Confessions of a Workaholic - Part II

Curiosity kills the cat they say and so it does :) Many wanted to know what happened of the workaholic girl (Confessions of a Workaholic). And so, here it is...

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Courtesy: thecareermuse.co.in

The New Girl followed in her footsteps, soon dethroning her and taking over the kingdom. She gladly stepped aside, rolling the red carpet and letting New Girl preen.  Letting go could also be a wonderful feeling, she realized. It was time to focus on more important things.

Exactly a year had passed by since her bestie had spoken to her. Her friend a year older and she surely wiser… the phone remained silent this time. It was the day for the leadership call… yet again. If she had not believed in coincidences before, she did now. Her boss beckoned from a distance; reluctantly she got up only to see New Girl brush past her, sprinting towards the conference room. Watching them get onto the call mirrored past reflections she no longer wanted to see. The feeling of Déjà vu was overwhelming.

She made her resolve then, picking up her bag she turned towards the door- Birthdays come once a year, leadership calls happen all the time, she told herself.  She rushed to her friend’s home only to find her entire group celebrating. A pin could not shatter the silence she encountered. Red faced, she twitched her toes and stared down admiring them more than she ever had her work. Suddenly she felt a hand snake around her shoulder and a peck on the cheek turning them from red to pink. She looked up and saw the tears glisten in her bestie’s eyes. Grab a mop someone, the room has begun to flood! She exclaimed breaking the tension that had surfaced around. Joining in the revelry, she began to loosen up, her old college self showing signs of return. Life had just begun.

She started to like her office as much. It had turned a shade different ever since her collapse. The light banter during meetings that she previously rolled eyes too; the humour and gossip during coffee breaks that she always had considered a waste of time… she saw a different world now, one that she had been completely oblivious to.  After years she took those breaks and made new friends. Her new avatar initially made them hesitate… she was amused by the reactions she got to see… sometimes shock but more often than not open mouthed stares.. All followed by grins that spread a mile. It took some time for them to toe the line and extend the first after office drinks invite; she accepted without batting a lid. There was a lot to make up for she knew. It was taking some time but she was becoming popular again… but for all the right reasons.

She excelled at her work with an efficiency that would put the Mumbai Dabbawalla’s to shame; caliber that made New Girl always carried an insecure look while around her. There were times when a tiny voice inside her would urge her to stay back and do more, tempting it was, after all old habits die hard but she shunned it till it turned into a squeak and disappeared forever. That ship had sailed from that dock with her past safely buried in Davy Jones locker, she told her anxious parents.

Once again she was the life … of parties and vacations. Her weekends were now free for family and friends thanks to New Girl and her rendezvous with the office. With time she rediscovered her passion, not for work but childhood dreams.  She began to sketch; spending her weekends drawing colours into everyone’s lives. 

If life was a movie, she had slept through the first half she realized. There was a lot to catch up on and experience through the rest.

Love had also begun to trickle in the air; she had doodled her way into a drawing class where she met her soul mate. They shared a common passion for the canvas while earning their bread and butter being just another brick in the IT wall. She broke the news to her mother who couldn't believe her ears. Was this the same girl who had laughed at the sheer prospect of settling down? Impossible dreams do come true her mother proudly told her kitty friends, wasting no time in buying the rings and booking the wedding hall. She soon found herself distributing saffron colored envelopes around the work bay. 

She walked up to New Girl, inviting her to witness the bells ring. New Girl looked up, peering at her through glazed eyes and excused herself from the occasion saying “With my position comes immense responsibility, taking time off would mean disaster!” The words sounded vaguely familiar; she gave an understanding smile, scribbling something on the invitation card. “You might find that useful” she told New Girl and walked away with a chuckle.

Confused New Girl turned the card around, scribbled on it was the phone number of the clinic next door.