A Big Name in a Small Town
375 Words
The sunlight in the small town felt strangely pale that afternoon. The streets were bustling, with everyone lost in their own daily grind. In the midst of this chaos, a young man named Rishi Malhotra was quietly going about his work.
Hearing his last name, anyone would naturally think—Wow, a Malhotra. Must be from a wealthy family, the privileged heir to a massive estate.
But the reality was entirely different. Out here, he was a nobody. People walked right past him without a second glance. No one cared to look his way; no one bothered to listen to a word he said.
Suddenly, a harsh, grating voice snapped from behind him.
"Hey, boy! Move those hands a little faster! I’ve got other things to do. I’m not gonna sit around here all day waiting on you." The man scoffed. "Look at the irony—carries a grand name like Malhotra, but breaks his back working as a petty electrician!"
Keeping his head bowed, Rishi quietly replied, "Yes, sir. It's almost done. Finishing up right now."
As soon as he wrapped up the job, Rishi started walking back to his cramped little electrical repair shop.
This was the place where he worked from dawn to dusk, scraping together barely a few bucks a day. With that meager amount, he had to manage his own survival and also take care of his girlfriend, Prachi.
The moment he reached the shop, his best friend, Deva, came running toward him, completely out of breath.
"Rishi! It... it's Prachi. She's looking for you!"
Rishi’s heart skipped a beat, instantly hammering against his ribs. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He loved her more than life itself, but he feared her wrath almost as much as his own mother's.
Before he could even process it, Prachi—the girl he had loved forever—emerged from the back alley. But today, there was no warmth in her gaze. Her eyes were blazing with pure anger.
She marched right up to him, planted herself in front of him, and glared straight into his eyes. Her voice was sharp and furious.
"Didn't I tell you..."
- Writer
