NUTMEG, CHAPTER 3: CARPE DIEM

3^rd SEPTEMBER 2018, 10:30 AM

The dull and monotonous office parking seemed to be basking in the morning sunlight. While others tread lazily with the occasional yawn, battling the Monday blues, Parth seemed to skip and hop towards the elevator looking forward to a bright new week at work. Perhaps, it was because he had managed to wake up early or it might have been the filling breakfast he had or perhaps, he was still happy about the result of last night’s game. It was a dominant display from Barcelona as they thrashed the new boys in the league, Huesca, by a margin of 8 goals to 2. Whatever the reason was, Parth had a satisfied smile across his lips as he pressed the button to call the elevator. He had already started reviewing the match in his mental fortress as he so often used to do as his morning ritual.

The pre-match reports were flooded with predictions of a comfortable victory for Barcelona but a warning from the opposition striker that they won’t be going down easily, sounded ominous. The lift finally reached the parking floor and the door moved slowly and creakily to one side, and as Parth looked up, his eyes met a beautiful pair of brown eyes. Like a blessing, she stood there with an air of enthusiasm garnished with a tinge of nervousness, dressed in a blue salwar suit, as she fidgeted with her fingers. Parth entered the lift silently, assuming her to be heading to a different office floor and barely noticing the others present in the lift. The match had started in his mind as Barcelona passed the ball around in the early minutes. The elevator reached the designated floor intended for Parth and as he moved out, by the corner of the eye, he saw the mystery woman also make her way towards the entrance. Flummoxed by this sudden turn of event, he lost his footing on the recently moped floor and slipped like Barcelona’s defence, who were caught napping by a quick counter-attack by Huesca and let in the first goal within 3 minutes. He was shocked, just like the crowd at Camp Nou, the home ground of Barcelona, but gathered his senses to exclaim thankfully that at least he didn’t fall. He turned just in time to spot a faint smile escape her face and without making a fool of himself anymore, preferred to get lost within the secure confines of the cubicles.

Barcelona mounted attacks after attacks but were unable to find the breakthrough until the savior rose again. Lionel Messi gathered the ball close to the opposition’s box and with a swift move rounded the defender to unleash a powerful drive across the goal as the opposition goalkeeper could do nothing but watch. Smiling at the beautiful memory of that strike, Parth made his way into the cafeteria. His chain of thoughts was broken by a sweet but regretful voice, “Oops”, as he narrowly avoided the spilled coffee from the person heading towards him. There she was again, her face riddled with embarrassment as she continuously apologized for her carelessness. “No problem”, said Parth as Jordi Alba was making his dangerous runs down the left flank, from defence to attack repeatedly, in his head. The continued pressure finally paid off as Alba’s low drive was put in the back of the net by Huesca’s own defender. Buoyed after taking the lead in the game, Parth introduced himself, “Hi, I am Parth”. “Navya”, she replied as she extended her arm for a handshake, adding that it was her first day in the office. Another great run and pass from Alba led to Luis Suarez getting Barcelona’s third goal of the evening. With this first goal of the season for him, the much-maligned striker was finally looking to respond to his critics and show them that he hasn’t lost his predatory skill. Parth had a sheepish grin on his face, recollecting his slip from the morning. To his surprise, Navya seemed to read his mind and responded immediately, “Now we both have an embarrassing incident to our name for the day”. Their conversation was interrupted as Parth was called for a quick sync with his team. Walking back towards his desk, despite him recollecting the moments when Huesca pulled a goal back, thanks to some sloppy defending again from Barcelona and the game heading into half-time with a close lead of 3-2, he couldn’t help suppressing his contentment.

The story of the second half was one that none could have predicted. Barcelona came out all guns blazing and grasped the match in their favor. Credit does go to the Huesca side for playing, against a strong team like Barcelona, with an attacking mentality and not defending deep, as is the tactics so often used by smaller teams. This did lead to Barcelona’s midfielders exploiting the spaces in the opposition’s ranks and create more goal scoring opportunities. Ousmane Dembele continued his fine form from last weekend to extend the lead and a beautiful volley by Ivan Rakitic added further misery for Huesca. Parth was still in awe of the clinical attacking prowess of the team from last night, when a tap on his shoulder forced him to turn, removing his earphones. It was Mr. Masand, from the Human Resource department with that evergreen smile pasted over his face. That smile had always annoyed Parth a bit, for he suspected a sinister mind at work behind that fake grin. Nevertheless, today it didn’t seem to bother him much as Mr. Masand introduced the new joiner, Navya to everyone present. His heart skipped a beat when she replied, “Yes, we have already met” with a warm blush in her smile, on being introduced to him. His eyes innocently followed her, as Mr. Masand accompanied her further down the cubicle aisle when Messi doubled his tally for the night, finishing a precise through ball from Coutinho, who had been playing brilliantly all night.

Jordi Alba deservedly got one goal to his name. Recently, he was at the heart of a major controversy when he wasn’t selected for the Spanish national team, speculatively because of a bad history with the new coach. Parth’s mind was still pondering that Alba’s performance was perfect reply to showcase what the national side would miss by his absence, as he made his way into the meeting room. He spotted Navya among the new joiners as the Manager repeated his usual introduction regarding the work and the product of the company. The match was headed to the closing minutes and Suarez had earned a penalty, when Parth was called out to explain the project his team has been focusing on in recent weeks. Messi, being the regular penalty taker, had a chance to score the penalty and complete a hat-trick of goals. As Parth was about to get up, he spotted his team-mate and friend Roshan. Two weeks earlier, when Parth had missed an important client meeting, it was Roshan who had taken up the responsibilities to execute everything smoothly in his absence. Roshan’s diminutive and shy nature prevented him to take any credit for his actions, because he viewed it as part and parcel of being in a team. Parth was in a tight situation as he didn’t wish to squander a golden chance to make a good first impression of his professional side on Navya. Messi knew Suarez was down in confidence due to his lack of goals and offered him to take the penalty instead and Suarez duly stepped up to score Barcelona’s eighth goal. Messi’s humble gesture prompted Parth to do the right thing. He whispered to Roshan, “You know the component better than anyone. I am feeling sick today. Please help me out”. Though nervous at start, Parth was happy to see his friend, presenting his thoughts passionately, gain confidence and achieving the appreciation he deserved, even though he had to lie about his health to force him.

The scoreboard read a resounding 8-2 score line at the full time. As the dust settled down on the match, despite the defensive errors still being a concern, Parth calmly pulled his chair back, exchanging glances with those beautiful brown eyes and while relaxing, reflected on the wonderful day he has had.