As if all the annoyance she was already feeling was not enough, she had to wait for over an hour before Siddharth finally met her.

“What’s your problem, Karishma?” he asked as soon as she entered his office.

“Why are you asking me that? I don’t have a problem. Your casting team seems to have one though. They think you have recommended me for the look test…”

“They are right.”

Karishma took a deep breath to control her irritation. She tried to speak calmly, “You probably don’t remember me. I am not an actress; I am a writer…”

“I know who you are. I don’t waste time on people I don’t want to meet…”

“Excuse me?”

“I asked them to call you for look test. Let’s do it right away…”

“Hang on. When have you seen me act?”

“I haven’t and I don’t care. I can teach you enough acting…”

“Sir. With due respect, I have no aspirations to act.”

Siddharth laughed condescendingly, “I can understand. You are too shocked right now. And probably nervous. Come back tomorrow.”

Karishma lost her temper at that. “This is heights of presumption. I am not coming back and you don’t understand a thing. The world doesn’t revolve around you. Can I leave now?”

Siddharth looked at her curiously, “Yes, you can. But you will come back.”

Karishma did not reply and stormed out of his office.

—

“Where are you Karishma? How come not in the office?” Mou called her the next morning.

“I… I am at the CCD.”

“What’s wrong? Your voice is…”

“Can you come here for a few minutes Mou? Please.”

“Yeah sure. You stay there. I won’t take more than five minutes.”

—

“Fired? You are fired? Why? When?” Mou was aghast when Karishma told her why she wasn’t in the office.

“HR manager asked me to come early to the office today. And he just said… supposedly for performance reason.”

“Performance reason? Who decided that? Diksha Ma’am is not here. Ritesh Sir is not here.”

“I asked him that too. But he won’t offer any explanation. I begged him to let me talk to Ritesh Sir. To wait for his return. But nothing worked… He escorted me as I collected my stuff and went out of the building. What is going on?”

“I can not imagine… Performance reason? Seriously? Your episodes are getting the highest TRPs. What the hell is going on… Hey. What happened yesterday at Sid Sir’s office?”

Karishma got tears in her eyes as she recalled the last evening. She told Mou about her encounter with Siddharth in brief.

“He got you fired because you refused to take a look test?” Mou asked.

“I don’t know Mou. I can not imagine somebody of his stature stooping to this level. I mean… I am a nobody. Why should he even bother?”

“He is known to be egoistic.”

“I… I tried my best to be polite. What should I do? Mou – the worst thing is the way they have done it. Performance reasons? How will I even get another job. And you know about Papa’s health… Health insurance is gone. Even if I get a contract job or something, where will I…”

“Hey. Look – I know it is unfair. But if Sid Sir is behind this, you could try apologizing to him…”

“You think that will help?”

“Worth a try. If you don’t mind…”

“I don’t mind anything right now. I need my job and that insurance…”

“Then do it.”

—

Karishma tried taking an appointment with Siddharth on phone. But his assistant won’t give her one.

“I suggest you come here and wait for him. If he has time between meetings and shoots, he would probably meet you. There is no way I can fit an appointment in the calendar for you.”

She waited in his office from morning till evening for next three days. She had been given one month’s salary and her health cover was also available in that period. But she needed to do something about it before that period ran out. The expensive treatment her father was going through would not be possible without the health insurance. That was the reason she had taken up a full-time job writing for a daily soap, rather than trying some more interesting work which won’t give the same security of income and benefits.

Finally on the fourth day, she was called in his office.

“Ah! Who do I see here? Ms. Karishma Gupta? I thought you weren’t coming back.”

His taunt was not lost on her. But humiliation is not what worried her the most at that moment.

“Sir. I…”

“Yea Ma’am? How can I help you?”

“I am really sorry if I hurt you with my behavior the other day…”

“Hurt me? You think you have the power to hurt me? Heights of presumption, I must say…”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way… It’s just… Probably I wasn’t polite. I’m really sorry for that. What you had offered was… obviously… an extra-ordinary opportunity…”

“It’s gone now.”

“I know… I just… Sir. My father is seriously ill and is undergoing treatment. I need my job and health insurance to cover the bills. I apologize to you for my misbehaviour. But please don’t make my father suffer because of that. Please give me my job back. I will do anything…”

“I’m afraid that is gone too.”

Karishma bit her lips to prevent herself from crying as well as shouting in anger, “Sir. I am ready for any punishment. But this job…”

“Why don’t you come back tomorrow and we can discuss your options.”

“Y… Yes Sir. What time should I come?”

“Looks like you are already very busy…”

“N… No Sir. I will come here and wait for you.”

“Great. Now, excuse me.”

—

To be continued