A Sew Through Time [Bandbudh And Budbak]

11: Naughty 4 requiem

The orange under his lids began to pain.

Once he opened his eyes, Karan saw the sky crisscrossed by concrete beams. His face felt hot. A sharp hiss slipped through his teeth as he forced himself upright, his vision blurring for a moment before snapping into place.

Shuttered stores lined up like a never-ending line into the corners where the light never reached. There was no ceiling, except the walls with several floors held by iron railings. Light penetrated through colourless, half white hoardings which creates shadows over the little garden in the middle.

Beneath his palms Karan felt the cold and muddy cracked tiles through which grass spurted out.

Myra's footsteps proved to be the only living sound. She walked past him and went towards Khushi, who was busy engaged in building something. Two foldable metal beds stood side by side as she draped a thin bedsheet over to create a makeshift tent.

She stepped back to admire her work.

"You can make such things too?!" Myra gasped, eyeing the tent with mock curiosity.

"Of course!" she smiled, "I learned building tents in my school's girl scouts. I even got a badge for it"

She tapped a beam with her fingernail before giving it a rough shove.

The structure wobbled and collapsed with a loud clang, the sheet falling over the mess.

"Oh no!" Khushi dropped to her knees, holding the beams with dejection.

"Oh no!" Myra feigned concern, "Better luck next time chhoti!"

Wandering into a dusty old jewellery shop, Myra observed the tarnished trinkets and chokers with disinterest before slipping behind the boutique store.

The tent crumpled again. Disappointment settled on Khushi's face.

"Stubbornness runs in your family" Karan began circling around.

"At least we don't do chapad chapad like someone I know"

"Do better kid" He knelt beside the collapsed contrivance, "Jeeva told me ya were missing for a long time"

She did not answer.

"Really went through something... huh?"

"And you must had gone through some Suneo surgery?"

"Excuse me? Is that an insult?"

"What?" She turned towards him, "Haven't you watched Doraemon?"

"Daurey-moin?" He tried to process the word, "Is that... Italian?"

"Oh no! Someone here did not have a normal childhood!"

"Normal is overrated nowadays" he stood up and crossed his arms, trying to appear greater, "And show some respect. You're talking to a respected businessman right here and right now"

"Respected?"

"Pharmaceuticals imported globally and FDA approved. And guess what?" He flicked his hair, "Last month I closed a five-million-dollar deal with Dubai, San Francisco, and Georgia. That's about ten Lambos, in case your tiny brain needs help with numbers"

"Businessman?" Khushi stood up, "So you're rich"

"Yup"

She formed a beak with her hands and said, "Then why don't you have that Suneo mouth?"

"I guess we age out of exaggerations" he shrugged, having not an ounce of idea what she meant.

"That makes you a total L!" she sprang up and put out her palm, "Ten lakhs right now!"