I was in Awe of Her Beauty

During the end of April or beginning of May 2005, one Falak Deb, a Bengali and a resident of Dhanbad, joined our team. She was a small, strikingly beautiful girl and so attractive that it was apparent that many boys would have been after her. In fact, while she was still in the training, she had already become the talk on the production floor. Originally, she was scheduled to join another team, but, to their misfortune, due to a last minute change, she joined our team. She was soon to become my misfortune. Strange are the ways of destiny!

I was smitten by her beauty. I wouldn’t even dare to look at her afraid of being thought of as a cheap guy. Whether it was to retain my respect, seniority and integrity or to attract her towards me, I don’t know. Though, I prefer to go with the later thought. I secretly observed and admired her beauty.

Within a few days of her hitting the production floor, IBM organized a small party and I believe it was during the party I got introduced to her. I was in awe of her beauty. From the corner of my eye, I observed her seated at a distance with a guy from her training batch. I envied him!

Meanwhile, my team mates, Prerna Sharma and Pahari Singh, were good friends. They both were top in production. My fort was quality and product information and thus was considered the best in product knowledge which, later, the members of other teams too would come to recognize and appreciate (vanities of all vanities!).

Pahari, wanting to retain the top slot, felt challenged by Prerna increasing her production and they stopped seeing eye-to-eye. I would take break with Prerna, Gaurav, and Priyanka. Thus, Pahari was out of the group.

Falak and Priyanka became friends as they stayed in the same society and Falak would tag along with her during our breaks. That is how she came to take break with us. She became an exception as no one else was allowed to join our close knit group. 

That she was able to penetrate our closed group gave her an advantage and edge over other members as she was now seen as an important member in the team. She would soon capitalize on her special status.