AO without AC

Two days ago when my dad had called up to inform us about the most awaited and happiest of the news that almost all of us in the family were eagerly expecting to hear for nearly 5 months now, we were all elated, no less, and wanted to get on to the party mode right away. Well, after all it’s the news of my father’s last promotion in his career of 35 long years as an earnest employee of the Tamil Nadu government. Now, that definitely deserves a party doesn’t it?

As it’s quite obvious my mom was inquiring details about the receipt of the promotional offer at my dad’s office and his joining date and his roles and responsibilities as the “Accounts Officer and Financial Adviser” to the Government of Tamil Nadu, XYZ department. Let’s keep it that way for all politically right and not-so-right purposes, which are also tangentially not so right to be disclosed here when it’s highly uncalled for.

So the excited mum of mine, was on phone talking to my dad with her voice getting all so choky and tears threatening to pour-out any second now in the next 60 seconds time, all in the name of happiness and a contended one at that!

As was believed by the entire family, my dad and I were experts in changing the topic in a very sweet, unnoticeable manner to render the pleasant-mood at times like this, where people are at the peak of their emotions.

It was my dad’s turn this time around as he was one that was on phone with my mom, so he started off saying that, “One good thing about getting the promotion of AO (Account’s Officer) from DAO (Deputy Accounts Officer) is that I don’t get to have the AC anymore. It’s been taken away finally. Now, I am in the separate AO’s room all for myself.”

At that as shrewd as she always is, my mom said, “What? What kind of stupidity is this? Never have I heard about such arrogance of taking away the Air Conditioner for a person who has been promoted to a senior role?”

In a poignant voice, my dad replied “Yes, but this is government order and I cannot go against it, there’s nothing that can be done now. Who knows? Maybe since I am going to be retired in another year’s time they thought they should probably give away the AC to someone who’s much younger and much more deserving”

My mom went red at that and she yelled “What on earth has gone wrong with you? The whole world says you are the best and here you are claiming that you don’t deserve a goddamned A.C, and that too a one that was with you already, not caring a least about the same being snatched away from you now, when you have actually been promoted to the most honorable and highest position in your sector!”

She couldn’t quite get the grips of it, when my dad finally laughed out loud and said.
“Dear lady, When I said AC, it’s not the Air Conditioner, but it’s the Additional Charge. When I was a Deputy Accounts Officer, I given an AC (Additional Charge of playing an “Account’s Officers” role). Now, that I am an Accounts Officer myself, there’s no more A.C (Additional Charge), and that is why I said it’s been taken away.

It then took a lot of time for me and my brother to console my mother who usually is not very sportive with those sweet-little-pranks being played on her is a different story altogether!