corporate cat

I belong to a group of people who are best described as harried corporate executives with busy schedules and even busier lives,but it ends right there.I cant seem to fit myself into the rate race that's the corporate world.Guess thats because I see myself more as a cat than a rat.Oh well that's another story.

What really bring this on is a recent visit (official business please note) to some little town that required air travel and therefore the need to spend an hour in an airport lounge.If you belong in the rate race then its mandatory to get hold of a driver or a taxi to drive you to the airport in rush hour.I prefer whenever possible to drive to airport,(park car and pick it up on return). and no I am not listening to the latest update from the Economic Times.I am listening to old old Hindi music of Rafi and Kishore Kumar and enjoying braying along with the few words that my limited Hindi will permit.

Park the car and grab handbag ,enter check in and then to lounge for a cup of tea and watching people.Note (very important) I have only a handbag and a book to read.Everyone else in the rat race has a laptop and cell phone plugged into their ears (mine is in the handbag where I am sure I will have to search for it if and when it rings).So a cup of tea arrives and I take a good look around.Ninenty percent of the men and women in the lounge don't have time for tea.All laptops are open,phones plugged in,wireless plugged in and furious typing is on.I marvel at these people.What can be of such earth shattering importance that they have to handle it now.Cant they enjoy a cup of tea read the newspaper and generally have fun?.There is of course one person who decides to chat me up so we get talking and he wants to know why I am travelling so we discuss review meetings and general tit bits of corporate life and he suddenly notices that I am without a laptop,oh well you cant be a very stressed person,no laptop,what kind of review are you going for?.What I don't tell him is that old fashioned me has all the figures neatly re cored in pieces of paper in the handbag.Good enough for me.Remember I am not part of rat race.I am cat.
Enter plane.Find seat and open in flight magazine.All other persons are giving last minute instructions on cell phone(about what beats me).Flight in mid air and laptops come out again.I seriously suspect that this is just some ploy to fit into the pre determined profile of rat race person.Rather silly.I am watching lovely fluffy clouds pass by,eating junk food that passes for airline food and looking around to spot at least one interesting man (yet to spot on and have been flying for years).
Plane lands and everyone jumps up.It takes at least five minutes to deplane so why the hurry.I remain in my seat and cellphone in power off mode but everyone else has started instructions,messages etc etc.Everyone has that stressed look,everyone is power dressed and everyone is on official business.I am fabindia clad,lone handbag in hand and cellphone in power off mode and I am also part of the rat race but you see I am the cat in the rat race so as superior species,I just purr.....