*NOTE: NO PHOTOS IN THIS BLOG; ALL PICTURES ARE ADVERTISEMENTS.
Hrushab was off to the local hill-station for a weekend of cycling and it had been multiple times the plan was delayed. Too many times indeed. So, when he received the call from Viz, he said, "Can you take care of this?"
They were three of them and Viz required Hrushab to be involved else they would all lose out on the new rental apartment they had to move into. Viz was eager to move out of their current room with a leaking ceiling.
"Ok", Viz said
"I'll pack everything and keep, you would need to get the packers-and-movers to shift my baggage into the new rental apartment", Hrushab said
Deal done, Hrushab had a splendid trek, but when he returned, he found the new homeowners had buggered up. The managing committee who had a tiff with the owner had held-up the incoming clan. The broker who was the go-between the three of them and the owner was under fire for a few formalities not done according to law. Police were to be called to oust the unwelcome newcomers out.
"Hi, I'm Hrushab, I am not a terrorist, please don't treat me like one. I have a morning shift tomorrow. Please have a heart and let me enter", Hrushab said.
The three men who formed the managing committee made the guard throw-out the ever-protesting Hrushab.
"I have seen my father work as a treasurer of our building society bur never have I seen him be so heartless", Hrushab said from the entrance while he held the paper-bag of Chinese fried rice on his finger in one hand.
Only after some promises made by the broker, were they allowed to enter, however the packers-and-movers had left. And hence two cupboards, a fridge and a couple of other hefty items were left out overnight in the rain.
Viz had to call in another set of packers-and-movers to shift-in the rain soaked furniture. A drab start to their new dwelling.
Fourteen months had passed. The 2020 pandemic made all of them move back to their home out of their now 'old' rental place. They had informed the broker, in the eleventh month that, they would not be renewing the rental agreement.
"We need to move out by end of week, the broker has contacted us to empty the flat", Hrushab heard Viz's distant voice on his cell phone.
"Tell that fellow, we will do it Sunday", Hrushab continued without missing a heartbeat, "I'll be there to do the shifting-out. You provide me logistic support over the phone, like where to move out to and coordinating with the packers-and-movers, etc."
Come Sunday morning, Hrushab was early to rise and was at the rental apartment. He packed everyone's baggage into their respective bags. He waited for the movers to assess the package deal and then guided the baggage into the trucks.
He noticed that one room was locked up.
"I think the broker is trying a fast one on us”, Hrushab continued into the video conference call ongoing with his to-be-ex roommates, “Viz, please go on the attacking foot and tell the broker we are almost out of this apartment and we would need our refund back.
Viz excused himself to do the same.
“I bet we won’t see any of our deposit refunded”, Hrushab said to the remaining room partner on video conference call
Hrushab was pointing his cell phone camera at the locked door when, in came the broker.
“Why is this door locked?”, he said
Hrushab who was hungry by now and his ears pained for wearing a mask for a long period whilst coordinating with the packers-and-movers, watchman, cleaners and electricians dismantling and packing stuff, pounced on the broker. All were audience to his shenanigans.
“Do you remember me?”, Hrushab continued not waiting for any recognition from the broker or the person standing next to the broker, “I am the same person whose luggage you did not save from the rain while entering this house last year and the same person who is running around doing the ground work here since morning.”
Hrushab turned toward the new face next to the broker.
“I’m guessing you are the new person who will be replacing us, please be well aware of this guy standing next to you. He will not give you a single ounce of help yet take his cut in full plus make you pay for the extra fees like the door fixing”
The key-maker who Viz had sent for arrived on the spot.
“The lever in the lock has broken in on itself. The door will need to be roughed up to get it open”, the keymaker said.
Hrushab paid off the keymaker. The door lay open just like Hrushab's ranting mount.
“It’s not about the money”, he continued, “Us, youngsters, come to a new place with aspirations, new lives to be lead. From new shoes right up to the new dreams that we think our new career will take us to, but here we find these men who form speed-bumps like hindrances rather that showing off their wise age and experience and help us into a forward moving lot. But no! One will bring everything right from family-feuds, to clauses in agreements, to rainwater damage, to ego clashes, to no service-provided, to cunning ways to not return deposits, to any applicable conditions and repeat the same without heart.
Hrushab stormed off to the departing luggage filled truck to a storage facility.
“Hope I don’t come across that guy ever again. I came to repay a debt to my now ex-room partners who helped me shift into that place.”, Hrushab said. He was addressing the convoy after the unloading was complete and all were about to part their ways after a long day of shiftings.
--- THE END ---
Length of blog: 1000 words.
Genre: Fiction
;-p
