In one of the poorer areas of Bengaluru lived a 25-year-old man. That day, he woke up as usual at the crack of dawn. “Trimurthi Iyengars Bakery” read the sign just next to his bedroom window, which he saw every morning when he opened the window. He lived in a small room above the bakery, for which he was extremely grateful. He wasn’t the owner of the bakery. He worked as the owners assistant. The owner lived in an adjacent room, that was slightly bigger than the own he had been given.
Likith went to take a bath with a thankful smile at the owner, who had just woken up. The owner was also a young man, not more than 28, who had opened this bakery as he had always wanted to be an entrepreneur. He had jet black hair just like Likith, but wore tiny rectangular spectacles, unlike Likith who had better vision than him.
Likith lived alone ever since he lost his parents at seventeen. He completed his twelfth standard with some financial assistance from a relative. Once he was 18, he was looking for a job when he met the then just-graduated Gopalan who was getting a bakery ready. Likith asked Gopalan if he could help. Gopalan was kind. He offered Likith a cup of coffee and listened patiently to how Likith had lost his parents in a train accident while the duo was on their way to Davanagere. Gopalan himself was low on finances but felt bad for Likith so he offered Likith not only a job but also the room near the staircase on the top landing.
Likith was very grateful for this. In the first week of his joining, he invited the entire batch of his year at school to the bakery. They all came and there were a lot of purchases. Elated, Gopalan could now advertise the bakery and pay Likith his salary. With the salary, Likith would slowly clear the amount he had borrowed from his relative. That was when the two of them became friends, more than one just pitying the other.
Now, it had been a long time since Likith had finally returned the money borrowed from his relative. When Likith had dressed up and gone down, he found Gopalan in opening the shop. Gopalan turned to look at him, and with a smile, asked, “So, have you thought of what I told you?”
“I have been saving money as you said, but I am not sure if this..” Likith began but Gopalan cut him out, “Atleast take a correspondence course. You know, these days online courses are coming up.”
“True, but I don’t know what I should take up.”
“Alright, let me help you think. You already know how to bake cakes, prepare these vegetable puffs and samosas, and make simple chats like panipuri and masala puri. Why not enroll yourself in a cooking class? Who knows? You can open your own restaurant in the future!”
Likith went to evening cooking classes every day a week. During the day, he would work at the bakery. Every night, Gopalan would ask him the progress of his lessons and he would nod in affirmative.
Gopalan was in a position to hire another person soon, and so he did. A man who called himself Style Singha came for work. Gopalan was impressed with the energy Singha showed so he hired him. Singha proved himself to be much more able than Gopalan and Likith. Singha would run around the bakery all day long, taking care of various aspects. Even during sleepy afternoons when not even a fly bothered moving around, Singha would behave like there was a spring attached to his feet. On the busiest of weekdays when the front desk was catching dust because no impatient customers were banging their hands on the desk for their savories, Singha would be on his feet.
Apart from being the most energetic and active person, Singha proved to be very trustworthy. He was trusted with the money handling while Likith continued his job of attending to the customers and packing their orders.
Gopalan’s cousin paid a visit to the bakery one day. He noticed everything, and when he clearly thought she was out of Likith’s earshot, he told Gopalan “That Singha is much better than Likith. You should fire Likith and keep a more able person. Singha does twice the work Likith does!” Gopalan merely grunted.
This hurt Likith very badly. “So, this is what my friend thinks of me?”
That evening, he went to Gopalan and told that he wants to resign. He didn’t tell him that he had overheard his cousin. He insisted that he stay, but Likith wanted to leave.
The next day, Likith had left the bakery. While leaving, he thought he saw a malicious grin on Singha’s face for a split second. But his mind might have as well been playing tricks on him.
Likith was known in the neighborhood and he found a job at a chats shop. He tried to forget the pain by learning and becoming better at making different chats. He never left the chats shop even at night and preferred to sleep with a mat on the shop floor.
It was not until a month later that Gopalan was passing through the shop and noticed Likith. His sullen features brightened and he greeted Likith jovially. “How are you? How’s everything going?”
“I am directly learning under Chat Charan’s guidance. I no longer attend the cooking lessons. You see because I need the money to pay my rent here.” Likith said in a businesslike tone. What Likith didn’t understand about Gopalan was that Gopalan had certainly grown thinner, his face looked worrisome and possibly guilty. Then, his suspicion was proven right when Gopalan said, “I have this feeling you listened to us that night. Please forgive me! Come back! I beseech you!”
Likith merely grunted in response. His eyes filled with tears and he left the counter. Charan, the chats shop owner came and asked Gopalan if he needs anything.
Over the next few days, Gopalan kept trying to apologize to Likith, but Likith felt that he wasn’t good enough to be in a bakery. He would rather be in the chats shop as a janitor.
One night, however, the whole neighborhood was awoken by cries of shock. Likith went to investigate the matter and was shocked to see the bakery partly vandalized, the money counter open, and Gopalan in a pool of blood!
Likith went numb with shock. As the ambulance carried Gopalan away, Likith stood dazed. When the ambulance turned toward the main road, Likith grabbed Charan’s bike and sped away. Charan didn’t object. He knew Likith and Gopalan were friends.
There was a robbery at the bakery, Gopalan was stabbed in the chest and a couple had seen this. Likith heard these details from a police officer who was talking to the said couple. Likith waited in the hospital all night and for most of the next day. He hadn’t eaten or slept, but that hardly mattered. His best friend was fighting for life. No matter what arguments they had, they were still very close. Charan had come by auto rickshaw in the morning and waited with Likith well into the night. It was midnight when Charan left. Before leaving, he told Likith not to worry about the chats shop. “You stay with your friend. It is okay. You can come to work when you feel like it.” Likith cried in gratitude with both hands clasped as though in prayer.
As soon as Gopalan woke up, Likith and a police officer walked in to see him. “Who stabbed you? Did you see the robber?”
Gopalan said, “Singha! He came to me in search of a job. I thought I could trust him, at first. He was a very productive employee! Like a spicy cake, he seemed sweet but stabbed me in the back! I brought disaster upon myself! Because of him, I fired my best friend and honest employee! I brought disaster upon myself! Forgive me, Likith!” Gopalan was crying. Likith too cried before saying “Don’t! You’ve always, and will always be my best friend!”
The doctors discharged Gopalan after a weeks of rest. Singha was an amateur robber. He was caught soon after, and with the stolen money, Gopalan’s hospital fees were paid. Likith insisted he pays for Gopalan’s medicines.
The two friends went to the bakery. Thankfully, the damage wasn’t much, because the couple had seen Singha stabbing Gopalan and breaking the counter. So Singha had escaped. The incident was in the newspapers. But two friends were reunited, and their bond of friendship was stronger than ever. A new lesson was learnt. Know whom to trust, and never distance yourself from trustworthy friends.
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