Page 57 of One Indian Girl
‘I am fucked.’
I didn’t know what to say. He had told me about the politics in his group for months. The initial excitement Debu had had about working in advertising had disappeared. Many in his team often excluded him from client meetings, a worrying sign.
‘What were you doing outside the office then?’ I said.
‘I was with my people. Trying to figure out what happened.’
‘Did you?’
‘They fucked me. What is there to figure out?’
‘So you could have come for my office party instead of a drink with the boys after work.’
‘Radhika, is your office party all you care about?’
‘No. But I am wondering if you care about me at all.’
‘What do you mean? So I didn’t come to a stupid banker thing. Big deal.’
I stood up and slammed my fist on the table.
‘It was not a stupid banker thing. It wasmything. I got a huge bonus this week. This was the celebration. I wanted you to meet my team. I wanted them to meet you. Don’t you get it?’
‘Sit down. Can we eat dinner?’ he said.
‘I don’t want to eat,’ I screamed.
‘Don’t throw a tantrum. Are you drunk?’
‘No,’ I said.
‘A bit high?’
‘It doesn’t matter. I can still think more clearly than you.’
‘What?’
‘You need to change your job. Every day you bicker about the politics. What are you going to do about it?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Of course you do. Are you happy at your job?’
‘Not exactly.’
‘However, you are stuck there. So you need to go out there and apply again.’
‘BBDO is prestigious. How to leave it?’
‘Screw prestigious. If your group is not good, change. There is stuff happening in digital advertising. You tell me about it so much. Find a job in that.’
‘I can’t. It’s not easy. And they are start-ups and uncertain...’
‘Whatever, Debu! So stay here, fine. But quit complaining so much.’
‘I can’t even share and vent with you?’
‘You can. But at some point, do something about it. You don’t, Debu. You don’t do anything about us. You don’t do anything about the job you don’t like.’
