Little Things [original]

PART THREE

PART THREE:

❝PANI PURI IS THAT FINE LINE BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL. IF YOU GET LIKE A TEENY BIT WRONG, YOU'RE IN HELL. BUT, IF EVERYTHING IS JUST RIGHT, YOU'RE IN HEAVEN. YOU GET ME?❞

◆ ◆ ◆

Karima Orson could feel the knot of her apron untying again, so she just sighed in defeat. There were more important matters at hand, like the fact that the annual university fair was about to begin and she wasn't sure if they had enough golgappas to go with the pani. After counting the number of golgappas once again, Rimi let her shoulders relax and waved to her friend Candace Highlands, who was co-running the British Stall.

"Hey, are we all ready?" A voice inquired behind her. Rimi turned to face Deepti Gupta, the student she was running the Indian Stall with. Rimi had volunteered, being half-Indian, and Deepti was grateful for the help.

"Yup, all good. Fingers crossed we do well!" to which Deepti replied with two crossed fingers. The two students fixed their aprons and set up their banner, hoping that it would bring attention to their stall. All the money earned would be donated to a charity of their choice and the two were determined to sell out.

Soon enough, university students trailed onto the fair ground, many opting to go on rides before eating. Rimi and Deepti had a couple of customers, but their dish didn't look as appealing compared to other cuisines. All they had were some crispy balls and murky water, which was not much compared to some classic hot dogs.

Rimi and Deepti exchanged many glances, quite defeatedly. It had been over an hour and they had not even managed to earn 10 bucks. Candace gave them a sad smile, but her stall was flourishing; their English pies were very close to being sold out. Eventually, Deepti resorted to eating some pani puris herself.

"I just don't understand why no one is giving us a go. They're eating everyone's but ours!" she whined, her mouth full. "Like this is so delicious, and others would think so as well if they just tried it!"

"Come on, I'll have a couple. I know they're good." Candace came over, trying to get their business going. "Maybe if people see others eating your food, they'll come on over."

"Yeah, maybe." Rimi answered on behalf of Deepti, whose mouth was still full.

"I'll go spread the word."

"Thanks Candace."

More time passed, but no customers came. Rimi was close to dozing off when an "excuse me" jerked her awaked. She jumped from her seat and looked over to see Pascoe Bradbury.

"Hey Rimi. You still selling?"

"Yeah of course. How many would you like?"

"Four pani puris please." Paz smiled at her and Rimi could feel herself warming up. She always felt a bit weak in the knees around him.

As she served him, Candace came running, quite excited.

"Rimi! I found out why no one was buying your pani puris! It was because of Danny."

"Huh? What did Danny do?" Deepti asked, confused.

"He bought one, right?" Both Deepti and Rimi nodded their heads. "Well, afterwards, he threw up and people thought it was because of your food, so no one came to any some. But he actually threw up because he was hungover from last night. He hadn't even eaten his pani puri! But don't worry, I've spread the word and you're gonna have the customers you deserve in no time."

Rimi and Deepti went through a whirlwind of emotions in the small time Candace was talking, but at the end of it, everyone was just relieved it had all been sorted out.

"This is so much more spicier than I thought. Don't you think?" Paz asked, fanning his tongue because of the unexpected spiciness.

"Pani puri is that fine line between heaven and hell. If you get like a teeny bit wrong, you're in hell. But, if everything is just right, you're in heaven. You get me?" Pascoe laughed and nodded his head.

"I get you. But I'm sure my Pa would definitely call it hell; he hates spicy food. Dad, on the other hand, loves it and is such a big fan of Indian cuisines."

"And what about you?"

"I love Indian food," he gestured to the stall, "why else would I eat here?"

"Well, you know, I know a great Indian restaurant not too far away. I could take you there sometime." Rimi was clearly nervous, but she made sure to not show Paz that. Her fiddly fingers were out of sight.

"Is this you asking me out on a second date?" Paz replied, teasingly.

"And if it is?"

"I would love to."

◆ ◆ ◆

CONFUSED ABOUT PANI PURI?

Pani puri is a common Indian street snack and is also called golgappas is some regions of India. This is what it look likes:

It is a round, hollow puri (fried crisp ball type things but the word also refers to other things) filled with a mixture of flavoured water, tamarind chutney, chilli, chaat masala, potato, onion or chickpeas.