Page 13 of Made in Mumbai

Gautam didn’t know when his eyes began to fall shut. And when he went to sleep. Her story kept going.

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“Oye khotteya!” Kumar bhai slapped his back hard. He jumped to his feet.Was he dreaming? Was Mumbai a dream?He glanced wildly around him, rubbing his eyes. The wide, quiet sea sat in front of him, the sun coming up slowly over it.

“Kumar bhai?” He croaked.

“Abey oye khotte de puttar,” he slapped the back of his head. “Bina dasse, bina pucche, kithon bhaag…!”

“Sorry, sorry,” he folded his hands, keeping his head down to mitigate the force of his whacks.

“G?” A soft, female voice chimed. And that’s when he realised that M had been sleeping right next to him on the bench when Kumar bhai had started beating him.

“M…”

Her mouth was open, her face shocked. She shot to her feet, as if about to start beating Kumar bhai. Gautam stood between them.

“O! How dare you? Come and fight with me if you can…”

He held her back — “M… it’s ok. He is… my…”

“Is he your dad?”

“Umm…”

“No dad-phad,” Kumar bhai cut in. “I am his master. He my cleaner.”

“G?”

“M, it’s… I work for Kumar bhai… I am so sorry…” tears came to his eyes at the sudden fear, then anger that passed across her face.

She stepped away. “You… Who are you?”

“I told you, na? He is my cleaner, clean my truck,” Kumar bhai intervened, making her fear and anger look even worse.

“You liar!”

“No, M, please… I didn’t lie. You assumed, I am sorry, I am not a bad person. I wouldn’t have harmed you, I am sorry, I just… I was passing by Mumbai, our truck broke down and I wanted to see Mumbai. You happened to meet me and everything just happened…”

“Truck?” She spat, disgusted.

“Truck, oye! Yes, my truck,” Kumar bhai slapped his chest, just as enraged.

“M, I just wanted to see Mumbai, that’s it. I didn’t want to do anything wrong, M…please try to hear me…”

“You know what? Get lost! People like you are disgusting. Losers. Liars.You peoplespoil Mumbai. Saw a girl for the first time and one that was so happily sharing everything with you! Yuck. Asshole. Get out of here!”

“M…” his eyes watered. “I am sorry, so so sorry.”

“Haan ji! We are anyway leaving Mumbai!” Kumar bhai grabbed his shoulder. Gautam flung away to plead with her.

“Leave this city and dare you come back! You bastard! Get out!” She screamed, so loud that a few people in jogging clothes began to look. Gautam froze.

Kumar bhai grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away. She kept staring stonily at them.

2034 Gundee Awards 1.0

FUTURE

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