Utopia page 45: Three stars to separate thought processes

*****

Alright I know I’m going to sound like a silly high school kid but here were company employees desperately trying to please either the Managing Director or the Company Directors. I guess one of them could write a book on the subject:

“How can I impress my Director at our company party?”

He was an utterly cute guy at the dinner pavilion.

I had done some amateur work as a photographer and he was at the pavilion. He was scruffy aka perfect in my weird mind. Me I was short and chubby (5’4 160lbs), but I had a great personality (I know how Oprah-ish that could be). I had often been compared to Velma from Scooby Doo more than once, if you’re curious how I looked.

*****

This was the perfect company employee party. And boy was there anyway to make a miracle happen? What would I say if anything at all? What would I wear, the dress was casual?

There was absolutely no cause for worry as we were all in different departments with different bosses. We could see each other’s bosses only for a few minutes at a time.

I only said hi to him, but he was a sure dude! Surprising everyone with his extremely maneuvered dance moves. I was the perfect spectator, noticing they (my colleagues) were each trying to impress the ‘high rises’ so as to say!
*****
In walked Mrs. Chand and one could see all eyes on her as some were sure that she was the next incumbent for the throne of the Managing Director. Her walk with a jutting butt was now customary. I just could not help looking at her round bottom and she saw me admiring it and smiled a naughty, confident smile which she must have probably given to herself many times when ever she caught a man admiring her bottoms.
“Pleeeeeease may I dance with you?”
I was shaken out of my wits and was initially reluctant.

I was later almost dragged to the dancing floor and was there for a few minutes out of courtesy. Mrs. Chand did not dance with me but I was dancing with the wife of one the smartest young Director’s wife. I was surprised that she was so down to earth but I could see her hubby not too much approving my arm round her waist while dancing not that he disapproved of her dancing like that but could sense that it was more so because of my status not equal to or more than him.

*****
After dinner we all went back in the buggy to our respective rooms at the hotel. It was almost 11 pm. I had changed and had had a bath and was in my room thinking if I had made the right choice of the job when I had two other offers. My heart said no and it was as usual, always right.
I tried to sleep but could not as again usually when ever I was out of my home and not in my bed.
Just when my eye lids were beginning to droop, the door bell rang.
It was 1.45 am.
Who could it be at this hour?
What did they want? Was it some urgent job to be done for the next days meeting? I went to the door and opened it without looking through the keyhole.
Standing before me in her night gown more like a rich robe was Mrs. Chand.
“Is there anything I can do for you, Ma’am?”
“Won’t you even invite a lady in first?”
“Yes madam, I am sorry. Please come in.”
“Nice room!”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” “I always have the habit of keeping the bath room door open for the light to just seep in as I dislike night bulbs.”
“So you have a Jacuzzi.”

“Ah yes!” I muttered, wondering why she was here. 

“My family wants to meet you.” Mrs. Chand replied standing right in the middle of the room.
“At this time of the night and where are they?” I was surprised, if not shocked.

 

She smiled and opened the bow of her night rope and let it fall to the ground. 

It was a repeat of the scene -- one of our Bollywood villains had talked about what had happened to him with a famous heroine.   
I was shocked. 
She smiled and asked “Are you pleased to meet my family Feroze?”

 

I just stood there shocked. She was by now lying down on the big bed in the form she was born.

 

“Don’t be so frozen.” She said looking at me once again.

“You have to perform and one can’t with a frozen attitude.” Her language and her attitude showed that she must have done it many times before.
I went and sat on the chair in the centre of the room.

 

“What is the matter? Are you impotent or some thing? I had heard that you are a big womanizer.”

“Who gave you that wrong impression?”
She did not answer and just said “That does not matter.” “Are you coming to bed or not?”
I realized that by now she was losing patience with me. Later I came to know that she had got this impression about me because of the anonymous letters my ex boss had written to the company addressed to her.
“No. Please excuse me.” I said looking down at the floor.

 

She just jumped out of bed and said “You surprise me.”

Now she was angry and said “No one refuses me anything!” Her voice was loud and I just looked at the ceiling and the clock that was on the wall. She just controlled the pitch of the voice and went on to abuse me. “You don’t know what and whom you have refused. People come to me on knees and here I was on my knees for you!”
She put on her robe and was about to leave when I said “Don’t worry. No one will know about this. Trust me!”
I don’t know why I made this stupid statement. She sniggered and romped out of the room.  
I sat on the sofa too shocked.
Had I lost my job? Would she throw me out? My mind started to ask. I was sure she would not immediately as there was no official reason. But I was sure she would not forgive me and at the appropriate time make false allegations.
Was this the way of life here in this company as the Director had mentioned at the party? Abuse or get abused ---------the Company culture. 
The next day Mrs. Chand behaved quite normal but did not miss a chance to blame me for small things like the cars were not on time for pick up etc.
After three days in Goa we were back to Mumbai. 
*****
Life for the first there months were normal and easy. I was settling down well in the organization and with the changes that I was bringing about I was getting noticed and appreciated by all especially after I had brought about amendment to the Insider Trading Code.

But I had heard about the famous (or rather infamous) film “Disclosure” a 1994 film about a man who sues his female boss for sexual harassment. It is based on the novel by Michael Crichton and directed by Barry Levinson. And I was up all night trying to recall some of the dialogues:

I could recall Tom Sanders (played by Michael Douglas), a happily married man remarking as such

• 
  Huh? Is that what you want?
  

• 
  Sexual harassment is about power. When did I have the power? When?