Hayat General Store

So we are located right in the middle of New Market here in Patna. It is a pretty crowded area and the noise from the rickshaws and people talking never really stops until late at night. Hayat General Store is not a big place but we try to keep the shelves full of whatever the neighbors might need for their kitchens or bathrooms. Usually, I am the one standing behind the counter shifting boxes of biscuits or counting out small change for someone buying just a single packet of tea. The dust from the road comes in a lot so I spend a good amount of time with a rag wiping down the glass jars. It gets quite hot in the summer and the old fan we have doesn't do much but we stay open anyway because people depend on us. Sometimes the delivery truck is late and I have to explain to the regulars why we are out of a certain brand of oil. It is just a normal shop life with no fancy decorations or anything like that. We know most of the people who walk through the door because they live just a few streets away. Patna can be a hectic place to live but being here in the market feels like being part of a big messy family. I mostly just focus on keeping the stock organized and making sure the light bulb doesn't flicker too much while I work the long hours every day.