Morning sunlight poured over the rooftops of the village like warm honey. Birds sang, cows mooed, and somewhere, Rick was already shouting orders.
Because, of course, Rick had declared the grand reopening of Rick & Haran Mango Enterprises.He even made a sign — crooked, glittery, and completely misspelled.
"RICK N HARUN MANGOE COMPONEY - WORLDWIDE EXPRT"
Yuna stood in front of it with a basket of fruit, blinking."'Exprt'? Is that… supposed to say 'export'?"
Rick folded his arms proudly. "Creative spelling! Shows originality."
James whispered to Yuna, "Or illiteracy."She giggled so hard she nearly dropped her mangoes.
The Morning Briefing
The "office" was really just Rama's porch, rearranged with two tables, one umbrella, and an empty crate labeled 'Important Documents (do not sit)'.Nancy had taken the role of Assistant Manager, which meant she was bossing everyone around while doing no actual work.
"All right," she said, clapping her hands. "We need a logo, a marketing plan, and uniforms that scream mango power!"
Rick nodded sagely. "Excellent leadership, Nancy. You're promoted to Head of Global Mango Branding."
Yuna muttered, "That's not even a real position."Nancy flipped her hair. "It is now."
James, meanwhile, was trying to sort the fruits into baskets by size — which quickly turned into Yuna teasing him about "having mango OCD."
"I like symmetry," he defended, straight-faced."Oh, I see," she said. "So if I put this mango slightly crooked—"He grabbed her hand before she could. "Don't you dare."
Their eyes met for half a second too long.Rick noticed immediately. "Hey! No romance during office hours!"
Nancy rolled her eyes. "Please, Rick. You live for drama."
The First Customer
Around midday, Ravi — the accountant from Mumbai — showed up again, holding a clipboard and looking far too serious for this circus.
"I thought I'd check on your business progress," he said.
Rick grinned. "Excellent timing! We're about to make our first international deal!"
Ravi blinked. "Really? With who?"
Rick looked at Nancy. Nancy looked at Yuna. Yuna looked at James.
After an awkward pause, Rick proudly declared, "With… uh… a British mango enthusiast named Sir John Appleton!"
Ravi frowned. "That sounds made up."
Rick waved a hand. "Nonsense! We correspond daily.""Through what?" Ravi asked.Rick hesitated. "…telepathic mango vibrations."
Nancy clapped dramatically. "Genius! Eco-friendly communication!"
Yuna burst out laughing. James leaned toward her and whispered, "I'm starting to think Rick's brain runs on expired juice."
Mango Mayhem
Things went downhill fast.
Rama had agreed to oversee quality control. But when she discovered half the mangoes were missing, the investigation began.
"Rick!" she shouted. "Where did the other crates go?"
Rick coughed. "Uh… minor shipping delay."
Nancy gasped. "You mean the goats ate them again?"
Rick glared. "That's unconfirmed!"
They all ran outside — and sure enough, the village goats were having the time of their lives, munching on mangoes like it was a buffet.
James groaned. "So much for exports."Yuna, laughing too hard to be angry, said, "Maybe we can sell them as 'Goat-approved organic mangoes.'"
Rick froze. "That's… actually brilliant!"
He ran back inside, scribbling on paper. "New slogan: 'Mangoes so good, even goats can't resist!'"
Ravi just facepalmed. "You're all insane."
The Romantic Interlude
By sunset, the chaos had settled.The villagers were laughing, Nancy was designing a "logo" that looked suspiciously like a heart, and Rama was sipping tea, shaking her head fondly.
Yuna and James sat near the fence, watching the sky turn gold.
"You know," Yuna said softly, "I don't think we're very good at business."James smiled. "True. But we're great at surviving disaster."
"Maybe that's our real export," she teased. "Chaos.""Chaos and charm," he said, brushing her hair gently from her face.
Their laughter faded into a soft silence.Yuna looked at him, heart skipping, the setting sun painting him in warm light.
And then Rick yelled from inside:"Who used the business stamp on the goat?!"
The moment was gone — replaced by another round of hysterical laughter.
Yuna buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe this is my life."James grinned. "Hey, at least it's never boring."
Epilogue: A Mango Empire (Sort Of)
By nightfall, the "company" had somehow become the talk of the village. Kids were chanting slogans, elders were debating mango prices, and Nancy was already designing a poster of Rick in sunglasses labeled "Boss of the Tropics."
Rick stood proudly on a crate, giving a speech under the stars."My friends! Today we planted not just mangoes—but dreams!"
Ravi whispered to Rama, "He's really committed to the delusion."Rama smiled. "That's Rick for you. The louder the dream, the sweeter the laugh."
And as fireworks popped above the mango trees, Yuna and James shared a secret smile — the kind that said life was ridiculous, but love made every mess worth it