The Story Continues...
The Banker's Tragedy
It was an internship in a branch of a bank with around 15 staff. I was enjoying the status of being the baby of the branch, with almost the entire staff being over 45 years old and I was just in college. The working atmosphere was very cordial and the star attraction of the branch was the second officer, a man well past his 50. He was a know-all person. One day, I heard he had met an accident while returning home the previous day on his two-wheeler. He had his right leg under plaster and was forced to go on leave for a couple of weeks. The manager, also a man past 50 used to call him once a day asking about health and also for any information which was required.
In the second week of his absence, a lady officer who was looking for some information called the gentleman on the landline (as the mobile phones were not there). The phone was picked up by his wife. The lady officer asked a very normal question about whether she could speak to the gentleman. She had to satisfy the wife that it was an official need to speak to him. After the conversation was over, the lady officer was visibly disturbed. I was working with her on that day. She got up after the conversation, went to the washroom, and I assume, she came back after splashing water on her face to regain her composure. I asked her, is everything fine? She just told me, you are too small and do not bother any further. Just always be careful that you are a girl.
The next day morning, the gentleman came to the bank in a wheelchair assisted by his brother. After the exchange of pleasantries and having tea with the staff, he softly called that lady officer, profusely apologized to her and also requested that lady staffers avoid calling him as hearing a female voice his wife creates an unbearable ruckus. He said that he had been bearing this for 20 years and it was beyond rectification. He expressed his regret to the entire staff saying he was helpless.
I wonder whether the woman, the wife really recognized herself as a lady, as a partner in the life of her husband or what?
Was she viewing her husband as a hungry hyena on the prowl for female flesh, or was viewing all females as predator vultures with an insatiable hunger for male flesh in the form of her husband! God knows!
I did not know whether the couple had any daughters. If yes, then I really felt concerned about whether the mother had ever allowed the father to caress, love and play with the daughter as a father is expected to. Or she had been careful about their relationship also, not allowing the father to touch the daughter!! I felt sorry for her daughter if any. Whether as a mother she would have allowed her daughter to get closer to her father!! I never came to know, nor wished to know.
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