Location - The Shoebox, Capital District of CLAN.
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“But we must know what we are getting into, Marxzib, don’t we have a right to know?” Peber asked in his usual snarky manner.
Marxzib looked up from his sanbanak in annoyance and said, “Enough with the patronizing rants, Peber. I would not take that tone with your boss if I were you. But hey, who am I talking to here? It seems like you are the boss here, doesn’t it? At least in your head, that is.”
“Oh, did I offend you, boss? My apologies for questioning your unfailing judgment. That was utterly stupid of me, wasn’t it – how could I forget? We are simply mindless folk, doing what you ask us to,” Peber simpered, “But, and this is important, as an employee, I am within my rights to ask questions. I do not appreciate us working under the hood like thieves, skirting with galactic laws.”
Marxzib’s face contorted with rage. How dare he talk to me like that in front of my team?
Marxzib sprung from his chair in his indignation. “Listen, Peber, and I am reiterating this for you. We work for the conglomerate. We do what the President expects us to do. We don’t get to ask questions. You can quit if you think it’s too much to digest.”
The suddenness of his reaction and his sheer anger took everyone by surprise; there was a sudden quiet and barely concealed looks cast their way.
“Oh no, not again,” Uxa looked at Akan mumbling under her breath.
Akan shrugged. He knew this altercation was a long impending one. Marxzib and Peber had continuously been at each other’s throats over the past few months.
Peber looked more than eager to take on his boss. He did not budge from his seat and said nonchalantly “Yeah right, the President. It’s ignorant of us to think she would think twice before throwing us to the wolves.”
“You are naive, Peber,” Marxzib retorted. “This is a dangerous job. You knew it when you signed up. Those afraid of the consequences shouldn’t waste their time here.”
Peber was competent at his job, but his fierce competitiveness sparked friction within the team frequently. His behavior had taken a turn for the worse ever since Marxzib promoted Kubo as his second in command.
Peber snarled at the way Marxzib called him naïve. “If there is someone naive here, it’s you, Marxzib.” Peber shot back as he got up from his seat and started toward Marxzib casually, readying himself for an easy hand to hand.
They stood in front of each other, face to face.
“I know what’s going on between you and the lady.” Peber darted an angry look at Marxzib and continued, “She is obviously using you and you are making us do her dirty work. What an imbecile!”
Akan was taken aback by this latest salvo from Peber. His mouth gaped open, and he gushed. He and Uxa were furiously texting each other all this time on their Vabakas. “Wow! The boss and the President? How zip is that?”
“You are a dork, and Peber’s a fool; he is sooo immature for his age,” Uxa typed.
Peber had an emphatic look on his face. He knew he had delivered a fatal blow with his latest jibe. He was confrontational by nature, a master at stretching things on and on until his opponents got pissed and lost it.
Marxzib was clearly shaken by the below-the-belt attack. He fumbled for a moment and then decided in a flash it was time to take decisive action. “Ok, I have had enough of you, Peber.” He bristled, “First of all, my personal life is none of your business, so stay the Zumt out of it. And second, you are fired. Deposit your keys with Kubo and leave.”
Everyone was stunned by Marxzib’s sudden response, especially Peber. He considered Marxzib a weak leader, incapable of making big decisions.
“Our boss lacks courage,” he had vented to Kubo previously.
“He is an emotional person, Peber. He cares for people, that does not make him weak,” Kubo had rebuked him in no uncertain terms.
Akan, Kubo, Uxa - all stood up in their Zerbonia cubicles. They were enjoying this little slugfest from the comfort of their chairs, but that changed when it snowballed into a real scuffle. Their office was transformed into the wild west, complete with an imminent duel.
Kubo decided to speak up. She was generally a shy person who liked to stay away from conflict. But the situation demanded intervention.
“Boss, this is a little harsh,” she said. In reality, Kubo, too, was tired of Peber’s incessant negativity; and yet she believed in giving chances to people.
Akan tried to say something too, but his voice was too feeble. Marxzib raised his hand, stopping Akan and Kubo from interfering further.
“You can shove off your negativity elsewhere, Peber. Your services are terminated effective immediately.” Marxzib’s decision was definitive.
“I don’t give a Zumt, Marxzib!” Peber shouted. The smugness on his face gave way to anger and frustration. His nostrils flared out, and his hands shook. “Screw you and your shitty firm. You, weak son of a Zumt!”
Peber paused to steady his breath. He appeared to be having trouble speaking, as his voice trembled with rage. He continued, nonetheless.
“Weak!” Peber harped on the adjective, “That’s what you are - a spineless fellow. Oh, and you know what? I was going to quit anyway. Good luck doing the President’s dirty laundry.”
“That’s enough, Peber,” Kubo jumped in between the two, “You are making it worse; you fool.” Then she turned to Marxzib and said, “You need to calm down, boss, please!”
Akan rushed toward them too, and so did Uxa. All of a sudden, the entire crew had gathered in the middle of the room.
Marxzib and Peber were like two raging bulls trying to take on each other, partly excited as they had an audience too. People tend to aggravate conflicts in the presence of onlookers. Leave them alone and they will shake hands and leave.
But Marxzib was in no mood for reconciliation today. His face had gone red, and his lips trembled with anger. The “weak leader” jibe had hit him hard.
“You worthless backstabber! I did you a favor by hiring you, and this is how you pay me back! Useless prick,” he yelled at the top of his lungs.
“Get out of here right now, and do not show me your face again. Get out! Get out!” Marxzib continued blurting loudly, his mouth frothing with anger.
Peber tried to respond verbally, his mouth opened and closed like a fish, but he could not speak. In the heat of that moment, it seemed he decided to deal with Marxzib the good old way. He sprung at him and swung at his face, but he completely missed, partly because his hands trembled with anger. His fist landed on a wooden board instead, zapping the skin from his knuckles.
“Shit! Shit! Shit,” Peber began hyperventilating as blood rushed from his knuckles. The sight of bright red blood was too much for him to handle, and he collapsed in sheer panic.
Marxzib had swiftly ducked to save himself from Peber’s raging fist, but he lost his balance in the act and went tumbling down to the floor. Kubo rushed to Peber while Akan and Uxa tended to Marxzib, who had managed to twist his weaker left knee as he fell.
“You two fight like little kittens!” The rookie Akan tried to quip smartly, attempting to ease the tension.
Everybody laughed, including a weak Peber, who was getting back on his feet with Kubo’s help. Both had to be taken to the nurse’s station.
And that was that of the incident.
No one reported it since both Marxzib and Peber were too embarrassed, and it mattered little to the team. They joked about it often when Marxzib wasn’t around, but that was all it was to them.
Peber, though, did not get over it for a long time. In a way, he was the only aggrieved party in this affair. He had lost his job and his pride. And pride is a pricier commodity than we often realize.
--
Anant Dhavale
Copyright© Anant Dhavale
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPgHYL92oc
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