ABSTRACT
Dev woke with a start and squinted bleary-eyed at the digital clock-radio on the bedside table. In the early morning dark, glowing red numbers announced the time with pitiless precision: 5:55. As always, he had woken up exactly five minutes ahead of the alarm. Beside him on the double bed, Rushmi still slept soundly. For over six months, Dev had been hearing rumors about a massive layoff. But he did not think Techware would fire him. Hell, he had seniority; he had been with the company for over five years. Moreover, he had been working on a high-priority project for nearly eighteen months, and he knew that he alone could bring it to completion. This awareness gave him a sense of security. Dev blamed himself for this sudden reversal in his fortunes. Feeling guilty came naturally to him. His ethnic background and family influences had molded him to always consider his own deficiencies when faced with failure.
