Expectations

Nikhil could not believe he was running late. This was a meeting he wanted for the past two months and now the day had just made everything slip away. Sigma Care was one of the leading business house in the country and he could have had them on his list of clients had he been able to be on time. Now he was twenty minutes late. He has been developing this account step by step for the last six months. His firm would just go places with this single account. He ran his way to the main foyer and dialed Rao's number. "Where are you?," whispered Rao. "In the foyer,where to?" Nikhil queried. "Just turn to right and come quickly to the coffee shop." Nikhil dashed. 

Bhupati Mishra looked suave but definitely angry. Angry being the abiding word, Nikhil thought to himself. Well, nobody made the biggest healthcare instrument makers of the country wait. Mishra would soon be on the Forbes list and you did not make such people wait. For young engineer like Nikhil it was really an opportunity to grow his business exponentially by acquiring this deal. 

"Many apologies Mr. Mishra, This will never happen again I promise. It is no way a reflection on the way we work, let me assure you. This was just the pre - festival rush which made everything go out of hands."" I hope so Mr. Khanna, otherwise you will be liable of wasting time, which would have brought in millions, I hope you know." "Yes, Sir I am quite aware of it", uttered Nikhil. "Hope Mr. Rao has been able to explain it to you in detail how these new cables that we are manufacturing will save millions and help compensate your loss, " Nikhil took a chance.  

For the first time he could see a faint smile emerge on Mishra's lips. "Well spoken, young man, I like your sense of irony. Mohit Sharma, whom you already know will be your contact person for our business," said Mishra by pointing to his colleague. Mohit smiled back. Nikhil relaxed a bit. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the front of the coffee shop and people around their table started murmuring in unison. Nikhil did not pay attention and pulled out the contract papers and was about to hand them over to Mohit but noticed both his guests to have turned white and were now looking beyond Nikhil's shoulders. 

Rao was murmuring something which Nikhil could not make out in the rising noise levels. Just then a police man barked, "Bhupati Mishra, I hereby arrest you for the suspicion of murder of Subrat Sharma of Sharma and Sharma Associates". Nikhil said, "You must be mistaken." " Please stay out of this gentlemen," said the arresting Officer. Mohit had turned white and looked like he would almost faint. Rao moved quickly towards Mohit and offered him some cold water to soothe him. Bhupati Mishra simply shouted at Mohit, "Call the lawyers man, don't just faint you idiot".

Nikhil's head was reeling. All his six months work was just melting away with a single change. But why was Mohit in such a state? He looked with questioning eyes at Rao. Rao shrugged. "Are you ok Mohit? Should we take you home? We can drop you and you can pick up your car later, " said Rao in his gentle voice.

Mohit did not say anything. He was sitting like a lifeless rag. Nikhil got up and shook him hard and said, "Speak up man", Nikhil cajoled. "Subrat Sharma was my Father and I had joined Sigma three year after his death. He was murdered while I was in the final year of college. My Father's firm was looking after Sigma's finances since it's inception. Bhupati Mishra and my Father were school friends and I don't understand how for these last few years this man has continued to play me. Right after I finished Management School, Mishra practically begged me to join him. I idolized him as a father figure and gave in and only now it all makes sense, he just wanted me to be under his thumb so that he could keep an eye on me. The police faced tremendous opposition in investigating the case, now I know why they had to be quiet and I always used to blame them for being incompetent. " 

Nikhil's stomach turned. He now tried to compare his loss of business to Mohit's loss and the banal deception of a man who thought himself to be oh-so-important and his mind started reeling. He just could not make sense of anything. How could old friends become expendable? Or when did they become expendable in the process of rising greed?

"Sometimes life's just is what it is and not what it is supposed to be," said Rao. Rao's words made both Nikhil and Mohit look up at this gentle middle aged man who was always around to help out no matter how rotten things were and tried to keep it all together. Although Rao was neither a suave businessman, nor was he smart and well educated management school graduate like Nikhil or Mohit but people like Rao they both realized actually were the reason why the world still worked.