“Oh shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! I’m late. I’m screwed…”

I opened the door.

Every eye in the room turned towards me.

“Mr. Tanveer, we’re glad that you were finally able to join us for the meeting,” my manager said sarcastically. “Care to explain why you’re late again, especially when you know this is an important meeting?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I was stuck in traffic.”

“This is not acceptable, Mr. Tanveer. Anyway, let’s continue with the meeting.”

I quietly walked in and took my seat.

What my manager didn’t know was that I had actually left home earlier than usual that morning specifically because I didn’t want to be late.

But apparently, the universe had other plans.

Right in the middle of the road, my bike got a flat tyre.

There wasn’t a puncture shop anywhere nearby.

So I pushed my bike for almost a kilometre before finally finding a mechanic who agreed to repair it quickly.

I thought that was the end of my bad luck.

It wasn’t.

About five hundred metres from the office, my bike’s clutch wire snapped.

The bike stopped.

Again.

At that point, I didn’t even feel angry. I just stood there wondering what else the universe had planned for me.

Somehow, I managed to get the bike to the office and rushed into the meeting.

Now, sitting there, I was thinking about the puncture, the mechanic, the clutch wire and everything that had gone wrong that morning.

The meeting slowly became background noise.

I could hear voices, but they sounded muffled.

And then someone sitting beside me shook me.

“Mr. Tanveer!”

I looked up.

“This is not right! Not only are you late for an important meeting, I’ve been calling you for the past one minute and you are not even present here. Please leave the meeting room. I’ll deal with you later.”

I slowly got up.

Just as I was about to walk out, a phone started ringing.

“How many times have I told everyone that phones need to be on silent during meetings? Whose phone is that?”

I immediately checked my pockets.

It was mine.

I quickly tried to silence it.

“Sorry, sir.”

I walked out of the meeting room.

Who the hell is calling me now? As if my day wasn’t already bad enough.

I answered the call, already irritated.

“Hello?”

“Hi, sir!”

“I’m calling from Takattupettu Bank. Sir, do you have any loan requirement? We have a very good—”

“No. I’m not interested. Thank you.”

“Sir, sir, suniye toh sahi. Abhi maine kuch bola hi nahi. Product ke baare mein explain bhi nahi kiya.”

“Listen, I understand that it is your job to call people from your list and ask whether they have any loan requirements. But I’m not interested. I don’t want anything from your bank.”

“Teek hai, sir. But ek baat—mujhe product toh explain karne dijiye.”

“How many times should I say that I’m not interested? Please don’t waste your time.”

“Achha, theek hai sir. Ek kaam karte hain. Aap product ya offer mat lijiye. Bas mujhe explain karne dijiye. Uske baad aap call cut kar sakte hain. Main khud keh rahi hoon ki aap offer mat lijiye.”

I almost laughed.

“Wow. Kya baat kar rahi ho? Agar mujhe lena hi nahi hai toh main kyun sunu? Aur aisa mat bola karo. Ye calls record hote hain. Tumhare bank wale sun lenge na, toh tumhe fire kar denge.”

“Mujhe kyun karenge, sir?”

“Tumne bola na ki offer mat lo. Bekaar hai.”

“Arrey, maine kab bola? Maine toh nahi bola, sir! Aisa mat boliye. Main bas aapko product aur offer explain karna chahti thi. Uske baad bhi agar aapko nahi lena hai, toh mat lijiye. Maine woh bola tha.”

She paused.

“Waise bhi, agar ye log mujhe nikaal bhi denge na, sir, toh main doosra job dhoond lungi.”

“You think it’s that easy? Market itna kharab chal raha hai. Tumhe lagta hai tumhe jaldi job mil jayega? Jo job hai, usko pyaar se pakad ke rakho. Future ka koi guarantee nahi hai.”

There was a brief silence.

Then she said something that caught me completely off guard.

“Sir, present ka bhi toh koi guarantee nahi hai na?”

I didn’t know what to say.

“Isiliye jo pasand aata hai woh karna chahiye. Jaise main kar rahi hoon. Mujhe naye logon se baat karna bahut pasand hai. Isiliye maine ye job select kiya. Taaki main har roz naye logon se baat kar sakun.”

Her voice suddenly sounded less like a telecaller and more like someone having an actual conversation with me.

“Par aap chinta mat kariye. Agar mujhe relevant job nahi mili na, kuch na kuch kar lungi.”

Then she asked,

“Waise aap itne gusse mein aur rude kyun hain? Kya hua hai?”

I sighed.

“I was in an important meeting. I left home early so that I could reach the office on time. But my bike got a puncture. I repaired it and was almost at the office when it broke down again. Then I was late to the meeting. My manager was angry. I was thinking about all of that during the meeting and wasn’t paying attention. Then my manager got angry again and threw me out.”

I paused.

“And while I was coming out, your call came. My phone wasn’t even on silent. So that was another problem.”

“Oh…”

Her voice immediately softened.

“I’m so sorry, sir. Mujhe pata nahi tha.”

Then, after a small pause:

“Acha… toh ye baat thi.”

She laughed softly.

“Khair, koi nahi. Usi bahaane se aapko mere se baat karna hua.”

I smiled for the first time that morning.

“Meeting toh waise bhi ab attend nahi kar sakte aap. Manager toh waise bhi aapko baad mein gaali dega. Jitna kaand hona tha, ho gaya.”

I laughed.

“Kam se kam mere se baat karne ke baad hope karti hoon ki aapka mann thoda halka ho gaya hoga.”

Then she asked:

“Agar aap bura na maane toh pooch sakti hoon? Aap kitne saal se is company mein kaam kar rahe hain?”

“Three years.”

“And ek baat mujhe samajh nahi aa rahi. Tumhare company wale kuch nahi bolenge kya? Kaam kam aur bekaar ki baatein zyada kar rahi ho.”

“Arrey sir, kaise baatein kar rahe hain aap?”

She laughed.

“Kaam ki baat ke liye hi toh aapse baat kar rahi hoon. Aapki awaaz sunke laga ki kuch theek nahi hai, isiliye pehle pooch liya ki sab theek hai ya nahi.”

Then she changed her tone.

“Khair, ab aate hain kaam ki baat par.”

“Jaise aap teen saal se yahan kaam kar rahe ho… aapko apna job pasand hai?”

I thought about it.

“Apna job kaun pasand karta hai? Job karte hain taaki ek lifestyle lead kar sakein.”

“Kyun sir? Lifestyle ke liye toh business bhi kar sakte ho na? Job hi kyun?”

“Paise, madam ji. Aap kyun kar rahi ho job? Aur tumhare ghatiya bank ki services kyun call karke logon ko tang karke bol rahi ho?”

“Baat toh sahi hai, sir.”

She laughed.

“But mera apna plan hai.”

“What plan?”

“Six months aur ye job karungi. Uske baad apna ek communication centre shuru karungi.”

“A communication centre?”

“Haan sir. Logon se kaise baat karna hai. Call centres mein customers se kaise baat karna hai. Presentations mein kaise communicate karna hai. Clients ke saath, friends ke saath… basically, communication kaise improve karna hai.”

“Wow. That’s actually a nice dream.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Then she asked:

“Aapka kya dream hai?”

I thought for a moment.

“Logon ko affordable prices par basic essentials and services dena.”

“Wow.”

“What?”

“That’s a really good dream, sir.”

I smiled.

“Thank you.”

“So sir… aap kyun nahi kar rahe ho?”

There it was again.

“Phir wahi sawaal! Paise, madam. Paise!”

“Hmm…”

She paused.

“Toh agar aaj aapko paise mil gaye, aap job chhod doge?”

“Pata nahi. Shayad haan.”

“Sir, aapke dream ke liye initial investment kitna chahiye?”

“Three lakhs, maybe.”

“Okay.”

Her voice suddenly became professional again.

“Sir, humaara bank abhi overdraft offers de raha hai. Agar aap apne salary slips denge, toh three lakh ka OD account aapke naam par open ho sakta hai. Aap usse use kar sakte hain. Aur agar use nahi karna hai, toh account waise hi rahega.”

I smiled.

“So this is where you were taking the conversation.”

She laughed.

“Arrey sir, kaam bhi toh karna hai!”

Then she became serious again.

“Waise, aapka dream mujhe zyada pata nahi hai. But basic essentials affordable prices par dena is actually an amazing idea.”

“Why?”

“Because bahut logon ki zindagi badal sakti hai. Aaj ke zamaane mein khaana, kapda aur makaan bahut mehenga pad gaya hai. Ek aam aadmi ke liye secure life jeena hi ek impossible dream ban gaya hai.”

She paused.

“Agar aap successful ho gaye na, toh bahut achha lagega.”

There was something about the way she said it.

She wasn’t selling me a loan anymore.

She was talking about my dream.

Then she suddenly asked:

“Sir, ek aur baat pooch sakti hoon?”

“Haan, poocho.”

“Aapka manager achha banda hai ya khadoos?”

I laughed.

“Kyun pooch rahi ho?”

“Sir, if it’s not personal, bataiye na. Ab itni jaan-pehchaan ho gayi hai.”

“Okay. Tumhe kya lagta hai?”

She thought for a second.

“Bahut khadoos.”

I laughed.

“Poora kaam aapse karwata hai. Credit khud leta hai. Toxic hai. Aap jitna bhi kaam kar lo, jitna bhi sacrifice karo, kabhi appreciate nahi karta.”

I stopped laughing.

“Upar se bolta hai ki ‘tum alag aur zyada kya hi kar rahe ho? You are not even doing what is expected of you.’ Aur doosron se compare karke demotivate karta hai.”

I was silent.

“Fuck.”

“What?”

“Tum mera surveillance kar rahi ho kya?”

She burst out laughing.

“Tumhe kaise pata? Sach batao, tum ho kaun?”

“Haha! Sir, dariye mat. Bola toh tha na, I’m good at talking to people and understanding people. Maine bas guess maara.”

Then she said:

“Sir, honestly, this doesn’t sound like a good place for you.”

I didn’t respond.

“Aap humaara bank ka product lo ya na lo, that’s completely your choice. But I think you should think about leaving.”

“I don’t know how much and how well you work. But aapka dream bada hai.”

She paused.

“And I think you should pursue it.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you.”

There was another pause.

“So, sir… can I get your details so that I can start the processing?”

“No.”

“Par kyun, sir?”

I laughed.

“Tumhi ne toh kaha tha na, ‘sir, mat lo’.”

“Sirrrrr!”

She laughed loudly.

“Maine waisa nahi bola tha!”

“Haha. Just kidding.”

I finally smiled.

“But thank you. It was really nice talking to you.”

“And abhi toh requirement nahi hai. But kabhi hua toh bata dunga.”

I paused.

“And I hope tumhare six months complete hone se pehle company tumhe fire na kare.”

“Haha. Koi nahi, sir. Doosra job kar lungi.”

Then she said something I’ll remember for a long time.

“Mujhme itna confidence hai ki kuch na kuch kar hi lungi. Par haar nahi maanungi.”

She paused.

“And definitely zindagi ko ‘you are a failure’ bolne ka mauka nahi dungi.”

That line stayed with me.

“Thank you, sir, aapka time dene ke liye.”

“And don’t worry. Main shaam ko phir call karungi. Poochne ke liye ki aapka din kaisa gaya.”

“And phir kabhi bank ki services ke liye bhi call karungi.”

“Thank you.”

The call ended.

I stood there for a few seconds.

I looked at the meeting room.

The angry manager.

The broken bike.

The puncture.

The clutch wire.

The terrible morning.

Nothing had changed.

My manager was still angry.

My bike was still broken.

My day was still a mess.

But somehow…

I felt better.

A few minutes ago, I had been cursing the person who was calling me.

Now I was actually glad she had called.

6 PM

Tring…

Tring…

Tring…

I looked at my phone.

It was the same number.

She had actually called back.

I smiled.

And then I disconnected the call.

That morning had taught me something very simple.

It’s okay to have a bad day.

Sometimes everything goes wrong.

Your plans fail.

Your vehicle breaks down.

You reach late.

Your manager gets angry.

You mess up.

You feel frustrated.

You feel like the entire day is against you.

But sometimes, all it takes is

one small positive interaction

to change the way you feel about the entire day.

It doesn’t have to be someone you know.

It doesn’t have to be someone close to you.

Sometimes, it can even be a complete stranger calling you to sell you a loan.

And sometimes…

that’s all you need to make a bad day feel a little less bad.