Lost and Found

PART 1

Poonam's fingers were flying on her keyboard and her panicked eyes fixed on the screen. She clamped her hands over her mouth as she held back a groan.

The clock struck nine. Poonam was early in the office as she wanted to give a final touch to the presentation. But she was unable to find the presentation folder.

"My presentation is lost." She said to herself as she grabbed the arms of the chair. She got up to tell her boss about the unfortunate event.

"Sir I have lost the presentation." She said to her boss swallowing hard. She was unable to wet her parched throat.

"Sit down , Poonam. Did you search properly? " Her boss asked her calmly.

"Yes, I did. But it's nowhere. I don't have a back up too. Tomorrow is the presentation. Now what shall I do?" Poonam tilted her chin down.

"First calm down. See, you have to do it again. Luckily I have all the supporting documents required for presentation." Her boss said pragmatically.

Poonam nodded affirmatively and left the cabin determined to do it all over again.

The grapevine spread fast. By mid morning, the ill-fated incident was the hot topic for her colleagues. Everyone was ready to help her in all ways.

" Come on Poonam. Cheer up. You are intelligent and hardworking. I know you can crack this presentation in one day." One of her colleague said.

"Please tell me if you need any help." The colleague who sat besides her said.

"Today I am your assistant. Come on shoot your order. We all will make it happen. " One colleague from other department encouraged her.

The lunch was served on her table so that she didn't waste her time in the canteen. Till evening she had done her presentation roughly.

"Wow super. I have completed the rough draft. I will finish it at home." She whooped loudly.

"It's all because of you lovely people." She thanked her colleagues as she left the office for the day.

'Office task completed. Now home task on.' She thought as she was driving back home.

'Preet will be playing down. I have to prepare his favorite Rajma Chawal. I promised him that.' She said to herself . Preet was her seven-year old son. A naughty cute school kid.

She parked her car and went to see where Preet was playing. Poonam's building complex was huge. She saw that Preet and his friends were fighting. One boy was pulling Preet's hair and Preet was yelling at him.

"My God. These boys are so mischievous. " she said as she rushed to end the fight.

"Preet...What happened? Why are you fighting with them? So many times I have said not to play with these boys." She interrupted their fight.

"Aunty Preet has lost his bicycle. He feels Sunil has hidden it somewhere." One of his friend said.

"No Aunty I didn't do anything. " Sunil said immediately in his defense.

"You have hidden my bicycle. You are not my friend. KaTTi with you. " Preet flared up, shouting aloud.

"Ok stop this blame game. Preet comes home now." She ordered him sternly.

At home, Preet was sitting on the dining table staring at his Rajma Chawal plate.

"Come on Preet cheer up boy. I am sure you will find your cycle tomorrow. " Preet's dad said to him.

"I had warned him not to play with those kids. Still he plays with them. They all are a bunch of ill-mannered pampered kids." Poonam said to her husband.

"Poonam they are kids. School kids indulge in such pranks. That doesn't give you the right to label them pampered ones. Believe me they will sort the issue by themselves. " Her husband tried to convince her.

But Poonam was upset as she felt some irresponsible and over smart kids bullied her son.

"What a bad day for me and Preet. We both lost our valuable things." She grumbled and went inside her bedroom to complete the presentation.

PART 2

Poonam entered her office with great pride and satisfaction. She had completed her presentation in one day.

The security guard was waiting near her work desk.

"Good morning Madam. Can you come to the CCTV room during lunchtime. There's something important I have to show. " The guard said.

"Ok. I will come after my morning meeting." She answered apprehensively.

Throughout the meeting Poonam's mind got preoccupied with bizarre thoughts. After the meeting she rushed to the CCTV room. The guard was sitting and studying the screen minutely.

"What you want to show?" She asked him curiously.

"Madam I feel Mr. Singh was fiddling with your laptop two days back. I will show you the CCTV footage." The guard played the footage. Poonam's eyes bulged out in disbelief. She saw Mr. Singh opening her password protected laptop and copying her folders in his pen drive.

"That insane man hacked my laptop and stole my presentation." She said as she rubbed her eyebrows. Her mind refused to accept the visuals she saw on the screen.

She thanked the guard and hastily rushed towards Mr. Singh' s cabin.

She entered his cabin furiously and sat on the chair completely perplexed.

"You stole my presentation. You ridiculous man. Why?" Her fiery eyes were spitting fire on him.

Mr. Singh stared at her without blinking his eyelashes. He was in a state of shock.

"I have proof. The CCTV footage shows it all. So don't deny your wrongdoing." She said to him.

Mr. Singh was trapped.

"Yes I did. Everything time you receive all the appreciation. Last week the management was planning to promote you to my place. I was......" His face turned red and he crossed his arms over his chest.

" You are jealous of me. You are an insecure man. The kind of fake mask you wear on your face is annoying. Yesterday you were trying to help me out. Phony person." She said.

" Stop abusing me. I am your superior. Your boss has good regards for me. Even if you complain about me I will seek through the disciplinarian action. I am more powerful than you. "

"No you are timid. Don't worry I will not complain against a lily-livered man full with insecurities. I am couragoeus enough to handle this incident." Poonam went out of his cabin banging the door loudly.

She sat on her office chair staring blankly at her laptop. She remembered the fake concern, sweet words and artificial behavior her colleagues flaunted yesterday.

"They just pretend nice and genuine. No one is real in this corporate world." She said in agony.

Driving back home, Poonam made up her mind to stay practical in this fake corporate culture.

As she entered her building complex, she saw Preet merrily riding his bicycle. She parked her car and ran after Preet's cycle.

"How did you get your bicycle? " Poonam asked him gasping for breath.

"Mummy my friends helped me to find the cycle. Sunil didn't steal my cycle. I am baTTi with him." Preet said happily. Soon his friends gathered around her.

"Aunty I didn't hide Preet's cycle. The watchman had kept at some other place. " Sunil said. His innocent eyes sparkled like a star.

"Aunty, all of us searched Preet's cycle. Now we want to party." Preet's friends were so thrilled at their achievement.

"Mom party. Please we want lollipops, chips and cakes." Preet's energy was at its peak.

"Party wow party . Party, Party, Party. Chips and cakes. It will be fun." All the baccha party shouted merrily and happily.

"Yes indeed. You have to party. Cheers to your friendship." Poonam grinned widely.

Poonam was at her home relaxing with a cup of coffee.

'Such an eventful day.' She thought.

'How innocent kids are. Yesterday they were kaTTi and now they are BaTTi.' She giggled.

Children show their real emotions. They are what they are. They can't fake or manipulate their emotions. God made us that way. Then what changes in this journey from childhood to adulthood? Once upon a time we too were such cute innocent kids. What made us so stone hearted and manipulative. Who imbibed our heart with the feelings of jealousy, pride, greed, ego? Society, school , teachers, parents or we ourselves?

Are the pillars of value education so brittle that we get dwindled into such timid and fake personalities?

No one knows .. .

The question which got her entangled in deep thought was:

'Can an innocent person whose heart is just like a child sustain this ruthless and practical world? '

God only knows....