Thank you, BOSS!!

My attitude towards work is never the same during the appraisals. Of course everybody want appraisal to be good, and so did I. Before a couple of weeks of appraisal I was regular, punctual and productive. (Wanting my manager to notice this!) I never said NO to work extra hours or to scrub few escalation tickets which prolonged with no solution. I happily took the responsibility of few newly joined freshers(guys!!), knowing how painful it would be to sit with them teach them what I see from the test results. It was all Greek and Latin to them, but for me I could only see my appraisal coming forth.
And the day came for which I had been waiting like a student waiting for the board exam results. I was called to the “glass room”, which is often terrifying. This is the “glass room” where most of the appraisals, warnings, promotions, etc are done. The silence there was killing. The low ceiling, loud AC, round table and two chairs, a typical plywood stench reminded me all the discussions/arguments I had in this “glass room” from the time I joined. The wait was over and the manager walked in. Of course mere bureaucratic, had some papers in hand. He stared into my eyes and asked a million questions without uttering a word. I tried but failed to control the anxiousness. Forced a hasty smile to him, expecting none in turn and I was right. The words flew from his mouth as if they were practiced before. And I could hear NO WORDS except for staring at the freshly printed white sheets in his hands. “Show me the numbers you ....”were in my mind and as if he just read it, he showed me the numbers.. I dint even want to sit for a while after seeing those numbers. “Immodestly biased bastards, do I deserve such low /no hike?...” and suddenly a gruff sound of clearing throat caught my attention. “I did not mean to offend you, just wanted to see your reaction... i just modified them to see how you take it.. the real papers are here”. May be i would have said “Sir, I dint like the joke though” But the appraisal was done good. The pout turned to be a beautiful curve and I smiled. Thanked and 'appreciated' his 'good sense of humor'. “Hope the scores have pleased you, please continue the good work and come again for better rewards, good day” I shook hands with him and still could feel my hands were damp with sweat. Appraisals can be real devastating.