Part 3: Final whistle

Chapter 18/26: Rain of Uncertainty

The news of my job loss hit me like a monsoon downpour, drenching the warmth of our daily encounters with Jyoti. My worried suspicion from the company briefing, where I sat alongside the owner, had finally came true. Orders dried up one by one.

Today, the owner himself delivered the blow: the company was changing hands. The new owners only wanted the ongoing projects, not the workforce. We were given two months’ severance and told to find new opportunities.

Good things truly do come sparingly, while bad things seem to pour like a relentless storm. Suddenly, my world was a tangled mess. Jyoti’s hope on one side, Karunakaran’s enmity on the other, and now this. It felt like the ground beneath my feet had crumbled and disappeared.

Waiting for the train back, Trichy, once a bustling city, felt suffocatingly stagnant. The rhythmic clatter of the train now mimicked the hollowness I felt about my future. Everyone seemed to have a purpose, a job to do, while I stood clueless about my next step.

The season train ticket in my hand mocked me. No purpose for this journey tomorrow, no Jyoti’s smile to greet me. Was this the monstrous mouth of Kirtimukha opening before me, ready to devour my job, my love, my very future whole?

Jyoti believed the two Kannimars would be kind to us in any time of need. But would they be enough?

Sensing my despair, my friends, Rajan and Mrs. Mangalam, boarded the train and sat beside me. Concern clouded Mrs. Mangalam’s face. Despite forcing a smile, tears welled up, blurring the world outside the window. Choking back emotion, I confessed my fears.

They listened patiently, Rajan’s hand resting gently on mine. “Don’t lose hope, Jayanthan,” he said, his voice firm yet laced with empathy. “Remember, we were jobless after our diplomas too, yet we found something. You will find one – a better one – soon.”

“This setback doesn’t define you,” Mrs. Mangalam added. A determined glint flickered in her eyes. Briefly lost in thought, she turned back to me. “I have a cousin in an automobile company who might be able to help. Let me speak to him tonight. Call me tomorrow for confirmation before reaching out.”. I nodded.

There’s a folklore that says, ‘you know your true friends in a crisis.’ Mine were a diverse bunch, their personalities as vibrant and colorful as a rainbow. I remembered a former friend who’d moved to another state and met me during the Diwali market to brag about his new job. Jobless at the time, I feigned happiness. But his parting words still sting: ‘What’s wrong, stomach burning?’ It’s natural to feel stuck when others progress, but envy shouldn’t taint friendship. Why did I ever consider him a friend?

(To be continued)

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