Daily Ice Cream

Our spot is over in Malad East, right near S V Road inside the Patel Compound. If you know Vaisat Pada 2, you've probably passed us. It’s not a big place, just a room with some deep freezers running all day and night. We have to keep an eye on the power because if the cooling stops, we're in trouble. Mostly we sell the usual flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and mango. Kids from the area come by after school with their coins. It gets pretty loud and crowded in the evenings when the sun goes down and everyone wants something cold. We spend a lot of time cleaning the floors because the ice cream drips, and it gets sticky fast. The delivery trucks come in early when the road isn't too blocked up yet. Sometimes the flavors run out and people get a bit annoyed, but that’s just how it goes. My brother and I take turns sitting behind the counter. We don't have fancy chairs or anything, just a couple of stools. It’s a lot of work lifting the heavy tubs out of the freezer, and my back hurts sometimes by the end of the shift. But we've lived in Malad a long time and we like being part of the neighborhood. The street outside can be quite dusty, so we are always wiping down the lids of the freezers. We have a small radio that plays in the background, mostly just the news or some old songs. It helps pass the time.