Price tag (Part - I)

Payal and Rajat were best buddies.

Rajat had a boutique at the city centre. Recently Payal had joined as a receptionist at the coaching institute adjacent to Rajat’s boutique. He was a dedicated guy who imported quality cloth lines from Mumbai and his reputation as an honest and polite merchant had helped him establish his set up in the city. One day Payal came to Rajat’s boutique and she saw a mannequin wearing a beautiful black dress. It was truly a marvelous piece.

Payal : Hey Rajat… from where did you get this collection, it’s gorgeous.
 

Rajat : Oh that one…yes, that’s a new fashion collection.
 

P: This must be very costly. By the way, may I know how much it costs?
 

R: I sell that with a price tag of 5 grand.
 

P : (she looked gloomy) hmm…that’s pretty expensive, not within my budget. However I wanted to have that one, but leave it…
 

R: See Payal, out of that 5k usually I make a profit of 1k. You are my friend, so I can give it to you for 4k, i.e. my cost price.
 

P: Hmm…but I don’t have even that much. I only have 1k. But I really wanted it. It’s so beautiful!
Now Rajat started thinking…what to do, he didn’t want to hurt the feelings of his best buddy
 

R: Ok Payal, give me that 1k and take this dress. But please pay me the rest 3k when you have money. As you know it’s a new business for me.
 

R: Oh…sure.

Payal hugged Rajat and said: “I know…you are my best buddy! Can I use the trial room…I can’t resist my temptation of wearing the dress”. 

After 10 mins Payal came out of the changing room and she was looking adorable. Probably that dress was just made for her. It was a perfect fit! She thanked Rajat and promised that very soon she will pay him rest of the amount.

 

After 2 weeks
 

Rajat was busy with his customers and Payal stormed in. She was visibly very exasperated. Rajat assimilated that something is not just right. So he said: “Payal…what happened, you look a bit tensed. Would you like to have some water? Give me couple of minutes, let me be done with these customers and then we can talk”
 

P: Aur kitne bewakuf banaoge aapni customer ko… what a piece of crap is this? (Now she took out the same dress which she purchased from Rajat on an “instalment without any interest” based system). It looks horrible. Even it doesn’t fit well. I am sure that it has some manufacturing defect and that’s the reason why you were so generous to sell it for lower price. Wow Rajat… what an intelligent merchant you are! Aur koi nai mila tumko. Dude you have sold me a defected item? Even this dress requires regular dry-cleaning. You never mentioned this to me. I have already spent 100 bucks at the laundry and the laundry guy also told me “madam…why are you spending so much on a defected piece?” You have given me loads of stress Rajat. How can you do this to your best friend? You have hurt my feelings.
 

Rajat was silently listening to all this. He was wondering, i.e. what has gone wrong.
Slowly he replied “What do you want me to do…please say it”
 

P: I don’t know. I can’t think of anything. I am stressed out only coz of u…that’s it.
 

R: Payal…I never intended to but I am sorry for the trouble you faced. Please take your thousand bucks and give me that dress. I will figure it out what to do with it. You don’t worry.
 

Payal immediately returned that dress and took the bucks from Rajat and she left.
Since that day Payal completely stopped talking to Rajat. Well, it was quite awkward for Rajat, but gradually he focused on his work and tried to erase-out that incident from his mind.
 

To be cont...