They were out playing snooker

Twenty Somethings. For Love or Ambition. By Sudham Ravinutala. 1901

They were meeting after a while. Between Rhea and work, Rishi had found little time to spend with Abhi and Bhattu. It was boys’ night! A much-needed respite for Rishi from the recent overdose of Prasanna.

They were out playing snooker. It was a cosy parlour in the neighbourhood. A favourite because it was accommodating. The owner of the joint would let the boys play on late into the night or early into the morning depending on which way you looked at it. Once the shutters were down, they could pull out the beer they’d often leave to chill in the refrigerator. The owner would give company for a round or two and post that the boys could stay on as long as they wanted to. They just needed to down the shutters and leave the place clean for the next business day!

“Point two percent is peanuts!” Bhattu said as he just managed to break the snooker that Abhi had set up for him.

“Aadha taka to chalta hai,” he said in a matter-of-fact businessman tone, indicating half a percent was par.

Rishi had just brought his friends up to speed with the happenings in his professional life and shared his predicament.

“I think he’s striking the same deal with anyone willing. At least with all the big players,” Abhi said potting a red.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s a deal worth almost three hundred crores. There’s no way they’ll award the entire contract to one vendor. Most probably, they’ll split it sixty-forty in favour of the lowest bidder. Give out forty percent to the other vendors that match the price,” Rishi supplemented the discussion.