The wait seemed interminably long, although not without hope.
‘They are making you an offer. Are you accepting?’
‘Yes,’ I said after a moment’s thought, although the pause was more for theatrics than anything else.
‘Sure?’ ‘Yes’. (‘yes yes yes’, I wanted to say but stayed put.)
‘Okay, congratulations then!’, and he smiled. That was the first non-plastic smile I had seen all day and it seemed so refreshing, that instantly all the travails of the day evaporated.
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Fast Forward, 4 months. It was the same face – only this time the face was searching for that reassuring smile. I tried to smile too as I wished him luck, but I realized that this would look as plastic as any I had seen the other day. The sardonic nature of the situation didn’t escape me. The day Z of finals may not be as crazy, but it can be as cruel as its predecessor.
I witnessed another irony, which was also rather incongruous with the somber mood of the place in general. As the second final between India and Australia tilted towards India’s favour, candidates from all over MDC, whether out of the process or not, found a place on the carpets in front of the sole television without a cable network. Soon, recruiters and candidates, volunteers and trackers, in an almost disdainful oblivion of the situation, were crowding the place as the match entered its last five overs. For those 20 minutes, it suddenly did not matter whether you had a day Z job or not, or who you were or what your primary responsibilities for the day were. The myriad emotions of the day seemed to have fused into only one, that of hope for India to win its first major tournament in Australia for 23 years. And then, as a certain Mr Hopes scooped a catch to give India the game, the surreal cloud lifted. Reality returned at almost a moment’s notice, the somber expressions resumed and people silently trooped out, in an almost guilty reminder of having wasted half an hour on day Z.
“All trackers”, a tracker addressed through his walkie-talkie, “India has won the second final by 9 runs. Copy that”, as normal service resumed.
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For all the seniors that I never talked to, for all those who I should have made an effort to know better, and for all those with whom I should’ve made an acquaintance with, here’s wishing you all the best in life!
