Memories

This morning while going to work, at a traffic light, I saw a van full of young girls and boys with a sticker of my previous office on the back of the vehicle. Oh! So it had started this service, dropping people to work? Cool, I thought!! The bunch seemed just out of college with cool haircuts, fancy clothes, some listening to music on their iPods and others chatting happily. It took me back a few years when I had begun working.. Memories of my first job came flooding back, bringing a smile to my face.

The company recruited annually in batches - so that was fun. There were around 20 of us, with four girls. The boys cribbed about it big time!! Our first day was on 15 February and I'm sure the thought of 'why one day late' crossed some minds. :)

Work was good, we trained hard and worked even harder. I remember the gruelling shifts, working under the supervision of seniors, sometimes not even getting a chair to sit, eating late, running from one assignment to another, returning after a quick bite to help with editing at the short-staffed desk.

There are lots of memories -- some good and bad, and some purely hilarious.. One of our senior editors would often forget our names and just say 'aye', when all of us would become alert, thinking kiski baari aayi hai?? Once he called me to his cabin and said - I have been remembering the alphabet to try and recollect your name.. He told me he had actually started saying A, B, C, D, E in his mind till he reached the relevant letter. It was so funny but obviously I couldn't laugh. I smiled, got my copy checked and ran away. He was a real nice person, by the way!! You know the coconut kinds...hard on the outside, soft from within :) I narrated the incident to friends who were in splits!

I remember the night shifts, the pizza feasts, a colleague who sang really well, exchanging secrets, discussing everyone's least and most favourite persons, going back home at 2 am but enjoying the cool breeze and the music..

Even when it was time to leave, I wanted to in a nice way! There were some people who had quit on rather bitter terms. I didn't want that. I wanted to do the right thing. Sometimes when you're down, it's very easy to lose control and become impulsive, but mom says you should always leave on good terms, you never know where life takes you....I was truly surprised at the farewell gifts I received from lots of people and by the warmth of a particular senior editor, who until then was just 'sir'... It's a wonderful feeling when you know people care and appreciate your hard work.

It wasn't going to be easy forgetting this place - I cherish it even now. But I thank god especially for this job because it introduced me to some of the best people in the world -- some very nice people who became friends for life! It was my first workplace and it will always remain special.