As soon as Dominic brought him to me I got up and told Rahul that it was fantastic to see him again. He looked puzzled and asked me if we’d ever met before. I reminded him that we went to the same business school. He wanted to know which batch. I told him I was in his batch. Then he thought for a while and asked me if I had been a day scholar. (Bastard.) I reminded him that I stayed in Dorm 20 and he in 21. Nothing. I reminded him that I used to sit right behind him in first year. Blank. We were in the same ‘Personality Development For 21st Century Leaders In A Changing Geo-political Landscape Through The Medium of Dance’ class in final term. Rahul laughed and said that he did not pay any attention to anything in that ‘fraud course’. By this time Dominic got impatient and told us to renew our wedding vows later. It was a very poor joke but I laughed very heartily.

Diary let me jog your memory. Rahul Gupta was rank three or four in our batch. Throughout my two years in business school he was condescending, irritating, arrogant and womanizing. Not once did he ever have a conversation with me.

No no no. How can he? Neither am I in the top 10. Nor am I in the possession of a vagina.

Last I heard he had been hired by Goldman Sachs for a position in London or Tokyo. Apparently he was the only guy in our batch who tried to negotiate salaries during our placements. (Everyone thought this was very brave. Publicly I also appreciated. But personally I think it is stupid to negotiate salaries during campus placements. As if it is some vegetable market. Shameless.)

But now he is a vice-president in Dufresne? What the fuck is going on? As you know I consider Dufresne amongst the world’s best mid-level strategic consulting firms with an excellent website. I am proud of the company I work for and hold it in very high regard.

Still, compared to Goldman Sachs we are nothing. I believe there are security guards at Goldman Sachs who are paid as much as Dufresne senior associates. Their annual air travel expense must be greater than our total turnover.

Why is this fucker with us then?

Maybe he stole money from Goldman? Or, knowing him, he must have sexually assaulted someone.

In any case he has come as vice-president. Which means I will probably have to report to him. The very thought makes me want to convert the bedsheet into a rope and hang myself from the …

Fuck there are no ceiling fans here in London.

Bad mood.

14 May 2007

7.44 p.m.

Woo hoo! Finally a business trip!!!