New developments
"DUFFER! DUFFER UUTOO! came the scream from the skinny girl dressed in a loose kurhta dark night shirt and light lavender bottom. Her skin tone was light and clear, similar to a barbie doll. Just like her features! Almost unrealistic. "Dusky chilla kyun rahi hai.
The guy was in his late twenties, sleeping on his back dressed in a black sports tshirt and white three-fourths which were over baggy. His slightly dark complexion set out the sharp features, though he was no were near khaala' more like sawla' just like the hero he was named after. Irritated he asked, "Kyunki agar tu uttha nahi tho interview par koi aur chauka maar dhega.
That did it. He woke up with such speed that it felt that lightning was slow. "Tu pehele nahi bol sakti kya. Brakefast bhi kaana padega, kithna waqth hai?
"Sirf do ghante. Saab kuch thiyar hai kya? he asked rushing to the bathroom, "Saab thiyar hai. Table par raka hai, main ghar ja rahi hoon. Apni baaki jugad kudh dekle. By Aayan!
Saanj rushed out as the other young boy. The clean shave and the creamy white skin made him seem more like a child than anything as he shoved of the blanket and waved to the girl as she ran out nearly bumping into the plump woman who stood there. "Sorry aunty.
"Arjun uut chuka hai? Uske liye breakfast bahadun? she asked her voice filled with love, the girl smiled sadly her large eyes filled with understanding. "Actually Vandhana aunty vo bahar karne ka pura plan bhana chuka hai. Aap mehenath maath kijiye, uska gussa aaj thoda zyadha hai.
"Saanj kuch kar na beta. Ussko samjao na. the lady begged wiggling her hand and wiping it on the printed apple green duppata she wore with the dark green plane kurtha and bottom. "Aaj nahi karpaungi aunty. Yeah magazine ka kaam uska sapna hai. Kahan kaana hai, kya kaana hai saab kuch thai kardhiya hai usne.
"Thank you beta. she replied, Saanj reached out and squeezed the lady's hand in support before leaving the small two bedroom flat. She walked into the house nearby it was larger than the other one. Three bedroomed and more spacious but the concept was similar! An open kitchen linked to the dining area. Yet the decorations were much brighter and the entire space seemed more happier in general, a woman dressed in a light pink nightie stopped her scolding. "Utta diya apna duffer ko? Nahane ke liye bhi fursath nahi baas baag gayi. Chalo naha kar aajao, har waqth koi na koi bahana karthi ho.
"Aare Suman uska interview haath se nikal jatha tha. Muje jaana pada. the equally thin elderly lady sighed at her daughter. Except for a few changes both were highly similar... facial features she had after all got from her father. Unlike the large eyes of and thick lips of Suman Mathur. "Mathlab tum aise baag kar jathe ho uttane ke liye lekin ghar jaldi aana tho naa mumkin hai tum donon ke liye. Kal saath kithne dheer se aaye the tum dhonon. Gaye kaha?
"Aur kahan? Bappa ka darshan, uske baad chai aur deed saari baathen hai na Saanj beta? asked a voice from behind Suman. Rolling her eyes Suman turned around to see the small built man dressed in a yellow kurtha and pyjamas standing there smiling. He had looked mostly like his daughter except for the watery eyes, "Good morning papa.
Saanj hugged him and fake-wispered, "Prem tumhari biwi kaafi gussse main hai iss waqt sambaal lena.
"Tum jaao aur thiyar ho jao. he replied smileing at his wife, "Prem yeah galath hai. Maana ke Arjun uska boyfriend hai -
"Vo mera boyfriend nahi hai ma. Sirf friend hai. Saanj answered, Prem and Suman chorused, "Jisse tu pyar karthi hai.
Blushing Saanj ran inside her room. The room she shared with her brother, as Suman called out, "Baath tum karogi yaa main karvadhun.
"Haan Saanj bolo na baath kisko karni chahiye ma ko yah kudh propose kardhegi? asked her brother. The stout boy sitting in his chair, laughed his whole body shakeing along with the white school uniform shirt he was ready in. The brown full pants were almost slung into place as the tie was going on, "Shub tu yeah saab main maath pad. Thiyar hokar school ke liye nikal waise 12th exams kareeb hai.
"Jaantha hoon bolne ke zarurath nahi hai. he replied tieing his shoes and walking out screaming, "Maa breakfast. Muje school ke liye nikalna hai. Hi Arjun!
"Hi Shub thiyar ho? asked Arjun as Suman handed him his morning mug of tea, "Nahi aunty main bahar kuch dek lunga.
"Arjun. Prem pushed, "Ithna formal kyun ho breakfast tho kaalo. Interview hai-"
"Uncle main formal nahi tha. Suman ka kaana kaane lagunga tho lunch thak katha rahunga. Issi liye. The three of them laughed as Shub grobbiled his breakfast, "Tumne physics ka assighnment le liya hai na?
"Oh no. Sighing, Arjun waved an I am on it, sipping his tea simultaneously. Just as he was filing away the project Saanj walked out dressed in a maroon kurtha and a towel around her waist. "DUFFER tume patha nahi hai kya ladkiyon ke kamre main aise nahi aathe. Khaas kar thab vo nahakar aarahi hai.
"Vo ladkiyon ke liye. Tere liye nahi, chal baaki ke kapde pehenkar aana. Main aur Shub gaye school.he waved walking out and she shouted, "BEST OF LUCK.
"THANKS. he yelled handing Suman the mug and Shub the project as Prem fed him a spoon of curd and sugar, "Aacha shagun hotha hai. Best of luck.
Smiling he touched the feet of Suman and Prem. He missed his parents at these times and they knew it. Going on the way to school Shub chatted away about everything sitting next to Arjun. Stopping at the school gate he waved to the boy who ran in while Arjun spotted a food stall near school to grab some vada-pav. His breakfast for the day. A fate he was living with for the three years, since his father had passed away. The ride too was long but dropping Shub to school was something he did every day... from there the ride was long to the new office of the magazine. Driving away into a posh (partial) residential area set against the beach he sighed and looked around, he had taken a wrong turn thanks to the road block. This was where most of the companies had their guest-houses, small compact homes but set with nearly five-star facilities despite being one bedroom. "Aab is Fashion in the City ka address kahan se duund luun?
Driving as he checked the GPRS on his phone, he unfortunately bumped into someone. Looking up his breath stopped for a minute. There stood the girl who seemed to have walked out of his magazine photos. Her little over shoulder length hair had been set in a ponytail behind her head, despite no makeup except for that light kaajal and baby pink lip gloss. The frilled up wide necked white sleeveless top she wore highlighting her femininity. The fact that it was tucked in knee length pencil skirt with splashed work print in almost every shade of green that existed finished by a simple white heels with straps. The very fact that she had worn the same shade of nail polish on her toes and fingers too did not miss his eyes, nor did the platinum ladies watch on her wrist. A simple round design, small and set with stones! She was perfect in every sense and seemed to fit into a business role except for the charm bracelet she wore on her other wrist, already dangling with random charms. Hmm koi bade baap ki bigidi hui ladki lagthi hai. Chal munna, appna jaadu chala aur kaam ke liye niklo. He thought, aloud he said, "Excuse me I lost my way and I ended up finding you. You are not hurt right... sorry it was my bad. I was seeing the phone and did not see you. Actually I need to go for an interview but I lost the way despite the GPRS. Do you know how I can get to the office of Fashion in the City magazine. You know that top selling magazine... aap kaise nahi janthe honge. Aap kudh ek walking talking fashion ka guru lagthe hai. You know Hindi right?
Sighing the girl replied, coldly, "Straight down, last left then next right again turn left. First building, you won't miss it Muje hindi aathi hai.
"Thank you. App ko lagi tho nahi na? he asked, "Kai chod duun kardun aap ko? By the way love your earrings,
"Jis kaam ke liye aayi thi vo aadhuri hai. Thank you. I love them too. she replied touching the light gold earings she had worn. A simple one with a diamond in the center with a four petal flower all around. Tears forming in her eyes for a minute but Arjun's question distracted her, "Ithni kuubsurath ladki ko yahaan koi kaam?
Pointing to a small almost hidden bakery she replied, "Apni mummy aur papa ke liye cake karidhna hai.
"Oh.. thanks. Dukaan dhikane ke liye. Aagar muje aaj job mil gayi tho main kareedh kar ja sakta hoon. he smiled his charming smile only to have a response of, "Best of luck...
Rushing intended to go straight to the office but eyes stopped seeing a children playing outside. Unable to resist he smiled and began clicking away. Unfortunately it meant he was delayed to the interview... Which be rushed to quickly, still taking the time to take in the beauty filled reception area. Black marble flooring, glass coffee tables and cream colour comfortable leather couches, the reception desk was a beautiful desk set a full office printer, a neat stack of magazines and brochures. There was also several organizers' starting from post-its to post office stamps. Everything was neat and right, "Hi I am Arjun 10 o'clock appointment.
"You were the 10 o-clock appointment. It's 10:05 now. she replied, it took him a minute before starting the charm, "Come on five minutes late, issmai kya hai.
"Sorry rules are rules. she replied but Arjun continued, "Come on, Ms. Shilpa Mukarji baas paanch minute ka dheeri hai. Kaab thak rules ke hissab se chala paogi apni zingagi ko. Mere khyal se aage vohi bada paayenge jo rules ko thood kar insanon ko pehechanthe hai. Aur tum beauty aur inteligene ke combination lagthi ho. Hai na?
Maintaining the eye contact mesmerizing her with when the phone rang and he set it into her ear very casually. Simultaneously popping some chocolate in his mouth, winking, "H-hello.
"Ten o'clock, interview? came the voice stammering she replied, "Y-yes maam he is right here. He had come a long time ago, I was waiting for your call ma'am. Bechara bathroom gaya tha jaab aap aaye the. I will send him in right away!
"Thank you, a doll for a doll. he added handing her the chocolate wraper made into a doll, smiling she took it allowing the charming guy to go. There were several people working on laptops, few actually walking with it. The place had cubicles and name tags some had a make shift table pulled down from the cubicle wall. Some even had pictures hanging all over the place, "Excuse me, Maya Meherothra?
"That door. he looked at the door which clearly said, Maya Meherothra. The glass window of the cabin was open and clear allowing everyone to have a view inside. The room had been set to kill. Walking inside the room he began looking around enjoying the view! A beautiful storage designed, a knee length coffee table. An old beautiful sofa set with light cream covers. The sharp turns and the slides set it self into the body of whoever sat on it. Be it a three seater or a single seater of the set.On a corner, plugged into the wall was a triangular extension with a statue of a buddha head. Clearly some kind of light weight... opposite was a similar extension but with a plant. The windows were open fully. The other side of the room had a proper desk, one with an antique table. It was set neatly with everything, a cordless phone, a diary, a glass of water, post its and even a complete set based pen holder. One that had everything including scales to scissors. Behind it was a (nearly) hidden door, a light wall with a clock being the only decoration. It was also the strangest decoration he had ever seen. A wall clock with a shadow head of mickey in the center and instead of numbers there were several pictures of fairy tale princesses. It seemed old, under neet it was a small altar throughout the wall to the door. In it there was a small statue of Ganapathi, near it the photo of a couple a sandal garland around the photo. A small lamp on either side of the Ganapathi, similarly with the photo of the couple. All four lamps greatly oiled and lit. A rose on the foot of the God and a small three layered in front of the couple's photo. The combination surprised him, the bottom most being red-velvet, the center vanila and the top most strawberry. The layers between them set with crunchy nuts and cornflakes. A little part of it was already eaten, a single green candle lay aside. It had been lit but no longer!
"I am sorry. I needed a minute. Bad day, please sit down. Arjun turned around only to find the very girl he bumped into on the way standing in front of him. Her eye liner slightly smudged but still attractive, "Aap - aap Maya Meherothra? I am sorry actually I had never really seen your picture in a long time. Just glance through the page 3 types of news.
"Not everyone know me by sight. she smiled before continuing, "Please sit down.
"Thank you. he took the simple char for his own sitting while she took the big boss char. "C.V? You ended up dropping out of law. Experience in photography is also not there. You just did a few months course. How do I trust you Mr. Sharma? I think it's best you leave.
A moment anger filled him but he bit his tongue and continued, "Ms. Mehrotra that course could teach me about equipment and equipment handling. Photos are not taken by equipment but a photographer. Aap na meri profile ko ek baar dhek lijiye, kuch cameras se... kuch phone se liya hai. Vo bhi smart apps yaa options ko use kar ke... aur haan kuch aise hai ke jisko maine equipment use karke kiya. Aap ka photography based nahi, balki simple ones. Vo saari cheezen jo muje aas paas mila... please take a look.
Arjun went on and on without realizing Maya was not listening to a word of what he said. "I am sorry can you repeat the last few points. Sometimes mobile, at times camera and non-photographic equipment's too?
"Yes ma'am aap ne bilkul sahi suna. Yeah vaala na ek tuuti hui wine bottle ko isthimal kar ke kiya. he replied sliding back a little. Maya continued to move across his master shot but stopped at a particular picture and looked up for an explanation. "Yeah maine mobile main kheencha. Just happened, I did not have enough time to actually think... vo lamha ithna kuubsurath tha. Ladki ko tho dhek nahi paaya lekin patha hai vo bahoth hi kuubsurath hogi.
"Kyun? Maya's question was met with a lip bite from Arjun. Rolling her eyes she was about to touch the screen when he answered, "Kyunki kisi ko bhi usse mohobath ho saktha tha. Aachi figure, grace full. Uski skirt ko dhekiye, white mostly multiple layered and chiffon printed with brown flowers. Off shoulder peheni hui hai, not a frilly type. A neat border type figure hugging. Waist ko highlight kiya gaya hai, gold waist belt ka isthimal karke vo bhi ek diamond cutting type. Usually aise belts light ko aachi thara reflect karthi hai, dinner parties main aise kapde kaafi badi hit hothe hai. Haath main matching bracelet bhi hai. A typical case of less is more. Legs are clearly manicured! Iss saab ke bavajooth ek church ki stairs main baiti hai bina juuthe baiti hai. Chote chote bachon ke saath baiti hui hai, haath main kithabon ke saath. Chehera dhek paatha lekin vo baachi uss ladki ko gale laga rahi hai. Vo ladki bhi ek ghareeb ghar se hi hai, dhekiye kithni ragged clothes pehen kar rake hai saab. Lekin vo ladki apni paas bitakar raki hai, ithne pyar se pada rahi hai. Hamesha aise aameer loog na sirf paise dekar chale jathe hai. Lekin yeah ladki ne paison nahi balki gyan dene ki kosish kar rahi hai. Figure tho hai uske paas, mehenge kapde hai lekin phir bhi zingagi se kuch karne ki kwaish bhi hai. Issi liye keheraha hoon, she must be beautiful.
Maya instantly got of the chair and left the room. A shocked Arjun followed her, "Sorry sorry. Maine kuch galath kaha kya?
"Shilpa I need an offer letter. Arjun Sharma, temperory photographer. Shipra nodded, "Yes ma'am.
Turning to a nervous Arjun she handed the fresh print out. "Welcome to Fashion in the City. You can join from now onwards. Cubical number one, temporary, you will be under my direct monitoring. All right?
"Thank you ma'am. He stretched his hand out happily but she simply nodded and went to the cabin. He tagged behind her, "Today you can familiarize yourself with everyone. I.T will set up an employee account for you. You will be getting a laptop and camera from the company. One month probation on paper but reality is going to be one month of several tests. Pass them, we will think about removing the temporary. A few forms need to be filled. I am sure you can finish them by the end of today. Tomorrow nine-o-clock sharp office.
The first time the mobile which kept ringing was ignored by him as he hug with great attention to every single word the girl spoke.
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