'There is a new shopping mall under construction at Navrangpura char rasta. If
you book early, you can get a discount on renting a shop.'
'Renting? But we already have a shop,' Ish said, puzzled and irritated at the
same time.
I knew why Ish grumbled. He wanted to buy a TV for the shop, listening to
matches on radio during shop hours was no fun.
'No Ish, a proper shop. Young people like to shop in swanky malls. That is the
future. Our shop has been doing good business, hut we can't grow unless we
move to a new city location.'
'I like it here,' Omi said. 'This is our neighbourhood. What we sell is being used
by kids in Nana Park.'
'I don't want this short-sighted mentality. I will open a store in a mall, and by
next year have one more store. If you don't grow in business, you stagnate.'
'Another shop? What? We will not be working together?' Omi said.
'It is Govind's bullshit. We have only started and he already aspires to be
Ambani. Can't we just buy a TV?' Ish said, 'Shah Electronics will give us on
instalment if we pay a down-payment of four thousand.'
'No way. We keep the four thousand for business.'
'Well, the TV belongs to the business, no?' Ish said.
'Yes, but it is a dead asset. It doesn't earn. We have a long way to go. Three
thousand a month is nothing. And Ish doesn't let me keep notebooks and
pencils...'
'I said this is a sports store. I don't want kids to think about studies when they
come here.'
Ish and I had argued about this before. I saw an easy opportunity, but Ish
protested every time.
'Ok, here is a deal,' Ish said, 'I agree to the notebooks, not textbooks mind you,
only notebooks. But we buy a TV. I have to watch matches. I don't care, here take
my fifteen hundred.'
He threw his share of cash at me.
Omi tossed in his money as well. As usual, I had to surrender to fools.
'Ok, but we need to increase the revenue. Target for next quarter is twenty
thousand bucks.'
They ignored me as they discussed TV brands. I shook my head and outlined
my strategy for increasing revenues.
'Will you do coaching classes?' I asked Ish.
'What?'
'Kids love your cricket tips. Why not do cricket coaching for a fee?'
'Me? I am not that good man. And where? In the temple?' 'No, we will do it in
the abandoned SBI compound.' 'Why? Aren't we making enough?' Omi said. 'We
can never make enough. I want to get to fifty thousand a quarter. Omi, you can
give fitness training to the students.' 'So more work for us. What about you?' Ish
said. 'I am going to start offering maths tuitions again.' 'Here?'
'Yes, a couple here, or in the SBI compound itself while you guys give cricket
coaching.'
Omi and Ish looked at me like I was the hungriest shark in the world.
'C'mon guys. I am making sure we have a solid healthy business.'
'It is ok. Just the shop is so boring, Ish,' Omi said. He was excited about
making kids do push-ups.
avery
(avery)
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