📓 MNC Diary — Episode 4

The Cab Ride at Midnight - Silence in the City

Dear Diary,

The cab moved steadily, passing tall buildings, glowing hotels, and glassy office towers.

Outside, Delhi was fully alive — traffic lights blinking, people still roaming, food stalls busy serving their last customers, and the city refusing to sleep.

But inside the cab?

Complete silence.

Just two people sitting side by side — me and Kajal.

No words, no laughter, no small talk. Only the faint hum of the engine and the sound of my own thoughts.

It’s funny, isn’t it? You can be in the middle of the noisiest city, yet inside one car, silence can feel heavier than anything.


---

When Silence Breaks

And you know the weird thing? Whenever I actually want something, it doesn’t happen. But the moment I don’t complain, God somehow takes my thoughts way too seriously.

I wasn’t even complaining about the silence. I was fine with it. Peaceful, even.

But maybe God thought, “Let’s spice it up for this guy.”

Because suddenly, Kajal broke the silence.

“So, how was your day?” she asked, turning slightly toward me.

I nodded and replied, “Yes, it was quite good. Met the team members, had some good chit-chat with people from other teams too. Overall, it was good.”

Then I glanced at her and added, “How about you? You said you were here for your meeting… how did that go?”


---

Hungry Truth

But let me be honest here.

Frankly, I didn’t want to know anything. I wasn’t interested in her meeting, her client, her work — nothing.

All I wanted was to reach my hotel, order food, and eat something. That’s it.

Yeah, yeah… I know what you guys are thinking.
You’re probably calling me arrogant, rude, maybe even antisocial.

And maybe you’re right.
But trust me — when you’re tired, hungry, and running on zero energy at 11:30 PM, the only conversation you want is with a plate of food.


---

A Shocking Reply

She didn’t notice my inner frustration. She simply replied, “It was good. Investors are onboard.”

I blinked. Haaa… onboard??

She caught my confused expression and smiled.
“I’m starting my own venture in the software industry.”

Was shocked. Like seriously — everyone is out there doing something big, something exciting.

And here I am, stuck with my daily stand-up calls.

“Yes sir.”
“Ok sir.”
“Ji sir.”
“It will be done EOD, sir.”

That’s my life.


---

A Heavy Moment (That Wasn’t Heavy)

And as you know, God loves me very much.

The silence broke again in the cab, this time with Kajal’s voice:
“So… how’s your wife?”

I froze, turned my face toward her for a second, then quickly looked away.
With a low voice, I said, “It didn’t work.”

The vibe instantly got heavy. She gasped softly and said, “Ohh… sorry.”

Then she asked, “But what happened? How? Why didn’t it work?”

I sighed and replied, “Nothing happened.”

She frowned. “Then why didn’t it work?”

I looked straight out the window and muttered with a grin,
“There was no one… so how would it work?” 😂

For your kind information, dear diary — I’m not even married yet.

She gave me a mixed look — a bit angry, a bit relieved, but with a smile.
“Ohh, you gave me a heart attack. For a second I thought… why it didn’t work with a guy like you.”

Guy like you.

That line stuck.
I turned toward her. “And what do you mean by… guy like me?”

She replied softly, “A good guy.”

I smirked. “And how do you know I’m a good guy?”

She didn’t answer. Just turned to the window, letting silence return again.


---

Her Stop

A few minutes later, the driver slowed down.

“Please stop here,” Kajal said. Then she turned toward me, “Okay Raj, this is my stop. Thanks for dropping me.”

In my head, I rolled my eyes — Dropping you?? You booked the cab yourself. I didn’t invite you.
But of course, outside I just gave a polite nod.

She wished me “Good night” and stepped out.


---

Good Night, Finally

The cab started again.

Finally, I shifted my seat, stretched a little, and leaned back. For the first time in an hour, I could actually sit comfortably.

“Ahhh… much better.”

But the moment I started to enjoy it, the driver said,
“Your stop, sir.”

Heee… I’d just begun to feel the vibe and already we were at the hotel.

I looked up at the sky with a bit of mock anger, then smiled.

I know, I know — You love me too much to let me stay comfortable, God.

Good night, Delhi. Good night, drama.

Good Night???

Nahhh… who said it’s over? Now the actual conversations were about to start.

I looked at my watch — 12:45 AM.

Seriously?? Almost 1 AM… and here I was, still not done with dinner.

Hmm… dinner? Wait, should I even call it dinner anymore? Or just directly breakfast?

Either way, my stomach didn’t care. It just wanted food.


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Hotel Horror

So, I called the hotel staff.

“Sir, kitchen is only open till 12:30.”

I checked my watch again. 1:05 AM.

Wow… what a great day, Raj. First day in Delhi and you already missed dinner.

I asked if I could get something from outside. The guy said, “Some outlets are open 24/7, but they’re far from here. Best option is to order online.”

So yeah… ordered online.

And finally, at 1:57 AM, food arrived.

Hot, packed, and smelling like heaven.

At that point, it wasn’t even dinner anymore.
It was definitely breakfast.


---

Finally, Peace

After finishing my breakfast — ohh sorry, my dinner — I just let myself fall flat on the bed.

“Ahhh… what a feeling.”

Finally, some comfort.

After a hectic, surprise-full day, my body just gave up and my mind finally shut down.

For the first time in 24 hours, I wasn’t thinking about projects, bosses, or even Kajal.

Just one thought as I drifted away —

Tomorrow will be another story.