The Fatal Slip

The Fatal Slip

Rohan apne laptop screen ke saamne baitha tha, aankhein laal aur dimaag dahi. Office ka project deadline sar pe tha aur upar se uske manager ka "ASAP" wala ping baar-baar screen pe pop-up ho raha tha. Usne gusse mein ek lamba-chauda message type kiya: "Look, I’m done being your errand boy. Main koi free helper nahi hoon jo tumhari har bakwaas request accept karunga. Bas karo ab!"

Usne gusse mein Ctrl+C dabaya aur galti se 'Society Residents' wale WhatsApp group mein jaake paste kar diya. Usse pehle ki woh delete for everyone kar paata, usne 'Send' daba diya. Rohan ki dhadkan ruk gayi. Woh group, jisme woh sirf "Good Morning" ke phool wale stickers dekhne ke liye tha, wahan sannata chha gaya.

The Chaos Begins

Ek minute bhi nahi guzra tha ki Mrs. Sharma ka message aaya: "Rohan beta, itna dedication? Society ki maintenance ke liye tumne khud ko volunteer kar liya? Hum toh soch rahe the ki koi young ladka aage aaye. Wah! Jai Ho!"

Rohan ki screen notifications se bhar gayi. "Great job, Rohan!", "Finally, someone is taking charge!", "Rohan is the man!" Rohan ka haath kaanp raha tha. Woh type karne gaya, "Galti ho gayi," par tabhi Mrs. Sharma ka ek aur message aaya: "Sab log sunlo, aaj se Rohan hamara 'Chief Coordinator' hai. Rohan, tumhara spirit dekh kar dil khush ho gaya."

Rohan ne phone fek diya. Woh mana nahi kar paaya. Uska social anxiety usey "Sorry, galti ho gayi" bolne se rok raha tha kyunki usey laga ki sab log usse judge karenge ki woh kitna irresponsible hai.

The Unwanted Responsibility

Agle teen din Rohan ke liye narak ban gaye. Mrs. Sharma usey har 10 minute mein call karti—kabhi gate security ki duty check karne ke liye, toh kabhi water tank ki cleaning schedule discuss karne ke liye. Rohan office meetings mein zoom call pe hota, aur side mein phone pe Mrs. Sharma se sun raha hota, "Rohan, gate wala guard aaj phir late hai, kuch karo!"

Rohan beech mein hi "Ji, dekhta hoon," bol kar call kaat deta. Mr. Khanna, jo group ke 'Chief Complainant' the, ab Rohan se jealous hone lage the. Woh har baat pe Rohan ko tag karke likhte, "Rohan bhai, yeh pipe leak ho raha hai, aapne kaha tha na aap sambhal lenge? Office ka kaam toh chalta rahega, par society toh humari priority hai, hai na?"

The Breaking Point

Dussehra ka din tha. Society mein grand event tha aur Mrs. Sharma ne Rohan ko stage decorating ka head bana diya tha. Udhar office mein server crash ho gaya tha. Rohan ek haath se laptop pe lines of code fix kar raha tha, aur dusre haath se plumber ko instructions de raha tha, kyunki society ka main pipe burst ho gaya tha.

Khanna ji ne group mein rant daal diya: "Rohan busy hai apni corporate life mein, hum yahan paani mein doob rahe hain. Aise volunteer ka kya fayda?"

Rohan ka dimaag fat gaya. Usne laptop band kiya, gusse mein utha aur WhatsApp khol kar ek voice note record kiya, phir ek lamba message type kiya: "Sunlo sab! Main tumhara naukar nahi hoon. Woh message galti se gaya tha. Main sirf apna job karna chahta hoon, mujhe koi coordinator nahi banna. Khanna ji, pipe aapke ghar ke paas hai, aap hi check kar lo! Mrs. Sharma, main koi software engineer nahi, aapka personal secretary hoon kya? Bas, bahut hua!"

The Public Reveal

Rohan thak haar ke baith gaya, ye soch ke ki ab toh society se nikalna padega. Par tabhi, group mein messages ki baadh aa gayi.

Khanna ji ne likha: "Rohan, bhai, gussa mat ho. Sach toh ye hai ki hum sab tujhe push kar rahe the kyunki tu kaam kar raha tha. Tu nahi hota toh aaj event cancel ho jata. Pipe maine fix kar diya, teri daant sahi thi."

Mrs. Sharma ka message aaya: "Rohan, beta, tumne sahi kaha. Humne tumhari sharafat ka fayda uthaya. Par sach bolun toh, tumhare aane ke baad se society mein discipline aa gaya hai. We respect you, beta. Tum bas apni boundary set kar lo, hum shor nahi machayenge."

Rohan ne screen dekhi. Log sach mein usey appreciate kar rahe the. Usne dheere se reply kiya, "Okay, but from now on, only emergencies. No group calls after 6 PM."

Usne phone side mein rakha aur chain ki saans li. Woh abhi bhi wahi software engineer tha, par ab woh "No" kehna seekh gaya tha. Aur surprise ki baat ye thi ki ab usse koi "Good Morning" stickers nahi bhej raha tha.

Khatam