Enthralling Trails

It was a starry winter evening, and the world felt full of life; everyone was out walking and enjoying the evening. We arrived at Ranjit’s new tailor shop, which had just opened after his old one was demolished. The new shop had two sides open, letting in the cool night air. The warm lights inside and the smell of fabric welcomed us. The shop is located directly across from the famous Monginis cake shop. Its speciality is that it is open at the front and on one side completely. Ranjit is usually seen enjoying his evening tea when we pass by. On that particular day, I was sharing a few instructions when I heard my husband calling me from the fruit vendor’s stall. “Jyothi, here’s Varghese ma’am!” I saw Mrs Varghese leaning against the fruit stall for support. I waved and gently asked Ranjit, “Do you know Varghese ma’am?” He shook his head to indicate that he didn’t, but everyone knew Varghese, ma’am. Although she wasn’t a school teacher, there wasn’t a child in the neighbourhood who hadn...