The Bangle Seller

His mother was caressing his forehead. Juned wanted to sleep more, the soft touch of the hand of his mother made his sleep become more intense. He heard his mother’s voice calling his name and saying that tea was ready. Juned again felt his mother’s hand stroking his forehead, he wanted to wake up but the deep sleep had immobilized his body. Juned again heard her mother calling him, however, this time the voice came from a distance. Juned opened his eyes and became abreast with the reality. He realized he was having a dream. Juned continued to stay put on his cot, he counted on his fingers, it had been thirty-two days since his mother had passed away after a brief illness. Juned continued to lie on the cot despite the clock on the front wall showing that it was already late in the morning. On usual days, when mother was alive, Juned would be ready to go to the college at ten in the morning. But things had changed in the last thirty-two days. His eyes became moist due to swelling tears, Juned again adjusted his pillow and closed his eyes.

It was at around one in the afternoon that Juned finally left his cot. He felt hungry. Despite the fact that Juned’s parents had always lived a financially constrained life, Juned, being the only child to his doting parents, was constantly pampered. Today, while Juned put a pot of water on the gas to make tea, he realized that while his parents were alive, he was never required to do household chores. While the water took time to boil, Juned’s mind took him to the memory of his late father who had passed away a couple of years back during the second COVID wave. Juned recollected that his father had a bangle shop in the main bazar. After his death, the shop had closed because the rent was getting accumulated. Juned’s mother had started a small shop from her home selling bangles to the womenfolk in the locality. Juned’s thoughts were broken when he saw that water was boiling. He made himself a cup of tea. It was while he sipped tea that Juned realized that he must look for options to earn money.

Late into that afternoon, Juned contemplated options for earning a living. Life, he realized, could be cruel without the umbrella of parents. In the last couple of weeks a few kind hearted souls in the locality had helped him with some money but he knew this was not a permanent solution. Even as his mind frantically explored different options, desperation crept in. Life had indeed not given him enough time to prepare for such a situation. Since his childhood, Juned had seen only bangles. Still two wall almirahs in his dingy home was occupied by bangles, some in soft cardboard boxes and some tied in twine. As much as he thought, all his thoughts ended in bangles. It was around midnight that Juned decided to explore his destiny by starting a business in bangles.

That Thursday night he found it difficult to sleep. The local mosque cleric had advised him to start the new business from Friday. Juned had already rented a hand cart on which he had arranged the bangles in heaps. There were bangles of all hues and colours, some even sequined. Remembering old conversations between his parents, Juned recollected those bangles came in different sizes and measured in inches according to diameter; ‘two-one’ and ‘two-three’ were the normal sizes, the larger sizes were ‘two-six’ and ‘two-eight’. Juned kept changing his position but sleep was hard to come that Thursday night. It was sometime after three in the morning that Juned lost count of the time, his mind drifted to sleep. His mother was stroking his forehead, her soft fingers went through his hairs, Juned heard his mother call him lovingly. Juned opened his eyes, he realized he was dreaming. The wall clock showed it was eight in the morning. The dream had brought tears in his eyes but he ascribed a good omen to what he had seen in his dream, he thought that mother was happy with what Juned was going to do.

Juned had filled his cart with bangles and was about to embark on a journey which probably would define his life from now onwards. The one thing which he had not yet figured out was the place where he would sell his bangles. Aimlessly, Juned pushed his cart passing through lanes and by lanes, he found that selling bangles on a cart was a difficult preposition. It was well past the afternoon that he had his first customer. A couple of ladies stopped by his cart and asked him to show bangles. Hesitantly Juned marshalled all his courage not to show that he was a novice. The customer haggled but settled on a price. Juned had sold his first set of bangles.

Days progressed with Juned pushing his cart on uncharted lanes and streets. He slowly learnt the art of convincing customers and the guile of reading the mind before settling on a price. By the third day, Juned was earning enough to sustain his daily needs. Juned replenished his cart with new bangles.

In a couple of months, Juned had picked up the tricks of a street seller. He knew the best places where to park his cart and imbibed the acumen to escape the policemen who would come calling to extort money. His favourite spot was the trisection in the vicinity of the girls college. He had observed that college girls were not so fastidious, they also haggled less.

A year had passed and Juned became a master at selling bangles. He had a pulse for the latest fashion trends and got his bangles directly from manufactures in Mumbai, Surat and Firozabad. His cart became bigger, in a bid to cater to his growing feminine customer base, he started keeping a few boxes of cosmetics which complimented the array of bangles on offer.

It was the first Monday of April and the college had opened for the new session. There was a crowd of students, all girls, some excited, some forlorn and some bored portraying a look that they have been sent to college against their wishes. The college gave over at two in the afternoon and within a few minutes, Juned’s cart was surrounded by girls. Some really interested in buying bangles and some just curious onlookers.

Juned scanned the teaming flock of girls surrounding his cart, the last couple of years had taught him the art of picking serious customers from reluctant ones. While his eyes scanned the customers that Monday afternoon, Juned’s eyes caught sight of a beautiful girl in dark green top. There was something in her which was unknowingly attractive. As Juned’s eyes lingered for an extra second on her face, she looked up meeting his gaze. Juned felt an emotion which was alien. While he catered to other customers, his eyes followed the damsel. He became aware that the girl was interested in red bangles and was in the process of selecting her choice. She took her time. When most of crowd had left his cart, Juned saw the girl come closer to him with two sets of bangles. She asked him which size would fit her. Juned gave a glance to her wrist and professionally told her that size two-three would fit her. The girl handed Juned the bangles she had selected and in an innocent tone asked him to put them in her hand. Juned’s heart skipped a beat. As part of his profession, there have been occasions when he had facilitated women with wearing of bangles but when this girl requested, he found her gesture an alluring preposition. Gingerly he held her outstretched hand in his left hand and with his right hand slid the bangles in sets of three up her wrist. The dark red bangles looked angelic on those slender unblemished wrists. Juned glanced up; the girl had an innocent demeanor. Juned wished this moment could be frozen.

In the evening while Juned made dinner he overcooked his vegetables. Although he was sitting in front of the stove, he didn’t realize that the vegetables had turned black. Juned realized he was thinking of the girl who had purchased red bangles that afternoon.

Days seemed longer to Juned after that Monday when he had met the girl who had purchased red bangles. Despite a healthy business all day, Juned’s eyes kept scanning the crowd for someone. It was on the next Friday that Juned realized he had a visitor whose presence made him happy. The nameless girl was again fidgeting the displayed bangles. Juned saw her and at that very moment the girl looked up, Juned’s gaze met her sight. Juned could discern a subdued smile on her face, in that maroon top she looked ethereal. Juned’s eyes followed her. She did not purchase anything and left the cart. It was a good ten yards after she had walked away that she turned back and looked at Juned. Her eyes met Juned’s line of vision. She smiled. This time her smile was genuine, Juned smiled back.

She didn’t show up for the next few days. For the last many days Juned was less interested in selling than finding an excuse to meet that girl. On that Tuesday when Juned was aimlessly sitting on the stool beside his cart waiting for the time for the college to give over, he had a visitor. The time was odd since classes were on but Juned had a beautiful visitor. Juned displayed a wide grin. The girl also sported a happy countenance. Sometimes the mind goes blank when things happen unexpectedly. Juned experienced a feeling which made him look sheepish. The girl laughed seeing Juned fumbling for words. She came closer, looking directly at Juned she said ‘my name is Zeba’. She turned back and walked to the gate of the college. While she was about to go out of sight, she turned back. She waived and entered the college. Juned continued to look in the direction for a couple of minutes after she had already gone.

Life changed for Juned henceforth. Selling bangles was no longer an arduous everyday affair. Every morning Juned looked forward to his rendezvous with Zeba. On occasions he would push a box of bangles in her hand without asking for any money. It was not long that Zeba asked Juned his name. Albeit discretely, Zeba would stop at the cart and exchange a few pleasantries while she came to the college and left in the afternoon.

Juned found out that much like him Zeba also didn’t have surviving parents. She was living with her elder brother and his wife. Juned understood that Zeba had a lonely environment and she always had intra family niggles. It was not long that Zeba became a constant companion for Juned in thoughts.

On the professional front Juned was doing reasonably fine. In the last couple of years, he had purchased all the basic amenities at home. In recent months some distant relatives have also come calling with feelers for marriage. It was on a Sunday evening when Juned visited his maternal aunt in another locality that he opened up regarding his affection for Zeba. Events thereafter moved fast. Juned’s aunt visited Zeba’s home with a proposal for marriage. Zeba’s brother and his wife seemed more than happy to accept the proposal. Since Juned had already stated that he was against any kind of dowry, the marriage was a low key affair. It was a Friday evening when after a short nikah ceremony, Juned brought Zeba to his house which was decked with Diwali lights. On that conjugal night, Juned took Zeba’s hands and made her wear red bangles from elbow to wrist. The delicate henna tattooed hands looked enticingly beautiful. Zeba held both her hands together in front of her face, Juned softly held her hands and kissed her.

Zeba brought loads of luck for Juned. His bangles were much in demand. It was Ramazan time and the sales were high. Usually, the customers were mostly females but sometimes Juned saw a few male customers come to his cart to buy bangles with specific choices. At times he had young men who, as he thought, wanted to gift these to their girlfriends. It was a Monday afternoon and a brisk customer time when Juned saw a man in his fifties park his scooty nearby and walk to his cart. His appearance belied the regular set of customers who would come to Juned’s cart. After getting an opening between the womenfolk crowding around the cart, the man, in a measured voice, asked Juned whether he had bangles in the size of ‘two- eight’. Juned knew he did have a few bangles of that size but they were kept deep below the regular bangles and he did not want to waste time. Juned said ‘no’. The man showed no reaction but asked whether Juned can get him those bangles tomorrow. The insistence of the customer gave the impression that he would really buy the bangles. Juned asked the man to come next day when the ‘two - eight’ bangles would be available. True to his words, the man again visited Juned’s cart the next day. Juned found the choice of the bangles a bit weird, the ‘two - eight’ bangles were the biggest size available and they were sold on rare occasions. Expecting a bargain, Juned had adopted the habit of first telling a higher price which he would invariably reduce to give a psychological solace to the customer. To his amazement, the man took out his wallet and paid Juned the asking price without a hint of quibble. The man left as quietly as he had arrived.

Time passed for Juned with Zeba fully entrenched in her new home. In the couple of months she had made the two dingy rooms a decent place to live. On Sundays when Juned had a day off, he would take Zeba to parks and malls. Life was progressing smoothly. It was a Friday morning when Zeba complained of a bout of nausea, she felt uneasy and low. In the evening Juned visited the doctor and within minutes a beaming Juned emerged from the doctor’s chamber with the news that Zeba was pregnant.

Pregnancy took a toll on Zeba’s health. She became anemic and pale. The doctor advised her bed rest. The beginning of second trimester heralded new problems, Zeba found it difficult to attend to her chores, invariably she would feel heavy in arranging breakfast and lunch box for Juned. The absence of any elderly woman weighed heavily in the lives of Juned and Zeba. At times Juned would show displeasure to Zeba when he found her skipping mundane tasks. It was a Monday morning when Zeba slept unusually late, when she woke Juned was already ready. Zeba hurriedly started making breakfast but Juned didn’t wait for her. Showing strong displeasure, he left without breakfast or lunch box.

It was the first time in the last six months, after marriage, that Zeba wept. She wanted to share her feelings with someone but realized she had no one to lean. Her brother along with his family had gone to Saudi Arabia for greener pastures. That afternoon Zeba cooked many things which in her opinion were Juned’s favorites. Although she was feeling tired she stood at the door waiting for Juned in the evening. Juned returned a full one hour late than his usual time. Zeba did her best to create a happy environment but realized that Juned was still stiff in attitude.

The doctor advised a note of caution while Zeba entered her seventh month. Despite gaining weight she looked frail. Her face looked a far cry from the time she would ogle at bangles keeping an eye on the handsome looking boy standing in front of the cart. During the long hours she spent at home, while Juned went out with his cart, Zeba would fondly reminisce the days when she would go to college. She remembered the first day when she had brought the red bangles from the cart stationed outside the college gate. An involuntary smile crossed her lips when she remembered how one day she had bunked her class and reached Juned’s cart in an effort to meet him alone. Her mind brought back the adrenaline rush which she felt when she had found courage to tell her name to Juned. Zeba realized she had tears in her eyes. She looked at the wall clock, it was three in the afternoon, a good five hours for Juned to return.

July heralded the onset of monsoon, Juned had put a double layer of plastic on top of his cart. Monsoon was a dry month as far as sales were concerned. Few people, especially women, would venture out to buy bangles. Engrossed in his mobile, Juned sat on a plastic stool near his cart. Without looking up, he realized someone was standing on the other side of the cart. Juned looked towards the person, he recognized. The man had purchased the big size red bangles from his cart a few months back. In acknowledgement of his customer’s age, Juned nodded a greeting. The man asked him whether he had green bangles of the size ‘two - eight’. Fearing that a negative answer would cause disappointment, Juned dug deep in his cart and finally found a twine which had green bangles. The man asked for two dozen bangles and paid the price without any second thought. Juned saw that the man had braved rain to come to his cart, he was fully wet. Juned’s mind drifted to the thought wherein he contemplated about the lady for which this man had braved the rain to buy green bangles on this first Monday of ‘sawan’.

It was a Sunday morning when Zeba complained of cramps. She was full time and Juned rushed her to the hospital. Zeba remained in labour for almost eight hours, at five in the evening, a nurse with a professional smile informed Juned that Zeba had given birth to a baby girl and that both the mother and child were well. Two days later, Juned hired an Ola taxi to take Zeba and the newborn to his home.

If Zeba had found doing household chores difficult during pregnancy, the situation after childbirth became worse. She had constant pain in her lower abdomen and back. The constant attention to her child drained her strength. In addition to her medical constraints, Zeba found Juned showing less attention to her and to the child. He usually remained to himself. His humour and romance seemed to dry up after childbirth.

In the next few months, while a convalescing Zeba did her best to divide her time between her new born and everyday work, Juned became recluse. He spoke little and would often return late. Zeba observed that Juned frequently found an excuse to sleep alone in the other room. Zeba felt forlorn and depressed.

The child had been restless for most of the night and Zeba had been awake. It was around four in the morning that the child slept and Zeba also got time to close her eyes. When Juned woke up at seven in the morning he found Zeba and the child sleeping. Juned felt anger, he yelled at Zeba. The tired body already famished from breastfeeding took time to come to senses, Zeba didn’t realize it was already time for Juned to start preparing his cart for the day. Juned yelled again, in a rage he moved menacingly towards Zeba but stopped just short of hitting her. This was the first time Zeba heard Juned use expletives.

Juned had parked his cart at the designated place. For last few days the sale has been less than normal. The afternoon was now not that hot as it was a month back. The soft November breeze laced with a scent of winter made a beautiful day although Juned, still angry with the attitude of Zeba, remained oblivious to the weather. Deep in his thoughts, Juned missed the sound of the scooty which had just stopped by his cart. He recognized the man. Pleasantries were exchanged. The man wanted golden bangles this time. Quite unexpectedly, Juned popped a question. He asked the man to bring his wife to his cart so that she can buy the bangles herself. Juned informed the customer that it was only for him that he had started keeping a full colour range of bangles for the size ‘two - eight’. Juned saw the man smile. His eyes portrayed a glint of happiness. The man replied that he will bring his wife the coming Saturday. Juned felt jealous of the man, he thought what a lovely family this man must be having. Even at this age the man was buying bangles for his wife with so much affection.

Zeba was preparing breakfast when the child started crying. Juned was in the bathroom getting ready for today. Zeba attended to her child who seemed to be having a fever. When Juned came reaching for breakfast, it was still not ready. Juned’s temper already on a high from a last night squabble, rose further. He started yelling and, in a fit, used his hands to slap the face of Zeba. He barged out of his house using cuss words against Zeba’s parents.

Juned parked his cart and took out his stool. He was cursing himself for having married Zeba. Some customers came but Juned didn’t make an effort to sell his bangles. It was at around two in the afternoon that a rikshaw came and stopped beside the cart. Juned saw the man, the recognized the man who had previously come on a scooty to buy big sized bangles, alight from the rikshaw. The man was helping someone else to come out of rikshaw. A woman with dark glasses emerged from the rikshaw, she was carrying a walking stick. The man helped her stand using the stick and guided her up to the cart. The woman looked visually challenged and wore a crumpled sari. Juned stood dazed to see the blind woman use her hand to feel the cart and the bangles. The man who had escorted the woman proudly told Juned that she was his wife and it was for her that he had bought all the bangles. While the couple talked within themselves, the man handed bangles to the woman who was using both her hands to feel the bangles. Juned stood dazed. The beautiful face of Zeba flashed before his eyes. He remembered the night when Zeba, hands full of coloured bangles, had given her everything to him. While Juned’s mind went through a kaleidoscope of thoughts, he missed the fondness which was transpiring between the middle-aged couple while the man selected an assortment of bangles for his blind wife.

Long after Juned had gone with his cart, Zeba continued to weep. For a brief moment she fainted. Her mind drifted to thoughts swinging from running away to suicide. She remembered her mother who had passed away while she was still in school. Despite the fact that she had no alternatives, she was convinced that it was difficult to remain in this house with Juned. The desperation grew stronger as time passed. She wanted to run away knowing fully well that she had no clear destination. It was five in the evening when finally, Zeba took her child in her lap and went out of Juned’s house. She left the door unlocked.

The man and his blind wife bought several dozens of bangles. They paid without haggling and took the rikshaw. Juned’s mind was experiencing a storm of emotions. The blind customer who had just purchased bangles had opened his eyes. Juned realized that a happy life is beyond material things and beauty. Even as evening descended, he could not make his mind wriggle out from thoughts of Zeba. For an umpteenth time he regretted his behaviour towards his wife. With tears in his eyes and a lump in his throat Juned packed his cart early and started back home. At a corner he came across the florist from where he bought a bunch of flowers. He stopped again at the bakery to buy a cake. Today he wanted to reach his beloved wife as fast as possible.

Zeba walked through unknown streets. Her mind was clouded with a thousand thoughts. She remembered the good times she had spent with Juned. Her mind meandered to those days when she would make it a point to wait for Juned at the door while he returned from work. She also remembered that Juned was invariably very hungry when he returned and that he would instantly ask for food. Zeba thought that despite his rude behavior this morning, for which she had already taken the extreme step of leaving home, today Juned would find nothing to eat when he would return.

From a far mosque Zeba heard a muezzin call the azan. Her mind again reminded her that Juned must be packing his cart at this moment. In an unexplained gesture she turned back, with hurried steps she went back to home, the door was open as she had left it. Zeba wanted to prepare something for Juned to eat when he came back. She resolved that after preparing the meal she would leave the home for good. It was still an hour from the time she expected Juned to return back home.

Juned tip toed inside the house, Zeba did not hear Juned come inside, her mind was still too confused. She wanted to leave the house before Juned came. Juned hugged Zeba from behind. A startled Zeba shrieked at the touch. In that tight embrace Juned put the flowers in her lap. Zeba’s tear laden eyes saw the remorse in Juned’s eyes. Juned kissed her in the same way as he had done on the conjugal night.