8.15 p.m.

Brainwave! Suppose I just call up reception, tell them I am calling from Gouri’s house and needed to speak to her urgently? Surely they would be put me through then, Diary?

9 p.m.

The last ten minutes were most embarrassing. According to plan I called the reception and, with a kerchief over the phone, told them that I was calling from Allahabad and that there was an emergency in Gouri Kalbag’s family and we couldn’t reach her on her mobile phone. They asked me to hold the line. I was congratulating myself on my voice modulation skills when the hotel manager came to my room. He told me that they would inform the police if I tried making crank calls again. The hotel had internal caller ID and knew right away that the phone call was not from Allahabad.

I thanked him for his discretion and told him I would not be repeating anything like that again.

I feel a little nauseous from embarrassment.

9.43 p.m.

I could swear that the room service guy had a smirk on his face when he brought me my Chicken Steak Diane.

Does everyone in the hotel know about the Allahabad phone call?

Fuck.

Making him take all my laundry, socks and undies included, on the Dufresne tab, consoled me somewhat.

18 May 2006

10.10 p.m.

Did nothing all day. Except Vineet, all of us sat around reading employee handbooks and some training material.

Vineet was asked by one of the suits to help him with some spreadsheet work. He got so busy he couldn’t even come to the cafeteria for lunch.

I got really bored in office.

After I came back from office I sat in the lobby for three hours hoping to see if Gouri was still around. Do I know any other Gouris? I must check on Orkut tonight.

At around 9.30 I called home for a few minutes. I told Dad that I was involved in a very important petroleum sector project for the government so that he would think I was occupied. He would never understand this orientation business. He comes from the old school of HR practices.

I have a week of hotel accommodation left. Must start house hunting tomorrow.

Good night, Diary. I seriously hope they allocate us on projects soon.

10.34 p.m.

I know only one Gouri. Confirmed.

By the way Gouri’s location on Orkut says Mumbai. She is in town for sure.

KILL ME SOMEBODY!

20 May 2006

9.46 p.m.

Three days and I still haven’t done any ‘work’. Vineet actually went for a client meeting today. HOW DOES THE BASTARD MANAGE TO DO THAT?

Jenson thinks it’s because Vineet is older and has work experience.

Had a minor moment of panic today when I finally ran into that suit I tackled over the buffet table in the YouTube video. He had come to meet Jerry and I ran into him outside the conference room. Both of us stopped in our tracks and just stared at each other for a full thirty seconds. He then ushered me into an empty manager room and closed the door. The guy is a metal and plastics sector principal in Delhi. He told me that he had no hard feelings and we should immediately forget the whole incident. He even said that things like that happened all the time at office parties and we shouldn’t really make a big deal about it.