I know what you did last summer…

However as summer ends these very pleasant distractions prove to be as welcome as a late bill at the client‘s accounts department after March 31st.

"I have wanted to brief someone on an urgent job but there seems to be just no one from the creative in office today," complained Ram, as he barged into Vikas‘s office, only to see his boss in a closed huddle with some fresh ‘new improved‘ faces that had immediate effect waist downwards

"Does that mean client servicing is the butt of all jokes?" interjected an enthusiastic voice. Ram looked around and immediately classified the deviant (a male) as the ‘bunny‘ of the group. Vikas was clearly not amused; he was the one who was supposed to deliver all the punch lines. He gave the poor boy the kind of scalding look that made the ‘bunny‘ wish he could have pressed the rewind button on that previous comment. However, technology wasn‘t really on his side just then.

Prudently the ‘bunny‘ excused himself to go to the men‘s room. Everyone immediately assumed it was to get away from the spotlight.

"Thou shall know the brand better than the client…." Vikas was telling his disciples.

"Thou shall never fill in a voucher without a bill…:" Parthasarthy, head of accounts.

"Thou shall not covet thy neighbor‘s wife…" that was Moses, someone watching a movie had left the AV room door open.

The agency had become a shrine for learning, never mind that deadlines were going for the kind of walk one takes when the mother-in-law is waiting at home.

"Hmm. If you mean that guy I have sent him off to do some research"

"On what?"

"Nothing really. I just wanted him out of office. He was getting on my nerves"

"What about the others?

"They are doing something for me"

Ram resisted the temptation to query his boss further. He knew that the four remaining girls would be spending a lot of time in Vikas‘s office over the next few weeks and thus ensuring that his boss stayed out of his way. How he liked summer trainees!

Ram was watching Vikas entering the office and make his way stealthily to his cabin when near the fax machine four young lionesses sprang out at him and began to circle around him in a move they had picked up from one of the National Geographic documentaries.

"But you have learnt so much about advertising working with me"
"We need a project Vikas. What are we going to present in college?"

At this point the other three began snapping away at his ankles cutting down his speed considerably. He was tiring. His vision was blurring. They were moving menacingly towards him. Fangs bared. Claws ready to rip flesh. Tails dangling like Satan‘s jock strap. There was no help in sight. His very own had turned on him. An advertising agency was a very cruel place.

"How long?"

"One month…"

The lionesses drew closer.

"Ok I will put it together this week"

The lionesses backed off. Vikas sprinted for his cabin and closed the door behind him. The very door that had always been open over the last two months.

Ram was allowed to enter after mouthing the secret password (creative c@#$%a hain)

"No more next year man. They are wildcats. Ungrateful.
Dangerous. Highly overrated this summer trainee thing. They are only entertaining for a week, after that they are just pests. Can‘t even call them pests they are more like raptors."

Ram sat silently in front of Vikas.

"Just take out any old research report and put together a project and pack them off in the next two days."

Vikas turned around and looked at his computer

"Hey there is a mail from him. I did not know he had gone. Good riddance."

Ram watched Vikas‘s face as he read the mail. His eyes seemed like they wanted to dissociate from his face. Vikas put on his spectacles to prevent them from running away.

"Can you believe it? He has landed a job!"

"On the Energizer account?"

As usual Ram‘s humor was wasted on Vikas.

"It seems that he learnt a lot about our accounts and our strategies during the time he was faxing, Xeroxing and dispatching stuff. He went and created his own project.

Presented to other agencies that were so impressed they hired him."

Vikas eyes then widened with anger as he read further.

Ram tried very hard to suppress a smile. Vikas was about to storm out of his room when he remembered what lay outside and wisely decided to stay put.

"Old Chinese proverb - sometimes old bad things are much better than new good ones." Ram found a teacup nestle in his hand and glanced around to see Chai-La metamorphose into the golden title embossing of a black hard bound summer trainee project.