I'm currently employed at AMS (Anusha Mehta Services) as our CEO Anusha Mehta's assistant, which entails conveying memos to the software engineers and other staff members, providing coffee, answering phones, and delivering memos.

I walked in with assurance, shoulders back and chest out. I went unnoticed, and nobody cared to say hello. A separate room from the main office space housed Madam's Office. My coworkers were all frantically typing, talking about programming, or looking at an image that had appeared on their monitors.

I passed the meeting room on my way. I observed team leader Ria projecting images from her friends' wedding she had attended the day before on a large screen. What drew my eye was the happiness on their beautiful faces. Her group of pals stared blankly before ignoring me as usual. Nobody had addressed me.

But after that, the gang started laughing and whispering something in each other's ears. I assumed that they all noticed me. I kept going. I dismissed the idea that they were making fun of me.

Ria stands up and approaches me, saying, "Hey fatso, have you eaten so much today that you cannot walk, or are you listening to what we are discussing?" I try to walk away from her while ignoring her.

"Stop!" she continues, "Answer me, you fat Raut." I briefly close my eyes before opening them and turning to face her.

I quickly answered, "I was walking to my cabin when I noticed the open conference room. I assumed the peon must have left it open, so I considered closing it."

"Liar, whatever. Remember, you can't be one of us; you're a freak loner," she chuckles before pushing through.

My location of work isn't exactly a cheerful one for me. My office colleague bothers me; perhaps bullying would be a better description. I never experienced bullying in college, perhaps because my father was on the board of trustees. But now that we are struggling financially and no one covers me, people at work make fun of my weight and appearance. Initial bullying, combined with the therapy I was already receiving, had a catastrophic effect on my emotional health and caused me to doubt my value. However, I did not know where to turn for help and a sympathetic ear.

I didn't feel secure enough to confide in anyone at work, especially when I was dealing with stress and difficulty at work every day.

My first year with Ria was a living torment. On the first day, in the bitter cold, she and her pals splashed cold water on me, and the following day, I developed a fever that lasted for a few days. When I started working again, she left unclean objects on my table, took photos of me cleaning them, and then shared them with me on Facebook or other social media. I wasn't on any, but she showed me how others called me names, made fun of me or treated me like I wasn't good enough for anything.

After some time, I believed she would change and leave me, but her bullying worsened when she locked me in the restroom throughout office hours and informed my supervisor that I had taken a leave of absence. I did not know why she detested me so much, given that I had done nothing to her. When I yelled loudly in response, the peon opened the door. I then reported this to the boss, who took drastic action.

My boss, Anusha Mehta, is the CEO of our company. She isn't a friendly person, but she enforced strong regulations in the workplace. Discussing bullying with my mother was difficult because I didn't want to add to her stress. However, one day I confided in her about how I had experienced bullying at work because of my status and appearance. My mother comforted me by saying we needed to be vital to deal with these situations.

My house is a sanctuary for me, and there are moments when I want to close the door and forget about what's happening at work. Slowly, things started.

My employer noticed my hard work and quickly promoted me to the secretary. I was grateful for her help because they moved me to a separate cabinet and out of the bullies' reach.

Ria stopped acting violently after that, but her verbal abuse persisted. She made sure that no one spoke to me at the office, despite my attempts to ignore her and focus on my work. She made me the office's outlier and ensured no one spoke to or interacted with me. I haven't cared for the past ten years, and I accept this.

My head also hurts, as I enter my cabin and lie on a table. My recent sleep of two hours or fewer is the cause. I have trouble falling asleep since my mind always thinks about things I don't understand. I don't know how long I'll be able to manage this insomnia, but it's constantly functioning. I log into my computer and browse all the documents I'm working on for the new project. I set up a schedule for Anusha madam every day. She is very ambitious but has a short fuse and is prone to becoming furious. She must be my age, yet I admire her position. She is diligent.

While I'm working on my PPT, the peon tells me that Anusha madam is calling. I stand up and head over to her cabin. I knock on her door and see the woman screaming with rage. She grits her teeth while pacing her room.

I greet her, "Good morning, madam; you have called me?"

She reprimands me severely, "Neerja Raut, how many times have I told you to do nothing without letting me know?"

I stare at her perplexed; then I look around her room till I discover the cause of her unhappiness. The issue is that Anusha Madam dislikes any alterations made to her office, even though her mother was the one who made them.

"I'm sorry, Madam, but I forgot that your mother came yesterday and made the alterations following Vaastu Shastra (Science of architecture). I informed her you don't like the changes, but she assured me she would persuade you." I tell her.

She calls her mother immediately, and after yelling at her mother for a while, I believe her rage has subsided. She then sits in her chair and asks me, "Neerja, what is the status of the PPT for the new project we have to submit?"

"It's almost done, ma'am."

She agrees when I remark, "I'll mail you the latest PPT sometime."

"This contract is significant for the business because the company we intend to partner with is one of the largest. The company's CEO intends to visit each applicant company before signing a contract with the one that will be most helpful to him. I thus want us to be ready," she says.

I respond, "Yes, madam," and she directs me to return to my cabin.

Anup, a recent hire, is fixing his glasses as I enter my cubicle. This nerdy person reminds me of someone I've been trying to forget for the past ten years but haven't been able to. I bury the idea somewhere behind my head.

I ask him, "Yes, Anup, how's your workplace treating you?"

I grin as he responds, "it's good, man."

"Do you need anything, please? "He looks embarrassed by my question as he scans the area surrounding him and me.

He asks in one breath, "Mam, I was wondering if we might have lunch together," and then, looking more embarrassed, he adds, "Ma'am, it's just lunch, I'm sorry to ask you to join me for lunch, but I was all alone, and nobody wants to eat lunch with me. Only you will treat me fairly."

"Okay, Anup, don't be concerned; I'll join you," I say, and he walks away.

I've always eaten lunch by myself. I didn't need to share my lunch because it was just me and my thoughts. I quickly finished my work, grabbed my tiffin, and ate at the workplace cafeteria. Looking around, I notice that everyone in my office is eating lunch and enjoying themselves. My gaze then shifts to the nearby corner, where I spot Anup browsing his phone while he waits for me to join him for lunch. I approach him after that and cough to get his attention. He raises his head, sets down his phone, and beams.

I remark, "Hope I haven't kept you waiting."

He answers, "No, ma'am, I just came from my cabin," and I sit across from him. We start by opening our tiffin. He is eating some Chapati rolls, I see.

I ask him, "Do you want to try my food?" He hesitates, but I gently move my tiffin toward him and signal him to eat. He has a tiny bite.

He takes another bite of the food and remarks, "Maam, that is such a lovely cuisine."

Following lunch, we discuss some general work-related topics. I keep my personal information private. I'm done making new pals for the rest of my life.

When I get to my cabin, my phone starts to ring; by the time I pick it up, the call has already ended. I looked through the log and find that Rigved and Neha left me two and three missed calls, respectively. These two folks still communicate with me. Rigved has, throughout the years, become my compass. Rigved was enraged when he learned that his father had refused to assist my dad, but he was powerless to do anything to assist us because he was working for his father. I found the friend I needed in him. He wed Isha, his undergraduate girlfriend, and the couple had Prisha after two years of marriage. The apple of my eye is Prisha. Each summer break, she visits me.

I'm thankful to Rigved for helping me during my darkest period. He became my support, helping me through emotionally difficult times for the past ten years, even when he was going through the worst time of his life with his wife. His wife was battling breast cancer, but after two years of struggling, she lost the battle and passed away.

Rigved had been sobbing continuously for a year after losing the love of his life, and I was the only one who could comfort him as I had also experienced this. Rigved was just good as a friend; I never loved him. To me, his wife was the kindest person I've ever met.

Neha proved to be a fantastic friend; I never expected her to back me up, but she did. After a few years, she received the address from Rigved, and we eventually reconnected. I found a lot of inspiration in her narrative. In college, she had a crush on a male who later married the girl of his parents' choosing after using Neha for sex. Neha gave up on falling in love with anyone else since she was so deeply in love with him that she could not find love anywhere else.

However, she later discovered that the employer was one of our seniors, Rakesh, who was also a nerd. He was attracted to Neha in college, but she was blindly in love with another boy and showed no interest in him. However, Rakesh had asked her out a few days earlier, and they had gotten along so well on their date that they finally began dating. Last week, he proposed to her, and she accepted.

After spending so many years alone, Neha finally encountered someone who turned her life into a fairy tale. Such a kind of love story that makes life beautiful. She is exerting significant pressure on me to attend the wedding they plan to have in the upcoming month. I'm reluctant to go since I want to avoid running into any college students. I don't want someone to see my failure.

I quickly phone Neha and remind myself to call Rigved when I get home.

"Hello, Neerja. Where were you?" Neha interrogates me.

"Sorry, I went to the cafeteria for lunch. Please let me know what is urgent." I interrogate her. She knows I am at work and I asks her not to phone me while I am at office.

"All right, I'll be quick. My wedding is scheduled for next week, and I've already purchased your ticket and sent the details to your email. Check it out when you can," Neha says before hanging up on me.

I tell myself to relax and that my decision not to attend the wedding is definite. I put that thought to rest and got to work on the assignment. I spend the entire day creating presentations and a schedule for Anusha.

Iarrive home by nightfall. Mumma has taken papa to the clinic for a generalcheckup. Therefore, the house is empty. I sit on a couch, lie back, and closemy eyes. I next wash up and prepare a hot cup of coffee for myself. Scanningthe kitchen for supper ideas, I realize mom has already prepared everything.Mumma wants me to rest and wants to make my job simpler. Without my parents,what would I have?