Hira, the breadwinner: A short story
Hira asked Kaka to drop a carton of pineapples, bananas and watermelons at his house. His coffee business was running low in the summer. People came enquiring for cooler beverages. It took him a week to realize that perhaps if he sold fruit juice the sales would escalate. So in the evening he bought a second hand blender and asked Hakim Kaka to get him the fruits. Kaka wanted some money in advance. Hira had none. He begged him to give the fruits on a small loan that he would return once the sales were made.
Kaka who was well aware of Hira’s situation agreed to it. Hira was more than grateful for all the generosity showered on him because of his deceased father’s good name in the village.
In the morning, Hira went to pour water on the shivling. Despite his abysmal faith in God, he did it because he knew that if his father were alive it would have made him happy.
Hira then quickly set his juice thela outside the famous hippie restaurant. Soon he got his first customer that walked in complaining of the harsh weather. Soon more followed.The sunny heat attracted everyone to the delectable fruit drinks.
At the end of the day Hira sat down to count the money. It was more than what he had made selling coffee in the entire month. Excited he ran to Hakim Kaka. He had enough money to return all the money he owed Kaka and give him advance for next day’s fruits. Hakim asked Kaka to get a carton of oranges too as a few of his customers had asked for that. On his way back home, he bought a bundle of spinach from the mandi. It had been a week since his family was eating chapatis, salt and chillis. Ever since Hira inherited the reigns of the house after the untimely demise of his father today was the first day he felt he hadn’t let him down. He finally felt that with a little courage and determination he could fit in those shoes he had found too big a few months back. He was now a breadwinner, the man of the house.
