“Arre bhai, we are finance guys, remember? I am after all a cost center. Nobody is going to care if my team travels next year or not, what budget are you talking about? Take the same amount as last year and be done with it…!” The irritation was not missing from his voice as a hectic day showed in his countenance. He leaned back on this chair. The man opposite on the phone, did not seem to give a damn though.

“Give me a break man. Look I cannot give you the breakup nor a plan. Take the amount, divide it by 12 and as I said – be done with it…”

Sharad cut the call and sighed as he sat erect, all ready to tackle the hefty excel sheet open on his screen. His peripheral vision noticed someone standing beside…

“Oh! Manasi…! My dear lady… I didn’t notice you… Since when were you standing, you could have simply sat down…”

The girl in the chic red kurti somehow did not match his level of weariness for the day. Her smile gave away her amusement as she replied, “I know you are bored now, but I had some doubts… Can we sit now?”

“Madam, I cannot say no to you – you are my auditor. My salary comes from answering your doubts.” He replied with some feeling. “Tell me… Hopefully nothing is pending right? Pending lists are not something I love – especially when nothing is pending…”

“Nah, nah!” She smiled once again. “Just a few screenshots… and a couple of questions…” The girl playfully draped one end of the stole over her shoulder. “It is cold today… isn’t it?”

“Yes, and the AC on full, that too centralized doesn’t help…” He quickly replied. “Pray tell. What do you need? Come sit, let us wrap it up quickly.”

Moving her nimble fingers expertly over the excel sheet in her laptop, she quickly applied a few filters, did some formatting for yellows and greens in one of the columns before turning her head towards him. “These are the invoice numbers…”

Sharad was looking at her work proudly, almost as if he saw her as a protégé. “Has anyone told you, you are pretty good at excel right?”

“Well Sharad Sir, not as good as you, but I do try…” Quick to reply as she was, he smiled.

“You do have a way with your words.” He began to punch a number in the ERP. While the report was running, Sharad almost absent mindedly began humming to himself, “O Rangrez tere rangdariya mein, doobna hai bas tera ban ke…” (O Artist, I want to immerse myself in the ocean of your colours…)

Manasi’s eyes twinkled, her fingers stopped as if on cue.

“Ummm. Sharad Sir, actually, can I ask something of you…?”

Sharad stopped humming, “Haan, Bol na ga!”

“Can you order some coffee from the canteen? Actually, I don’t like the machine made one, it is too bitter… sorry but….”

“Manasi, you don’t have to say sorry, its ok…” Sharad quickly dialed a number on the intercom asking for the canteen to send up a cup of coffee…

She bit her lip even as a smile crept up her visage. “Actually, there was one another thing. Here…” Manasi passed him her phone… the screen showed some 4 pictures arranged in a neat collage…

“What? Kay ahe he?” he asked, amused.

“I love to dance, I mean, I try to… I have recently started posting reels on Insta every Saturday… this is about guessing the song based on the 4 pictures, can you help me out with guessing?”

Sharad gazed at her face and then once at her phone, “I am impressed, no wonder we get along so good together Manasi. You and I are after all, birds of the feather. No No! I don’t dance, but I sing, I write… so we are both artists….”

She bit her lip, “Tell me na Sir, can you guess the song?”

“Give me some clues, what am I to make of these random pics…?”

“Oh! It is an old song… maybe 2000 ish…”

“Manasi, aga, my birth year is 1993, old songs for me mean those from 1955 – black and white era… You must be joking…” he laughed heartily. “It is difficult… wait I mean, there are colours and then there is the ocean…. Oh! hold on! Is it? is it…?”

Manasi was clearly enjoying herself now. “Yes, it is what you were humming just now, I am going to post a dance thematic on this song on Saturday… actually I got the idea from you singing in office.”

“Baapre! I didn’t now my humming was… I mean I am flattered now… Nice of you to tell me this. I would love to see the video when it comes out… In fact, this is a good chance to follow you on Instagram…! Well, it is not so normal to follow a lady auditor on Instagram… but I’ll take that chance!”

“You are indeed so old school sir…”

“Manasi, I have to be, don’t I? I am a 1993 – what you guys today call Millennial is it? And you’d be what 2000, 2001…?”

Her eyes gave away her amusement even as she said, “4…”

“What!! Haha! You are eleven years younger… Man! I already feel elderly and full of wisdom!”

He opened a new mail in outlook and pasted a few attachments, pressed send…

“It feels nice to see another busybody taking out time. Very few people manage it these days. One thing about time is…”

“You have to take it out yourself…” She unknowingly completed his sentence. Sharad smiled. “We two definitely get along well together. I did my share of blogging and singing what 6 7 years – my prime time you know…”

“Yes, I decided recently, I cannot just keep on studying and auditing alone, I need my hobbying and my space…”

“Ah! Finally one GenZ word at last…! But good, my medium was words, yours is dance, that is refreshing to know!”

The canteen guy showed up carrying a tray with the steaming coffee mug.

“There you are my dear, your special cup of coffee…” He said as he signed on the paper slip the canteen guy had brought with him…”

“This is a paid coffee?” he asked with surprise in her eyes.

“You didn’t catch me earlier? I am a finance guy, a cost center after all… It is what it is…” He smiled generously. “Enjoy it while it is hot…! When did you say the video will come out, Saturday right?”

“Yup! And thanks…” Manasi replied.

“What for…? For guessing the song? Are! When you spend so much time with auditors, believe me, I have more auditor friends then others… and it is the least I can do… The other day, Keshav from your team and me were philosophizing for half an hour… almost as if we were brothers… You too felt cool to ask me about the song, right? So, chalta hai…!”

“Still… thanks… for showing so much interest… and for the coffee…”

“Coffee or not, you did make me feel a lot older dear… Maybe as if I should stop calling you My Dear Lady… and start calling you my Dear Little Sister…!”