Ishqana Dil

Part 33

"Whose phone is ringing? Somebody throw it out of the window!" Gajanand Chaubey thundered.

"Nanaji, main dekhti hoon," Amaya said with a plea in her voice. Could he please calm down for once? Jumping with anger every time one thing did not go the way he wanted was not going to change anything. He only managed to make the people around him more nervous.

That was Mantu's phone. She looked around for him. Where was he? The phone rang a fifth time, making her grimace. It had to be something important... Why else would this person call again and again like that? She inhaled deeply and answered it. "Uhh... Hello?"

"Yeh kya badmaashi hai? Dukaan ka taala tod ke maal le gaye?"

"Arrey..." Her eyes widened. What the hell? "Aap yeh kya bakwaas kar rahe hain? Who's speaking?"

"I am the owner of Lalchand and sons! Aap Mantu hain, na?"

She made a face. "Mantu? Do I seriously sound like a 'Mantu' to you? Main Amaya bol rahi hoon, kal aapki shop mein aayi thi na, main? Durga puja ka saamaan lene? Is this a way to speak to your customers?"

"Listen to me! Last night someone broke into my shop. Kaand hogaya!"

"Shop mein kaand hogaya... taala toot gaya... But why are you calling Mantu to tell him about this? What does he-" She was cut short when the phone was snatched from her hands. She turned around to find Mantu glaring at her.

"Excuse me," he growled, putting the phone to his ear. "B-bhaiyya e-ek minute, haan? Ek minute hold kijiye." He tore the phone away and took one step towards her. "How dare you touch my phone. Kissi aur ke phonecalls ko answer karna, yeh kahaan ki sharaafat hai, Madam?"

Oh really? The nerve of this ullu ka pattha... "Oh, Mr Sharaafat ki Factory! Your phone has been ringing for so long! It was disturbing my grandfather!"

"Then you should have put it on silent. Why did you answer it?"

"I was helping you, okay? I thought there's a wedding going on, there's so much work and that call might have been important! Otherwise, please, I am not interested in you, your phone or your phonecalls!"

"Haan, haan! Theek hai na! Ab humse aur humaare phone se pachaas foot door rehna!"

"Pachaas foot kya, sau foot door rahougi! Tumhaare paas rehna kaun chahta vaise bhi?"

"Yeah, very good!"

Repressing the urge to snarl and claw at his face, she balled her hands into fists at her sides and stormed away. Really, he was such an ungrateful donkey! Actually a donkey would be better!

***

He sighed when he finally disconnected the call. It had taken him so much pleading to convince the shopkeeper to forgive him and not go to the police about this matter. And the person for whom he had gone through all this trouble could not show one ounce of appreciation. Crazy girl!

First, he had had to lie to Sneha Aunty the previous night. When she had wanted to know why he was looking for the things they would use for the puja, he had invented a tale about how he had left something of his near those bags and he could not find it anymore so he was thinking someone put have put everything away together. Then, he had had to open one of the packets Amaya had quite neatly prepared, memorise everything that was in it and close the packet again. He had gone out hurriedly, racing through the city on his bike to find the shop from where she had gotten everything - he had seen the name on one of the labels of the items. It was closed. He tried to knock but there was no response. So he had done what he had never imagined himself doing... He had broken into the shop. But he had not stolen anything! He had paid for everything he had taken, with an additional fee to compensate for his breaking in and the broken lock, and he had even left a note of apology for the shopkeeper. Afterwards, he had gone home and packed everything the way Amaya had. The next day, he had arrived at the Mathur Haveli as early as possible and placed the two packets in the bag Amaya had prepared.