by A. Archie
Sorted. I went back home, packed my stuff and came to live in Colombo on a Sunday so that I could start the new job on Monday. There was a limited choice of meals available outside the shops in my new room. I was still discovering the area, where to find good food, what to eat and taking to new people along the way. I did not know anybody there. So it was better to talk to them and make some new friends, not really friends but just people you could talk to when you were out and about or went to their place of work. I went into one of the hotels and ordered a Kottu, a type of roti with vegetables, egg, meat and spices. It tasted yummy, I must have been very hungry.
Early night, I was on my own. I wanted to lay on my bed and think but not to fall asleep. Freedom but at what cost? I was not quite there yet. What freedom do you have when you live in rented accommodation? You need your own place and financial security, lots of money. Oh yes, that would make me very happy. I would have to build my life again, on my own. Leave the past behind. Move on.
Clad in a white long sleeved premium cotton shirt, tie, black tailor made baggy trousers and ankle high black leather boots, I arrived at work by 8.00am by bus. I had to wait outside the front garden gate as most of the staff and the director arrived in a van for work. There were a couple of members of staff waiting outside as well. Among them were Edith. I was beginning to fancy her. So was her but I knew very little about her. I wondered if she had a boyfriend. I couldn’t ask or find out from anybody as yet. I was so new there. Besides, girl matters I keep to myself and sorted out myself. I would not trust anybody when it come to love matters. Edith smiled at me with a look of suggesting “I like you”. Was she real or just flirting? Not sure yet. I wondered.
First day at work progressed smoothly without in fact almost doing nothing. I expected an induction but we were left along to discover what was there ourselves. It was a new business and they were still in the process of organizing things. I spent most of my time talking to guys in the engineering department. It was a separate room. All were bloke. We could chat about almost anything. The director was pleased to see me getting along with the others. I mainly talked about technical stuff, watched them assemble computers, learnt indirectly where the things were, what they were and how they were fitted together. Motherboards, hard disks, memory modules, CPUs, changing BIOS, oh yes my marketing pitch had improved now. I know what I was talking about.
The other two new recruits were mainly interested in chatting to girls on the other side of the building where the director and the general manager sat. I might be interested in Edith. I do not have to worry about other guys there even if I was not there. Edith had given me a look of such a confirmation of intention. If she already had a boyfriend, I would not be interested in asking her out. I did not know yet. I noticed that a couple of other guys at work were also interested in her. They felt that Edith fancied me. So everything about her was kept from me. They did not discussed things relating to her while I was there. Jealousy. If you couldn’t get her, leave her along not block whose who could. I could sense things from the old staff. It was only a matter of time before I found out what was what. Who were interested in her?
Few days passed without anything significant happing. I went to work and Edith was waiting outside the front gate. I went there and also waited but not so close to her. She smiled but we did not talk yet. There was this guy called Sana who had been with the rest of them for quite some time during their previous place of work. There, a group broke off and set up this new company. Sana new that Edith fancied me. He often pretended to help me. He talked to me in the morning while waiting for the director to arrive. I did not think he was a bully. But he used to give me the money and ask me to go to the shop round the corner and get both of us breakfast. I though he wanted to have a chat with Edith in private about me. So I did go to the shop foolishly, naively thinking that he did not want me there while he was putting a word to her. I did not need his help to ask her out. But I hardly knew her and they had known each other for a long time so I succumbed.
He always had a crafty smile on his face. We eat breakfast together. He never uttered a word about Edith. Should I fight back and say just NO or give it another go and secure a free breakfast? And find out what he was up to? I could not really keep doing it though. Else Edith might thing that I was a wuss. Shit. I should have objected to it in the first place. I had now given him the leverage and let him enter into my life. No. Not much longer. I must keep my line and not let anyone cross it. Why was I so nice? Why I could not just tell him to fuck off? I needed to man up. After all it was a skill you need to have possessed or have learnt, how to deal with others and live the life you want. People would always try to get into your life. No way. My life is mine. I needed to learn. Having lived most of my life up to nearly mid-twenties not working for other people, my people skills were lacking. I thought everyone was honest, genuine and never told a lie like me. The world is different. Face it or lose it. Learn to be assertive, ah a new word for me.
It had been over two weeks now. We were not encouraged to make any sales. Obviously the company was not ready. Our business cards came in about three weeks after joining. I did not have a mobile phone yet. So my name and the company landline number was on it. Only if I could trust them to pass the calls to me. I would like to have full control over my customers. I did not like others messing about with my affairs. I doubted that would be the case. I now talked to Edith briefly on the business matters. There was no privacy in the small open office to talk anything in private or flirt. I was still not sure if Edith was just trying to get my attention yet not really wanting to go out with me. Time would tell. Now that I had become friends with the other two marketing guys. We spent lots of time together at work. But I would not tell anybody what my marketing plans were, where I was going and who I was meeting. There is a tough world out there. Trust nobody, I was learning the harder way.
I stared visiting businesses in order to sell computers and make more money on commission. The company also had chosen me as the person for collecting tender documents and dropping them back off with our proposals. May be they thought that I was the most suited person for that and I was good looking. The guys at work used to ask me “Where have you been?” whenever I returned from a visit. I used to tell them that I had visited a so called business with a view to stop them going there as I had already negotiated business with them. I expected a professional way of doing business with everyone. However, Sana started saying to me “Someone called you from XYZ Company”, whenever I came back to the office after visiting potential clients. In the beginning I though they actually did. No, not really these guys were picking on me and they did not like me visiting good companies in town because they themselves wanted to go there first, before me. Well, ok if that was what you wanted, I will take you on by surprise. Next day Sana asked me “Where are you going today?”. I said to him the completely opposite direction I was heading. They kept on asking for few weeks. I did the same trick until I had visited all the blue chip companies I wanted to do business with. They were not getting a single word out of me now. If they were genuine from the start and did not start mucking about with me, I would have told them the truth. Their behaviour was not doing anyone any good.
Few weeks went on, Sana and the company director’s brother came back unhappy after being on a marketing visit to some blue chip companies I believe they wanted to cover before I did. They had been to a company I had already been and been told that they did business with me. Sana had to come back with his tail tucked under his legs. They knew that I had also taken them for a ride. They stopped picking on me from now on. Yeah, you need to tackle fire with fire. I did not have experience in dealing with many people like them but I did have the common sense.
One day I walked into a small business customer I had already been to as he was promising. And he said to me “I already bought a computer from you”. I was dumfounded. And he added “I went there with your business card and the director sold one to me.” I was
furious. My first computer sale had already been nicked. I was not even told or my efforts were not even acknowledged by the director. I went back to the office. The director was sitting at the desk. I looked at him angrily, approached him and asked if Mr. so and so had been. He replied “Yes, I happened to know him”. Whether he actually “happened to know him”, I was not pretty sure. Never mind. They paid my salary and I learnt on the job. Let’s see.
I managed to get closer to an engineering guy. He was village type and had been with them for a long time when they were in the previous company before they broke up. I found out from him that the director’s brother had asked Edith out and been rejected. And he was very jealous about me. In fact, he had told Edith that if she did not want to go out with him, she couldn’t go out with me either. I could believe it because I vaguely overhead his threatening conversation to Edith. He was a stupid bully. The director’s brother, Eric had always given me looks I could never read, I know now. He did not like Edith talking to me. We were both working for his brother and it was a difficult situation. Also the engineer told me that Edith had a boyfriend but it was also rumoured that Edith lost her virginity to a good looking manager from the previous company. I did not know the truth of it. I needed to weigh what I hear and not believe everything they say. Everyone was jealous of me as well. I could see from their eyes. Their smiles were not genuine, that I could read.
Probably they were trying to make fun out of me and did they also set Edith up? Now I know for sure that Edith had a boyfriend. I was waiting outside the office in the morning. Edith was dropped off in a white van by what looked like her boyfriend. He was not good looking at all. He was able to afford to buy a van when most of us could not. I still did not know if they lived together or he was just giving a lift. It was time for me to back off. Edith could no more flirt with me or pretended to. I was there to make money; I would have to move on.
Time went by none of us had made any sales yet. To start with, the company was new and nobody knew about it. Secondly, the computers were overpriced. I was asked by the director to write a short report as to what I had accomplished during the period of first three months. I wrote it in half an hour detailing all the major companies I had been trying to build a rapport with and the names of the key people I had met. Later on the same day, the company CEO arrived. He sat on the director’s chair and had a brief chat with him. He was a medium built man with a beard. He was very business-like and straightforward. Then I saw him looking at me admirably while reading a piece of paper. It did not occur to me immediately but he had been reading my report. I was sure now that my job was secured after the first three months which was traditionally your probation period in a new job.
Edith was still giving me that look which often confused me. Did she really wanted to go out with me? Or if she was just playing about or did she want a good fuck? I was fit and twenty-six. I still did not know how old she was even. She seemed to be in her early twenties. One day we had a delivery of computers. Everyone had to help unload and bring them in. Luckily I was on an errand and had to be at a government department to be present at a tender reading. I came back to the office and saw a file of computers downstairs. Eric, the director’s brother was there. I jokingly said to him “Take them upstairs” as they often picked on me why not. However, he took it personally and not as a joke. He insisted on me taking the boxes upstairs. I refused. Then he pushed me. I fall on the computer boxes on my back. As I tried to get up he punched me on the face leaving a small cut on my eyebrow and bleeding. The others intervened and stopped the fight. He was a bigger guy. I could not possibly wrestle. I could have fought him though. He always had this grudge against me about Edith. But it was not my fault. If Edith preferred me over him, what should I do. Love is given and it cannot be taken by force, power or money. Love is innocent.
Everyone disapproved what he did including Edith and the director had a word with his brother. It was a Saturday. I had planned to go home for the weekend. “How can I go home now with a swollen eyebrow with a cut?” I said to Sana when he asked why I was not going home. I did not go home for another three weeks until the cut had healed. From now on I decided to fight off any form of aggression including unacceptable behaviour.
I did Kung Fu as a teenager. We were taught to stand up not bend down if you were threatened without provocation. Once a month or so we were treated to a takeaway by the company, a premium Chinese you could hardly resist. It was so tasty. We were waiting outside the office for the takeaways to arrive. An engineering guy called Raj started mimicking punches and kicks at me. They often guessed that I had done martial arts because of my looks. I waited a minute or two. He would not stop. He had annoyed me to the limit. I walked towards him and as I walked, I gave him a front right kick almost reaching him eye at lightning speed. Everyone silenced and Raj backed off. No body uttered a work. I stood with my head high and did not talk to anybody. They started looking at each other in amazement expressionless. The takeaways arrived and we all walked up to the third floor dining room. I picked what I had ordered, devilled beef, vegetables and basmati rice. We finished eating and everyone was still unusually quiet. Before I walked downstairs, the ashamed Raj came and said to me “I could feel the sand grains flying over my ears”. Good, they should not take me lightly any more.
Chapter Five
So far I had been enjoying my new accommodation and I had been there on my own. I had not met the other housemate yet who came to stay there very occasionally. One evening I went back to my room after work. He had arrived. He introduced himself to me. He was an area manager for a marketing company and who travelled a lot. He only stayed there when he was in town visiting the head office. He had a beard, slim built and was in late thirties I believed. He was friendly to start with and said to me that I could use his desk if needed as I did not have a desk for myself. I was doing my business studies at the time. It was another reason for me to come to Colombo. He left in the following morning. As there was another bed vacant and the newspaper advert was still on, the landlord came with another guy called Luxman. Both of us just clicked and he liked the room as well. He was of medium height, worked out body and had a motorbike. He also worked in IT as an engineer so we had plenty to talk about.
Luxman moved in the next day. He offered to give me a lift as he rode pass my office. We went to takeaways in the evenings together and had our dinner there or brought them in. I had a friend now. I was not all alone at home. Luxman had a lot to talk about IT and his company at nights. I learned a lot about computers by listening to him.
One evening I came back home after work as usual and found the area manager there. He had been there during the day. He did not appear happy. He had discovered cobwebs in his room. He had expected me to clean them for him. He asked “Why have you not cleaned the cobwebs” pointing at them. I said “It is in your room not mine”. He was not happy about my response and got very angry. Why should I be respectful to him? Surely he managed his sales team like that. But what did I have to do with him. We were both just renting rooms. We both had equal rights there. When he offered me the use of his desk he had anticipated me to be under his control. Sorry man. He said to me “Clean the cobwebs now”. I refused. He threatened to hit me if I didn’t and smashed out saying “When I come back I want it cleaned”. Now he has done me. Prepare for a fight. “Do I really have to fight this dickhead?” I contemplated. That was not what you want after a hard day at work. I put on my shoes and was ready to fight if I had to. I knew that Luxman was going to be back home soon. Luxman and the area manager had not met before. If he saw Luxman he would back off as Luxman was well built. The area manager had not come back yet. I could not imagine what it would be like if he had come back now. Would I have to fight over a stupid thing I never intended to. The area manager had told me that he had lived there for many years. He expected the new comers to be under his sway.
It was getting dark. Luxman came home. It was a relief to see him. I told him what had hap
pened. Luxman was furious to hear how I had been treated. He told me to back off and that he was going to face up to the area manager. Tension ran through my body. We both waited for the area manager in anticipation. He stormed in. Luxman walked up to him as he came towards mine and Luxman’s room. I also noticed that the area manger had used my racer for shaving. He had left hair in it during the day while we were both at work. He must have had a good shave down under. I told Luxman that as well. Now it was time for Luxman to confront him. I was ready to hit him anytime. “What is this all about” Luxman shouted as he walked up to face the area manager, Sunil. He did not expect that and Luxman added “You have used his racer to shave your willy”. The area manger denied but I knew that he had. Where else did the hair came from? He told both of us to leave at once and pushed Luxman. Luxman pushed him back and tried to throw a punched at him. I was sitting on the bed. I stood up and was going to hit him any moment if he hit Luxman. The landlord heard the argument and he rushed in. We all backed off and the matter was over for the night.
The area manager did not stay overnight, he went away. I said to Luxman “Look we can’t live like this. It is time to find a new place. May be we could share a room”. Luxman agreed and asked me to find one. I bought the newspaper in the morning on my way to work. I found one on the same road as our office not far from the town. It was double the previous rent even shared but you did not have to share with anyone else. I went to see it during the day and decided to take it and ask the landlady to hold it till Luxman came back from work to see. She agreed. The next day we both moved in. It had on suite bathroom but no kitchen so we would still have to buy our meals. I had the full use of the desk there as Luxman encouraged my studies. The only thing I did not agree with him was he wanted to have a pedestal fan on at night when he goes to bed. I hated it, I did not want the wind flowing towards me and the noise. We disagreed there and I told him to turn the fan towards him not me. I, however, used to switch off the fan when he falls asleep which he did not quite like. I could not possibly afford to rent the room on my own so a compromise was needed.