This went on for an entire hour. One by one, each of the partners told me how I had let down the company, its sixty-nine-year heritage, every partner at that table, every member of the JHA team and, indeed, every employee of Dufresne all around the world. It was just beginning to get repetitive when Prasad mentioned that my actions called for immediate termination.

I said nothing but mentally prepared myself to be unemployed within moments. There was no more tension, no more fear. Just quiet resignation. What must happen, would happen. I was in a tranquil zen-like place.

But I did not get fired.

Apparently the night before Blossom had called up Prasad to tell him that Lederman would make up their mind within twenty-four hours. Based on the great personal interactions he had had with me and the positive feedback he had got from the Panchatantra people, Lederman was feeling very positive about handing over a large, multi-million dollar global strategy project to Dufresne India. He had assured Prasad that a final decision would be intimated by the end of the next day.

Today!

Prasad then told me that in the light of this development the partners had decided that I was not good-for-nothing after all. I would not be terminated but I would be lapsed on my performance evaluation for a year. Next year I would start again on the same level as the next batch of recruits while my present colleagues would go up by a grade. I would also not get a raise or a bonus or be allowed to participate in any foreign projects.

As I left the conference room Prasad told me that I should learn how to do my job well from other consultants like Vineet and Jenson. Otherwise, he said, I would just be a liability to the firm.

When I left the room I wept. Tears of joy! I called up Gouri and told her that all was fine and that I had not been fired. I immediately arranged for a night of drinks and celebration at the flat. Jignesh said that he would take care of everything.

It was like a huge load had been taken off my chest and placed elsewhere. I felt like a new man. Yes, the terms of agreement were harsh. But at least I had got a second chance.

The party will start in ten minutes!

It looks like life is returning to normal. What a relief.

3.40 a.m.

Just got a call from Vineet. THE LEDERMAN PROJECT IS OURS! Prasad received a call from the Lederman Board at the Cleveland head office.

Celebrations after work tomorrow.

I’d like to see the look on the faces of those bastard partners when they have to put me on the Lederman project.

6 January 2007

2.23 a.m.

Huge Lederman partyyyy.

Totally sloshed. Dufresne screwing me over. Gave Yetch and Rajni a piece of my mind.

MOTHERfujkers …

Sleeeeeeepi

4.15 a.m.

Weird. My phone is full of text messages from guys in the Dufresne Sydney, Tokyo and Shanghai offices. And they all say mostly the same things: AWESOME, DUDE. WELL SAID. YOU ROCKED ROBIN! YOU ARE MANILA’S HERO! and so on.