Stories

Pay me not!

Mansi decided that life isn’t worth living. She had shouted, screamed and cried but nothing could change the inevitable. She hadn’t slept properly for days and she had even forgotten all her relationships because of this and yet, she hadn’t found success. “We are working on it.” She heard every time she called Airbnb customer care. “Let me tell you what the issue is,” Mansi started telling the customer care person what the bug in their system was and how they can fix it.

Elevator Escalation

“Defender is the worst product ever,” Mansi said chomping down on her eggs. “What?” She asked looking at the stunned faces in front of her. “Nothing. I was just saying that he worked in Defender before.” Mansi’s colleague said pointing towards his left. The person on the left had his hand frozen trying his best to smile. “Oh, I didn’t mean it that way. Windows defender is still better than Update software,” Mansi said in full damage control.

Faster we fall

Mansi decided that she would kill him. Not because he threw water on her precious clothes; not because he teased to date her sister; and definitely not because he was cute. She decided that the only way everyone in the office would stop teasing her about him was if he didn’t exist. “I know it’s not the right thing but what choice do I have?” Mansi thought and mixed the juice with a little alcohol.

Murder at First Sight

Mansi decided that she would kill him. Not because he threw water on her precious clothes; not because he teased to date her sister; and definitely not because he was cute. She decided that the only way everyone in the office would stop teasing her about him was if he didn’t exist. “I know it’s not the right thing but what choice do I have?” Mansi thought and mixed the juice with a little alcohol.

Rotten Parched Lips

Mansi touched her lips and was annoyed. “Damn these rotten parched lips.” She said and reached for her lip balm. As usual, it was just out of her reach. She stretched her arm and before she could balance her feet on the ground, the wheels of the chairs moved backwards and she was flying towards the ground. She saved her face by placing her hand on the ground and heard a crunching sound.

Disease Extrapolation

“I think I have throat cancer,” said Mansi in a somber whisper. “What?” Her friend asked choking on his innocent sip of water. You don’t have the watercooler talk to discuss matters of life or death. Mansi nodded, her expression fixed and her eyes shifty. Worry was visible on her face and was now mirrored on his. “How?” “You know I’ve been coughing for the past week. During my travel, I fell completely off the wagon.

Pen or Sword

Mansi picked up a pen and used it like a sword. Not defying governments or changing the world order by writing the next masterpiece. She literally picked the pen and stabbed him with it. Her intention was clear. His leg should be the canvas for her. “Are you done?” He drawled and continued watching the movie. Then pen had failed her. She looked at the pen incredulously. She turned to her own hand and saw that the pen was working perfectly.

Prioritization Paradox

Mansi wept! She wanted to take a knife and slash at her computer. The stupid machine had decided that it was more important to restart right now than let her work. She called the machine names which would have brightened her mother’s ears and then cursed the company that made the operating system. All in her head as she worked for the company. She had to run the script before 5:30 pm, otherwise, she won’t be able to go home till 7 pm.

Nightingale

Mansi hit her head with a stick. “Ouch! Damn!” She screamed with pain. “Why won’t you get out?” Mansi said with annoyance woven in each word. She kept pacing in her room holding her head in her hands and rubbing the spot where she had hit herself. “Damn this song. Why can’t it leave me alone?” Mansi said again as the song went on a loop in her mind. “What should I do?

Disease Extrapolation

Planted March 3, 2024

“I think I have throat cancer,” said Mansi in a somber whisper.

“What?” Her friend asked choking on his innocent sip of water. You don’t have the watercooler talk to discuss matters of life or death. Mansi nodded, her expression fixed and her eyes shifty. Worry was visible on her face and was now mirrored on his.

“How?”

“You know I’ve been coughing for the past week. During my travel, I fell completely off the wagon. Tried the allergy medication because earlier the diagnosis was that - no effect. In fact, I started having the fever as well. For the past 5 days, I have been doing a course of anti-biotics - no effect again. Everything points to one thing now,” said Mansi and gulped down the whole glass of water in one go, as if drowning her miseries in it.

Her friend looked like a deer in front of headlights. He opened his mouth and then closed it.

“Are the doctors completely sure? You should take a second opinion,” is all he could come up with.

“I haven’t yet gone to the doctor.”

“Huh!”

“Yeah. I didn’t have the time and I was too tired.”

He let out a sigh of relief. “You have been self-diagnosing yourself.”

Mansi nodded, still a serious expression on her face.

“Go see a doctor. It will probably be viral or something.”

“But it isn’t going away.”

“It will in a few days.” He said annoyed.

“You don’t think it’s throat cancer?”

“If you want it to be throat cancer, start using more tobacco.”

Mansi stuck her tongue out at him. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“Don’t self-diagnose and go see a doctor.”

“It could be dengue as well - I’m having fever. Plus, dengue is in the air these days.”

“It’s not dengue. You don’t have that high a fever. Plus, with dengue, you would have been in bed by now.”

“Hmm… Good to know that. Then, it probably is typhoid. I’ve had typhoid before you know - twice.”

He had a strong urge to face-palm himself but resisted.

“Ok. It might be typhoid. Just get it checked by a doctor before taking any medicine.”

“Yeah. I will get myself checked for Typhoid.” Mansi said giddily.