Bank Draft

In the morning Mr Sharma while leaving for office had instructed Mrs Sharma to get the draft for payment of fees of their daughter. After settling her house and putting her check book and passbook in her purse Mrs Sharma left for the bank; but as she entered the bank dreamily she realized that she was not sure of the beneficiary’s name in favor of whom the draft was to be made. Thus hassled she called up the mothers of her daughter’s friends to confirm the details required for making the draft. Listening to ringtone in her mobile Mrs Sharma wondered if anyone of the ladies would feel obliged to help her out.

Even though the called ladies failed to receive Mrs Sharma’s call she still made the last attempt to call Mrs Kapoor who in past had doled her out of similar situations. It was really important for someone to take her call because standing in the bank she considered it an avoidable wastage of resources to go back home and look into the last fee payment receipts to check the name of the beneficiary.

Finally, Mrs Kapoor, the poor woman who was supposed to be the most obliged one for Mrs Sharma’s success in getting the draft made (unless she wanted to be called incessantly by Mrs Sharma for resolving her queries) took the call and answered Mrs Sharma’s inquiry which if she had been any wise enough could have sorted out with the fee receipts she had at home.

With her doubts resolved Mrs Sharma felt considerably informed and armed for the next step which was making of the draft, but the battle had not even begun then since although she had got the drafts made in past but ever forgetful Mrs Sharma had never cared to remember the process. As the facts were she always went about every venture in bank as her first, thus leaving all her worries on the shoulders of the poor bank clerk attending the window.

As it was the day just before Dusshera so it was quite a hectic day at bank. Noticing that all the windows were quite busy Mrs Sharma had a tough time deciding the window she could go to.

Presumptuous as ever she had come imagining a clerk waiting on her to get her draft made. But one look at the scenario in the bank and she was finding it difficult to assemble the pieces of her shattered imagination.

Recollecting from her previous experiences of making the draft Mrs Sharma she recalled that she used to carry her check book and passbook to the bank; so holding these two things in her hand she was rotating in confusion from one window to another.

Not oblivious of other customers glancing in her direction she made little effort to hide her confusion for she thought this would definitely make one of the clerks notice her and give her appropriate directions but as her luck would have it all the clerks were too preoccupied to notice her at all.

Finally she approached the lady clerk sitting at window number 7. “Ma’am, I wanted to get a draft made. Could you please guide me?”, Mrs Sharma inquired politely of the clerk, making every effort to hide the embarrassment she had now begun to feel for not having remembered the process she had followed so many times in past. “How do you want to make your draft cash, check or debit card?”, the clerk inquired.

Now since Mrs Sharma was again not sure if she will be able to put correct signature on the check so she decided immediately to use her debit card and informed so to the lady clerk at the window. The hapless lady obviously unaware of the amount of confusion which this innocent looking customer was capable of creating noticed the check book clutched in Mrs Sharma’s left hand and jumped to the conclusion that Mrs Sharma should use her check book to make the draft. “Why, you have brought your check book Why don’t you fill the check?”, an apparently busy clerk demanded of Mrs Sharma. Feeling dejected Mrs Sharma gave in to the challenging clerk and went to fill the check and demand draft voucher.

As she set down on the steel sofa chair lying in front of the clerk’s window she congratulated herself for fixing her bag with all necessary accessories before leaving her house. Although again feeling the need of something hard to put her check on while filling it she resignedly chose to use her own purse. By now she had begun to assume that things were not going to be smooth so she threw all her cares to the air as she began filling the check.

While filling the voucher she remembered that the amount filled in the check also includes the charges for making the draft so she once again went to the clerk at window number 7 to confirm of the extra amount to be filled but unable to find her at the window a lost Mrs Sharma went to the man at window number 3 with her inquiry. This clerk who was perhaps not in the mood to entertain any queries did not attend to Mrs Sharma and she came back to her place presuming there was no commission charge to be entered in the check and continued to fill the check.

Confirmed that she had filled both the draft voucher and the check perfectly well she decided to get it cross checked with the clerk. Quite a sight to watch thoroughly hassled Mrs Sharma unsure of which way to put her foot forward jerked her right shoulder to keep her bag which was hanging precariously on it and as she did this the cap of the pen she was holding in her right hand got caught in the strap of her purse and almost catapulted itself in front of the customer leaving the window ahead of her. The mesmerized customer was still locating the source of the flying cap lying at this feet when Mrs Sharma darted ahead of him to pick her cap. Determined not to appear funnier than she had already made herself for any one who cared to notice Mrs Sharma excused herself to replace the cap on her pen.

The clerk who was by now immensely disappointed in having to handle a thoroughly confused customer also made little efforts to hide her disapproval of Mrs Sharma’s confounded behavior. Looking through the voucher she scribbled in haste the additional commission charge and as she looked through the check she declared that an additional commission charge should also have been filled as she looked questioningly towards Mrs Sharma informing her that check needs to be refilled. Now it was Mrs Sharma’s turn to be disappointed, here she was worried that her signatures may get disqualified and this clerk was telling her that amount filled was wrong.

An agitated Mrs Sharma now went back to counter number 3 where she had seen people swiping their debit cards for money withdrawal. The clerk at counter number 3 who by now knew that Mrs Sharma’s sole purpose was to make the draft again checked her that she should fill the check instead of using debit card as using the debit card cost surcharge of Rs 10. A hassled Mrs Sharma tried reasoning with him that she had no intention of saving her Rs 10 but would the self righteous clerk listen! Thoroughly exasperated Mrs Sharma now went to counter number 2 where too she was told that draft can be made using the debit card.

Lady clerk at counter number 2 was just as irated as the rest of her lot and seamed quite inaccessible to the poor Mrs Sharma who by now noticing the inaccessibility of the clerk was becoming indecisive. The ancillary at the bank who was now standing next to her at the window noticing the debit card in her hand insisted that she should swipe her card in the machine. Enlightened Mrs Sharma marveling at the presence of mind of the boy and at the same time rebuking herself for lack of spontaneity immediately swiped her card in the machine. Now the lady clerk at window number 2 who until now was oblivious of Mrs Sharma’s presence just then noticed the amount flashing at her screen. The clerk now presuming that Mrs Sharma just wanted to withdraw the cash also considered her duty to correct Mrs Sharma and instructed her to withdraw money in round figure that is either 16000 or 15500. Now since Mrs Sharma’s debit card for no fault of hers had got slightly de-shaped so try however she may every time she would insert her card the request failed to get acknowledged. The clerk who was by now at her wits end and seriously considered Mrs Sharma a lost case, almost shouted as she inquired of her motive. Mrs Sharma who also by now had started to lose hope of ever fulfilling her objective very patiently repeated the reason for her visit to the bank for the third time.

The impatient clerk took the opportunity and spent one whole minute in venting out her emotions about Mrs Sharma’s failure in clarifying the purpose of her visit. Now understanding that draft was to made using debit card she instructed Mrs Sharma to pass the swiping machine through the window to her as she now genuinely doubted Mrs Sharma’s ability to use the machine at all. As the clerk was going through Mrs Sharma’s voucher to make the banker’s check for the draft, Mrs Sharma waited patiently at the window again presuming that the banker’s check that the clerk was making was of rounded figure only which she had presumed to be Rs 15500 only. Standing there Mrs Sharma was now calculating the sum she would be left with after getting the draft worth Rs 15235 made. Taking all the time she needed to complete mental arithmetic of subtracting 15235 from 15500, she waited for the clerk to hand over Rs 265 in cash to her.

The totally spent up clerk who got the simple task of making the banker’s check after a considerable period of stressful inter-changes with Mrs Sharma finally handed her the receipt of Rs 15235/- which apparently Mrs Sharma saw no reason to check since she was more busy dreaming of the additional buying capacity of Rs 265/- which according to her presumptions the clerk sitting at the window should hand over to her.

The clerk had hardly heaved a sigh of relief  at having successfully dispensed with such a difficult customer when a thoroughly baffled Mrs Sharma inquired her, “Ma’am, what about the remaining sum of money? As the draft amounts to only Rs 15235/- while the sum of money I have withdrawn is Rs 15500/-”. Saying this Mrs Sahrma observed very patiently the ogling clerk that it was Rs 15500/- that she had withdrawn as per the instructions given to her. Carried away with the, “Oh! I lost my money”, look at Mrs Sharma’s face, the poor clerk said, “Now the whole money has been used to make the draft”. “That means I have lost my money!”, Mrs Sharma was not going to leave any stone unturned in making the conceited clerk realize her mistake.

The miserable clerk, failing to take it upon herself that she could commit such blunders immediately left her seat to go the cubicle of window number 7 and check the banker’s check she had made. An equally lost Mrs Sharma who still had the banker’s check receipt clutched securely in her hand but would not care to look at it lest she should loose the opportunity of winning any additional buying capacity in her purse followed the clerk to window number 7.

The two lady clerks were still discussing the draft when Mrs Sharma showed up at window number 7. On seeing Mrs Sharma the clerk at the window immediately recognized her, “ She!! But she was here half an hour ago then she was getting the draft with check!!!” Not interested in making explanations Mrs Sharma intervened, “But you only told me I have filled the check wrongly and since I did not have another check slip with me so I used my debit card”. While Mrs Sharma was clearing series of misunderstandings with clerk at window number 7, the lady clerk of window number 2 who had come over at window number 7 to cross check the banker’s check she had made recalled that it was she who had keyed in the amount for banker’s check and not Mrs Sharma. Confirmed that she had made the check of the exact amount she intervened, “Look the draft is of Rs 15235/- only” Noticing that Mrs Sharma was also peeping through the window for a look at the screen she turned the monitor to show the image of the check to her. “Thank you so much”, Mrs Sharma immediately forgot all about additional buying capacity as she looked thankfully towards the clerk.

Without waiting for any pleasant exchanges the clerk took to her heels as she headed to her cubicle all the while muttering, “In the name of the God!!!!!!! This one left me completely non-plussed!!!!!!!!!”

Keen to avoid any commotion at her window the clerk at window number 7 quickly made the draft using the banker’s check. Collecting the draft a self appeased Mrs Sharma took leave with the draft kept securely in her purse.