The Deposit Vibes

THE DEPOSIT VIBES

Bangalore ke Whitefield tech park ki glass building mein Aryan apni ergonomic chair pe piche jhuka hua tha. Tabhi phone vibrate hua—'Salary Credited: ₹42,000'. Aryan ke chehre pe wo 'Wolf of Wall Street' wali smile aayi. Usne laptop band kiya aur socha, "Aaj toh life set hai bhai. Corporate life, paycheck, aur ye Bangalore ki hawa... agle mahine toh main upgrade pakka karunga." Uske dimag mein penthouse aur brand-new sneakers ki images chalne lagi.

THE FANTASY SPREE

Flat pe pahunchte hi Aryan ne Rahul ko awaz di. Rahul apne laptop pe coding kar raha tha, ya shayad bas cursor hila raha tha.

"Bhai, party aaj meri taraf se! Weekend pe Indiranagar chalte hain, weekend brunch aur drinks on me!" Aryan ne full swag mein kaha. Phir usne Amazon khola aur Mom ke liye ek mehnga sa silk saree aur kitchen ka fancy set cart mein daal diya. "Mom ko bhi khush karna zaruri hai, aakhir bete ki pehli naukri hai," wo apne aap se bola. Phir usne PS5 ka tab khola, bank balance dekha, aur aankh maar ke bola, "Bas ek EMI ki baat hai, game set."

Rahul ne chashma utara aur bola, "Bhai, thoda ruk ja. Salary aate hi itna excitement? Ye Corporate ka trap hai, isme mat phans." Aryan ne has ke taal diya, "Tu tension mat le Rahul, main ab 'King of the World' mode mein hoon."

THE BILLING BOMBARDMENT

Agli subah Aryan utha toh phone notifications se bhara hua tha. SMS ki lambi list thi: - 'Rent due: ₹15,000' - 'Society maintenance: ₹2,500' - 'Electricity bill: ₹1,800' - 'Credit Card EMI: ₹8,000'

Aryan ne calculator uthaya. Calculation karte waqt uska haath thoda kaanpne laga. Ye toh woh kharche the jo usne list mein add hi nahi kiye the! Tabhi Mom ka call aaya. "Beta, ghar mein sab tujhpe garv karte hain. Papa kehte hain tu toh ab ameer ho gaya hai, padosi ke Sharma ji ka beta fridge le aaya, tu bhi kuch bhej de." Aryan ne fake smile ke saath kaha, "Haan Mom, bilkul, kal hi bhejta hoon."

THE SWIGGY SURPRISE

Mom ka call katte hi Aryan ne Swiggy app khola. Upar 'Your Monthly Summary' ka notification dikha. Usne pure mahine ka "boredom ordering" aur late-night rolls ka hisab dekha. ₹9,400 sirf khane pe kharch ho chuke the!

"₹9,400 sirf momos aur cold coffee pe?" Aryan ki aankhen phat gayi. Usne jaldi se bank app login kiya aur transfer history check ki. Har chhota-chhota transaction, har ek 'buy now' ka button uski jeb pe bhari pad raha tha. Wo jo 'King' wali feeling thi, wo ab 'Beggars can't be choosers' mein badal rahi thi.

THE REALITY CHECK

Aryan ne balance refresh kiya. Screen pe dikha: ₹427.

Uska gala sookh gaya. Salary credit huye abhi sirf 48 ghante huye the, aur 28 din abhi baaki the. Rahul kamre mein aaya, Aryan ka face dekha aur bina puche samajh gaya. Usne fridge se ek packet Maggi nikali aur Aryan ki taraf fenki.

"Welcome to adulthood, mere bhai," Rahul ne sarcasm ke saath kaha. "Ab agle 28 din ya toh tu mere saath Maggi khayega, ya phir office ki canteen mein 'free water' pe zinda rahega. King of the World toh ban gaya, ab survival mode on kar le."

Aryan ne window ke bahar dekha, jahan Bangalore ki traffic ki lights chamak rahi thi. Usne apna phone niche rakha, ek gehri saans li, aur Maggi ka packet faad diya. Corporate dream thoda dheere chal raha tha, par pet ki bhook tezz thi.

Khatam