It’s official. I will be the first presenter on the
first day of our presentation week. My worst case scenario had been confirmed.
Zila was the first to alert me pertaining to this
incoming bad news. At first I thought she was just pulling a prank. But on
second thought, I asked myself, when was the last time she played prank on me?
Never. That was when I feared for the worst.
And when I started receiving "congratulatory" wishes
from my course mates along the corridor, I knew my worst nightmare is slowly creeping
into reality.
On top of that, the department had gleefully decided
to land me another blow. They had chosen me to be the chairperson for the
second day of the presentation. What a landmark decision. They almost gave me a
heart attack in swift double moves.
It’s a double blow for me. I think there was a complot
to kill me. They wanted to frighten me to death.
I dreaded speaking in front of the crowd. It was like
a death sentence. I skipped almost all my awards ceremony because of the stage
fright. I even stayed away from my last convocation partly because of that.
I never wanted to be basked in the limelight; I prefer
slipping quietly underground below the radar to avoid any public attention. That
is my way of life, the one that makes me tick.
I negotiated a secret pact with Zamir…he would be
replacing me as the chairperson in a swap deal. As expected, he agreed promptly
to my suggestion, without any hassle. He loves all the attention, all the
public spotlight…he is the right person for the job, not me. I think the public
would be amused by his thick British accent.
I solved one problem, but couldn't do anything about
the other. As usual, I’ll just plan for the worst, and hope for the best.
