Hari Variety Store

I open up early at Ajoy Nagar. It is usually quiet before seven. The shutters make a loud noise and then I start dusting the jars. Hari Variety Store has been here for a bit now. People stop by for milk or maybe a pen for their kids. Kolkata gets very humid so the ceiling fan stays on all day long. Sometimes it makes a clicking sound but it works. I sit on the small wooden stool behind the counter. My back hurts after a few hours. Customers come in and ask for things we might have in the back. I have to move some boxes to find what they need. The address is 15/A and it is easy to find if you know the area. Neighbors talk about the weather or the price of potatoes. I just listen and pack their bags. It is a simple life here. I try to keep everything in stock but sometimes the delivery truck is late. That is just how it goes. I do not have a fancy computer system. I use a notebook to write down what I sell. It is messy but I understand it. By evening the street lights come on and more people come by after work. They look tired. I give them their change and they head home. Then I close up and do it all again tomorrow. It is not much but it is what I do. I usually have a biscuit with my tea around four in the afternoon.