5:00 in the morning, Raheem Chacha, as he was lovingly called in the neighborhood, stretched hard, sat up and said his daily little prayer thanking the Almighty. He left the bed to welcome the new day and headed for his daily chores.

Today was a big day for him. Although, he had the same work to do, under the same circumstances, around the same people, yet the day will determine a lot of things for him and his family. Raheem Chacha’s mind was racing about the activities for the day while he robotically got ready for work.

“Bye, abba.”, said his son, beaming at him.

Waving back to his son, Raheem Chacha tied the trunk and a box tightly to the back seat and hung the big bag on the handle of his motorbike.

Despite having limited means, Raheem Chacha was never deterred from helping others regardless of age, religion, and caste. This is another reason often there were rows between him and his wife. Raheem Chacha, many times, readily used to giveaway the biscuits and namkeen puffs his wife used to make to sell, to the needy.

Zakina was not wrong too. Their family of two adults and three children was surviving barely. She knew they could do well financially. Her puffs were liked by all who bought it, and Raheem and Zakina could give their children a better childhood than the other children in their neighborhood. But, Raheem’s helping nature is not leading them any further.

Hence, today, Raheem Chacha left home with a strong heart and determination that everything he has in his trunk is for sale and not for free giveaways.

Half-way through this commute, he noticed a pair of twins on a construction site. The urge to give those kids something from his trunk hit him hard, but today, he had to control his emotions. So, Raheem Chacha quickly averted his gaze and fixed it on the road towards his destination which was still an hour away.

But, Raheem Chacha’s heart was made of pure gold and is always eager to help the needy regardless of his own sufferings. So, just a kilometer ahead, he took a U-turn and stopped his bike at the construction site. He offered a few packets of biscuits and namkeen puffs to the kids and some more to the other kids who had gathered around him in no time.

By the time he was done pampering these kids, around one-fourth of his namkeen puffs had been distributed. Raheem Chacha sighed and imagined the furious reaction of Zakina when he would return home in the evening. But, the satisfaction of helping the needy, especially children was much more than his hardships.

He brushed away the evening scene and turned on the ignition of his bike to continue his journey.

One day, Raheem Chacha was wandering through the market, thinking what more can he do to increase the income flow, when he noticed a medium-scale confectionary shop. He thought of trying his luck and entered the shop. He requested the shopkeeper to taste his biscuits and namkeen puffs. He was confident that the shopkeeper would like his stuff as these were loved by everyone who ate them.

The shopkeeper had, no doubt, liked the snacks and was a good-hearted man too. So, he offered a deal to Raheem Chacha. Raheem Chacha since that day is delivering his entire stock at the confectionary, every day.

There was only one condition by the shopkeeper though, Raheem Chacha would be given the money for the sold quantity the next day, but, he would have to take home the leftover items. And, the day the ratio of unsold quantity increased even little to the sold items, the deal would be canceled right away.

Raheem Chacha instantly agreed. He was confident about the snacks his wife made.

Raheem Chacha never brought home any leftover stock till now. Never till date.

This is the reason Zakina always criticizes Raheem Chacha’s big heart. Because the more he delivers to the shop, the higher their income would be.

He reached the confectionary after an hour and was unloading the stock with the help of a salesman at the shop when he was called by the owner. The normally jolly owner, today had a serious face and Raheem Chacha’s heart started pounding, his mind filled with all kinds of thoughts. After all, he was just a small vendor who could be chucked out any day. 

“Ji Sahab”, Raheem Chacha greeted the owner with folded hands.

“Raheem, you have been supplying to my shop for over the last two years and there has never been any complaint whatsoever regarding your items till date.”, the owner paused.

Raheem Chacha was perplexed and could not or rather did not want to comprehend where this may lead. So, he listened and waited.

“But yesterday, a customer came in to buy some stuff and noticed your namkeen puffs. He asked if he could get a sample. After two hours I received a call from the customer. The customer sounded serious.”, the owner was watching Raheem Chacha carefully during the conversation.

Raheem Chacha waited with bated breath, praying silently, hands still folded, and forehead covered in sweat.

“And… “, another pause. A long one.

Raheem Chacha was sure he would get a heart attack any time, for his heart was pounding frantically.

“And the customer… the customer loved you puffs so much that he has placed a really big order for a party at his place”, grinned the owner while finally spilling the beans for Raheem Chacha.

Raheem Chacha, for a moment, couldn’t believe his ears and his fate. Tears trickled down his eyes. This was a big moment. He could not wait to tell Zakina about it.

He thanked the shopkeeper for the day when he had trusted him and given him the chance to sell his namkeen puffs and biscuits in his shop.

“Raheem, the customer would be here soon. He wanted to meet you and talk directly. He wants the order pretty soon. So you better think it through and only then accept it. He is a good customer and I cannot lose him.”, the shopkeeper this time actually serious instructed Raheem Chacha.

Raheem Chacha nodded in understanding, assuring the shopkeeper that he would never let him down.

‘Zakina will have to tire for a few days, but I’m sure she can do it. She’s hardworking and hearing about the opportunity she too would not waste even a single second’, thought Raheem Chacha while waiting for the customer.

The world is round. What goes around, comes around. His God has been watching him. He could now give a better future to his children. Raheem Chacha thanked the Almighty for everything he has today. Raheem Chacha in his heart always knew if you do good to others, good will come to you.

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The story was written around the photo prompt (the featured image) given by Keerthi Vydyula. This post was written as a guest post for Keerthi’s blog and was originally published here. This post was also a part of December Blog Hop organized by Shalzmojo where 28 bloggers came together to support each other as a community.