Short Story: The Bicycle by Charmila M Sankar

In this story, Charmila M. Sankar shows how a small misunderstanding can ruin beautiful relationships in a blink.

Half an hour passed like a minute for Rajarathnam, who was meticulously cleaning his bicycle. Engrossed in the activity, he did not even flinch when the newspaper boy called out to him a couple of times. Frustrated, the boy flung the newspaper onto the porch.

Rajarathnam heaved and let go of his breath with a grin. He stepped closer to the bicycle and bent down for further scrutiny. His eyes scanned every little component. Catching the sight of trees being reflected on the polished green metal bars, he beamed in pride. But then something caught his attention. A spot on the dynamo. He looked around and saw the town’s vegetable vendor. The man was sprinkling water on his vegetables-, as a practice to keep them fresh.  Rajarathnam gave the man a stern stare. The man, in turn, glared at Rajarathnam. But when the vegetable vendor cast a piercing glance at his bicycle, Rajarathnam swiftly moved it a little closer to the house. Muttering a few curse words under his breath he wiped the spot gently with a rag wrapped around his index finger. He stepped back, took another look, and smiled with complete satisfaction.