It is said that Delhi is of lovers and lovers of hearts. It is also said that Delhi is of lovers of hearts and all these qualities were present in Lucky i.e. Laxman Lal Aggarwal. People used to say just by looking at his face that he is from Delhi? Lucky was smart and attractive in appearance but due to his poor pocket, he lived a simple life.
The shirt was discolored and a patch was attached to the pants. It is said that boys of his age used to ride motorbikes on the streets of Delhi at night, but Lucky alias Laxman Lal Aggarwal only used to go to college from his room, study in college and spend some time with his girlfriend Dimple and then go from college to shop, when home delivery came from the shop. There and then he would go home.
Yes, sometimes when he would see a boy riding a motorbike on an empty road, he would say, “One day! One day my time will come! When I will sit wearing glasses and make Dimple sit behind me! See, when she puts her hand around my waist. If she and I will ride the motorcycle fast around India Gate, then the hearts of the whole Delhi will burn after seeing both of us and even the Burnol kept in the shop will not be of any use.”
Lucky said and pressed Burnol’s cream in his hand.
As soon as he pressed the cream, its lid opened and all the cream came out.
“Hey donkey, what are you doing? Is that a sponge ball pressing him?” The shop owner reprimanded him and slapped him on the forehead.
“Sorry! Sorry sir, sorry!” Lucky said, saving his head. He used to work in a small medical store located in Karol Bagh. The name of his shop was Chaman Medical Store and its owner’s name was Chaman Lal.
Lucky was working at his shop for the last 5 years. It was his compulsion to work here in this small shop. Due to poverty in life, it was necessary for him to do a part time job to complete his college studies. He searched for a job at a good place with good salary but could not find it and he remained stuck on this medical only.
“Donkey! Now who will your father pay for this? It will be deducted! This money will also be deducted from your salary and will be double deducted from the MRP!” Chaman said through gritted teeth. Due to anger his nose was swollen and Lucky’s breathing was heavy.
He nervously asked the owner, “Why double the MRP sir?”
“So that next time you think twice before doing anything like this!” Chaman said and snatched the tube from his hand. He felt like cleaning his hands once more on Lucky’s skull but before he could do that the shop phone started ringing. As soon as the phone rang, Lucky got a chance to leave and he ran to answer the phone.
“Hello ji, I am speaking from Chaman Medical, the best medical of Karol Bagh! Tell me, what was the work?” This was Lucky’s patent line. No matter from where the call came, all he had to say on the phone was this. As soon as Lucky expressed his views from this side, he got a reply from that side.
“I am speaking from room number 303 of the Blooming Nights Hotel. There is a small order, take note and get it delivered to the hotel quickly.” It was a boy’s voice. There was a lot of heaviness and a strange haste in his voice. As soon as Lucky heard that voice, he didn’t know why but he felt that voice familiar.
“Yes, tell me sir, what is your order?”
“Yes then write, two packets of hard play and one packet of tissue!” Lucky, who was standing ready with his pen, hesitated on hearing the name of Hardplay. Actually, there was a condom named Hardplay and hence Lucky felt shy on hearing its name. Even after working in a medical shop for so many years, he felt shy to hear the names of these things.
“Hello! Brother, did you write or not?” The man asked Lucky again.
“Yes! Yes sir, it is written sir.” Lucky said laughingly.
“If you have written it then take it out!” That boy said.
I don’t know why just by listening to his voice it seemed that he was a very big man.
“Yes! Yes sir, I should go out but it is raining outside.” Lucky looked outside saying, it was raining heavily outside. The front of his shop was flooded and the board of Chaman Medical Store also fell due to strong winds.
Lucky felt that he would not be able to get out immediately in such heavy rain.
So he explained to the boy and said, “Sir, I will come to take your order but it will take some time, till the rain stops a bit. You…” Before he could say anything further, the boy on the phone spoke, “Does your boss know that you are refusing Malhotra ji’s son? Don’t argue, it is raining! So pack all the stuff properly in a bag and bring it.” Don’t be late, understand.”
The boy said and before Lucky could say anything further, he had disconnected the phone.
From the other side, the owner of Lucky’s shop was staring at him. Seeing the pen and paper in Lucky’s hand, he understood that he had received an order. Today anyway, due to so much rain, only a few customers had come to the shop since morning. In such a situation, the owner of his shop did not want to leave even a single order. He was looking at Lucky and Lucky was looking at the rain.
“The excuse of rain won’t suffice! We have to go!” Chaman Lal said.
“I am not making excuses, if the rain slows down a bit, I will leave. Now you can see for yourself how heavy the rain is. I don’t know if he is Mr. Malhotra’s son. I was in too much of a hurry, sir. I even reached there on a bicycle.” I can’t get it that soon!” Lucky said looking at them.
“What did you say, Mr. Malhotra’s son? Will you get my shop closed? Just go out and take his order. He is a very old customer of ours.” Chaman said.
“But” Lucky had just said this when Chaman said.
“But never mind, you take my motorcycle!” He said angrily.
“Hey sir, in an order of Rs 200, you will hardly save Rs 40, this will cost three times the petrol and if the car stops on the way then it will cost more!”
Lucky said while explaining. He knew that his master was not going to pay attention to all these things.
Chaman Lal said, “No problem! You go! Whatever happens, the customer should not be angry and he is Malhotra ji’s son.” Chaman Lal said while throwing the motorcycle keys towards Lucky.
Lucky held the key, seeing it he had mixed feelings, on one hand he was happy that he would get to ride the bike after a long time, but on the other hand he was sad because even if he got the bike, if it gets damaged in such heavy rain, then it would be worth his while. The slap will also fall on his head. He walked away from there with a hanging face, wearing a raincoat and helmet. After coming out and seeing the bike, Lucky thought in his mind, “Okay, whatever will happen, we will see, at least I am getting to ride the bike.”
In fact, even after working for so many years, Lucky could not even buy a motorcycle for himself. Lucky’s salary was so low that he could only cover the rent of his room, the cost of air being pumped into his bicycle, the electricity and water bill and the expense of eating out with Dimple once or twice a month. He often remembered what Dimple had said.
“Lucky! If you don’t buy a bike in the next two months, I will break up with you.”
Actually, Dimple had a great desire to ride a bike with Lucky. In this desolate life of Lucky, she was the only one for whom he wanted to stay alive. Whenever she talked to him about the bike, Lucky used to laugh at Dimple and avoid it. He knew very well in his mind that Dimple loved him very much and she could never leave him. Both of them mingled with each other like rain mingles with clouds.
Lucky loved Dimple very much and he wanted to buy her all the happiness in the world. He wanted to take Dimple on a plane one day but all these dreams were never going to be fulfilled because of this low paying job.
But today he had a chance. He wanted to take Dimple along with him to the Rajpath in this rain. He wanted to show her Delhi. He had already thought of an excuse to give it to Chaman Lal. After giving this delivery quickly, he was going to go straight to Dimple’s PG.
He parked the motorbike outside Hotel Blooming Nights and went straight inside the hotel. Lucky reached the reception and said hello to the receptionist, “Yes, I have come from Chaman Medical Store, room number 303 was ordered.”
The man standing at the reception understood what was in it just by looking at the black bag in his hand and he smiled faintly and said, “It is on the third floor. Take the lift. Take off the raincoat here.” Lucky did as the man said and after a few minutes of boarding the lift, he reached the third floor. He reached outside room number 303 and rang the doorbell.
As soon as the door opened, Lucky held out the bag and said, “Hello, I am Lucky from Chaman Medical Store, this is yours…”
Before Lucky could say anything further, his eyes were wide open. After what he saw in front of him, he felt as if a strong lightning had come down from the sky on him even under the closed roof. A girl was standing in front of him. That girl was none other than his girlfriend Dimple. She was wearing a purple colored night gown. Her thick black hair was wet and she had spread it over her shoulders. It was clear from her smell that she had just come after taking a bath.
“Dimple! Dimple, what are you doing here?” Lucky could not believe his eyes. He blinked his eyes twice but both times he saw only Dimple in front of him.
“Did you come here following me?” Dimple said, retaliating against him.
Seeing Lucky, his heart beat also increased. He didn’t expect Lucky to come here. He had neither called her since morning nor replied to her messages. She was thinking in her mind that she would personally meet him the next day and tell him that she was unwell.
“Dimple baby, what happened? Who are you talking to?” Suddenly a proud young boy came and stood near the door.
He was wearing a vest and shorts. Lucky had recognized him.
“Rahul’s son! How dare you touch my dimple?” As soon as Lucky saw Rahul, it seemed as if his body was on fire. He wanted to beat her so bad at this moment, he wanted to beat her so badly that there was no limit.
Rahul and Dimple also studied in the same college where Lucky studied, and that college belonged to Rahul’s father. Dimple had got a job in a company of Rahul’s father and Rahul used to make fun of her a lot. Lucky had also asked Dimple to stay away from him a couple of times but Dimple had avoided him saying that they were just good friends. Even today, before he could move forward, Dimple had come between them.
“Stop!” Dimple said angrily and stopped Lucky by placing her hand on his chest.
Lucky was taking long breaths and after a few breaths his anger subsided. Now Dimple also had nothing left to hide, so she said to Lucky, “Lucky! I’m breaking up with you from today!”
“brake up!” The ground had slipped from beneath Lucky’s feet. His eyes became moist, Lucky could not believe his words.
He looked at Dimple and said, “Dimple, we have been together for the last one year and you are the one who wants to break up with me! Hey, I was even going to buy a new bike for you!”
“Let it be! Today you are missing the bike! Hey, you don’t have the money to take me out or feed me. Where will you get the bike from and even if you get it, where will you put petrol in it? Your 8000 I don’t want to live a life like this, you fool me! You have matched me with Rahul! He is my boyfriend from today!” Dimple said angrily.
“Okay! So baby, this is your useless ex-boyfriend?” Rahul asked and came and stood next to Dimple.
Then he picked up the bag from Lucky’s hand and took out a packet of Hardplay from it and started waving it in the air to tease him.
“Father! Who else in this world would be more unlucky than this!” Rahul said while pulling her leg.
Lucky had no answer to his words. He looked at Dimple angrily and clenched his fists, then left from there.
“Hey, take the money! Will you give everything for free?” Rahul said laughing loudly, but Lucky left without listening to him, Dimple’s words were echoing in his mind.
He had never imagined even in his dreams that Dimple could do something like this to him. The person for whom he was trying to do so much, he had no respect for him. Lucky became so frustrated that he started crying profusely. This time he did not come down the lift but down the stairs and as he descended each flight of stairs, tears started flowing from his eyes. When some people heard his voice and came out of their room, Lucky immediately wiped his tears and quickly ran away from there.
He had fallen in love for the first time in his life and due to lack of money, not only his love but his entire life was ruined.
As soon as Lucky came out, he saw that it had become dark outside. There was a strong lightning in the sky and the rain which had stopped for a while suddenly started raining heavily again. Seeing this, Lucky’s tears burst once again. His heart was completely broken but he was also happy that today he had finally seen Dimple’s real face. He was thinking of settling down with her but it was good that she had already saved his house from being destroyed. Lucky was feeling very sad but he also felt that this sadness was going to give him happiness in future.
But there was one more thing which was troubling Lucky, that was his financial condition, his pockets were so tight that he had to walk around wearing pants with torn pockets. Sometimes Lucky would spend the day just eating bread. He had been trying for a long time to get a good job but no one was willing to give him work. While consoling his broken heart, he thought in his mind that maybe his circumstances would improve a bit if he saved the expenses on Dimple, but still he was not going to become rich overnight.
He looked up towards the sky and shouted loudly, “If you had to make me so unlucky, then why did I keep the name Lucky?”
He screamed as loudly as he could.
The people standing nearby were once frightened by his voice. Lucky was looking up and his tears had mixed with the rain water. Just as he was about to burst into tears, a message came on his phone. As soon as Lucky took out his phone and started reading the message, his eyes sparkled. Suddenly his tears turned into laughter and he started dancing loudly on the road.
That message read, “As per the family’s research and family’s decision, the heir of the Agarwal family, Laxman Lal Agarwal alias Lucky, has passed the poverty practice test and from today itself he is the owner of that land and that property. Whatever the family had promised in his name will be done.”
What kind of message was this? Who was lucky after all? What was his reality? And how did he go from unlucky to so lucky overnight?