A GIFT for HER… #ShortStory

Can you show me the other design please?” a little embarrassed Alok asked the salesman. This was his first time alone to a jewelry store and he wasn’t really enjoying it. “How do women even like this stuff!!” he wondered to himself while looking at the ring in his hand. The salesman seemed to have a smirky look on his face the whole while or so Alok felt because he had been asking the salesman very silly questions.

“How many kilograms are these rings? How am I sure that this is real gold? What Carrot is this gold?” Well Alok did say “Carrot” and not “Carat”. The salesman was a very patient one. Since it wasn’t the busy hour of the day, he politely explained to Alok the finer details about jewelry shopping and yes he did explain what exactly “carat” meant.

An utterly confused Alok looked at the rings the shopkeeper had placed in front of him. He had to decide one among them and the shopkeeper was waiting, patiently even now.

“I could have got a colleague along with me to select. But I do not want to send wrong signals to the women I work with! No one would understand.” Thought Alok.

After much deliberation, Alok finally selected one ring and asked the shopkeeper to pack it. “Your bill is 13,500 Rs. sir” Alok’s eyes widened with surprise.. “Did he hear 13 thousand or 13 hundred!!” he thought he would ask the shopkeeper again “Sorry? What was that?” “Sir, Your bill for the ring you purchased is 13500 Rs.” Said the shopkeeper. “That tiny gob of gold costs 13,500” he exclaimed in his head. He diligently handed over his credit card.

“I have just started earning and I already swiped my card for a whopping 13500!! Now that’s going to take me another 6 months to pay off that amount on my credit card. I should have thought of something cheaper. But no, this gift had to be special, and I shouldn’t be thinking about the price of it. When I give it to her, her expression is going to be priceless!” Alok was having a conversation with himself in his head.

“Excuse me sir, your gift is packed” the shopkeeper handed over the ring packed in a beautiful jewelry bag and handed it over to Alok. A sigh of relief for the shopkeeper too. Almost mid-way thru his conversation with Alok, explaining about gold details, he thought he was wasting his time on this particular customer. But when Alok finally purchased the ring, the shopkeeper had the biggest smile on his face when he handed the bag to Alok. Alok gave him a courtesy smile back and walked out of the store.

“Now since I have bought the gift, how do I give it to her!!??” thought Alok while putting on his helmet and keeping his gift safely inside his backpack before he sat on his bike and took off. He had never given her a gift ever before… This was going to be the first time. “Why is this making me so nervous? Uggghh… I will figure out something when I get home!” he thought to himself.

He reached home a little later than his usual time. His dad inquired about his whereabouts. He just put off the conversation saying he was held up with work in office. And since he was a fresher at work, Alok had a good enough excuse. He quickly had his dinner and off he went to his room.

You would think it’s the calmness of the night, Alok finally figured out on how to give her the ring. For that he had to wake up early the next morning. He set his alarm and went off to sleep in a jiffy.

Alok was up before anyone else in the house the next morning. He quickly had a shower and got ready for his morning. He knew exactly where he had to keep his gift to be found.

Hardly within half an hour, the rest of the house was up. Alok quickly went off to his room before anyone else could see him. And he waited there silently. He was just waiting or the moment. He decided to slowly peep out of his door, the gift was in sight and she was heading towards it.

She gasped! Surprised at what was this package right in front of the God’s stand. Out came Alok from his hiding, and yelled “HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAA!” His mother was in a little shock at that hour of the morning. But she smiled and hugged her son. Alok was sure his mom would head to the God’s stand first thing in the morning after a shower.

Alok held his mom’s cheeks and said “Happy Birthday Maa! Finally your son can buy you a gift out of his own earnings. You spent all your life in educating me, and now I have the pleasure of giving you something in my own little way” His mother’s eyes were filled with tears… She did not open the package yet, but her heart was filled with the warmth of her son’s words.

“I do not need a gift from you son. You are happy and healthy, that is the biggest blessing of my life!” the typical emotional mother she was.

Alok replied “Com’mon maa! Open it… For me!” After a little insisting she opened the gift. Alok took the little box from her hand and opened it for her. He took the ring out of the box and put it into her fingers. His mom was literally weeping and laughing at the same time when she saw what her son had got for her.

“This is exactly what I wanted to see Maa!” He gave his very emotional mom a tight hug!

Missed out on my Alphabet F #ShortStory click here – A FLIGHT to remember!