A Salesman with a Heart

A salesman is supposed to cooperate with the management to bring in good sales volume for the company. He is supposed to give feedback of the customer’s reaction to the company’s sales policy. An efficient salesman can get ahead in the company only if he cooperates with his manager and is on his better side. Thinking all these things Saumitra decided to go into his manager, Supriya’s office the next morning. Their romance had ended with the news of her promotion, he thought to himself. But he still could not fully blame himself for their break up. It is best that it ended when it did, because perhaps it would have been too awkward for him that he was out in the field trying to sell soaps, even if it was for a reputed company like HLL, while she was sitting in an air conditioned office pegging on policy issues and ordering him around.

Although it had been 6 months now but he could remember it like yesterday when they were holding hands walking down Love lane, window shopping. Although earlier also she was at the office but, Supriya was always approachable. But now it was different. She was the boss now, and that meant that she was better than he was. Although Saumitra was an open minded guy but he was still not at ease with the concept of his girl earning more than he was. But what had to be done had to be done.

As he entered the office there was definite tension in his head. They had avoided each other since they drifted apart. There was Jayant lost in the computer as usual, and then there was Harsh filling up his coffee. Saumitra kept his ‘soap bag’ (as one intriguing young female customer had called it) at his desk. He took his time arranging the previous day’s orders into the respected files. Then went to grab some coffee, the only addictive substance allowed in the office, was what he had always thought of it.

As he knocked the stained glass door he didn’t know where to begin. But he knew he couldn’t take it anymore. There was no reply from the other side. He went ahead and pecked his head inside. She had not arrived yet.

Damn! He cursed. I was so ready to let her have a piece of my mind and now I’ll have to wait till Monday.

He went to his desk and walked out with his things. It was still an hour before the market opened up but he couldn’t wait there. I would explode if I stayed here, thought Saumitra. He went straight to his favourite place by the river side, on the embankment. As he watched the spring air ruffle up the trees at a distance he remembered how he had brought Supriya here and she had proclaimed ‘his place’ as ‘our place’. But he didn’t let that bother him. Saumitra tried to enjoy that something that he always found soothing here whenever he was upset.

An hour and half later he was trying to pursue Mr. Suraj, a whole seller in a grim ally in Maulviganj, to order 10,000 units as the company’s new scheme would give him 1 extra bar for every 100 if the order was for more than 10,000 units. He argued with great skill battering down every query of this 50 year old man choking on a pack of cigarettes one after the other. The smoke had always bothered him but he had learned to live with it as part of a field job.

With his bag by his side and an order for 25,000 units in it he went off to his next destination in Niralanagar.

It was a better locality and office but not a better customer. He was back to his old lines, learned like his name and revised about an hour ago.

The day went by with Saumitra hopping from one corner of city to another. When he went back to the office around 6, he half expected to see Supriya there. Yet there she was making some coffee for herself. Everybody else in the office seemed to have taken off to an early weekend for the Indo-Pak match was on the next morning.

Supriya didn’t avoid eye contact with him. Even if she was still angry with him she did not want to show it to Saumitra. After all he looked tired and this was the last thing he needed. Yes that was Supriya, always thinking about others even if they didn’t think as much about her, thought Saumitra to himself. He went to his desk and started filing his orders quickly for he did not want to miss this opportunity to have an open talk with her. Even in the scuffle he noticed that he had lapped up more orders than his usual days. In fact it was more than anyone had ever done in a single day at the office. The previous record stood at 1 lac units. He had easily surpassed it.

Fifteen minutes later he was knocking at the door again like the morning. “Come in!” said the Supriya, with the same subtle neutral voice that had enchanted him in the first place.

Saumitra pushed the door and entered, without hesitation this time. She was busy drafting a letter and as she noticed him she quickly put it aside to put all her attention on him.

“I...a.” he hesitated as he wondered where to begin.

“I don’t like what is happening to me in this company” he finally managed. “I have been at the same place I started at more than a year ago and my work load is increased every day without the slightest concern for how much business I bring to this company. And the pay hasn’t been the compensating enough either.” “Relax Saumitra.” said Supriya, “You don’t need to yell.” His voice had gained pitch as his anger and frustration was finally coming out.

“I think I am doing a good job here,” he said talking with a sigh. “And I don’t understand why you keep pushing more work my way. I think we made it clear that it won’t affect our work when…” he shivered to a halt. He couldn’t even put to words what was paining him.

“And besides,” he finally managed after a 10 second pause. “The policies that you make are harder to sell against the competition. A rethink of the marketing policy is in order.”

“You are always going against my decisions.” Supriya said without much contention to his remarks.

“When will you realise that I am also a person and I must do my job too. After all I was not the one to have turned my back on someone.” Saumitra was now about to loose it. How could she blame him for them drifting away?

But before he could think too much about it she continued “Besides I am resigning! You can take up the matter with who ever takes up my place.” Saumitra had a blank face now. He did not want to continue in the awkward place that they were in at the office but he still did not want Supriya to leave.

“Why?” was all he could manage in the spur.

“I don’t have the time for this job and I am going to be at home for most of the time now.” Supriya was still telling him everything about her as she used to when they were together.

“Why?” Saumitra said again, this time with some thought behind it.

“I have leukaemia and…” there were tears in her eyes.

Saumitra could only stare at her face with an open mouth.

“That is why I went away” continued Supriya, tears rolling down her cheeks. “from you as I did not want to see you in pain too.”

Saumitra took charge of his body and stepped forward to where she was standing, wiped the tears off her cheek and said – “How many times should I tell you, you should never waste these for anyone, they are too precious.”