done the work delegated by Venga to a level of satisfaction, they would be in it for worse! However, he never yelled out at the staff publicly. He would always speak to them privately, which was one thing that Mira appreciated about him. After all, no one likes to be humiliated in public for their poor performance. 

When Mira had first attended the interview to join PRISM, Venga along with the HR head Lilly had interviewed her. Mira did feel intimidated by Venga. 

''Your writing and analytical skills are excellent Mira, which would be a plus point to what we do here. But coming from  a Marketing background, don't you feel you will require some extra knowledge in the risk analysis sector?''

This question was not easy for Mira, but she handled it smartly and said that despite coming from a marketing background, her analytical skills had made her more inclined to risk analysis. Believe it or not, it got her the job. Venga was impressed with Mira's confidence and work ethic. Since then, working under the guidance of Venga has been a breeze for Mira. Unlike the other girls, Mira was not interested in Venga's personal life. Though she shared a good professional rapport with him, it did not extend to having coffee or lunch, unless of course, it included the other group of colleagues.