Chirag ne supplier ko call kiya. Dukandaar ne lane ka landmark aise bataya jaise Chirag bachpan se Lucknow mein rehta ho—“purane cinema ke aage se jo gali, usme masjid ke baad left, phir bearing wali line.” Online map par teen bearing lines nikliं.
Usne Mehak ko shaam saat chhattis par message kiya.
CHIRAG: Professional geographic assistance chahiye. Surprise visit nahi hai. Kasam se.
Mehak ne address dekha. Use exact lane nahi maloom thi, lekin lab ka regular courier Pappu machinery market side pickups karta tha. Agli subah usne usse landmark poocha aur Chirag ko voice note bheja.
“Charbagh se aap yeh route lijiye. Purane cinema wala landmark aadha sheher use karta hai, us par bharosa mat kijiye. Main pin bhej rahi hoon. Aur kaam pehle. Chaat baad mein.”
Chirag ne reply kiya, “Aap mein Amma ki aatma aa gayi.”
Thursday ko woh subah ki intercity bus se aaya. Is baar Sameer nahi, duffel nahi, mela poster nahi. Sirf notebook, dimensions aur previous quotes. Supplier ne assembly nikalkar dikhayi. Chirag ne bearing play check kiya, metal grade poocha, delivery schedule likhwaaya aur GST ke saath rate clear karaya. Written quote lene ke baad usne ek alternate model bhi dekha jo thoda mehnga tha par replaceable bush ke saath.
Usne dono options note karwaye.
Kaam gyarah pachaas par khatam ho gaya.
Mehak ka message aaya: “Quote mila?”
Chirag ne photo bheja: teen papers table par fan ki tarah.
“Mila. Is baar Newton, saand, kebab koi involved nahi.”
“Congratulations. Aap ek normal errand complete kar chuke hain.”
“Certificate milega?”
“Chacha Zafar se chai mil sakti hai. Main aur Sana six thirty wahan honge.”
Chirag ne message do baar padha. Yeh repayment nahi tha. Yeh invitation bhi poori tarah date nahi tha. Lekin pehli baar Mehak ne khud milne ka time diya tha.
Usne Sameer ko call kiya. “Shaam ko Lucknow aa jao.”
“Hum job chhodkar?”
“Sana chai ki consulting fees le rahi.”
Line ke doosri taraf do second sannata, phir Sameer bola, “Chhe baje shift handover. Chhe paanch par nikalenge.”
“Kanpur se paanch minute mein?”
“Vision rakho. Train hai.”
***
Zafar Chacha ke stall ke saamne do benches thiं, ek table jiska ek pair ईंट par tikta tha aur upar bulb jo shaam hote hi chai ko stage-light deta. Sana aur Mehak pehle pahunchiं. Chirag ne distance se haath hilaya, paas aakar normal volume mein salaam-namaste kiya.
“Aaj reverse mein nahi aaye?” Mehak boli.
“Aaj mirrors use kiye.”
Sameer bees minute late aaya, saans chadhi hui, shirt narangi. “Train platform change. Phir e-rickshaw wale ne humein heritage tour de diya.”
Sana ne watch dekhi. “Consulting appointment mein late fee hoti hai.”
Sameer ne counter par note rakha. “Chaar chai. Ek extra sweet. Consultant ki demand.”
Zafar Chacha ne bhauen uthayiं. “City debate doosre cup ke baad. Pehle insaan ban jao.”
Pehle cup mein kaam ki baat hui. Sana ne Sameer ki report dekhi nahi, bas poocha outcome kya raha. Sameer ne warning aur review sach bataya. Chirag ne teen quotes dikhaye. Mehak ne uske notes mein spelling errors circle karne ka natak kiya.
Doosre cup tak city debate shuru.
“Kanpur mein baat seedhi hoti hai,” Sameer bola. “Aap log ‘pehle aap’ bolte-bolte train miss kar do.”
Sana ne cup rakha. “Lucknow mein kam-se-kam doosre ko train mein chadhne ka mauka dete hain. Kanpur mein pehle dhakka, baad mein destination.”
Chirag bola, “Dhakka efficient hota hai.”
Mehak ne poocha, “Phone repair bhi efficiency thi?”
“Woh cross-cultural accident tha.”
Zafar Chacha ne ketli se ishara kiya. “Rule toda. Doosre cup se pehle debate.”
“Yeh discussion tha, Chacha,” Sana boli.
“Jisme awaaz Sameer beta ki stall ke horn se upar jaaye, woh debate.”
Sameer ne pehli baar ‘beta’ sunkar tone kam ki. “Chacha, aap Sana ko kab se jaante?”
“Itna ki jab yeh ‘theek hai’ bole to samajh jao kuch theek nahi.”
Mehak ne turant kaha, “Bilkul.”
Sana ne dono ko dekha. “Aap log meri user manual distribute kar rahe?”
Chai ke baad Mehak chaat khane par ad gayi. Nazdeek ek gol gappa stall tha. Usne vendor ko teekha-meetha balance bataya. Chirag ne claim kiya Kanpur wale spice se nahi darte.
Pehla gol gappa usne hero ki tarah khaya. Doosre mein vendor ne Mehak ki taraf dekhkar teekha paani zyada daal diya. Chirag ki aankhen bhar aayiं, par usne swallow karke kaha, “Normal.”
“Aap ro rahe hain,” Mehak boli.
“Deshbhakti hai.”
Teesre ke baad use khaansi aa gayi. Sameer hans kar double ho gaya. Sana ne video banana chaha, lekin Mehak ne bina comment paani ki bottle Chirag ko di. Usne li, do ghunt piye aur dheere se bola, “Shukriya.”
Us pal mein koi punchline nahi thi. Isi wajah se Mehak ne nazar pehle hataayi.
Sameer aur Sana stall ke doosre side par bill ko lekar lad rahe the.
“Consulting fee hum de rahe,” Sameer bola.
“Chai fee thi. Chaat apni.”
“Hum chaar log hain. Split karte.”
“Theek. Exact split.”
“Aap romance mein bhi ledger banaogi?”
Sana ne usse seedha dekha. “Yeh romance hai?”
Sameer, jo har baat ka jawab rakhta tha, ek second atka. “Trial balance samajh lo.”
“Balance abhi zero hai.”
“Opening entry to hui.”
Sana ne UPI se apna share bheja. “Description mein chai consulting likhna.”
Par uski smile ledger se zyada der rahi.
Wapas jaane se pehle chaaron Chowk ki main gali tak saath chale. Shaam ki bheed badh gayi thi. Embroidered kurtas ke bundles cycle-carrier par bandhe ja rahe the, ek shopkeeper shutter aadha gira kar bhi last customer se bargaining kar raha tha, aur rickshaw bells conversation ke beech punctuation de rahi thiं.
Noor Chikan ke stockroom boy Munna ne Sana ko dekh liya. Woh ek bada bundle kandhe par sambhalte hue bola, “Didi, manager saab pooch rahe the N-214 ka missing piece mila?”
Sana ka chehra turant work mode mein aa gaya. “Wash-return rack ke neeche blue polybag check kiya?”
“Nahi.”
“Pehle wahan. Tag par 214-B, size M hoga. Nahi mile to physical slip ka photo bhejna. अंदाज़े se received mat enter karna.”
“Theek.” Munna gaya, phir palatkar Sameer ki shirt dekhi. “Didi, naye buyer?”
Sameer ne chest seedhi ki. Sana boli, “Nahi. Visual warning sign.”
Munna hansi daba kar bhaag gaya.
Sameer ne poocha, “Tumko har bundle ka code yaad rehta?”
“Har nahi. Jo teen baar problem de, uska chehra yaad ho jaata hai.”
“Bundle ka chehra?”
“Data ka bhi chehra hota hai. Bas dekhna aana chahiye.”
Sameer ne is baar mazaak nahi banaya. “Hub mein returns ka same hai. Ek pin code baar-baar NDR de to ya address issue, ya rider route issue. Par hum log target mein itna bhaagte hain ki pattern baad mein dikhta.”
Sana ne use side glance diya. Pehli baar fluorescent shirt ke andar supervisor dikh raha tha—woh aadmi jo kaam samajhta tha, sirf bolta nahi.
Gali ke mod par chaaron ko alag hona tha. Chirag aur Sameer Charbagh ki taraf, Mehak aur Sana ghar. Chirag ne Mehak se kaha, “Aaj ke gol gappe ka payment split reh gaya.”
“Paani pila diya, service charge samajhiye.”
“Agli baar hum pilayenge.”
“Agli baar kisne kaha?”
Chirag ka confidence aadha inch neeche hua. Mehak ne do second baad joda, “Main calendar check karke bataungi.”