Coffee and Smokes: Meeting a Senior Manager (#2)

[If you haven’t, please read the earlier series on Jyo before you proceed:

Coffee and Smokes: Intro to Jyo (#1)]

Some of Jyo's amusing encounters ensued at this quiet coffee shop. One balmy afternoon, Jyo is engrossed in figuring out the right abuse she should return to her colleague who never spares any opportunity to denunciate her. It could be her dress/makeup, work, boy friend ...oh anything. That meant Jyo needed to be braced in all fronts. Deep in her thoughts and drag after drag she is oblivious of the man right in front of her. There is a tall, stout, puffed up face, fair-skinned man in a black suit asking her for a light. She passes the light without actually looking at him but he is lingering over seeking her attention.

She looks up to meet his piercing gaze. He doesn’t idle in elucidation and blurts "Can I join you?” She says "Of course" and the huge man is seated facing her like a teenager on his first date. She concludes he is about 35 years. His balding patch in the centre of his head and his face does show that he is a stressed and burdened manager in some company. He introduces himself as "Ram" working as a senior manager in a finance company. He queries about her work and her role at her workplace. She slowly talks about herself. Before she could enquire his details, he pulls out his visiting card and remarks "You wouldn’t have thought I am such a senior manager in a company, people say I look very young for my age and I look like a college student" She smiles and nods to show agreement though in her mind she knows she has guessed his age just right :) He then goes on about his personal life. He is married with kids and mentions about his long marriage to his wife. He further states that it is an intercultural marriage. She could see it in his eyes that he is all bonkers over her. She doesn’t like him at all.

He asks for her mobile number which she is really reluctant to give away. For a moment, she is in contention and tempted to give the wrong number. To end this encounter smoothly, she quickly decides to share her mobile number. He is urgently typing the number on his mobile and presses the call button. He is very pleased to see her mobile ring. He saves the number and well Jyo does it too because she always saves numbers of people she likes and dislikes. If the people who were a bother called her she could disconnect or ignore it :) After a few minutes of chat she departs with an excuse that work is waiting and proceeds to her workplace. As she is walking back, she sees a message from Ram: “Jyo, It was great meeting you, please keep in Touch. Love Ram”. "Hey Ram" she thinks “What a prick??!!”