I guess it happened in 2003,a year after I started working.A manager was moved to our business for various reasons of which,him being extremely difficult to handle was the primary.He would never refuse to help anybody with technical issues on the floor and wouldn't hesitate to take escalated calls.He was a good friend but was known for a hot temper and shouting at people when they failed to meet expectations irrespective of their grades.Needless to say his peers and managers feared confronting him but he was always nice to techs.
Though I was not in his team we got along very well,he was also childlike (nah,I was childlike and he was childish at times.Shhh,don't tell him that ;-)). It was easy for me as I was clueless about his reputation of a tough nut ( I guess it does not matter anymore as we are still friends and he's still the same person) and the fact that he was closer to my hubby (Eddie and I were not married then but knew each other quite well) might have helped me befriend him.
Eddie had just returned from one of his off-sites from somewhere and had gifted me with several cute articles and also a small bottle of nail paint.It was early in the morning around 4 or 5 I believe and we had just logged out for the day.It had become a routine for couple of us to hang out together for a short while before boarding our respective cabs.As I was waiting for a friend from another team to log out I just went up to this manager-guy for a short conversation but he was busy on a call. I had nothing to do and was anyway waiting for my other friends to log out so I sat down by him,took out my nail paint to paint my nails but changed my mind and instead started painting his nails. As I have mentioned already he was busy yelling at somebody over the phone and didn't take notice of what I was doing (senseless creature,I wonder!). I was done painting at the same time as he was done with his call and he realized I was sitting next to him.
He turned to wish me but stopped himself as I was smiling.He asked me what was wrong and I held his hands before him showing his grey nails also told him " show it to your mom" and giggled. He shook his hands and pretended to be ok ( I must remind you all that he was boiling on the call a few minutes ago and I never realized he could get upset but poor him didn't want to shout at me for some reason,I guess).He pulled my cheeks and said " go home chubby". By then my friend joined me and we left.
On the way back home I was telling her about the incident and we were laughing.Imagine, a guy with that kind of image showing off his nails painted,I'm sure it's embarrassing,isn't it?I never realized,I was surely a kid.Then there was another thought struck to both of us and we called him.By then he also had reached home,so my friend started asking him
" so ,(his name) did you show your nails to your mom?". She kept on repeating that and we both were laughing as if it was a big practical joke ( Now if I think of it,I find it so weird that we laughed so much and found it that funny...yeah,you sure are doing the same).Our cab stopped somewhere as a guy was getting off and then we moved on.We were still on the phone with him and he said he was getting another call,so he had to hang up with us.After a couple of minutes he called us back and told us " You know what? an old tech of mine called me to ask if I have shown my nails to my mom.Do you realize there are people in the cab beside you guys,rite?". We paused for a minute and asked him the same question again " have you shown your nails to your mom???".He laughed with us.
I know it's not a big story but when I think of those times of fun and carelessness,this is one such moment I can never forget.Not because it was a big practical joke(as I have already mentioned) but because you can never judge a book by its cover. A man with such an image was not intolerant,rude or image conscious.I feel his presentation at work was not appropriate to reflect his intentions.He still is a good friend and hasn't changed a bit and we love him.And over a period of time, I grew up(!!???) with people like him and my hubby and learnt how to behave ;-)
He turned to wish me but stopped himself as I was smiling.He asked me what was wrong and I held his hands before him showing his grey nails also told him " show it to your mom" and giggled. He shook his hands and pretended to be ok ( I must remind you all that he was boiling on the call a few minutes ago and I never realized he could get upset but poor him didn't want to shout at me for some reason,I guess).He pulled my cheeks and said " go home chubby". By then my friend joined me and we left.
On the way back home I was telling her about the incident and we were laughing.Imagine, a guy with that kind of image showing off his nails painted,I'm sure it's embarrassing,isn't it?I never realized,I was surely a kid.Then there was another thought struck to both of us and we called him.By then he also had reached home,so my friend started asking him
" so ,(his name) did you show your nails to your mom?". She kept on repeating that and we both were laughing as if it was a big practical joke ( Now if I think of it,I find it so weird that we laughed so much and found it that funny...yeah,you sure are doing the same).Our cab stopped somewhere as a guy was getting off and then we moved on.We were still on the phone with him and he said he was getting another call,so he had to hang up with us.After a couple of minutes he called us back and told us " You know what? an old tech of mine called me to ask if I have shown my nails to my mom.Do you realize there are people in the cab beside you guys,rite?". We paused for a minute and asked him the same question again " have you shown your nails to your mom???".He laughed with us.
I know it's not a big story but when I think of those times of fun and carelessness,this is one such moment I can never forget.Not because it was a big practical joke(as I have already mentioned) but because you can never judge a book by its cover. A man with such an image was not intolerant,rude or image conscious.I feel his presentation at work was not appropriate to reflect his intentions.He still is a good friend and hasn't changed a bit and we love him.And over a period of time, I grew up(!!???) with people like him and my hubby and learnt how to behave ;-)
