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the marketing girl




Airports are fancy places, resembling miniature ‘shopping-malls’. Jazz and glitzy, people are seen in their best attires at airports. It’s something beyond comfort, mostly about style and luxury. Air-crew seems to be the smartest people on earth while air-hostess represents one’s role model for makeup and etiquette. ‘Grooming’ is the word which defines this industry.
One can see people in their so called ‘style-diversity’. Business travelers and frequent-flyers, all dressed formally rolling their executive stroller-bags, students in latest hip-hop styles and housewives as if all dressed-up for parties. Some tourists and vacationing beings are seen in holiday mood with Bermudas, t-shirts and bathroom slippers.
She noticed that whenever she traveled by train she took out her most comfortable and sober clothes along with flip-flop for travel. But whenever she traveled via plane it was like getting ready for a party. This time she was traveling from New Delhi to Mumbai for an interview. She had been following on this opportunity for months and this job-interview had been planned after much anticipation. Before leaving house she slipped one last look at the mirror to get assured she was looking her best.
She took a taxi and reached airport. The driver left her at ‘departures’ and handed a bill of two hundred and fifty rupees. She rummaged her entire bag but couldn’t find the change. Now she desperately started looking around for someone to seek help. Hardly one hour had left and she needed to rush. She asked the policeman who was hushing the taxis to leave fast, but he denied. In the meantime the taxi-driver was also trying his best.
Suddenly she noticed a well-dressed man in his mid-forties, with a soft demeanor walking past her. She gathered courage and asked the person if he had the change for thousand rupees. He looked confused and she could sense that he was calculating his words to say no. she was carrying a packet



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from Mongini’s containing chocolate cake for her friend in Mumbai. She had to deliver the cake (sent by her friends’ parents) today evening, as it was her birthday. She thought of an idea. Immediately she asked the man “Are you married and have kids?” ‘Yes’ he replied. “Then looking at your business suit I am sure you are here on a business trip and if you haven’t bought anything for your family this chocolate-cake will make a wonderful gift for them. Trust me..it means a lot sometimes.” The man somehow looked amused with her reason and smiled. He handed her the money, took the cake and left.
She hurriedly went inside, checked in and boarded her flight. Now pangs of guilt started haunting her. “Did I do the right thing? But at least I never cheated the person”, she thought. “Also I never tried to take advantage of the fellow; it was something of barter. As far as my friend is concerned, I will buy another cake for her from Mumbai”, her mind reasoned and soon her guilt-conscience took the back seat.
She reached Mumbai and went directly to office where her interview was scheduled. As soon as she entered the cabin of her CEO for interview, her heart skipped a beat. Sitting in the middle of the panel, was the same person whom she had forcibly sold her chocolate cake at the airport. She could feel drops of sweat on her forehead in spite of chilling AC. She was not sure how to respond. She greeted everyone and took her seat. The interview started and went for about forty five minutes.
In the end one of the members asked her something about negotiating a deal. That’s when the CEO Mr Nair smiled and narrated to everyone how this young lady had sold him the chocolate cake within two minutes that same morning on airport. Everyone burst into laughter and she was somewhat assured that she was actually going to get this job of marketing executive.


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