'The Call'

When her baba said the boy was very 'nice' and was in a very 'good' job, she assumed it would be just like home. Married to a man who was as bright and gentle as her father.

So when after a month of their marriage, and their honeymoon, her husband left to work to come back only in the mornings, she wondered why, after all he was in a 'high' post. And People in high posts don't work this hard. He tried explaining. But she couldn't make sense of what an Assistant Vice President would be doing on a 'call' at 1 pm in the night.

He tried reasoning. But she wouldn't understand. She wanted him to come home like her father did. She wanted to make tea and serve him hot pakoras in the evening. She was tired of watching the kids play in the park, evening after evening.

She needed a job. The husband decided. She was qualified after all. A first class pass out from the prestigious Presidency college, Kolkata.She protested. She wanted to stay home and bear his kids, cook for him and iron his clothes.

He wouldn't hear to any of it. She finally gave in and made her CV and put it up on the most unpopular jobsite. Despite all her clever intentions, she was called for an interview from a certain 'BPO', in two days' time. She didn't understand what BPO stood for, let alone what it meant. Fed up with her husband's 'encouragement', she decided to give it a try. The interview was a breeze. They said she spoke well and they were more than keen to hire her as an 'accent trainer'. She didn't know what to make of it. Her knowledge of English accents was limited to the Indian varieties.She was very unsure. She asked what else the job demanded. 'Nothing' they said. just a strong hold of the language and they'd train her to handle other accents, so that she trains the rest in turn. Oh, yeah. There was one more thing they said. Occasionally, she might have to stay back a little late for calls from the US. Her eyes instantly gleamed.

She agreed.