WHAT A SURPRISE!

' ' ' Its cool man, got red bottoms on. Life is good, you know what I mean? ' ' '
-- Future

/* Kabilan is at Big Bazaar buying some essentials for the house. He comes out and happens to catch a glance of Shivani. He cannot believe his eyes */

Kabi: Shivani!

Kabi: Shivani!!

# She turns around

Kabi: Fuck, what are you doing here?

Kabi: How are you?

Shivani: I'm good, I'm good. It's nice to see you by the way.

Kabi: When did you come back?

Shivani (Wondering): It's been. . . Its' been. . . It's been a few months actually.

Kabi: Arey ek baari bolna toh chaiye na aane k baad.

Shivani: I know, but I've just been so caught up after coming back.

Kabi (Intrigued): Nice. Nice

Kabi: Are you busy right now?

Shivani: No, not really, but. . .

Kabi: Come let's have lunch! We really need to catch up, man. You. . . 

Shivani:  I'm actually supposed to meet a friend of mine. She should BE here in 15 minutes.

# He sees a juice center in sight

Kabi: Juice toh pi sakti hai na?! K juice se bhi allergy hai?!

Shivani: I guess, I can. . . 

Shivani: Alright.

# They finally order juice and sit down

Kabi: So tell me, how's everything?

Shivani: Good, everything's good.

Kabi: How's college?

Shivani: College!? I graduated.

Kabi: Graduated? Oh haan, haan. Photos dekhe the tera.

Kabi: So when are you going back?

Shivani: Actually I'm not going back.

Kabi: Kya!? Par tera toh pehele se plan tha na, to graduate and work in Melbourne itself!?

Shivani: Plans badal bhi toh sakte hain

Kabi: Hmmm. . . 

Shivani: I'm actually working for Accenture now.

Kabi: What! That's amazing!

Shivani: But enough about me, what's going on with you? How are YOU doing?

Kabi: Mera toh sab sahi hai yaar. Mast hai, office bhi sahi chal raha hai.

Kabi: Bas ghar wale shaadi karwane pe tule hain

Shivani: Haha, well unka kehena bhi galat nahi hai.

Kabi: Tu bhi!?

# Shivani starts laughing

Kabi: Kya yaar, ese uncle lagta hun kya mai.

Shivani: Nahi, nahi, mat kar shaadi.

Kabi: Yeh hui na baat. Tu hi saachi dost hai.

Shivani: Haha

Kabi (Reminiscing): You remember. . . 

Shivani: What?

Kabi: Back in college you, me and HIM. We would bunk classes only to go and sit in "Mom's Dining" and just chat for hours.

Shivani: Haaan, I know. I remember.

Kabi: And then from there go back home, grab a couple of beers and just watch football videos.

Shivani: And for some reason, every time we bunked they turned out to be practical classes.

Kabi: Haaan! Correct!

Kabi: Abhi dekhti hai football?

Shivani: Mujhe toh tab bhi nahi pasand tha. Tum log laga dete the toh dekhna padta tha.

Kabi: Esa nahi hai kabhi kabhi tere pasand ka bhi lagate the 😙

Shivani: Haan, haan, bilkul 😏

Kabi: 😁

Kabi: Aur wo tera patent dialogue.. kya tha?

Shivani: Kya? Kaunsa?

Kabi: Wo... Haaan.

Kabi: Acha kahin bahar khane chalein?

Shivani (😁): Dekhungi

Kabi: Acha koi movie dekhne chalein?

Shivani: Sochungi

Kabi: Aur fir?

Shivani (😘): Aur fir nahi bataungi. 

Kabi: 😄

Kabi (Pondering): Those were the days, man!

# He looks at Shivani

Kabi: Did you.. get a chance to meet HIM?

Shivani: Yeah, I did.

# Silence ensues

Shivani: How's HE?

Kabi: HE's good. HE's good.

# Shivani looks away

# Kabilan looks down for a moment and thinks

Kabi: Tere jane k baad toh bahut busy ho gaya wo.

Kabi: Pata nahi busy tha ya. . . 

Kabi: Pura time office me hi reheta tha. Subha jaldi jata, raat ko late aata. Being in the same house, there were times we wouldn't even see each others face for weeks. Baat karna toh durr ki baat.

Kabi: Abhi bhi pata nahi lekin tere jane k baad kabhi baat nahi ki usne tere baare me.

Shivani (Looks away): Hmmm. . . 

Kabi (Pondering): How times change?

# Silence ensues

Shivani (Politely): People change

# He looks at her for a second 

Kabi: Tu bata, TUNE kya kiya Melbourne me? MCG gayi?

Shivani: MCG?

Kabi (😳): Melbourne Cricket Ground. Tu Melbourne me hi thi na?!

Shivani: Haan, but I don't watch cricket na!

Kabi: MCG nahi dekha toh kya dekha.

Shivani (😒): Aur bhi jagayein hain dekhne ko.

Kabi: How is Melbourne? Melbourne me hi thi ya did you visit other cities, like Adelaide, Perth?

Shivani: I went to Sydney. Sydney is amazing! By far the most happening city I've been to.

Kabi: Did you get to see the Opera House?

Shivani: I did! Ohh it's amazing, what do I say I'm lost for words! It's huge!!!

# Shivani gets a call. She looks at her phone 

Shivani: I think my friend is here, I have to leave now. But it was nice catching up with you after so long!

Kabi: Same to same

Shivani: 😁

# She stands up and starts walking out

Kabi: Kahin khane chalein kya kal?

Shivani: Dekhungi

Kabi: Acha thik hai movie?

Shivani: Sochungi

Kabi: Aur fir

# Turning back

Shivani: Aur fir, nahi bataungi

Kabi (😁): Bye!!

Shivani (😊): Bye!

-- HIS OFFICE --

/* It's 2:30 in the afternoon and HE's waiting outside Rajiv's (HIS manager) office */

Rajiv: Come in

HE: What's the urgency Rajiv? I know you'd setup the meeting last week but you told me you wanted to discuss something important?

Rajiv: Ahm. . . I'm not sure you're gonna like this very much.

# HIS mind starts racing, "Why would he fire me all of a sudden!? Did I miss something?"

HE: What's wrong? Did something happen?

Rajiv: No don't worry. It's nothing dramatic.

# Rajiv continues

Rajiv: As you know, the board is determined to get things back on track, and they are happy how things have grown positively in the current project, and I personally appreciate your efforts.

HE: Thank you.

Rajiv: Being the Senior Engineer, you held the team very well!

Rajiv: The deployment will complete successfully by the end of this week here and phase 2 will start. . . 

HE: But we're already in phase 3..

Rajiv: Yes.

Rajiv: I'm talking about phase 2 development of the portal in our Dublin office.

HE: Oh, okay.

Rajiv: The team there, right now is going through a difficult patch. The dev team has a code cut-off 3 months from now and the testers sit here in India, so all the code comes back here. And the project manager as a result is struggling with his team, and frankly, as the scenario looks phase 2 won't go into deployment until the end of the year.

HE: What is the planned date for deployment?

Rajiv: It's October, but they're reconsidering it.

Rajiv: The board is planning to reconstruct the leadership team. A team that could rise to the challenges they would be facing in the coming months. You see, after considerable amount of shuffling and reshuffling and having discussed this with the board extensively. We've decided you. . . 

HE (Startled): You want me to join the development team?

# Rajiv stops talking

Rajiv: No.

Rajiv: We want you to be the Project Manager of the development team.

# HE is lost for words

Rajiv: It has been a difficult process. I haven't told anyone this, but that's what the board is thinking at the moment.

# HE finally manages to babble

HE: Project Manager? You want me to be the Project Manager?

Rajiv: I know it's an overwhelming role.

HE: But, I have no background in project management.

Rajiv: But the board is willing to take that chance.

HE: You need to understand I've been a developer all my life.

Rajiv: Listen, I've seen your work, plus you've worked on this project before, a lot of people think you've added some pretty great ideas. I think you'll figure this out.

HE (Anxious): I'll figure this out?

Rajiv: Yes. It's very important, you know.

HE: I KNOW, it's important!

# HE composes himself

HE: Listen Rajiv, I just don't think I'm the right choice. It's not the place I can add the most value, can I ask you to reconsider?

Rajiv: I know it sounds like a shocker. You don't have to give me an answer right now. Think about it, give it sometime but not too much time.

Rajiv: It's a good, 2 years of project and if you do well which I'm certain you will. They'll extend your contract and put you on a new one.

Rajiv: Think about it. It's Dublin. You're young, you're single. Honestly if I were you I would've jump at that opportunity.

Rajiv: So let me know, what you decide. 

HE: I will.

Rajiv: Alright then.

HE: Thanks a lot, Rajiv!

Rajiv: No worries.

# HE leaves his office

# Comes back to HIS desk and starts contemplating

-- X --