Rains and Silver Linings

The storm clouds darkened the sky. The accompanying thunder stayed in the distance. Vidhi stood at the window – the floor-length glass pane offering her an unhindered view of the building across the garden that separated them.

The day earlier had been darker than the sky overhead. Snippets of conversations from during the day plagued her mind. Had she really lost the big assignment she had worked so hard for?

She remembered the last conversation with her boss; or rather only snippets of what had registered after he had told her the devastating news. Some of those words came back to her at that moment but what was the point in remembering it now. The darkness hung low outside the window and in her mind. The breeze slowly picked up speed and competed with the onslaught of thoughts running through her mind.

She stood there a long time, watching as the clouds opened up and let free the arrows of water droplets. They crashed and thrashed the window. It felt like hammering on her heart.

Six years of giving up her life to an organisation that couldn’t care less that she had put in her all or consider that everyone, even the best people, had their low phases. She had been demanding better training to be better at her job. She had been asking for additional resources to cope with the mounting pressure of work. But obviously, what did they care. It was only a matter of time before her own performance and motivation would be affected. Just a month before the yearly appraisals she had lost out on that one big assignment that would have made a huge difference to her career.   

Vidhi felt pity for the poor glass window and decided to offer it some respite from the pelting rain. She slid the door open and stepped out. The rain welcomed her warmly and drenched her cold within minutes. It cleaned the cobwebs in her mind too.

She stood there a long time—challenging the rain until it finally gave up and accepted defeat. Yes, resignation was the only alternative unless… unless.. she could look at the bright side of it.

Vidhi stayed up all night, looking for something to give her hope – something to help her see the bright side but there was no hope. She’d just have to either put up with it and continue working in a company where she wasn’t appreciated or put in her papers and become a member of the Unemployed Annonymous.

It was later, much later when the silver lining appeared in the clouds. Vidhi stood agape looking at the skies after an email landed in her personal inbox informing her of being selected for her dream job.