I don't Wear Sunscreen by Kavipriya Moorthy Read Free Book Online Page B

stayed, in her cousin’s house.
    “ Nice, Cbe is so cool,
though it looks a bit outdated,” Laksha said.
    “ Ha! Mumbai ladki, talking
about outdated and stuff? How mean!I should have got you into some
normal college over here, you would have worn pinned dupatta in V
shape over your salwar and roamed around with oily braided hair,”
Pallavi and Laksha laughed in unison at the image.
    ***
    They went to various places in
Coimbatore, exploring temples and sights, but Laksha was constantly
wondering how to begin the conversation about Sai. They went to an
isolated temple in the morning, and started off on their childhood
and then wandered, right from movies, politics, fun, boys, sex,
friendship and everything else under the sun. Laksha was hesitating
still, when Pallavi again started to talk about her interview
experience.
    “ I cleared the first round
Laksha, and then they asked us to come for a personal round, where
we were five in number for this panel. We all were seated on a
couch in the reception of the company, it was so cold in there,
they are lavish I guess. You know, the girls and guys working in
the company, all were so posh, they just walked out with classy
Tupperware boxes for lunch and swiped their ID card to open the
door. The girls were all pretty and stylish, loose hair, chic
clothing, just wow! I just started to dream about wearing that ID
card and swiping too, wearing nice clothes! It just ended for me,
just like that dream, you know,” she said while tears rolled down
her cheeks.
    Laksha was amazed; all she
could do was to pat her back with an ‘ it’s
ok’ look.
    “ They didn’t even reject me
right away, you know? After some 30 minutes, that HR person walked
out and asked the other four to leave. She turned to me and told me
to have lunch in their cafeteria, so I thought I got selected. I
went and had a nice lunch, I spent my pocket money. I felt that
this office was my future and I was going to be here, befriending
people. When I went down, the security person informed me that,
even I was rejected and should leave. By the time I left, the other
four who got rejected had spread the word that I got selected, so
my phone was flooded with “congrats”,”treat?”,”You made it,” and
what not. I was totally embarrassed when I had to inform them that,
I am not selected either,” Pallavi sounded pained, she knew that
Laksha couldn’t talk more, but she was just happy with the fact
that she was there for her.
    “ See, this is not the only
company, there are many others around, let’s wait, you know, there
might be a better one waiting for you,” said Laksha.
    “ Don’t try to console me, I
don’t really need it, I am fine. I hope I get a job, but the fact
that my expectations and the gossip that I got a job really pissed
me off,”
    “ Hmm, I think it's time we
leave, this Coimbatore turns dark at 7 itself,” said
Laksha.
    “ Yeah, it does. Chal, let’s
take an auto, otherwise my uncle will start calling me,”
    “ Hold my things, I want to
go to the loo, you check if any auto passes by and stop
one,”
    Pallavi bargained and stopped by an
auto by which time it was quite dark. So they asked the auto driver
to drop them quickly as her uncle called, inquiring where she was
and how long it would take.
    “ 10 minutes, uncle, heavy
traffic,” Pallavi lied.
    “ Yeah, I am here in
Coimbatore for decades, I know how crowded it is after 7, come
home, let me screw your ears,” he said and cut the call.
    “ Eerrr… he found out!”
Pallavi winked at her;they finally reached home in 30
minutes.
    “ Here comes the 10 minute
beauties,” her aunt said and stepped out of the kitchen with a
spatula in hand.
    “ This Laksha went to the loo
and took 20 minutes aunty, I was waiting for her in the auto stand
for a long time,”
    “ Hello! 20 minutes huh, just
10 maybe, it was dark and crowded. I had to take every step
carefully,”
    “ Enough, Enough! Come have
your dinner, “ her aunt