The Old Bullmastiff (Ch-3)

“Aaah!” he screamed silently. “What does he even think of us? Going on shouting the whole day at us while he keeps lying on that chair like an old fat dog,” he said, shifting his focus back to the laptop screen. 

“Oh, don’t mind him. You know he has been like this ever since he became manager. Being bossy all the time, when he can’t do hell.” said someone, someone he knew. She had skin, white as if there was continuous snowfall on her arm. She had elegant looks but was also known as the troublemaker at the office because of her carefree attitude. If nothing, she was on his side. “Anyways, let me complete this file, else he won’t let me go back today,” he said, as the sound of the tapping keys became even more prominent. 

It took him another 5 good hours and 4 cups of tea to finally see the blue screen on his laptop say, “Shutting down,” but that was not before when the clock in the office had already struck forty-seven past 10. His only companions were a few mosquitoes buzzing in his ears. The office was the most hygienic place after his room. For once, he thought of leaving the job and opening a band with those mosquitoes, but his wallet did not approve. He took twenty-five more minutes to wrap up and leave that beautiful office building. Steel grey walls with random spots of white. The origin of the white spots was a mystery for even the guy who painted the wall. But with that being said, it was no less than a piece of art.

He finally managed to find a taxi on the busy midnight road. Somehow, even the old seats of the yellow Taxi felt like a hand-crafted brown sofa made with the best textile in the world. “Oh, you are finally awake! I was scared for a few minutes. Looks like you are working really hard.” “Did I fall asleep on the couch again? How rude to visit someone’s house and fall asleep on the sofa twice.”

“Oh, don’t mind! Not that we are meeting for the first time or as if I don’t know you. You’ve always been like this, getting exhausted due to overwork because you can’t refuse when someone asks for help.” The weather was slowly changing from being hot to being nostalgic. This has been the best part of this city; no matter how hot the day is, the weather changes at night. “Oh, where is Snow, by the way? She seems to be nowhere,” he said as if trying to change the topic. After all, the cat had been his best support till now. “She is already off to sleep. Already created her share of ruckus for today it seems.” 

“You love her, don’t you?” he said as they shared a laugh. Things were finally settling between them after a long day of struggle. The two “friends” were finally back to their usual ways, informal, hesitant and careful. The tension between them was like that of a separated couple meeting after an age. They have known each other for more than a decade but were still nothing more than acquainted acquaintances. 

All was going well, but just when he was about to say something seemingly important, a thin noise, like that of a laser, pierced his ears, and he felt a throbbing pain in his head. The next words he heard were, “Sir, we have arrived at your destination. Hope you had a relaxing trip.”