The Sun & the Stars Aligned

4: Thank you & Sorry

ADITYA 

"Morning, Dadu, dadi," I greeted them as I touched their feet. It was 6 in the morning, and they were enjoying their morning tea in the courtyard. 

"Good Morning, beta. May God bless you with a long life," Dadi said, patting my head, while dadu gave me a blessing with a hand on my head.

Seeing us, a smile always lights up their faces. I just want them to always be happy and have a long, joyful life.

"Beta, why did you wake up so early? You came here late last night; you must be tired. At least get some rest. Skip the morning walk today," dadi said, concerned. 

"Leave it, Padmini ji. He hardly gets any sleep as it is, always busy with work. And in a new place, he won't sleep well anyway. A walk will freshen him up," dadu said, reassuring dadi, who grew even more worried. She always emphasizes the importance of health, not just work. 

"Alright, but take Rohan with you," dadi advised me, but I declined. "Dadi, you know he's probably still sleeping. It's just a waste of time to wake him up. I'll be back by the time he wakes up," I explained.

"Good morning, everyone," Rohan greeted cheerfully, surprising me with his early wake-up. He hugged both of them warmly, attempting to place his hand on my shoulder, but a glance from me made him retract it. 

"Alright, alright, bhai. I'm not doing anything. Don't make that face in the morning," he joked. 

"And you, try doing something productive in the morning." I said, a bit annoyed. I prefer my mornings to be peaceful; chatting in the morning isn't really my thing. 

"Rohan beta, since you're up now, why don't both brothers go for a walk together?" dadi suggested, and though I initially resisted with a shake of my head, she gave me her puppy face, and who could resist that?

***

"Bhai, slow down! Why are you jogging like you're in a race? The train isn't about to leave without us," Rohan gasped, trying to match my pace. Ignoring his pleas, I kept up my brisk jog. 

"Bhai, wait!" he shouted, falling behind once more. "Hey, look back for a sec! They're frying fresh jalebis. I forgot my wallet, please come back, I need to have some jalebis!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. 

I shook my head in disbelief. Instead of focusing on exercising, his mind was fixated on indulging in sweets first thing in the morning. I turned around and made my way back to him. "Bhaiya, jaldi se ek plate garam-garam jalebiyan bana do. " he asked the shopkeeper eagerly, rubbing his hands in anticipation. 

(Hey, can you please give us a plate of hot jalebis quickly?)

"Seriously? You're going to load up on all those calories instead of having something healthy for breakfast?" I scolded him, my irritation evident in my tone.

"Bhai, it's not like I eat jalebis every morning. Since they're available today, why not enjoy them?" he replied with a pleading look, and I just shook my head at him.

"Bhai, look behind, guess who's coming our way." Rohan nudged me, and I turned my head to see. It was Ms. Trouble and her crew. Seems like we're not the only ones out for a morning walk. They were strolling in our direction. 

"Good morning, everyone," Rohan greeted them cheerfully—Ms. Trouble and her two friends. "Good morning, Rohan," she replied back. 

"Good morning, Mr. Chauhan," she added, flashing her pretty smile at me, to which I simply nodded. It seemed like everyone had already met except me, so they introduced themselves.