Rumours

"Hey I have something interesting and spicy. I will tell you when we go for our coffee break". My colleague Neha texted me on WhatsApp. Neha had been with this company for longer than I have been. Neha was in this company when our department had just started. She had seen it growing with her own eyes. She knew the people around. She knew who was who. Any corporate gossip you to travel fast. Neha would be among the first ones to receive that. She would know most of the things even before they used to get released. She knew about all the official announcements 15 days before they would happen. Anything that would come from Neha would not need to be validated. It used to be authentic. She had solid sources in the organisation.

Her text made me worried. Is it going to be another round of layoff? Is it going to be halting the promotion cycle again? Is it going to be the dip in the increment? All these thoughts crowded my mind. I was getting anxious and eager to know what is going to happen next.

At 4 o'clock Neha and I went for our coffee break. We graft our hot cups of coffee and found a secluded table. When Neha asked me to sit at a seccluded place I knew the talk was going to be serious. It was also going to be secretive so that nobody could hear us.

"So I have heard this from someone who has seen it. You are definitely not going to believe it. But trust me it is true. It may sound fictional but it has actually happened," Neha whispered to me. The way she was speaking I was little relieved. I was certain that this is not going to be about the layoffs, stopping promotions, or bad increment in the upcoming year. Just the way she had said it sounded it spicy and interesting. In other words I was going to hear a story about an office affair.

" You had me worried when you texted. But now I know there is nothing to worry about. Let's hear the gossip," I said cheerfully looking forward to hear some spicy story.

" Hey it is not a gossip. But here it goes I want to tell you before more people arrive in the cafeteria," while leaning closer to me she said. "What we have heard about Gaurav and Maria is indeed true. They are an item," Neha said giggling.

" What! That is unbelievable. Both are married and both have children. They cannot do something like that, " I said in disbelief. The moral compass did not point in that direction for me.

"As if there are any prerequisites for the affair. All that does not matter. You should have learn this way back. Things like this happen in corporate. Okay continuing further. Siddhant told me that he saw them". Neha explained.

" Siddhant is a liar. I don't trust him one bit, " I still did not want to believe in this gossip.

"Well but his news always on out to be true," Neha was now on a defensive mode. " Let me finish this story fast. So Siddhant wanted to attend a meeting. He went to the conference room. He saw that maria and Siddharth was sitting together. Before you say that sitting together is not a crime let me tell you how were they sitting together. They were sitting arm in arm. They were sitting very close to each other, invading each others private space. It look like they were about to do 'you know what'. Now do you believe me?" Said Neha in a victorious tone. As if she is in the court and she has won the final argument.

I was incomplete disbelief. I was unable to understand a lot of things. First how can married people get into a Messy affair in the office. Gaurav and Maria both appeared to be sensible. They new what was right for them and their families. It was unbelievable that they would take such an extreme step. Secondly I did not want to believe in this rumour. Siddhant was always jealous of Gaurav. Both of them had join the company together but Gaurav client the corporate ladder much faster than Siddhant. He disliked Maria. According to him Maria was not competent and was only good at communication. Maria had received promotions only after she had joined Gaurav's team. This made a lot of people suspicious. However spreading such rumour about them still felt wrong. I did not want to believe it, especially when it was coming from Siddhant. It was equally unbelievable that Neha was blindly believing Siddhant. She had equal amount of hatred towards Maria.

This is how corporate rumours work. The one that spreads a corporate rumour are people who are either jealous or hateful.