APRIL FOOL

"You don't have to worry, Tom", said the manager with a smile while Tom stood quietly looking at the list of employees pinned on the board next to the manager's cabin. It was the list of employees who were being laid off after the company's business nosedived during the pandemic.

Tom seemed worried. "Is it 'the list'", he thought, "or 'the first list'?" He wiped his brow with his palm.

Actually, everyone was worried. The whole economy of the country was badly hit by a wrong kind of sequence of nucleotides that could replicate quickly inside human cells. Though it could kill only a small fraction of the people, nobody wanted to take a chance. Everyone minimized his activities to reduce contact with others and avoid infection. Somehow it was enough to slow down the country's economy. Some sectors of the country were being shut down completely.

Many employers found it advisable to reduce the number of employees and save expenses on their salaries.

"The company wants to keep the employees with good track record", assured the manager to Tom.

Tom knew it. Tom knew that the company wanted to keep its good employees. But was he good enough? He had his doubts.

"What if they decide to let go more of us?" Tom wondered. "Will my name be there in the next list?" The thought made his throat run dry. "What are these employees going to do?" he thought looking at the list. Many were from the sales department. "These people have a lot of contacts", he thought, "so they can get a job at some or the other place. But what about people like me?" Tom felt a cold shiver down his spine. He did not have many contacts. Actually he knew nobody outside his office. Even his colleagues were just acquaintances, not friends on whom he could depend on in case of emergencies.

The manager had gone into his cabin and was busy with his files. How could Tom stand in front of the notice board doing nothing? With twenty heavy steps he went to his own table. He threw a glance at the heap of pending work and slowly sat in his chair. Should he make extra efforts to complete the work? It would be a waste if they fired him. "But if I completed the work, my chances of staying in the job would improve!" he tried to assure himself. He was looking into his drawer for a pen when he heard sound of footsteps near the door of the manager's cabin.

"Good afternoon, boss", said Jack in a cheerful voice to the manager. "Come Jack, sit down" said the manager with a broad smile. Jack's cheerfulness was always infectious.

"Congratulations!" Continued Jack, "I heard that because of your excellent performance during the pandemic, the company has decided not to close this office!"

"Really? Is that so? You have brought a really good news!" said the manager, pretending to be surprised. He didn't want to disclose that he had already received the news from his own sources in the head office. He even ordered two cups of coffee to celebrate the good news.

Tom could see his colleague Jack and the manager through the small glass window in the manager's cabin. Though he couldn't hear anything, he could easily see that the two men were happy, free from care and worries that were weighing him down.

"Men like Jack are the real intelligent people" thought Tom. "They do a small amount of work, but maintain their position by managing people". He knew how much office time Jack had spent in finding a good apartment for the manager when the manager was transferred to this city. The manager was happy with his cooperative nature. "Well connected people can never be removed" thought Tom. What kind of people were they whose names were included in the list? He did not know much about them!

Tom felt embarrassed about his ignorance regarding people around him. "This is what makes me so vulnerable!" he concluded.

Through the little window, Jack saw Tom working with a worried face. "Tom has been most helpful in improving our performance" said the manager to Jack. "Of course, boss, but he is so tense all the time. I wonder why".

"That's his nature", said the manager shrugging his shoulders. Suddenly Jack gave a mischievous smile. "What?" asked the manager.

"First of April is near. Let's do some mischief"

Outside the cabin, Tom couldn't concentrate on his work. "What if I am fired?" he was imagining the worst case scenario. "How will I pay for my housing loan installments?... How much time do they give if one is behind schedule?" Tom was not just imagining the problems but was actually living them. He could feel his stomach wrench. He wiped his sweating palms. "House rents have skyrocketed. And who would rent a house to a jobless man!".

"What do you intend to do?" asked the manager to Jack, sipping coffee.

"See, as you said, you are leaving for the head office today. When you come back, you say that the head office has prepared a new list of employees to be laid off. Include everyone's name in it. Tom's name also. Write my name in it as well. Use office stationery so it will look real."

"But we can’t put a stamp or signature on it!" the manager expressed his difficulty in a low voice.

"Never mind" said Jack. "We will hide the lower portion of the notice under other notices. I don't think anyone would doubt it's genuineness". Jack was quick with the solution.

On the first of April everyone was shocked to read his or her name in the list. They had come to consolidate the annual report, but were busy talking to each other and there was a general commotion all over the office. The manager had not arrived yet. "These are my reports, and I am leaving" said Jack faking anger. He left stomping his feet. Tom too kept his file under Jack's file and left quietly.

"I am not hungry" said Tom to his wife when he reached home. He gave no reason for coming back early and went into his study room. All his nightmares had come true. He stood in front of a mirror and looked at his face. It looked dull with dark patches under his eyes, hair disheveled. He saw movement in his throat and noticed that he was thirsty, dehydrated. But he did not feel like getting a glass of water from the kitchen. Why? Maybe because he had no courage to face his family members, the ones who depended on him for everything...

The manager reached the office late, and after noticing the expression of anxiety on the faces of all the employees, he said "April Fool !" As everyone looked puzzled, he walked to the notice board and tore the new list of dismissed employees. Everyone gave a sigh of relief. Snacks were ordered and all were happy. Then they proceeded to complete the work of consolidation of reports. "Tom must have gone home" said Jack, "never mind, I and Bill will do his work, right Bill?" Bill was happy to oblige. After a few minutes Jack left Tom's file with Bill and went to look into more important matters in the manger's cabin.

Next day everyone except Tom reached the office. The manager asked Jack to contact Tom and ask him the reason. "He must have the decency to inform me if he needed a day's leave" said the manager and went into his cabin.

Jack's phone was received by Tom's wife. She gave him the bad news. Jack ran into the manager's cabin. "Boss! His wife says he committed suicide yesterday!"

The manager was shocked. "Send Bill to confirm the news", he said to Tom. "Tom stood still for a second and said "But Bill must not speak about the fake list".

"Right! Right! Why don't you go to Tom's house and get the first hand news?" Jack handed his work to another employee and went out. After twenty minutes the bad news was confirmed.

After reaching the office, Jack saw the manager sitting with his head in his hands. "We can be arrested for the prank" said the manager in a hushed voice.

"Who says we did the prank?" whispered Jack.

“Didn’t he leave a note?" asked the manager.

"He said he was committing suicide because he failed to provide for his family. Nothing about the list". Jack had obtained the relevant information from Tom's wife.

"What if the employees tell about the prank to anybody outside the office?" The manager was still anxious.

"We will say the temporary office boy did it. He is a mischievous fellow." suggested Jack.

Manager was silent. He looked confused.

Jack started explaining. "See, we are in a responsible position. We are supposed to know the consequences of our actions. So they can say we are responsible for Tom's death. But the young office boy is somewhat like a delinquent college dropout. He can say it was just a prank and Tom was responsible for his reaction to the prank, then people will hold Tom responsible for overreacting."

"I understand" said the manager, "a person in higher capacity is always held responsible for an accident. But will the boy agree? They are sure to ask him" said the manager biting his nails.

"He will agree if we promise to give him a permanent post. We tell him he will lose this job otherwise". These hopeful words of Jack calmed the manager. He gave him a go ahead.

"I suggest we must help Tom's family with the paper work. That will deter them from making deeper inquiries regarding the prank" said Jack getting up.

"Right". That was all the manager could say.

Jack dashed out of the office to help Tom's wife with death claim papers.