The Dog Company

A Story by SLVER

A Frustrated Software Engineer writes a short.

THE DOG COMPANY

-Slver-

The street lamps are one damn filthy thing on Chennai, specifically at mid-nights. They blink; sometimes faster than light. I personally hate it, may be since it’s scary. And the place I had to lay down for this night would be remembered for long times. Dark-alone-bad smell and so much hideous things a city like Chennai has. Why? It all happened, just like that.

I should have thought more than twice or at least once. Actually, according to few people, I am no more alive. First, my boss then, my girl; thirdly, my parents itself.

“What a day god " you are the best”

I took my head up to say that, pretty weird because ‘It’s been so many days I had my head stood up. ‘

So what was it? What what did I do what? It all started when I wrote a story. A story named ‘The Dog Company’ in reference to my office. It’s actually just another short story. And I will just put that story down for your reference forthe answer to what’s.

The story ‘The Dog Company’.

One Friday, 9.45 PM,

I just checked out from office and my head was paining like hell. My spike boss, who liked to play Table tennis in my head, by now, should have decided works to not leave me for this night. For the past few months; spelled like years, since my office work load has reached its optimum resistance, my spike-boss has gone as crazy as craziest person in the world, no happy sleeps and I already had so many reasons to quit my job. And looking at people taking departure from office out for a Friday whereas I am about to cover the next two days, kills.

“No I can’t do it.”

“What?”, I don’t really have an answer for this but still I continued.

“You see boss, I happened to have a bad stomach since this morning.”

“It’s ok, just complete this alone and leave.” But this would take my whole night. I stood still freeze, he looked up at me and I made my face as nasty as if I really had some stomach problem.

I boarded in a MTC, a public transit and this is two hell of a journey. To cross that damn signals, cows taking rest at sweet Omr highway, Share autos rushing towards the wheel imagining they got a jet pack packed and so on to hate Omr journey. I took my mobile outside my pocket and it had 2 SMS flashing from screen name LA(O)VE. I called her without reading those.

She was furious and asked “Why didn’t you reply my messages?”

I just said “There is so many else to talk about which starts with ‘I quit my job’”.

She drowned to calm sensing my stress. She asked “Hey what’s the problem? You said your project is going to wind up”

“No, it’s like hell every day. It doesn’t seem like they are ending this unit up and eat my head instead”

She was cool and said “Cool mister, don’t you worry on future... Hey one min, my boss is ahead, stay in call though”

And I could hear her boss,”Lavanya, Just wanted ask you this”. After his 2 min big question, she said “one min, let me check”. And I heard her keyboard speaking. Then she answered him which was completely not a bit related with her boss’s Q. Even I could figure that.

And she gave a pause? And I could hear him starring at her.

And she said, “You know, I don’t know right?”

Boss said “its ok, Lavanya, I will get this to someone else and let you know once I find it. Ok?” And left. ‘Is he a boss or God?’I thought to myself.

“Hmmm. Say” She was back casually.

I didn’t mind talking about her boss. And I told her again, “I told you how my future will look like and what my dream is”

She “Come on, how do you expect me to tell my dad about your dreams, see even you are so freaking out to talk about that to your dad right? How do expect me to do to my dad?”

I did not respond, she kept going, “And are you really super serious about that?”

I freaked out, ‘How a girl or any girl would get a young men dream?’ I wanted to say, but that would end up an end up.

“What? are you threatening me, now?” is the much harm I can scold my girl to her resistance.

In an instant she had a reply, “Ok. Sorry. I should have not asked that?”

“And don’t say that after all the time” I was still furious.

“Sorry again” She drove me off with that singing slang.

Again OMG, she is hell irresistible when she says (sings) “Sorry again”. Sometimes just to hear her say ‘Sorry again’, I will try keep on scolding her and when those words comes, I say her words I said when I did propose her.

And getting back from the romantic part,

“Ok, what you expect me to do?”

She was speaking “I have set up a meeting with you and my dad, remember?”

“Yes, and?” I wanted her to say ‘That meeting has been cancelled’.

How coincidence? For all time I wanted someone to say that in office as well.

“And stay in jobs until that at least, can you?”

I did not reply and thought ‘Ok, Now I would want to set the meet up little early’. And also, as I suspected she found me,

“You didn’t quit your job right?”

I said “No”; she knew I wouldn’t without telling her.

“I know you won’t without asking me. Hey just relax yourself for the day. We will think about this later. Okay?”

I said okay and cut the call. I felt bit eased. I am scared to meet her dad. Without a job and meet her dad, more scared.

So I dare meet my boss with a job or else meet her dad without a job. Both sounded scary in equilibrium.

In the next board stop, a guy looked of my age took my next seat. He was simple, very thin and had a cover in his hand. Just one big envelope and had no bags or anything else. I gave a small glance to that cover since something looked familiar. Oh, it’s the logo that disturbed me, it was my company logo. So that looked exactly like an appointment letter. He gave a slight glimpse at me. I turned back looking at filthy Omr and was suspicious ‘Why the hell he is looking at me’. Oh, s**t, my ID card is still hanging in my neck. The very next second, I threw my ID card inside my bag in frustration. That ID card would have would have been eaten bythe Omr cows and dogs if I haven’t talked to Lavanya before

He turned back and never looked at me since my ID scene. He rested his letter in his lap and for every second he kept on adjusting it. And he rarely took his eyes away from it.

‘You will one day’ I said to myself. But I also wanted to talk to him, to warn him. To warn him, that ‘you will get a spike kinda boss, your a*s will be kicked every time you do or don’t do the work, even the hell is comparably good to my boss’s cube.

And this thin man got a call, I slightly let myself to watch his Korean piece, it read ‘AMMA’. And it got connected exactly on his fourth hard press. He did not speak for few seconds. And I could hear his mother screaming other side,

“What happened in the interview?”

He was still silent. For a moment I thought he is a speech or hearing disabled person. Hmm, maybe he could get pass my boss.

But he spoke, “Ma..”

“Yes da. Tell”

He suddenly had these tiny tiny tears drops. And that did drop on his cover. Spontaneously he cleared that tears from cover away. I got shocked what could be this guy’s problem.

Then he spoke silently “I got the job.” And the next moment I heard his mom crying many god names. He had no other things to discuss, he seemed he had nothing else to conquer; he had nothing else to say. After like 15 seconds, he got the line cut.

And I took my mobile and texted her ‘Ok, I am not leaving my job’. The pain of being jobless reflected in his eyes.

I can pursuit my dream later but not now. For now I can tackle that boss.

The guy got up for the next stop and left carrying his cover up his head. I kept looking at him till he left andthe next moment she called,

“What was that message?”

I said, “Yeah, a message.”

End of the story

That’s the ‘The dog company’. I kept it simple but sound.

I sent it to my friend in the next city that had the branch of my company. And I asked him to send it to his friends and ask for comment. A week passed by. He updated me with good reviews. So everything was going fine. I considered myself as a writer.

But the reason for my suspenseful stay in this street started today morning.

I reached my office on my usual timing. But the strange things were the looks of my colleagues at me. It was weird because no one except my boss minds me in the office. And when I reached my cube, Karthik who sit next to me said, ‘Read your mail for the answer.’ He realized my puzzled face.

I logged in and clicked my inbox. First mail read, ‘SEE ME NOW’ from Boss. Oh my god, the bold letters is something no one wants to see from boss. But I continued reading the mails. Karthik came to my desk and pointed out my screen to read a mail. It was sent from some anonyms account in CC of me. I opened; it read ‘The DogCompany’.

Ok? It is no big deal, people here read this story. But something looked weird; I continued reading my story,

“…like hell. My big fat stupid spike like boss, who liked to play Table tennis …”

What the..? I kept reading, the many part of my story was changed against my boss. The ending had,

“… For now I can tackle that stupid Kumar the dog in company…”

My enemy is creative enough to launch a bomb on me. And actually, I had no mentioning of my name or something in that story at the end. But this version had.

“The author of this story is kept in CC. Please feel free to leave your comment.”

But still it is ok having me known in that story. But when my boss gets visible, it’s no good. And the very then the next three things happened.

1"I was asked to clear my desk, take my things and leave, they said ‘will mail back regarding the compensation settlement in a week or so.’

2 " On the way back to home, I was wondering how to convey this message to my parents, and how do I tell this to my Lavanya for god sake. But there was no need for it. My phone rang.

I started nervously, “Oh, Dear, I was about to call you.” First, there was a silence that side. And,

“You son of *****!” a male voice started. “What!”

“I am her father.” I was freaking shocked.

“Mr. Shankar ji?”

“Yes and how dare you write s**t about my daughter?”

“What?” and where did I write about her? I was all confused. And for a moment I heard whisper and pocket scratches. Then she came on line.

“******” Even in my so pissed off dream, I never had her calling me that

“Hey wats the problem, I was kinda telling you about this before.”

“Like what? Write ‘I am a *****’ in your super hit short story.”

“What? I mean, .. ah., err. Why would I do that, I mean ., Why would I write that any were?” I am still puzzled, “Baby, I really don’t get what you mean”.

“I read your stupid story”. So?

Ohuuu my god... Ok. Now I am so angry and furious at the guy whoever rewrote my story. I should have read at least all the lines in the latest version of The Dog Company.

3 " I really don’t want to talk much on remaining part of 2^nd thing.

When I said my dad, “Dad, I lost my job.”

He revert back, “I consider that... ‘I lost my son’”.

And so here I am now-blinking in-sync with this stupid street light. How I started this day and how it end up really is stirring my brain to shake. But how I am going to start tomorrow?

In the mean time, there is this street dog. Hope he runs away if I throw something at him. But whom I am goanna get for company this night. He just stood in front of me and looked at me. Stared straight at my eyes and I could hear him say ‘You are damn sitting in my place.’ Realizing it I just stood up. He walked gradually to that place I was sitting and made few rounds before he settled properly to sleep.

And there I am really with The Dog Company.