Padhala Bairavi!

Saturday aniku edho velai pannalam-nu (?!!) office pakkam vandhen. Partha floor polishing-nra per-la elevator-lam papparakka-nu thirandhu pottu clean pannindhanga. Ennangada idhu mela vida mattanga poliruke-nu, I went to the guy who looked like the supervisor and told him that I need to go to level 9. Avan innoruthanai kooptu (apparently this innoruthan was the lead of the cleaning team) 'This lady wants to go to level 9, can you direct her through the fire stairs?'-nu kettan.

Avan udane poruppa, avan keezha work panravanai kooptu (adadada, enna heirarchical delegation) edho chinese-la pesinan 'tha thoo thab tho bong..' (ippadidhan enaku kettudhu)

That fellow took me to the basement (level -2) let me into a door and said this is the stair in broken English and left. Naan 'ennada idhu sodhanai'-nu mela pona, there was one door after 2 floors which let me out to the side entrance of the same ground floor!!! And I didnt find any other open door in the route to upstairs, every door was locked.

Velila vantu, I headed back to the same guy and told him there was no route to level 9. Avan thirumba adhe adiyaalai kooptu adhaye sonnan, avanum vandhan. This time he came along with me and I showed him that there was only one exit. Adhai kettutu keezha vandhan, ella door-ayum parthan, mela ponan, velila poitan!! 'Dei, naan unkitta vazhi ketta, nee patuku mela poita?'

I was alone inside this place, ponavan thirumba keezha thirandhu mela vandhan ('makku, level 0 exit-a thatina, naan adhaye thirandhu vittutu poren, adhuku edhuku basement varaikum poitu vara?'), vandhuttu oru door-a thirandhu parthan, adhu level 0 office-ku entrance-nu clear pannintu thirumba poitan! ('Enna vilayadaraya enkitta? Paruda-na ,keezha vara, mela pora??')

Thirumba keezherndhu vandhan ('AArrrghhh') 'Sorry, wait'-nan, innum 2 door thirandhan, naanum parthen, suthi suthi parthuttu thirumba poitan.
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Fourth time! He did the same thing, I was so exasperated that I decided I am going out when he goes, avanum adhaye sonnan, so I followed him to his lead, who scolded him and told me that there were others who took the fire stairs to level 9 (yaar andha budhisaalinga?)

Thirumbavum basement, this guy was instructed to find another fire door to let me in, and this guy happily lit a cigarette and went inside the garbage room (Enna panna try panran ivan?!) and called up his lead (I came to know of this later) and spoke the same 'Tha too bong' and gave the phone to me. 'Do you know where the manager's room is?', I said that I dont know after which I was asked to hand the phone back to the worker, a few more chinese words, and then the phone came back to me 'Please wait there for 10-15 mins, and I will come and take you to level 9', 'Aamada, erkaneve 30 minutes pochu, idhuku mela basementlaye innoru 10-15 minutes..sooper po' and this guy left me.

Appo-nu parthu some security fellow entered asking me if I had been there waiting for something. 'Aaha, ennada pudhu vambu idhu?' "Yeah, these guys want me to wait here for sometime to go to level 9"

"How did you try going to level 9, elevator?"

"No, I took the fire stairs but they led me to level 0"

"Oh, we had some fire alarm, so the manager sent me here"

"oops, that was me, because I was opening the fire door at level 0 to go out repeatedly, there was this blue light flickering above the door. It was my mistake, sorry"

"oh, that's ok, that wasnt your fault"

and off he went to call up the manager. Saridhan, sodhanai mel sodhanai-nu ninaichu I was just wandering..oru 5 mins kazhichu thirumba vandhan, vandhuttu sonnan "I am not able to reach the manager", "So are you going to stay here until then?" (aasai aasai) "I hope not, let me try again"

Soon he got a call from the manager saying that the elevators have been stopped (aama, theriyave theriyadhu idhu!) and that it would be set in 5 mins. Ivanum poruppa enkitta idhai soltu ponan velila.

Again after 5 mins, he came in and asked me "has that stopped your work?"- 'Che che illave illa, naan thoongardhuku ivalo dhooram vandhen'- "Yeah, I have wasted around 45 minutes"

"Oh, sorry about that, I am leaving now, all the best, bye" 'Nakkal?'

"Bye"

Another 5 minutes went by, and the same worker came in the elevator and told me the news "The elevators are working now"

Appada, after 45 minutes of suffocation and sweating out, am now heading towards level 9!!!