I sat back in my seat, rested for a moment, and then resumed my work. Soon, it was time for the lunch break, and Vini called out to me to grab a bite. I saved all the work I had done so far, said, "Okay, let's go," and we both headed toward the canteen.
On the way, Vini got a phone call and stepped aside to talk. She was on the phone for almost 15 minutes. While I was standing there thinking, "How much longer, Vini?" a deep bass voice resonated from behind me: "What are you doing here?"
I froze like a statue. I turned around to find that "Monster" standing there with his arms folded, staring at me intensely. Terrified, I stammered, "Sir... I was going to the canteen for lunch, but Vini got a call and went that way, Sir. I'm just waiting for her."
"Why? If you go to the canteen alone, will they not let you in? Won't they serve you food?" the Monster asked, sliding his hands into his pant pockets.
"It's nothing like that, Sir. It's just that Vini and I are best friends, and we always have lunch together," I replied with a tiny, polite smile.
"Oh, I see," he muttered. He took out a handkerchief, wiped his face, and started walking away. As he moved, his keys fell to the ground, but he didn't notice. I called out, "Sir! Sir, wait!" but he didn't hear me. Left with no choice, I walked forward and picked up the keys. Vini was still busy on her call, so I decided to go to his cabin to return them.
In the Monster's Den
I reached his cabin and knocked, asking, "May I come in, Sir?" There was no response. Wondering if anyone was even inside, I slowly pushed the door open and stepped in.
Since he wasn't there, I placed the keys on his table. As I was about to leave, I turned back, picked up the nameplate on his desk, and read the name aloud:
"Mr. Jai Dev Verma"
"Oh, so the Monster's name is Jai Dev Verma," I thought, carefully placing the nameplate back exactly as it was. I couldn't help thinking that the nickname "Monster" suited this eccentric guy perfectly.
Just then, my phone rang. Seeing my roommate Arvi's name on the screen, I answered it. While I was talking, that same deep voice boomed again: "What are you doing here again?" Startled, I fumbled, and my phone slipped from my hand. Before I could catch it, a hand reached out and grabbed it mid-air.
The Close Encounter
"Thanks! If you hadn't caught it in time, I would've had to sell this phone to a scrap dealer for free," I said. But when I looked up to see who was so fast, I was stunned. It was him—the Monster—holding my phone and looking at me with an angry expression.
I thought to myself: "Would he lose his fortune if he smiled a little? Would pearls drop from his mouth? Does he carry his anger in his back pocket? His face is always fuming like a blazing fire." I stared at him, lost in my thoughts.
"Are you going to get up, or are you just going to keep staring at me with those owl-eyes?" he snapped.
"You jerk! If mine are owl-eyes, then what are yours? Fish-eyes?" I cursed him in my head.
"Hello! I'm talking to you. Why aren't you saying anything?" he asked, snapping his fingers.
"Yes, Sir!" I said, quickly getting up. "Thank you, Sir, for catching my phone in time," I added with a forced smile.
"Thanks are fine, but what are you doing here? How did you enter my cabin without permission? Why did you come?" he asked, folding his arms with a cunning smirk.
I thought: "He's acting like this cabin is the Mysore Maharaja Palace and he's the Prince! Are my legs not enough to walk in? Did I fly in for him?" But out loud, I said, "I'm so sorry, Sir. It was wrong to enter without permission, but I didn't do it intentionally. You dropped these keys near the canteen. I tried calling you, but you didn't hear me. I came to return them. I knocked, but since there was no response, I came inside to leave them on the table. My friend called just as I was leaving." I explained the whole situation clearly to him .