Really looked at her as if trying to memorize her face. The days turned into weeks, and the boys came back whenever they could. Sometimes Shanti fed them. Sometimes she could not. On those days, she would give them water and a place to sit, shielding them from the sun with her own thin body. She learned they had no parents, no home, only each other. She never asked how they survived. Some truths are too heavy for old hearts. What mattered was that for a little while they were not alone.
Then one day they stopped coming. Shanti waited for them for weeks, glancing up whenever footsteps approached, saving scraps just in case. Months passed. The city changed around her. New shops opened, old ones closed. Her hair grew wider, her back bent further, and life returned to its quiet cruelty. Sometimes, when the nights were especially cold, she wondered if the boys were alive. She whispered prayers into the dark, not expecting answers. Years passed like that. Time carved lines into her face and stole strength from her hands.
Her stall grew smaller, her earnings thinner. On some days, she barely sold anything at all. Yet, she kept going because stopping would mean admitting the world had finally beaten her. Then came the afternoon that would rewrite everything. It began with a sound southwest out of place. It felt unreal. A low, powerful growl echoed down the road, followed by another, then another. Heads turned. Conversations stopped. Three sleek Lamborghinis rolled into view, their paint gleaming under the dusty sun like something torn from another world.
They moved slowly, deliberately, and then they stopped right in front of Shanti’s little stall. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming. Luxury cars did not belong here. People gathered, whispering, phones raised. The engines fell silent, leaving a strange hush behind. The doors opened, and three young men stepped out. They were tall, well-dressed, confident, their presence commanding attention without effort. They looked powerful, successful, untouchable, and then they looked at her. Shanti’s heart began to pound. She did not know why her hands were shaking, only that something felt heavy and important.
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