Touch or Push?

Of the seven officers working in the branch, RKS was most active & well dressed gentleman. Perhaps the most presentable & smart looking. He was always dressed neatly in brightly coloured shirts, matching ties, trousers & shiny black shoes. He liked perfumes & could give you expert advice in selecting a perfume which suited your personality. He was 45, thin & having fair complexion. He looked younger but was getting bald rather prematurely. Nevertheless he seemed to pay great attention to his hair & kept combing & petting them very delicately several times a day.

From the cabin I could see him adjusting crease of his shirt repeatedly or occasionally wiping his shoes clean with paper. He would love to attend to work relating to female staff as well as female clients with a smile. In those moments he would forget everything else around him. His smile would broaden from ear to ear, voice would be extra soft, speech flattering and his eyes would be scanning the female anatomy. He was nicknamed ‘Phanne Khan’ by staff. He knew it but laughed it off saying that people were jealous of him.

His tomfoolery was okay so long as he did not misbehave or was not a cause of any complaint. Staff informed that complaints did crop up from ladies but he managed the complainant somehow & matter was buried.

On Monday there was usual rush in the branch. As luck would have it locker in-charge was on leave & a lady approached me for operation of locker urgently. Lady was very nicely dressed & with good looks & who else but RKS was the right choice for the job. He was summoned, introduced & he gladly agreed to serve the customer saying ‘my pleasure madam’.  Me & auditor got busy & forgot RKS or the lockers. But the lady came back after 10 minutes or so & wanted me to call RKS calling him a characterless fellow. She looked charged up & would not listen to me or auditor & would not talk about cause of grouse if any. All she wanted was that RKS be called & ‘who should be taught a lesson on decency’. She did not touch glass of water or cup of tea brought for her & waited patiently.

As soon As RKS entered the cabin she stood up & slapped him. RKS fell on her feet without a word but she left. RKS said that it was only an accidental ‘touch’ which might have irritated her. Auditor meantime rewound the cctv & found that ‘accidental touch’ was a deliberate ‘push’ on the back of the lady. As auditor questioned RKS, fax, phone & mobile rang simultaneously. Orders for his immediate transfer to Regional Office were received & he was to report to Regional Manager that very moment as Madam was also present there along with SHO.

It was later learnt that RKS had accidental ‘touch’ of wife of SHO!