Chapter - 02

Chapter - 02

“Ranveer slow down!” Said the father panting, as his five years old son continued running behind his brand new football. Ever since he got promoted, he could barely make enough time for his family. This weekend gateway was the perfect opportunity for him to reconnect with them. Unfortunately, as forgiving as kids can be, they are also equally distractible with literally anything diverting their attention. What started off as a fun, non-competitive gaming lesson soon turned into a one-man match. He felt exhausted from all the running but the unbridled joy on his kid’s face made it worthwhile. 

“Gotcha!” He lifted him up and exclaimed, “Papa’s won!” But for some reason, he didn’t get the reaction he was hoping for. “Hey, what’s wrong?” “I hit that Uncle over there.” The little boy quivered with fear as his father looked in the direction he was pointing. “It’s okay, mishaps happen. Shall we go and apologize to him?” “No!” He vehemently shook his head. “Why not?” “What if he scolds me?” “He won’t. And even if he does, Papa’s here to protect you.” He said with a smile to reassure him. “Always remember, we should never let our fear prevent us from doing what's right, okay?” “Okay.” “Let's go.”

Ranveer was brushing off the mud from his clothes when a middle-aged man a little boy approached him. “Hello Sir!” “Hello!” “I am sorry that my son…..” “So it was this young man here.” He said smilingly. “Hi! I’m Ranveer. What's your name?” “Umm…..” “That’s an interesting name!” “My name is Ranveer Sharma. I go to Blooming Tree School.” “Nice to meet you Mr. Sharma. I believe this belongs to you.” He handed the ball to him and bent down to pick up a piece of paper.

“Are you a painter?” “I am.” “I’m sorry for ruining your painting.” “Don’t be. In fact, if you hadn't spilled the colors, I wouldn’t have gotten the idea of how to proceed further.” “Really?” “Really. Would you like to do the honors?” The little boy looked at his father and seeing him nod in approval, he immediately took the brush from Ranveer’s hand. “That’s more like it.” He made the boy sit on his lap and helped him dip the brush in color. “Here’s what we're gonna do…..” 

For the next several minutes young Ranveer stared at the paper before him in amazement as he saw the droplets of colors transforming into a beautiful picture of greenery. “It’s so beautiful!” “Do you want it?” “Yes!” “You can keep it, but I have a condition.” The young boy looked at him astonished, pained at the sudden betrayal of who he thought was his friend. “Promise me when you'll become the greatest footballer of all time, you’ll send me free tickets.” “I promise!”

“Alright then…..” Ranveer wrote something on the back of the paper and gave it to the boy's father, “It was really nice meeting with you Mr.?” “Nishant Sharma.” “You guys live here or are you on a vacation?” “Vacation. These days it has become quite tough to spend some quality time with the constant phone calls and emails.” “Great! It’s good to see that at least some people know what truly matters.”

He took his card out from his pocket. “If you guys ever come to Mumbai, please give me a call. I would like to host you.” He grabbed his bag and smiled at the little boy, “I gotta go now kiddo. Take care of yourself and don’t forget about our deal.” After he left, Nishant glanced over his visiting card and realized why his face looked so familiar - “Ranveer Waghela, Managing Director, RV Group of Industries”

“That Uncle was really nice.” Ranveer said ecstatically. “Huh?” “His handwriting is pretty neat too.” Nishant took the paper in his hand and read his message out loud, 

“From one Ranveer to another,

May you get to experience every shade of color life has to offer!”

“What does it mean Papa?” “It means he wished you all the best.” “Cool!” The young boy laughed gleefully as Nishant marveled at the chance occurrence of meeting different people and how those interactions left a lasting impression on their minds.

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