131. Intimacy

Padmanabhan was the youngest among the candidates who appeared for the interview, for the high level position of the Executive Secretary to the Managing Director of the company. And, he was the one selected for the post.

The General Manager, who conducted the interview told Padmanabhan, "Now, you have to meet our Managing Director. If the MD endorses my selection, your appointment will be confirmed."

Narmada, the Managing Director, appeared to be younger to him by five or six years. 

She asked him a few superficial questions about his education and experience, looked at the General Manager, who was also present in the interview and nodded her head.

The General Manager said "Congratulations," and shook hands with Padmanabhan. Narmada smiled gently.

During the first few months of his working, Narmada didn't seem to pay much attention to him. Though the office routine required that all the actions of the MD should be routed through her Executive Secretary, it appeared to Padmanabhan that she was maintaining a conscious distance from him.

However, after a few months, Padmanabhan noticed a few changes in the MD's attitude and approach towards him. She began to take notice of and appreciate Padmanabhan's efficient functioning.

While at the beginning, Narmala was treating Padmanabhan as a lower level assistant, over a period of time, she began to gradually entrust him with more responsibilities and authority. She delegated to him the power to take decisions on several matters. 

She often told the General Manager and other senior executives, who approached her for advice or permission, "Please discuss this with Mr. Padmanabhan."

Narmada invited Padmanabhan to her cabin several times a day, discussed important matters with him and even sought his opinion and advice. She also took him along with her for most of the meetings and appointments she attended.

Padmanabhan felt proud that he had earned the confidence and goodwill of the Managing Director, through his integrity, hard work, dedication  and efficient functioning. 

Narmada and Padmanabhan had been to the guest house of a client, for an important discussion with him. When they reached the guest house, the client told them that he had to go out for about half an hour on an important matter and asked them to wait in his room till he came back.

After the client had left, Padmanabhan told Narmada "I will wait in the lobby. After the client comes back, I will join the meeting" and got up to leave.

Narmada stopped him saying, "Please sit down, Mr. Padmanabhan. I need to discuss a few things with you, till the time the client comes back."

Narmada told him, "Mr. Padmanabhan! I have been observing your functioning for the past seven or eight months, since you joined my company. To say I am very much impressed will be an understatement. You are simply amazing!. When I was advised to have an Executive Secretary, I only expected that I would get some relief from my routine work. But, you have taken a lot of initiatives and freed me from the burden of most of my tasks, virtually making me idle. I am very happy about your contribution."

"Thank you, madam!" said Padmanabhan. Beyond that, he didn't know what to say.

"I think I can share with you a few personal things about me. I am the only daughter of my father. I lost my mother, when I was a child. After completing my degree course, I joined the company, intending to assist my father. I learnt about the functioning of the company in a general way. But within two years of my joining the company, my father passed away. After that, I have been managing this company to the extent of my capabilities" said Narmada.

"Madam! I am not saying this to flatter you, but the impression about you in the market is that you are very brilliant and that you have been managing the company exceptionally well. Of course, I have been seeing this myself, for the past eight months!"

"Thank you. I am only practicing what I have learnt from my father. But, whatever I have been able to do is nothing compared to the proficiency you have attained within eight months of joining this company, to the extent of doing a major part of my work. ..Okay. Let me come to the matter I wanted to talk to you about. I am not interested in getting married. I thought that I would remain unmarried till the end..."

Narmada paused, thinking how to proceed further. 

She then continued, "I will come to the point directly. I have developed a liking for you. I know that you are married. But this is not about love. I want to be intimate with you."

"Madam!" exclaimed Padmanabhan, stunned by Narmada's words.

"This won't be a serious relationship. It will be just fun. We can be intimate in places like this, when we are alone, outside the office. No one need to know about this. Your wife won't know about this. And, this won't affect our official relationship in any way. What do you say?"

Padmanabhan got up from his seat and said, "I will go out and wait in the lobby." 

"Think about it. If the news about our intimacy were to come out, I will be affected more than you. So, it is my responsibility to ensure that no one gets any inkling about this."

Even as Narmada was saying this, Padmanabhan left the room.

That night, when Padmanabhan was at home, his mobile phone rang. His wife Sarada was in the next room, talking to their five year old son Vignesh.

"Yes, madam" said Padmanabhan.

"You have sent your resignation letter by email. If you didn't like what I had said, it is fine. Why should you resign? I didn't pressurize you!" said Narmada.

"Madam! The shadow of today's conversation will always be falling on me. In such a scenario, I won't be able to function well. Please accept my resignation and relieve me."

When he ended the conversation, Sarada had come near him.

"You have resigned your job! You didn't tell me!" she asked him, perplexed.

"I thought I would tell you after dinner. What if you refused to give me dinner, for the reason I didn't have a job?" said Padmanabhan, smiling.

"This is not a matter to be joked about. It was a good job. Why did you quit?"

"I couldn't get along with my boss."

"You said something about a shadow."

"If my boss was always standing behind me like a shadow and watching me, how could I work? That was what I was telling her."

"I know what your problem is!"

"What is it?"

"You have been unable to accept a woman as your boss."

"When I have accepted a woman as my boss at home, why can't I accept a woman as my boss in the office?"

"You joke about everything!" said Saratha and laughed.

When Padmanabhan joined her in her laughter, he was momentarily free from the worry of finding another job.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 131 (In Tamil)

ozhukkam vizhuppam tharalAn ozhukkam
uyirinum Ombap padum.

Meaning:

Propriety confers prominence; hence, propriety is

cherished more than life.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'nerukkam' by the same author)

Verse 132 (Soon)
Verse 130