I knew him for over a decade now as we joined the company just few months apart. But apart from occasional smile, reciprocated or otherwise, we hardly communicated.He appeared to be a reticent person and I don't know how I came across. So it was a surprise when he joined me in my customary solitary lunch. Did he discover suddenly something in common as both of us ordered the chicken biryani?
We confirmed our respective departments. We understood our immediate organizational structure. All the while I kept on wondering if there was a reason for him to strike a conversation with me. Then we moved on to the recent organizational changes in my group. Because of it, one of our colleagues, who also joined along with us, was no longer with the company. He asked me whether he was laid off. I didn't have a definite information on that and so I was uncomfortable answering that. I gave some kind of ambiguous answer. Then he talked about our another colleague who I knew no longer with the company. He told he was laid off. I asked him whether he found a new job. He was not sure. Losing the job at this age and that too in our field was tough he said. I agreed. Could be for managers and not for regular employees, I tried to bring some hope. Could be he said but didn't sound convinced.
By this time I had finished eating. He looked at my plate and said apologetically that he was a slow eater. "Take your own time", I said. I hadn't used that familiar line for a long time now. I observed that he had finished off his chicken pieces and having only the rice now. I thought that was a strange way of eating as I would have made sure to finish off the last morsel of the rice and the chicken together. So, I was expecting him to leave some portion of the rice over in the plate but he continued eating and finished it off as well. Then we departed with a not so common "nice talking to you" line. I don't believe it's going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
We confirmed our respective departments. We understood our immediate organizational structure. All the while I kept on wondering if there was a reason for him to strike a conversation with me. Then we moved on to the recent organizational changes in my group. Because of it, one of our colleagues, who also joined along with us, was no longer with the company. He asked me whether he was laid off. I didn't have a definite information on that and so I was uncomfortable answering that. I gave some kind of ambiguous answer. Then he talked about our another colleague who I knew no longer with the company. He told he was laid off. I asked him whether he found a new job. He was not sure. Losing the job at this age and that too in our field was tough he said. I agreed. Could be for managers and not for regular employees, I tried to bring some hope. Could be he said but didn't sound convinced.
By this time I had finished eating. He looked at my plate and said apologetically that he was a slow eater. "Take your own time", I said. I hadn't used that familiar line for a long time now. I observed that he had finished off his chicken pieces and having only the rice now. I thought that was a strange way of eating as I would have made sure to finish off the last morsel of the rice and the chicken together. So, I was expecting him to leave some portion of the rice over in the plate but he continued eating and finished it off as well. Then we departed with a not so common "nice talking to you" line. I don't believe it's going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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