Three Mistakes Of My Life Part 19

'Hey, what's up Ali?' Ish said.

'I cannot see. The ball is white. And the foreigner makes scary faces.'

'Ignore the face. Look at the ball,' Ish said as he pulled out the helmet. Omi ran to adjust the black screen on the boundary.

Fred bowled a perfect second delivery. Ali struck this time. The bat deflected the ball forty-five degrees. The ball stayed low but did not bounce until it crossed the boundary. Six.

'b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l! Where did that come from?' Fred said.

'Two more b.a.l.l.s,' I said. I was aware of what was happening inside Fred's head.

The feeling of being trampled, mutiliated and vanquished by a mere boy had only begun.

Fred's third ball went for a four and the last one for a six. His face looked more humiliated than scary. And no matter how many times he said 'mate', his tone had turned from calm to anxious. He looked like someone who had been shaken of all his convictions about cricket.

'How did he do that?' Fred muttered, tugging at his curly hair.

We looked at Ali. He sat down on the floor and held his head.

'You ok?' Ish said. The pressure had gotten to Ali. 'What's up?' Fred said.

'Being extra focused takes a lot out of him. He needs to recoup after a few big hits. I taught him to play a full innings in the neighbourhood but today...'

'Stress, mate, all that travel and you shove a scary white guy in his face,' Fred said.

'He has to face this,' Ish said. He bent down to remove Ali's pads.

'Yep, needs stamina and training, but will go places,' Fred said.

'You think so?' 'That's Fred's verdict.' 'Hey guys can you hang on, I need to make a call.' Fred said and stepped away to dial a number on his cellphone. I couldn't hear Fred but he had a ten-minute animated conversation before he returned to us.

'Thanks, Fred,' Ish said. I could see the pride in Ish's face.

Goodonya. Why don't you guys bring him down to Australia for a while? Hang out and practice in my academy,' Fred invited like going to Australia was as simple as taking an auto to Navrangpura. 'Really?' Ish said.

Yeah right, I thought. We had sc.r.a.ped to get second-cla.s.s tickets for Goa. We were leaving the same night to save money. Yet, Ish wanted to go to Australia.

'We can't, Fred,' I intervened.

'Why?' Fred asked.

'Can't afford it. I don't own a cricket business.' 'What?'

'I run a small cricket shop. We lied to get into your enclosure for this.'

The air became tense.

'Holy Moly,' Fred smiled, 'You guys! Some gumption. Anyway, I am no rich guy either like your Indian team players. So that's cool by me. But you could have got into trouble there if caught.'

'I had to make sure Ali gets tested by the best,' Ish said.

'Then get him to Australia. I leave India tomorrow. How big is your business?'

'It is kind of small,' Ish said. 'And tickets are expensive.'

'Well, one of my ex-girlfriends works with Qantas. Let me see what I can do,'

Fred said as we walked back. 'It is just Ish and Ali right?'

'That's fine,' I said quickly.

'No, we are partners Fred. Either we all come together or not. We need four tickets,' Ish said.

'Hang on,' Fred said as he stepped away to make another call.

'All right,' Fred said as he returned, 'I can do four tickets.' 'Wow,' Ish exclaimed, 'look Ali, this is because of you.'

Ali smiled.

'But July is better,' Fred said, 'it is winter in Australia and tickets are cheaper.'

'July works,' I said. 'We can't come in the summer vacation, that's peak sales season.'

I figured apart from the tickets, there would be expense on pa.s.sports, visas and living expenses during the trip. I needed some time to save for that. I didn't have to do it, but it's not every day you get to go international.

CHAPTER Twelve

There is some junk around here. But it will be a great store for your shop,'

Mama said, opening the door of a dilapidated G.o.down.

Sunlight hit the room for the first time in years. Two rats scurried across on unsteady legs. We navigated our way through empty gunnybags, stacks of bricks and abandoned masonry.

'It will take weeks to organise this. Omi, we will need six lights on the ceiling,' I said.

'It's fifteen feet by fifteen feet. A good size,' Mama said.

'Mama, what rent do you want for this?' I said.

I had decided to go into wholesale business. I was quite certain that the recent cricket series would increase demand bigtime. As long as I could secure goods on credit, I could make money.

'Nonsense. A father does not take rent from his son,' Mama said.

I hated such form of benevolence. I had estimated the G.o.down's rent as half of the shop. It had no frontage to make it suitable for retail.

'And speaking of sons, I want you to meet my son today,' Mama said and shouted.'Dhiraj! Dhiraj!' Dhiraj, Mama's fourteen-year-old son, came running from the temple compound. His Spiderman T-shirt and jeans contrasted with the plate of vermillion and saffron paste that he was carrying in his hand.

'Baba, here you are. Let me put the tilak,' Dhiraj said.

Dhiraj put a tilak on Mama's forehead. 'Meet your brothers, Mama said.

'Govind, Ishaan and, of course, Omi.'

'Hi,' I said.

'The cricket shop owners. I love cricket,' the boy said in a voice that had just broken into adolescence.

'So young, yet he helps me with my campaign after school,' Mama said with pride in his voice. 'Two trips to Ayodhya already. Put tilak on your brothers, son.'

Dhiraj put tilak on our foreheads too. 'I have to finish puja. Ish bhaiya, you have to give me cricket tips someday'

'Sure, run along,' Mama said.

We came out of the G.o.down. Mama bolted the door.

'How is it going, Mama? You need me?' Omi said.

'Flections are only six months away. In a few months, the rallies will start. I have to show Parekh-ji what a brilliant job I can do.'

I took out ten one-hundred-rupee notes and placed them in Mama's hand.

'Rent for the G.o.down, Mama,' I said.

'Leave it no,' he said.

'Don't say no, Mama. 1 am already obligated to you. Business is looking up. We will repay your loan soon, too,' 1 said.

'h.e.l.lo, Pandit-ji? Can you hear me?' 1 said. 1 received a call from Pandit-ji a month alter 1 had opened the G.o.down. The temple bells made it hard to talk and I had to strain my ears to hear his voice on the horrible line.

'I have had enough, Govind. I want to marry my daughters off and go back to my Kashmir.'

'I know Pandit-ji,' I said. He had told me this story a dozen nines. 'Yes, but last week a nice family came to our house. They have two sons, both based in London. They will take both my daughters. Want to do it as early as possible.'

in one ceremony?'

'Yes, imagine the saving. But if it is one ceremony, they want it in style. I have sold the G.o.down, but I need a buyer for the goods.'

'How much is the stock worth?'

'Two lakhs of sale value. Of which retailers like you took twenty per cent margin, and 1 kept another ten per cent. The true cost is a round one lakh forty thousand.'

'I'll take it for one lakh,' I said on impulse. Ish and Omi looked it me in surprise. What crazy scheme was I up to now?

'One lakh forty is the cost, and now you want to buy it off me at a loss?'

i am buying everything.'

'Give me the money by next month, you can take it for one ten,' Pandit-ji said.

I said one lakh. No more.' I said in a firm voice.

'When can you take the stock? The G.o.down buyer needs possession fast,'

Pandit-ji said.

'Today,' I said.

When I told Ish and Omi about the deal later, worry lines crisscrossed their foreheads. I saw a gold-mine trade. India had performed great in the recent series. The summer vacations would start in a few weeks. If I sold it all, I could double my money.

'You know what you are doing, right?' Ish was doubtful.

I looked at him. My risks had let him down before. Yet, you can't do business without taking bets.

'Yes, I do. Do you trust me?'

'Of course,' he said. 'But his daughter is gone.'

'What?' I said, puzzled.

'You had a thing for her,' Ish reminded me.

'Oh,' I said and looked away. You have no idea who has a thing for whom buddy, I thought.

Business exploded in the next three months. Every Indian kid played cricket in May and June. Experts had called the India-Australia series historic. The actual matches had taken place during the exams. The pent-up cricket fix came out properly only in the vacations.

'Is this how Harbhajan grips the ball?' a seven-year-old tried to fit the cricket ball into his tiny fist.

'Laxman and my batting styles are identical,' said another boy in the park.

Customers at the temple shop tripled. Our wholesale business fared even better. Retailers never stopped calling.

'What? Pandit-ji is going back to Kashmir? Anyway, two boxes of b.a.l.l.s in City Mall sports shop?' said one.

'I've taken over Pandit-ji's business. Call us, we deliver in two hours,' I told another large shop in Satellite.