I for Irritation !!

Karan was reading the mail he had received from the Mumbai team. The mail gave the prerequisites for the final presentation along with the agenda for the meeting. Karan and his team would be required to do a final presentation to the core team and that would be followed by a discussion with their finance head.

Karan read the mail in detail, making sure he was not missing out on the finer details. He kept glancing at his inbox occasionally while going through the mail, as if he was expecting to see a new mail pop up in his inbox. 

As soon as he had received the mail, Karan forwarded it to Rajiv. He did not want to let Rajiv leave the team. He was sure there was some misunderstanding and it would be taken care of. It was the same hope which made him reach out to Rajiv on a continuous basis for the last three days. He had called him everyday but to no avail. His messages were not being replied to and his efforts to meet him at his place were not successful. 

After receiving the mail, he was sure Rajiv would also be excited and eagerly forwarded it to him. He had called him immediately and when there was no response he had dropped an SMS about the mail 

It had been almost two hours since then and Karan still did not hear from Rajiv. He thought the email would be the ice breaker but not receiving a response was not an encouraging sign. 

Karan was beginning to get irritated. It was time to take a decision and he had to do it quickly.

He opened the mail and started writing a reply to the Mumbai team.

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H for Happy !!

He was not really sure how far or for how long he had been driving. He wanted to go on a long drive to clear his mind of the clutter but his thoughts still kept going back to the discussion with Rajiv.

Karan stopped by the road side tea stall to take a break. He looked at his watch and realized he had been driving for close to two hours now. The long drive had helped him partially clear his mind, though there were a lot of questions for which he would have liked answers.

The evening sky was being engulfed by dark black clouds and it looked like a storm was just around the corner.“Kaka, ek chai”, Karan spoke in the local language. While his tea was being prepared, Karan made a call. There was no response from the other side and he let it ring till the call got disconnected. Rajiv did not answer, not that Karan expected him to, but he still made an effort. Karan was sure he would get all the answers and it was just a matter of time. 

Karan stood leaning against his parked bike still waiting for his tea. He was on the outskirts of the city and the roads were relatively empty. On the other side of the road, he saw a group of school boys, running towards the bus stand to catch a bus home. A young boy was cycling his way home, his cheeks puffed out as he used every sinew to take the cycle forward against the wind. The rain was fast approaching but Karan was in no hurry to go home. If there was one thing he loved, it was the rain.

Be it making paper boats and leaving them in the puddles of rain water or playing soccer with friends in a heavy downpour, Karan never missed a chance to enjoy the rain. He knew he had yet another chance to enjoy it today. It would start raining in the next 10 - 15 minutes and Karan had a good 2 hours of driving to do to reach home.  

A sip of the hot ginger tea brought Karan back to the present and along with it the worries came flooding back.  He had to get back to his own team and discuss the situation with them. What will he tell his team? How would they react? A lot of questions needed to be answered and there was also the not so small matter of talking to the Mumbai team to apprise them of the situation.

Right now Karan needed to relax. A relaxed mind was a good medium to solve problems and he knew it well. It just about started to drizzle as Karan started his bike. By the time he picked up speed, it started raining heavily. Humming his favorite Kishore Kumar songs, Karan drove in the rain enjoying every second of his drive. The long drive and rain had helped him to clear his mind of all doubts and put his worries to rest, albeit temporarily.

By the time he reached home, Karan was completely drenched. As he stepped in, he saw his appa and uncle discussing over a cup of tea. “Amma, Karan is here”, Akshu shouted and before he shut her mouth she continued, “and he is completely drenched.” The next moment he could hear amma’s voice, “how many times do I tell you Karan, why can’t you wait till the rain stops. Why do you get drenched every time?” He could hear Akshu chuckle and turned around to see his dad and uncle also join her in laughter.  

Karan changed into a dry pair of clothes and walked out into the hall. Munching on the hot snacks, he saw all of them around the center table deeply engrossed in a game of UNO.  A smile crossed his lips as he looked at all of them. All the troubles, all the worries seemed to vanish when he was home.

Home made him happy and he knew there was nothing in the world that he could trade for this happiness. He squeezed in the gap between appa and Akshu, not to miss out on the snacks or the happy moments. 

At the same time, in a different corner of the city, Kumar was driving back home, plotting his next move and Rajiv was struggling to stand on his feet, waiting for a cab to drop him home. 

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G for Guilt !!

"Well done Rajiv. I am glad you took the right decision." Kumar said, raising his voice to be heard over the loud music in the bar.Rajiv came to meet him as soon as Karan left.

When Kumar first spoke to him against Karan, Rajiv was absolutely livid with Kumar."I have spent enough time with Karan to understand him. I am sure he would never ever think of doing something like this. You should have seen him during various discussions with the team. Karan is passionate about this idea and I trust him to take it forward".

"Enough time?" Kumar asked sarcastically. You two have been interacting for the last 6 months and you claim that is enough time?", Kumar mocked Rajiv.

"Don't forget I and Karan have spent two years studying together in the same college. We were part of the same team as well and you have to realize I know a lot more about him than you think you do."

"That was almost an year back Kumar. Karan might have changed a lot." Rajiv replied. " After all you two have not been talking since your graduation ceremony."

This discussion had taken place almost a month back. Though Rajiv was vehemently denying it, Kumar knew that their first discussion had sown the seed of doubt in Rajiv's mind. After that it was just a matter of two meetings at their regular hangout - "Discovery Bar" before Rajiv had fallen for his trap.

Kumar knew Rajiv was his best bet to play spoilsport with Karan's plans. Kumar and Rajiv were friends through a common friend. When he learnt of Rajiv's partnership with Karan, Kumar made sure he got every detail about the project. Once he knew the details he set about to trap Rajiv and derail Karan's grand plan.

Back in the bar, Rajiv was talking, "when you spoke about it for the first time I thought you were being cynical about Karan. In fact I decided not to meet you too often." Rajiv was beginning to feel the effect of his drink. "Thank God I met you Kumar. Otherwise Karan would have ruined my life. I trusted him blindly and did not notice his intentions. Thank you Kumar, thank you so much. I owe you a drink bro."

"What are friends for if we cant help each other", Kumar looked Rajiv in the eye while he spoke. "I just told you what I know about him. I am happy you read the situation and took the right decision." Kumar called for the waiter to get the bill." The drinks are on me Kumar. I owe you a drink." Rajiv said, struggling to stand up

Kumar looked at Rajiv and smiled to himself. " That was so easy Rajiv. Thank You", the words coming out as a mere whisper. 

As Kumar walked back to his parked car, he was in jolly spirits. His mission of getting back at Karan had just started. Normal people might feel bad about planning some body's failure but Karan was not just somebody and Kumar was not normal either. 

Kumar tried to recollect the word that defined that feeling when it struck him suddenly. Guilt !! yes that is what they call it. 

Feeling guilty was the last thing on Kumar's mind. Guilt was an emotion which had no place in Kumar's life especially when it was about Karan.

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F For Frustration !!

"Lets go to our usual hangout and discuss", Karan urged Rajiv. 

"I don't think there is much to discuss." Rajiv replied bluntly. "Even if we have to, we don't have to go back to the place where we started it to end it, should we?"

"End it?" It was Karan's turn to raise the decibel level. 

"We are just about beginning it Rajiv. The phone call from the Mumbai team is a big step forward. Let us focus on getting the final pitch, rather than wasting our energies on such discussions."

"Focus on what Karan?, on getting you a chance to hog the limelight, yet again"

"I am least bothered about the limelight, Rajiv."

"But you never missed out on the chance to bask in it"

"What is this about Rajiv. Can we have a matured one to one discussion, rather than trade these unpleasant one liners."

"I am neither interested in the one liners nor the discussion, Karan."

"Then what is your interest?"

"As of now let's just say that my interests are different from your interests." Rajiv had no intention of backing off and Karan was beginning to realise it. 

"What changed in the last two days Rajiv. We were there on Saturday fine tuning the idea and here we are today, discussing interests or lack off ." Karan was almost pleading for answers. 

"Change is the only constant in life". "Remember this quote? Rajiv asked him sarcastically. 

"I loved the statement when you used it for the first time. I am sure you would remember it well Karan."

"Let us not fool ourselves anymore Karan. I am not interested to be a part of the team. I don't think I can contribute to the team."

"But what will happen to the project Rajiv? Can we set aside our personal differences, for the sake of the project. You know how much effort the team has put in so far. All the team believed in us, they believed in our idea to come along this far."

Rajiv let Karan continue. He was not really interested to respond. 

"Would you be okay if you become the point of contact. I will back off and let you take control. You can communicate with the Mumbai team, you can lead all the meetings. I will stay in the background, if that is what you want." Karan realised Rajiv was not even listening. 

"Please Rajiv. Let me know the reason. We will be getting the mail in the next few hours and we should get started with work."

"Respond to the mail Karan. Tell them you will prepare for the final presentation", Karan almost heaved a sigh of relief before Rajiv continued. "Also tell them about the changes in the team. They would not be happy if they realised later that the team changed. Tell them that I am no longer part of the team."

"Come on Rajiv, you know they will not accept it and you pretty well know the consequences of that statement." 

"Are we done Karan.", Rajiv stood up and stretched himself. "I need to go out and meet a family friend. Lets catch up some time later."

Rajiv left the room before Karan could respond. Karan looked helpless as he got up to leave. He made every effort to change Rajiv's mind but to no avail. That left him frustrated. 

Rajiv was the tech geek. His technical expertise along with Karan's ability to sell was the killer combination that got them a call from the Mumbai team. If Rajiv was not part of them team, Karan was sure the next discussion would hit a road block.

From sheer delight to being reduced to this state of frustration in two hours was too much to handle for Karan.

Karan knew being frustrated wouldn't help him in thinking objectively. A long drive was a good option to clear his frustration and he was on his way.

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E for Envy !!

"Hey Rajiv, this is awesome man, you wont believe what had just happened. I received a call from Mumbai", Karan's voice was bubbling with delight. "Any guesses who might have called", Karan wanted to keep the surprise going. 

"No idea bro, tell me who was it", Rajiv's question was short and to the point, as always. 

Karan had met Rajiv almost three years back at the birthday party of a common friend. A party which had booze as its main agenda was not to the liking of either of them. Isolated guests that they were, both of them killed time discussing random subjects. As the party went on, both of them realized they had a common interest towards business ideas. 

Over the next few months, they met almost daily, spending hours together discussing ideas. Ideas which ranged from earning a few dollars to ideas which they thought would change the world. Along with a whole lot of ideas, disposed tea cups and stubbed out cigarette butts were also a part of their discussions. 

"The team called from Mumbai. They liked our idea and wanted us to make the final presentation. We will be getting an email with all the details.", Karan continued in his upbeat mood. 

"Did they call you?", Rajiv's question was short and simple, yet again. But before Karan could answer, he continued, "Both our numbers were shared in the document right?". Rajiv's question was short again but it wasn't simple and Karan felt it immediately. 

"Big deal Rajiv, they wanted to let us know and must have picked my number". Karan replied. 

"Yeah, they must have picked your number and no wonder they will be mailing you the details", Rajiv stressed that extra bit on the word "You". 

"Rajiv, does that really matter. I thought you would be thrilled hearing this and here you are asking me such questions." Karan tried to dispel any negative thoughts in his mind. 

"It matters Karan", Rajiv spoke in a firm tone. "It does matter. Both of us were in this right from the beginning. We spent our time to give shape to the idea. We brought in few more friends to take it further. It was always about "We" doing it together. But when it came to the big things, I see the "We" breaking up into "You" and "I". When the idea was to be emailed to the Mumbai team, you did it by yourself. When the initial telephonic call happened, I was not a part of it. It was only you. Even now, when the team wanted to take it forward, you are the one who gets the call, while I have to hear it from you."

Karan was taken aback by Rajiv's outburst. He cleared his throat and tried to speak but was interrupted by Rajiv's voice. " You know Karan. I should have realised this a lot earlier. I have been ignoring the warning signs. "

"Hey Rajiv, what warning signs are you talking about. Tell me this is a joke. I have never heard you speak like this before." 

"Stop it Karan. This is no time for jokes. I should have realized a lot earlier that I was being misled."

"Rajiv, I am on my way to your place. We need to sit and talk this out. See you in 10 minutes."

Karan was already on the bike by the time he disconnected the call. This needed to be sorted out and had to be sorted out quickly. 

As he drove, that conversation kept playing in his mind. He tried to understand where this was coming from.

Was Rajiv Envious of him?

The only person who could answer this was Rajiv and Karan wanted the answers. 

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Read the next part here F for Frustration

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