Chapter 10 - The Note
ShivOmRu stood at the door of their new home. Om was very well aware of their condition so he didn't judge the locality and Ru was too sad and too young to judge anything let alone the locality.
"I'm sorry OmRu." Shivaay had started once they reached the chawl. "Lekin mein tum dono ko accha ghar nahi de sakta." ("I cannot give you a better home.")
"Bhai, baba ka ghar bhi kuch jyada bada nahi tha, lekin yaad hai na baba kya kehte the ? Ghar diwaron ya kamro se nahi, parivar se banta hai." ("Don't you remember what Baba used to say...He used to say, home is not just made of walls and rooms but by the family. Home is where your family is.") Om had smiled with teary eyes as he recalled some sweet memories with kaka.
"Sahi kaha tumne, Om. Lekin fir bhi I'm sorry." ("You're right, Om. But still I'm sorry.") Shivaay had replied and walked his two beloved brothers to the chawl room which he had rented.
Shivaay opened the door and switched the lights on and quickly pulled out his handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose cause he had allergy with dust.
Om and Ru showed no emotions at the sight of their new home cause they both realised and understood that they were not in the condition to choose but accept everything which was better than nothing.
OmRu walked into the room and coughed lightly.
"Arey arey, apne apne hankys nikalo aur muh dhaklo...There's a lot of dust here." ("Take out your hankys and use it to cover your mouth and nose... There's a lot of dust here.") Shivaay said as he tied his hanky like a mask around his face.
OmRu nodded and did the same.
"Hume thodi saaf safai karni padegi." ("We'll have to clean this place a bit.") Om muttered and as a responsible child he ordered Shivaay to go out and buy some stuff.
"Yeh lo list." ("Here's the list.") Om said as he texted Shivaay.
"Kya hai list ?" ("What list ?") Shivaay asked and pulled out his phone. "Soap, Water to drink, Broom, something to eat." He read the text and chuckled at the last part. "Ok, mein abhi jaake leke aata hu. Tum apna aur Ru ka khayal rakhna." ("Ok, I'll go and buy this stuff. Take care of yourself and Ru.")
Om nodded.
Shivaay went out to find a nearby shop to buy the stuff Om had ordered.
Om rushed towards his bag and took out one shirt which was a bit old.
"Kya kar rahe ho O ?" ("What are you doing, O ?") Ru asked while eyeing Omkara.
"Yeh shirt purani ho gayi hai, toh ab mujhe yeh nahi chahiye. Ab mein isey fadke, safai ke liye use karunga." ("This is an old shirt of mine, I don't want it anymore, so now I'll tear it in two and use it for dusting.") Om replied and tore his shirt.
"Lekin kyu ? Bhaiya aate hi honge toh woh ek duster le aayenga." ("But why ? Bhaiya {Big brother} will bring the duster.") Ru asked.
"Ru, hume bhai ke aane se pehle yeh jagah jitni ho sake utni saaf karni hai." ("Ru, we've to clean this place before brother's arrival.") Om said while handing him one piece of his torn shirt.
"Lekin kyu ?" ("But why ?") Ru frowned.
"Bhai ko dust se allergy hai aur woh hume akele yeh jagah saaf nahi karne denge isiliye, unhe bataye bina hum dono pehle se yeh room saaf kar denge toh fir unhe dust se allergy bhi nahi hogi." ("Brother is allergic to dust and he won't let us clean this place on our own in his presence, so we'll clean it before he arrives so that he won't suffer from his allergy.") Om smiled and Ru nodded.
They both started by cleaning the sitting area so that they could make Shivaay sit on it while they cleaned the entire house.
*
Shivaay was walking in search of a general store. He had been out since past 20 minutes and still he hadn't found any stores to buy the essentials.
"Bhai sahab ?" ("Gentleman ?") Shivaay stopped an elderly looking man on the street. "Kya aap mujhe bata sakte hai ki yaha pe general store kaha milega ?" ("Will you please guide me to a nearby general store ?")
"Beta yaha se sidhe jaake police chowki se right le lena, samne hi tumhe Kirane wala mil jayega." ("Go straight and take right from the police station dear, general store right there.") The man told him with a smile.
"Thank you." Shivaay returned the favour and started walking again.
"Yeh rahi police chowki." ("Here's the police station.") Shivaay muttered to himself and was about to take right from there when the police notice board caught his eye.
He went closer to the police notice board and looked at the wanted posters of criminals. There were two wanted criminals.
One was Ranu Mangal, he looked like a stick and anything but dangerous.
Second was Vecha, there was no picture of this Vecha guy, instead there was a big question mark and at the bottom of the poster it was written in bold 'jo koi issey pakadne mein police ki madad karega usey sarkar ki taraf se 20 lakh ka inaam milega.' ('Whoever will help the police in catching this criminal will get a reward of 20 lakhs from the government.')
"Sarkar ne bhai pr 20 lakh ka inaam rakha hai. Sirf 20 lakh ke liye kaun iss Vecha ke chakkar mein padega ?" ("Government has announced a reward of 20 lakhs. Who'll land on bad side of Vecha just for 20 lakhs ?")
Shivaay looked towards his right and saw two, mawali (roadside cheap) looking people.
"Aur nahi toh kya, 20 lakh ke liye kaun apni jaan pe khelega ? Mi tar nahi re baba." (Mein toh nahi re baba.) ("Exactly ! Who will dare to risk their life just for 20 lakh ? Not me for sure.") The second one replied with a cringe.
"Kyu ?" ("Why ?") Shivaay found himself speaking up.
The two men looked at Shivaay and scanned him from top to toe. One of them circled around Shivaay and stood on Shivaay's left.
He slung his arm around Shivaay's neck. "Seher mein naye lagte ho." ("Looks like you're new in city.") He commented.
Shivaay flicked that man's arm away from his body and said, "Vecha hai kaun ?" ("Who is this Vecha ?")
"Vecha ko nahi jante ?" ("You don't know who is Vecha ?") The second man amused.
Shivaay shook his head.
"Partner, iss pantar ko batana padega ki Vecha kaun hai." ("Partner, we need to enlighten this kid about Vecha.") The second man smirked.
The first nodded with a smirk as well.
"Vecha, Mumbai ki galiyon mein raaj karta hai. Koi gali, koi moholla aisa nahi hai jaha ke log Vecha se nahi ghabarate." ("Vecha rules on the streets of Mumbai. No alley, no street has escaped from his warth. Everyone is afraid of him.") The second man started.
"Vecha ko aj tak kisi ne nahi dekha, aur yeh mamu log hai na.." ("No one knows what Vecha looks like, and these cops...") the first man said and pointed towards the policemen. "...yeh sab Vecha se darte hai." ("...even they're afraid of Vecha.")
"Ek second." ("Hold on.") Shivaay interrupted. "Vecha kya yaha ka don hai ?" ("Is Vecha a don ?")
"Don ?" They both laughed at Shivaay like had cracked a silly joke. "Don logo ka bhi Don hai woh, yaha ka sabse ameer banda hai." ("He's leader of Dons, he's the richest guy here.")
The first one went closer to Shivaay's ear and whispered. "Smuggler hai. Vecha sona, chandi, deshi videsi sab cheezo ka smuggling karta hai." ("He's a smuggler. Vecha smuggles gold, silver and all the expensive items from various countries.")
Shivaay nodded in understanding.
"Chal bhai, kisi din fir milenge. Agar kismat teri acchi rahi toh agli baar yeh 20 lakh ka inaam jitne ke baad hume party jarur de dena." ("That's enough for today bro, we'll meet someday again. And if you're lucky enough to win this reward then do give us a party when the next time we meet.") They both winked at Shivaay in humour and laughed at him before walking away.
"20 lakh ka inaam." ("2 million rupees.") Shivaay muttered to himself but then smiled at his own silliness. "Yeh mein bhi kaise sapne dekh raha hu ? Vecha aur inn sab gundon se jitna dur rahe utna hi accha hai." ("What am I thinking ? I should stay away from all this.")
Shivaay didn't read the rest of the notices and went off to the store.
After buying all the stuff from the list, Shivaay started tracing his way towards his new home.
"Jaldi chal Shivaay, OmRu teri raah dekh rahe honge." ("Be quick, Shivaay, OmRu must be waiting for you.") He said to himself as he checked his wristwatch.
Just then a man ran into him making him stumble back.
"Andha hai kya ! Dekh ke nahi chal sakta ?" ("Are you blind ! See where you're going kid.") The man yelled at Shivaay before running off again.
"Kya admi hai." ("What a strange man.") Shivaay muttered with a small glare in the direction of the man running off and was about to walk off himself when he saw a piece of paper near his feet.
Shivaay picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it.
Note
Jashan suraj se chhupkar, pani ke bicho bich hoga. Pohonch jana.
~ V.C.
(Party will be hidden from the sun, in the centre of water. Be there.
~ V.C.)
Shivaay read and furrowed his eyebrows. "V.C ?" He muttered. "Kahi yeh V.C. Vecha toh nahi ?" ("Is this V.C. an abbreviation for Vecha ?")
Shivaay shook his head. "Agar aur thodi der iss Vecha ke baare mein sochta raha na toh khud ka naam bhi bhool jaunga." ("If I kept thinking about Vecha then I'll go crazy. Forget about it Shivaay.")
He crumbled the piece of paper in his hand and tossed it away before walking away and trying to get that Vecha off of his mind.
Shivaay took a parcel of food from the hotel on the way before going home.
Shivaay reached home and saw that OmRu were almost done with the cleaning.
"Arey, tum dono ne mere bina hi safai kar di ?" ("You too are already done with cleaning ?") Shivaay amused as he kept the carry bags on the now clean table, beside TV.
"Apko dust se allergy hai na, isiliye humne safai karli." ("You're allergic to dust, so we did all the cleaning.") Om replied while Ru extended the bottle of water towards Shivaay.
Shivaay accepted the bottle and ruffled Rudy's hairs with a smile.
"Hum kaha soyenge ?" ("Where will we sleep ?") Ru asked with a small yawn.
"Tu dono yaha cot pe so jao, mein niche so jaunga." ("You two will sleep on the cot while I'll sleep on the floor.") Shivaay shrugged.
"Nahi, Ru ko cot pe sone do, hum dono niche so jayenge." ("No, Ru will sleep on the cot and I'll join you on the floor.") Om interjected.
"Nahi Om, tum dono so jao cot pe. Mein niche so sakta hu. It's no biggie." ("No Om, you two sleep on cot. I can manage. It's no biggie.") Shivaay said.
"Pr bhai.." ("But brother..") Om started only to get cut off by Shivaay.
"Meri baat maano aur so jao cot pe." ("Listen to me and sleep on the cot.") Shivaay said in a finalising tone.
Om nodded in defeat with a sigh.
"Good."
Shivaay then took out the bedsheet which they had brought along cause Kaka always told them to keep a bedsheet with them while traveling to long distances.
He spread one bedsheet on the cot while another on the ground and also unpacked a shawl for OmRu.
"Bed lag gaya hai, pr pehle dinner kar lete hai." ("Bed is ready, but first let's have dinner.") Shivaay smiled at the sleepy faces of OmRu.
They all ate the hotel made food which was tasty but not as delicious as what cooked by Shivaay.
"Bhaiya, mujhe kal aapke haath ka khaana khana hai." ("Bhaiya, tomorrow I wanna eat food cooked by you.") Ru whined.
"Kal mein jaake ek stove aur kuch groceries le aaunga, aj ke din manage karlo." ("I'll get a stove and some groceries tomorrow, please wait till then and have this for today.") Shivaay requested.
Ru nodded.
After dinner, Shivaay took away the empty aluminium containers and saved the remaining food for later (if it stays good).
When Shivaay came back to the living room, he saw OmRu already sleeping on cot as Shivaay had asked them to.
Shivaay walked near the cot and smiled at his two babies. He caressed their hairs before kissing their foreheads.
Shivaay then switched the lights off before putting his phone on charge and laid down on the bedsheet on the ground beside the cot.
He sighed. He couldn't believe what a drastic turn his life had taken.
He was a kid till yesterday and now, on his 16th birthday, he was gifted with the responsibility of his brothers, in a practical sense.
"What a happy birthday." Shivaay whispered to himself before turning on his side and closing his eyes in an attempt to sleep.
Shivaay's sleep was broken due to a noise which was sounding near his ear continuously.
Shivaay opened his eyes and tilted his head to see the source of the noise.
A smile crept on Shivaay's face when he saw Rudy snoring beside him.
Shivaay turned himself fully and saw that Rudy and Omkara had joined him on the ground.
Rudy was beside Shivaay, sleeping on Shivaay's pillow while resting his feet on Omkara's stomach.
Omkara was on the other end of Rudy. He looked soundly asleep despite of Rudy's feet on his stomach.
Shivaay silently chuckled at their sleeping positions. He removed Rudy's leg from Omkara's body and made him sleep properly.
Shivaay then neatly covered Omkara and Rudy with a shawl and fell in a peaceful sleep with his arm draped on Ru protectively.
Next day...
Shivaay paid the rent and deposit to the broker who had walked in at 11 am sharp to collect the money.
"Kya kar rahe ho bhai ?" ("What are you doing brother ?") Om asked as he plopped beside Shivaay after finishing his breakfast.
"I need a job, O. Wahi dhund raha hu." ("I need a job, I'm searching that on the internet.") Shivaay replied while taking a screenshot of another job advertisement.
"Job ? Lekin apka toh result bhi nahi aaya abhi tak." ("Job ? But your high school results are still pending.") Om frowned.
"Haan, lekin I'm 10th pass, koi na koi back office job toh mil hi jayega." ("Yeah, but I'm 10th pass, I can get a back office job.") Shivaay said hopefully.
Om nodded and helped Shivaay to shortlist some of the jobs and also helped him to find his documents file and some decent clothes.
"Ek minute !" ("One minute.") Om yelled, stopping Shivaay from going out. "Pen ke bina aap kaise interview ke liye jaa sakte hai ?" ("How can you go for an interview without a pen ?") Om smiled and hooked his favourite golden gel pen on Shivaay's shirt pocket.
Shivaay smiled. "Thanks Om, lekin yeh toh teri favourite pen hai na ?" ("Thanks Om, but isn't this your favourite pen ?")
"Haan, favourite bhi aur lucky bhi. All the best." ("Yes, favourite as well as lucky. All the best.") Om smiled and kissed Shivaay's cheek.
"Best of luck bhaiya." Ru smiled and kissed Shivaay's other cheek.
Shivaay smiled and kissed both of their foreheads before leaving the house.
After 4 interviews and 6 hours, Shivaay was still jobless.
"Bhai tu bahot chota hai."
("Bro you're too young for the job.")
"Sorry, ab koi vacancy nahi hai."
("Sorry, there no vacancy anymore.")
"Bacchon ka kaam nahi hai. Koi samjhdar chahiye."
("It's not a child's play. We need someone more responsible.")
Were some of the responses Shivaay received from the offices where he had went to face interviews.
Shivaay looked at the building before him and sighed. "Yeh akhiri address hai list mein ka." ("This is the last address on the list.")
Shivaay went inside and faced the interview but he already knew what the interviewer would say...
"Shivaay, you're brilliant but we need someone more experienced. I hope you understand." The interviewer, Akash, smiled apologetically.
Shivaay's smile fell but he quickly masked it with a professional fake smile. "No problem sir, thank you."
Akash was impressed by Shivaay's professionalism but didn't comment on it and let Shivaay walk off.
"Mujhe pata nahi tha ki job hasil karna itna mushkil hota hai." ("Never in my wildest dreams I had imagined how difficult it is to get a job.") Shivaay muttered to himself with a sigh, while tracing his way back home.
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Hey !
Something spicy is coming up soon 😉 !
Hope you enjoyed the update.
Till the next update,
Have a safe and great life 😇
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