Night again.
Same café.
Same chairs.
Same tired faces.
Even the walls looked sleepy. 😴
Laddu clapped once.
👏
Laddu:
"Hey family."
Everyone looked up.
This was dangerous.
THE SUGGESTION 💡
Laddu:
"Why don't we open the café and start serving people?"
Silence.
Heavy.
Judging.
Laddu (casual):
"It's good. You get something to do. Customers get food. Money happens. Life continues."
Mother blinked.
"…Tomorrow?"
Laddu:
"Why wait."
Candy jumped up like she was summoned by destiny.
Candy:
"I WILL DO IT 😤"
Laddu nodded.
"Good. Then I'll go to school instead of you."
Candy froze.
Candy:
"…What 😨"
Laddu:
"Fair exchange."
Candy panicked instantly.
"My books burned! My clothes burned!"
Laddu leaned back, calm as death.
"My nineteen toys burned."
Everyone turned.
Laddu:
"Nineteen. Hidden from my wife."
Mochi:
"…YOU HAD MORE HIDDEN TOYS?! 😡"
Laddu:
"I should be crying right now."
Maya exploded laughing. 😂
Cousin slapped the table. 💥
Candy sniffed dramatically.
"…Okay. I will study."
Laddu smiled sweetly.
"I'll buy all your stuff."
Candy relaxed.
Laddu (dangerously kind):
"If you don't study, I'll send you to animal school."
Candy:
"…Which animal?"
Laddu:
"Donkey."
THE ROOM LOST IT. 🤣🤣🤣
UNNECESSARY STORY TIME 📖
Maya, holding her stomach:
"Please stop. I can't breathe."
Laddu raised one finger.
"No. One more."
Everyone groaned in advance.
😩😩😩
Laddu:
"Once I dated a girl."
Mother closed her eyes.
"God… give me strength."
"She was perfect," Laddu continued.
"Cute. Beautiful. Very perfect."
Mochi narrowed her eyes.
"This is suspicious."
"One day," Laddu said calmly,
"I saw her going into the men's washroom."
THE ROOM FROZE. 🧊
Candy:
"…Maybe mistake?"
Laddu:
"That's what I thought."
Maya:
"Oh no."
Laddu:
"Then I found out she was not she."
Dead silence.
Laddu (peacefully):
"He was a boy who liked to dress and look like a girl."
Mother gasped softly. 😳
Maya blinked three times.
Maya:
"…Okay."
Laddu shrugged.
"I respected the confidence. But my heart needed warning labels."
Candy:
"So what happened?"
Laddu:
"I stopped dating."
Maya:
"Smart."
THE SLAP INCIDENT ✋💥
"But wait," Laddu said.
"It gets worse."
Mochi:
"It always does."
Laddu:
"Next girl I dated, first day I asked—"
Pause.
"'Are you a girl?'"
THE ROOM ERUPTED.
Maya:
"NOOOOO 😭"
Laddu:
"She slapped me."
Cousin:
"DESERVED."
Laddu:
"And ran away."
Candy laughed so hard she fell backward. 🤣
Mochi buried her face in her hands.
"I cannot believe I chose you."
Laddu smiled peacefully.
"After that, I decided I'm better with food and family."
Mother laughed again.
"Thank God."
Ben barked once. 🐕
Agreement.
OPEN DAY, CLOSED JEALOUSY ☀️
Morning didn't knock.
It attacked.
💥💥💥
People everywhere.
CAFÉ = ANT HILL 🐜
Orders flying.
Mother at counter.
Maya running plates.
Cousin yelling numbers.
Candy doing something wrong with confidence.
Mochi moved like a general. 🧠⚔️
Everyone busy.
Except—
Laddu.
COUNTER BABY STRATEGY 👶📈
Laddu sat on the counter.
Baby in arms.
Ben under the counter.
Customer:
"Whose baby?"
Laddu (calm):
"I'm a single father."
Maya almost dropped a tray. 😱
UNEXPECTED MARKETING 📣
Women gathered.
"SO CUTE 😭"
"BABY LOOK AT HIS EYES—"
"HE'S SUCH A GOOD FATHER—"
Someone pinched baby's cheek.
Someone smiled at Laddu.
Tips increased. 💰💰💰
Laddu nodded respectfully.
Business is business.
COURT OF THE MOTHER ⚖️
Night.
Money counted.
Mochi stood in the corner.
Glaring. 🔥
Maya whispered:
"I can't believe you told people you're a single father."
Laddu:
"I got a lot of tips."
Cousin:
"I saw you flirting."
TEMPERATURE DROPPED ❄️
Mochi clenched her fist.
Laddu instantly walked to Mother.
Hands together.
"My lord. I am innocent. They are framing me."
Mother burst out laughing. 😂
Candy clapped. 👏
Maya collapsed on a chair.
Mochi did NOT laugh.
Danger. ⚠️
EMERGENCY STORY DEPLOYED 🧯
Laddu raised both hands.
"Okay. To calm your anger—
let me tell a heartwarming story."
Everyone groaned.
"NOOOO—"
STORY: HAPPY THE HIPPO 🦛💔
"There was a zoo near our village," Laddu began.
"It closed."
"An old grandpa adopted a baby hippo."
Candy:
"A HIPPO?! 😳"
"Yes. Named Happy.
Because he knew only one English word."
Family laughed softly.
"Grandpa raised Happy like his son."
"I also rode it."
Maya:
"WHY IS THIS ALWAYS YOU 😭"
"One day, government people took Happy back."
Silence.
"Happy stopped eating.
Stopped walking.
Got very sick."
"…Finally they returned him."
Mother smiled weakly.
"When grandpa died of old age…
Happy stopped eating again."
"…And died too."
FAMILY REACTION (10 LINES)
Maya:
"…I was not ready."
Cousin:
"WHY IS THIS SADDER THAN MY LIFE."
Candy:
"Hippo loved grandpa 😭"
Mother:
"That's loyalty."
Mochi:
"…That hurts."
Maya:
"I came for jokes."
Cousin:
"I stayed for trauma."
Candy:
"I will never forget Happy."
Ben:
barks softly 🐕
Laddu:
"…Yeah."
ENDING NOBODY EXPECTED 🌱
"The villagers made a small shrine," Laddu said.
"For people and their pets."
He looked at Mochi.
"Love is not ownership," he said softly.
"It's staying."
Mochi's fist relaxed.
She looked at the baby.
Then at Laddu.
"…You're stupid," she said quietly.
Laddu nodded.
"Yes."
Maya wiped her eyes.
"WHY DID THIS TURN SAD."
Candy hugged the baby.
Ben lay down.
The café went quiet.
Not empty.
Just full of something heavier.
And somehow…
Still warm. 💛