Yatin sat with a notepad writing down the monthly expenditures and calculating how much had been spent and where. The festival had cost more than what it did every year and Yatin couldn’t make sense of where the money had gone.
“If you haven’t noticed, things are getting expensive almost every year,” Yatin’s wife Diya had told him earlier in an attempt to answer some of his concerns, but it had not helped.
‘Doesn’t make sense, there is quite a considerable sum unaccounted for,’ thought Yatin as he kept the notepad and the pen on the table. He looked at the clock, the time was six in the evening.
Yatin walked to the next room where Diya was helping their son study. She looked at Yatin standing.
“I am going out for a walk,” said Yatin
“Good. I hope it eases your mind,” said Diya and as Yatin was about to leave, she asked “Did we pay the electrician for the decorative lights?”
“We did, didn’t we? I think I have forgotten to write it down,” Yatin said and then he looked at Diya, “you have been going through the notepad, haven’t you?”
Diya smiled as she focused back upon teaching and Yatin left. He noted down the expenditure, had a change of clothes and went out wearing his walking shoes.
The air outside was laden with humidity. Some children played in the park while others rushed out to play. Yatin smiled at a face or two who noticed him passing.
Yatin walked long, trying to think of nothing and relaxing his mind. The humidity made him feel the presence of sweat.
On his way back, Yatin came across the coffee shop. When he was passing it the first time, he had a desire to have a cold coffee but he broke through the temptation and walked ahead, but this time he let the aroma of the coffee enchant his mind and in he went and sat down with a cup of cold coffee.
“You look distracted today”
Yatin looked up to see Mr Bava standing with a hot cup of coffee and a newspaper in the hand.
“Hello Mr Bava, I am sorry I might have missed you in the line. Please sit down,” said Yatin
“I wasn’t in the line I was sitting back there and waved to you, but you didn’t notice,” said Mr Bava as he sat down
Mr Bava was one of Yatin’s neighbours. He lived alone, refusing to leave his house and live with his son in another city
“So, how have you been?” asked Yatin
“I have never been better. Much to the disappointment of my son, who is always looking for any excuse to take me with him,” replied Mr Bava
“He worries for you,” said Yatin
“Let him live with his worries, I will live with my house,” smiled Mr Bava, “and let me guess a worried face after festival can only result from the numbers reducing in the bank account”
Yatin laughed, “I have a feeling I might not find the whole extent of the reduced numbers”
“Let it be, not like you are going to get any of that money back,” Mr Bava said sipping his coffee, “Well who am I to tell, at your age I have been doing the same thing. There is a day you are worried about expenditures and there is now when those days have become a memory of a life lived”
“If you are missing it that much, you can help me do it,” said Yatin
Mr Bava’s eyes widened, “Honestly that wasn’t the reaction I was expecting or needing”
The both of them laughed as the lights outside the coffee shop glowed and continued to spread some light over the aroma the shop exhibited.
A Fraction of Cost
Early Morning Memories 