You had stock on 30th June, I said. I was in what I refer to as - the Auditor's element!
Diesel prices had just been slashed, bulk orders were on the rise and clients like mine, needed wholesale purchases in these times of global slow down. Yet, my client chose to buy 100.2 Lac Lts from the open market. A clear Rs.5 extra spent per Litre of diesel purchased.
I repeated myself to the finance executive, who looked lost and a little tired. His eyes sunk in, and his shoulders drooped. Poor creatures these finance guys, having to take a lot of flake from all quarters. It was 9 pm. His mind was probably on the canteen that was about to close in the township. Slowly his lips showed signs of movement and he murmured something that sounded like I'll get back to you. My subsequent smile must have zapped out the last bit of energy in him. Sensing this, I pursed my lips and decided to call it a day.
I took the long walk back to the township, with my finance friend for company. He still looked battered, as if the staff bus had just run over him!
Something bothering you? I asked. My theatre arsenal also possessed the gift of camouflaging my intentions. Yes, the devil was at work and there was that wee bit of sarcasm in my otherwise concern oriented question. He looked up suddenly and gazed at me for a couple of seconds and then returned to staring at the more comforting ground. The stone he kicked whacked the gate of the factory and woke the security on duty. The grumpy old watch was miffed and made no bones in showing his anger on my companion. The harsh words from the security guard further dampened my friend's non - existent spirits. His face lost colour and he vaguely resembled a grey lizard with no agility.
I don't understand what I am doing wrong yaar, He said, his voice barely audible despite the cold silence of the night. I smiled the smile that was meant for comfort, but I was certain he took the gesture to be one of victory. Realizing this, I took a more open handed approach. If you're worrying about the diesel, don't bother, the stores department are to answer that, not you.
But I am the one making the payment na?!, he said nearly in tears. At this point, I felt he was taking too much on to himself. Let's not jump to conclusions shall we? It's a valid point I have got. And everyone involved will have to be pulled up. Why are you buying and consuming diesel when the same is with you? Why are you buying diesel on retail instead of bulk? These are not answers a finance guy can give. I then smiled the comfort smile and this time it DID comfort him for a second, he then returned to brooding.
Well, you're a finance guy. And these questions came to you didn't they?! Yet they did not strike my brain yaar. I'm an idiot. I didn't quite get why he was being so hard on himself. Yes I had just stopped over 50 lakhs being paid in excess, but that seriously did not warrant such sorrow.
You are being to hard on yourself, I said. The devil at work was laughing. Here I was, 20, and barely a finance guy, and there he was 26, qualified and married, yet he refers to me as a finance guy.
The rest of the walk was sullen, yet a little more cheerful than before. We bid ourselves goodbye on reaching my room. I smiled to myself as I watched him walk towards his room in the opposite direction, occasionally blowing out air from his mouth is a huff and clicking his fingers in sheer agitation. I walked in to find my room neatly decked by the housekeeper. The aberrations in his performance seemed to have ceased since I had found out he had been nicking the company's gasoline.
As I changed into my night wear and lay down on my warm bed, my cell phone beeped an incoming text message. My friend, the finance executive, thanked me for my "comforting" words.
I laughed. The devil too was laughing. The devil wanted me to reply the truth, but good sense prevailed and I sent a thanks. The truth? Well, what my friend the finance guy failed to understand - was that he wouldn't have required any comforting words, let alone from the person responsible for his present predicament.
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