By The Water Cooler

Inspired by “By The Water Cooler Contest” here’s my try / post.

By the water cooler I sat. Just waiting.

Its Monday morning and I start off my work as always. It’s going to be a relentless and restless week as always.

Everybody is back from a weekend and faces the Monday Morning Blues. But my work never lets me even feel, how it feels to be blue.

Days and weeks passed ever since I’ve been established for the kind of thankless work I do (If someone has really thanked me, I’ve never heard of it so far). Nothing changed other than the faces around me.

I’m always tested. Pressed hard, Cussed upon for certain inefficiencies that were not actually entirely mine.

I do take my time to warm up. I get drained out but it just doesn’t stop me from performing. I have my times for a quick refill.

I watch them buzzling around. Spending their time waiting for their turn, taking their time-off

People watching are a serious business. The emotions they carry along. The smile and laughter they share at times. The anger they show at management and work commitments, the time constraints, and the gossips and secrets they pass on about others. The talks on high regards of the earlier firm they used to work. Yes, once they move out from this firm to another along with a promotion and salary hike (which I cannot expect and I don’t normally), they will talk only good things about, how it was here.

Ah yes the time pass they do in front of me. I look at them. I’m a part of all these. But the only difference is that I’m still working while they are taking their time off.

There she is. She looked at me. And she came closer and walked past me. To drink and fill water I guess. The environment around in the office had changed ever since she joined. Everybody looked at her beautiful body. I’ve overheard some who even pass comments about her. But I ignored them. She had a beautiful smile that everyone will die for. And those expressive eyes, by Jove! it spoke a thousand words for her. She had a small gang of hers with whom she spent her spare time over tea / coffee with just a glass of water in her hands. She’s not into tea or coffee I guess. Anyone asking her out for a coffee won’t get fruitful results. 🙂 But then I have noticed her taking a look at me. A gentle stare? No, it’s just a passing gaze. Someday she might come near me, come to me, smile at me and maybe mumble something. A gentle touch of her hands on me ………. Come on!! What am I doing,? What am I thinking? No I shouldn’t. She’s “not my cup of tea”.

I’ve my work to do. I’ve other issues at bay rather than thinking about all these.
Big bosses never used to visit me. Nor my work commitments let me meet them in person. But I’ve heard them praising my outputs.

Today, it isn’t. Something changed. Drastically. For no reason of mine, I’m blamed for something. It must have been because of one of the wretched office boys. But the wrath of bosses is on me.

I’m to be replaced. Me? I’m to be a scapegoat. These corporate will never learn. I guess they just don’t understand efficiency but consistency in work . I shall be removed from my post that I enjoyed the most.

I will never be able to listen to all the talks n gossips of this office. And I will never be able to meet her either. I don’t think I’ll meet her again anymore.

Life must go on. I shall be placed elsewhere. Maybe ‘by the Water Cooler’ in another pantry, the rightful place for a ubiquitous Tea & Coffee Vending Machine.

PS: Some posts / words just inspire you to write. I’m not so good at this but I shall keep trying. 🙂 Comments welcome!!