Jalebi
Short Story: Relationships, People
Prologue
“I tell you, nothing’s going to change even if the NDA comes to power. Changes in the system do not happen overnight. We do not have the right kind of leader, bar a few.” Charak said to his childhood friend Fredrick, as they moved out of the park after their routine evening walk. Further discussing the macro dynamics of India’s political scenario they paced their steps when ‘it’ was in sight.
**
“Are you sure she’s going to turn up?”
“I think so.”
“What do you mean by ‘I think’? What did you actually write in the paper?”
“Well, nothing much, I simply wrote- ‘At 7 PM, same place.’ “
“Then She should have come by…..now.” he stopped as he was speaking and smiled at him, asking him to turn back. Robin turned and his eyes were brimming with happiness as she shyly and slowly walked towards them, whispering something to herself and to her friend. Now all four stood with silence as if like strangers.
**
“Damn, I don’t care about what the coach thinks. I scored the only goal of the match and he keeps me out of the team for the upcoming league.” Delwin spoke to his entire group and in between turning towards the waiter-boy.
“Don’t worry dude, this is just the team for the first two matches. You’ll be there in the team for the matches to come. Maybe the coach has some plans.” Said Anik.
**
“Papa, did you lie to me?” asked seven years old Avi to his father, Arjun. The scene was playing in Arjun’s mind over and over about the conversation that may happen if Avi discovers the truth. Arjun would have no answer to why he cannot bring the He-Man action figure for Avi that he had promised him a month back. What was rather playing on his mind was that how was he supposed to break ‘the news’ on his wife today, the news of yet another job gone. Wondering if his unemployment was more recurring than seasons, his only consolation to Avi was to bring him to the place. Lost in his thoughts, he almost forgot the purpose of coming to the place. He turned and called for the waiter and said, “Where is he?”
“On his way back from the temple, he’ll be here in a minute or two.” the waiter, a boy aged 16, replied.
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Chapter one
Jalebi dada, as he was known, tapped on Arjun’s shoulder and Arjun could no longer hold himself back. “Dada, what do I do?” he said fighting his emotions in order to not to shed tears in front of his son while little Avi watched them quietly as he munched on the ‘Jalebi’ handed to him by Jalebi dada.
“I have always done the right things dada, you have seen me since I was a kid. I never cheated. I always fought fairly and stayed sincere. But today this is what I am- A man who can’t keep promises made with his son?”
“Right men are hard to find and right paths are hard to walk. You have made your choices and you have made yourself proud by the ‘means’ you chose to make the ends meet. Your son needs a great father not a great salesman.”
Avi was listening closely and munching on to his Jalebi. He was thinking of the words from his mother, “You are a good boy and good boys never make anyone cry.” Feeling that he may be the reason of his dad’s sad eyes, Avi walked up to them and interrupted their conversation.
“Papa, I don’t want the He-Man, I’ll eat another jalebi instead.” Avi said to Arjun extending the jalebi in his little hands towards Arjun. Arjun stood fixed for a moment before a drop of water rolled down the corners of his left eye. Placing himself gently into his lap, Avi wiped the tear of his father’s cheek through his little hands that were sticky because of the sweet and said, “Don’t cry please, I’m not a bad boy Papa.”
Arjun closed his eyes and hugged Avi in a manner of hiding himself in his son’s little embrace. The father had turned his son’s son. Jalebi Dada smiled and signalled chutku, the waiter, to pack some more jalebis for them.
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Chapter Two
“You folks play the two last seeded teams in the first two matches of the tournament. The coach has chosen a fine team keeping the best among you, for the better matches, fresh.” Jalebi dada spoke while Delwin and his group jumped on to the jalebis served on their table. With their mouth stuffed and burning with hot Jalebis, their eyes seemed to pop out to the information that Jalebi dada had just revealed.
Delwin with his mouth chewing jalebis and hands holding one each, shouted in a muffled voice, “Chutku Jalebi!”
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Chapter Three
“Both of your parents too met each other, the first time, at this very place.” And with a laugh Jalebi dada invited the four teenagers inside the shop and offered them a plate of jalebi each. The kids found it unusual, yet easing. The silence that stood for almost ten minutes would not have been broken, had it not been for his ‘factual’ remark.
“Well dada, we were here just for the jalebi….I mean…” Robin was the first one to speak.
“Yes dada, for the jalebi only.” Nira joined Robin, lifting her glance for the first time.
While Chandu and Pratibha maintained silence, Jalebi dada laughed out loud. After a full five minutes of laughter he gathered himself and took a deep breath.
“These were exactly the sentences of both of your parents, some 20 years back.” He said and all of them burst into a laughing streak that continued till chutku brought some more hot jalebis.
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Chapter Four
Chutku locked the shutters of the shop and handed the keys over to Jalebi Dada and left. Jalebi dada continued his conversation with Charak and said, “True that changes do not happen overnight, but it is the ‘little’ that results in ‘large’. The changes that we bring in today at our ends are the ones that will change the society and the system for the future generations.” Fredrick agreed.
Jalebi dada handed Fredrick and Charak a parcel each and wished them both goodnight and was almost set to leave when Fredrick finally asked, “How are you, Is she ok now?”
Jalebi Dada smiled and pointed up towards the sky and said nothing.
“How much time more?” Charak asked.
“Don’t know. I’m preserving every moment these days.” Jalebi dada said and waved them both a goodbye and left.
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Last Chapter
He entered the dark room and searched for the light switch on the wall. He took off his shoes and said aloud, “Neerja, today Arjun came with his son Avi. The little boy is very cute and looks exactly how ‘Aditya’ used to look.” He looked up at the shelf in the wall and noticed the ‘unlit’ lamp and said, “Toady again you forgot to lit the lamp my sweet old lady.”
He took a deep breath and after washing his hands, lit the lamp kept in front of Aditya’s photograph. He paused and looked at his son’s face in the photograph and wondered if Avi was Aditya’s rebirth. Smiling to his ‘super logical’ thought he entered Neerja’s room where she was sleeping.
“You are getting more and more careless about yourself my sweetheart. See I got you the special jalebi that you asked for. I made them myself.” he was saying when he stopped at the sight of her left hand, which was hanging dull from the bed. He quickly moved forward and held the ‘cold’ hand and his expression froze. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before settling down at the floor. After a long motionless silence, he got up and drew himself closer to Neerja’s ear and whispered, “So you loved Aditya more than me that you left me for him? At least should have taken these jalebis for him.”
And Jalebi dada continued to stare at her face with the box of jalebis in his hand, waiting for an answer that he knew would never come.
***
