The axe falls....

To begin what I started a long time back, seated in the office chair. The news had been trickling down for almost a month now, and then this happened. It wasn’t that we were expecting this but we were probably taken in by the suddenness of the act.
Going back in to the office after the customary after lunch walk, we saw the first signs. She walked down the stairs talking to someone on the phone. That was probably the first indication, but there were reasons for doubt too. I walked into the room as usual, and there were a few hushed discussions going on between the people there and I could smell fear in the air. The room reeked of fear. But what was the discussion about? Was it about the numbers, or was it about who is going to get out. But the new was enormous once it came out. A guy whom we had taken a couple of years back, for a huge premium kicked out. To say the least I was shocked. The other two were relatively insignificant, but it was P who was the shocker. I still couldn’t believe that it’s the same guy with whom I had a great one to one talk in the last office picnic. He was the one who gave me guidance about which home loan to take. Yes he was famous for his outbursts on the brokers, yes he was known for hi volatile temper but he was unarguably the best. Never had I seen a man of his integrity and composure when dealing with those around him. He knew when to heat up and when to calm down.
But what concerned me more than all this was the fact that A was still to come with new about her team. A and me share the same birthdays. By this time the news that so far had been from the horses’ mouth had become a confirmed one from confirmed sources. But Gori Bi was the last to know about it. And we were told as if it was common news, BAU (Business As Usual). And so it went. The 5 o’ clock tea came and we got back to our Parle-G/ginger tea routine. And as soon as it began, it was over.
The whole process was so brutal and quick, no one, not even the people directly affected were in any pain. They had their own fat severance packages to take home. Huge enough to satisfy all their need for atleast one year. Or in other words LAU (Life As Usual). There want enough time for them to say their final byes, the final handshakes or to the deserving few the final jhappis. Made me think…who next?