I distinctly remember the time I was exited about assuming an adult role with few prospective chips on my hands. All the steps towards my destination looked like a journey to a heavenly abode. When entered into a massive hall, I was so much confused not knowing where to go. This was the saga of my first banking experience, with a piece of paper on my hand called cheque. I dared to contact the the person who just sat in front of the door, who was curiously looking , but later I found reluctant to answer. When he made some gestures with his hands I got a vague idea that this was not the person whom I have to see. I moved to the third person, looking back at the first person to take an assurance whether I reached the right place. But he did not bother to look at me. I had no choice but to ask the person whom Iam facing. He said he was not the person concerned and directed me to the person sitting on the end of the row.I got some relief and ran to him as I should not miss the opportunity of being first in the que. The person was busy with writing something and after few alerts he raised his head and looked at me. Immediately handed over my cheque to him. He scrutinised it, turning it upside down, and again on the back leaving me wonder why a cheque has to be scrutinised from the back. Then coolly the cheque was handed over to me back stating this was some other cheque, which he was not designated to handle, and if it were some other cheque with some other prefix he would have been happy to deal with. I was disappointed and asked him exactly where I have to go.. He has pointed his fingers to the second person again whom already I have met. Desperately I went back. The person looked at me questioning why I have not given the cheque there itself, sounding some anger in his tone.I felt guilty, thinking I have committed some mistake. I murmured " Sir told me to give this here". He warned me sternly that I should not come away just like that. He turned his head and shouted at the other person asking why I was directed there. I really did not understand what the person was trying to tell. After constant bickering at each other, this person turned and ordered me with the thundering voice to see the same last person only. I was little jittery at the verbal exchanges that took place between them. I left this person with engulfed fear whether I would be accepted there again. I dragged my feet to the same person seated last who was persistently rejecting me. This time I was immediately noticed and told to meet the bald headed middleaged 'officer' person sitting behind. I encircled the all the wooden partitions ( latter I came to know that they are called counters) to meet the bald headed person. When I stretched my hand to give the chque he was careful enough to examine at without touching it. He stood up heavily from the seat and went to another lady sitting next to him showing me , both of them appeared to be scolding the man 'sitting inside' , whom I could not manage to see. I was releived as I have to go to a lady who is supposed to be milder than men who played ping pong with me. She took the cheque from me and searched frenetically many bulky binders before her, only to find out that my concerned binder was missing. She called one neatly clad person who was roaming around in the banking hall with all jokes and smiles. He alone seems to be the happiest person in there. She shouted at him asking why binder was taken away from there. So far I was under the impression that the person was definitely some big official and there fore dressed so tidely . I was shocked to understood that he was something like a peon. My admiration towards him waned. He came there craking a joke and went on expedition to search for my precious binder. Even after 20 minutes he did not turn up. As I was repeatedly reminding my lady luck about my binder she hurled a frowning look at me and told that I have to understand their difficulties and try to cooperate. I felt ashamed of myself for not being so coperative and decided to be tight lipped. By passing of time I got familiarised with the place and faces. The last person I met was not all that bad. He was similing and talking to the person who was leaning across his counter. I later I found that the leaning person was nobody other than the brother -in-law of the person in the counter. At last my binder has arrived. It was thrown with a bang on the table not with such a disrespect, but due to it's heaveyness. I was elated at it's sight. The peon courteously demanded thanks from me for searching my binder and I felt oblized to thank him, little wondering whether it was really my binder. The lady took my cheque, turned pages and spotted the correct page and then screamed wildly.The baldy man stood up with quickness never displayed before and went to see what is there inside. I also felt little curious to know, but I could not find any thing interesting there except few scribblings. The baldy man told me with a firm voice that the account is over drwan. As I was a novice about the banking terminology I asked him what is meant by the term "overdrawn". He explained to me that the person who has given a cheque to me has taken all her money from the bank, but also in addition to that has taken bank's money. I was amused and asked him"Is it? Is it possible to take like that?" Suddenly he passed a suspicious look at me and said firmly "NO" and after a while probably he was convinced of my innocent looks, said " some times it happens ... by mistake.....". " Oh!" for a while I was filled with sympathy for the baldy, for the lady, for all the men on the counters but certainly not for the peon who looked so merry despite the fact of bank being cheated with it's money. "SO..?" I posed a question , only to get an answer that there is no money for my cheque. I hardly realised that all these happenings are ultimately pointed towards my not getting my money . I was disappointed as I planned so many things with the money. I returned home but careful enough to preserve my cheque, whether money or no money cheque is a cheque.
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