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‘Hello papa’
Yes’ his father confirmed on the other side.
‘Papa my bike’s tyre has burst and it needs replacement. I need five hundred bucks for the repair.’
‘What! How did it happen’
I don’t know, I was just going home………….
‘You don’t drive carefully, I told you so many times.’
‘Papa it is not my fault, the tyre was all worn out and…………..’
‘Ok ok I know everything…now what u want’
‘Five hundred bucks’
‘But I am in an important meeting…you go home and ask your mother….I am very busy right now’
Huron ok’
What a father I have’ zinni thought ‘here I am caught under the sun without money and he has no time even to listen.
Anyway he again checked the balance and then called home.
Trin-trin trin-trin…no answer. He dialed again; this time also there was no answer on the other side. Throwing abuses ‘zinni put the mobile in his hip pocket. ‘Mummy must have gone to the market with tinni, his twelve year old blonde sister’ the thought ran in his mind. Now what to do! He thought of calling his friend sam and dialed his home. It was sam who answered the phone.
‘Hello sam, this is zinni’
‘o zinni, how are you’
‘Sam my bike’s tyre has burst near the central bank, can you do me a favor.
‘Sure zin, why not….tell me what….
‘Sam I need four hundred bucks, none is home yet and if you can arrange that for me, I will pay you back in the evening.’
‘O zin there is no need to say… I am coming right over, where are you right now.’
‘I am at the new service station near the central bank’
‘Ok just stay there, I am coming…’
Ok
As zinni waited for sam to arrive he thought about his father…
Mr.X was a senior engineer in the IUDA, indbath urban development association. He was a straight speaking man, a little hot temperament. He was one of those who believe strongly in their principles, and was admired for his honesty. But of late he has earned more enemies than well-wishers. The world is going that way. Evil people earn more friends while honesty is considered a hindrance to development, he would often reflect on this. He never indulged in corrupt practices and was always loyal to the government. Through out the day he kept himself busy in the office and go straight home in the evening. Occasionally he would have a couple of drinks with his friends for the sake of their friendship and not for drinking.
He wanted to impart good education to his children, zinni and tinny. He sent them to the best school in the city. He was a follower of strictly disciplined life and would often scold zinni for his careless nature, as he thought. Zinni had completed his graduation last year but was unemployed and he worried for zinni’s future. Also he totally unapproved zinni’s relation with sheena and always warned zinni against meeting her. It had really become a bone of contention between the father son relations. A month back he saw zinni sitting with sheena and they had a battle of words at home.zinni left home for a few days and came back only after his father himself called him.
Though zinni respected his father for all that he has done, giving him the best of everything, but loved sheena more and just could not think of leaving her. He was sure of convincing his father one day. For the last few weeks Mr. x had been very busy in his office and would often come home late at night.
He was brought out of his thoughts by a familiar voice.
‘Hello zin’ it was sam who came just then.
‘Hello sam, you made it really quick.’
‘Actually I was just about to leave for pinto’s house, when you called me. He had bought a new DVD player with home theater speakers and has asked me to come over’
‘I see, so how’s pinto, I have not seen him for so many days’ zinni said.
‘ O, he is fine. He had just gone to bijapur in relation to some business dealings and came back only yesterday. He purchased the DVD player from chimera market, bijapur.’
‘ He is really helping his father in business, isn’t it.’
‘Yeah you are right, anyway is the bike ready ‘Sam asked.
‘Let us see’
In ten more minutes the tyre was replaced and the bike was ready. They paid the mechanic and came out of the service station.
‘ Are you going home, zin?’ sam asked as they came out.
‘Yes I was going home’
‘if you are free you come with me to pinto’s house. He will be happy to see you too.’
‘ I would have loved to come, but I got to meet sheena after an hour. We will go together some other day. Today you go alone, ok.’
‘Ok than, bye zin’
‘Bye sam, see you again’
All the way home zinni was thanking sam within…
He considered sam his real friend. The one that fits the proverb “the friend in need is a friend in deed”. Sameer or sam, as he was usually called by everyone, was zinni’s school time friend and about the same age as him. Physically he was taller than zinni and well built. His home was near to zinni’s and they were good friends.
His father has died in an accident a year back and he lived with his mother and younger sister. His sister nenu was in the same school in which zinni’s sister studied and both were in the same grade. Sams mother was employed in some private life insurance company. Though they were not very well off financially but sam was never short of cash. He always had sufficient money on his person and often helped zinni with cash as and when he needed
.
He had completed his graduation in science but like zinni he was also unemployed and in search of a job. Most of the time, on any day, he remained at home and came out very rarely. Zinni spent most of his time with sam when not with sheena. ************ ******************************************
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