Vivek General Stores

Vivek General Stores has been on Azad Road in Kanjurmarg East for quite some time. We are at number 32, right where the road curves a bit near the corner. The shop is your typical neighborhood spot. We open up at 7 in the morning because that is when people need their milk packets and bread. I usually handle the morning shift myself while the street is still quiet. The shelves are packed with everything from soap to lentils. It is hard to keep everything in its right place because people come in and move things around while they look. We know most of the people who live in the buildings nearby. We know who wants credit and who pays cash right away. The fridge for the cold drinks hums quite loudly, especially in the quiet hours of the afternoon when no one is around. Sometimes the electricity goes out and we have to use candles or a torch, which makes it hard to see the prices on the cans. We don't have a barcode scanner or anything like that; I just know the prices by heart after all these years. If I forget, I have to look at the old notebook kept under the counter. We get the newspapers delivered early, and those are usually gone by 9 AM. It is a steady life. My son comes in the evening so I can go home and rest. We don't do anything special, just provide what the neighbors need.