Candy raised her hand slowly.
Very slowly. ✋
The room sensed danger. ⚠️
"Can I ask you something?" Candy said.
Laddu leaned back confidently. 😌
"I am great," he announced. "I never fear questions. Ask."
Maya sighed. 😮💨
"Famous last words."
Candy tilted her head, genuinely curious. 🤔
"I see you never use toilet paper."
Silence. 🧊
Mother froze mid-sip. ☕
Mochi closed her eyes. 😑
Laddu nodded calmly.
"Yes."
Candy blinked. 👀
"…Why?"
"Because I am Indian," Laddu replied proudly. 🇮🇳
"I use water."
Cousin choked. 😵
Maya fell back on the sofa laughing. 😂💀
Candy frowned.
"Then why paper there?"
Laddu's eyes drifted into the distance. 🌌
"Ah," he said. "That reminds me."
Mochi snapped.
"No." ❌
Laddu ignored her.
"First day in Canada," he continued. 🇨🇦
"I went to toilet."
Maya screamed.
"STOP HIM." 🛑
"There was only toilet paper," Laddu said seriously.
"No water. No pipe. Just paper." 🧻😐
Candy leaned in.
"What you do?" 👂
"I stared at it," Laddu admitted.
"Long time." ⏳
Mochi stood up.
"THIS IS DIRTY." 🚨
"I didn't understand how to use it," Laddu continued.
"Like… is it replacement? Is it support? Is it emergency?" 🤨
Mother covered her mouth, laughing despite herself. 😂🤦♀️
"So," Candy whispered,
"what you do?"
"I tried," Laddu said.
"But my soul was not satisfied." 😔
Mochi grabbed a cushion and hit him. 🛋️💥
"ENOUGH."
Laddu laughed. 😆
"Truth is always dirty," he said peacefully. 🧘♂️
The room exploded. 💥💥
Maya wiped tears.
"I hate how honest you are."
Candy nodded seriously.
"Culture difference is scary." 🌍
Mother shook her head.
"Please… no more bathroom stories." 🙏
Laddu raised his cup. ☕
"Next time," he said, "we discuss bidet."
Mochi pointed at him. 👉
"You will sleep early."
"Yes," Laddu agreed.
"But educated." 🎓
Everyone laughed again. 😂
Some questions didn't need answers.
But Laddu gave them anyway.
Candy asked it casually.
Too casually. 😈
"How do you have so much money?"
The café quieted in a very suspicious way. 🧊
Maya stopped cleaning. 🧹
Cousin slowed down.
Mochi looked up immediately. 👀
Laddu didn't dodge the question.
He sipped his coffee and said,
"I got bored of office work and also had no girlfriend." ☕😔
Everyone waited.
"So," Laddu continued,
"I joined an NGO."
Mother blinked.
"…An NGO?"
"Yes," Laddu nodded.
"One that helps old people who live alone." 👵🤍
Candy leaned forward.
"What kind of help?"
Laddu thought for a second.
"My job," he said,
"was to take care of one granny."
Mochi's expression softened slightly. 🌸
How Laddu Took Care of Her 🤍
"She lived alone," Laddu said.
"No family. Big house. Too quiet." 🏠🌫️
Every morning, he would go there.
"First thing," he explained,
"I would make tea exactly how she liked it. Strong. Too much sugar." ☕🍬
Mother smiled faintly. 😊
"I massaged her legs," Laddu continued.
"Slowly. Every day. Because pain doesn't listen to medicine alone." 🤲
Candy nodded like this was serious science. 🧠✔️
"I cooked," Laddu said.
"Simple food. Nothing fancy. She liked eating while complaining." 🍛😤
Maya laughed.
"That sounds familiar."
"I talked," Laddu added.
"A lot. Jokes. Stories. Office drama. Fake romance stories." 😏
Mochi glanced at him.
"You told her those?"
"Yes," Laddu replied.
"She laughed the hardest." 😂
Sometimes, he would just sit with her.
No phone. 📵
No work.
"Just presence," he said.
"In India, this is very normal." 🇮🇳🤍
The Last Three Months ⏳
Laddu's voice lowered a little.
"The last three months," he said,
"she smiled more."
"She stopped asking when she would die," he added quietly.
"She started asking what we would eat tomorrow." 🥣🌱
The room went silent. 🧊
"Her lawyer told me later," Laddu continued,
"that those three months were the happiest she had in years."
Candy swallowed. 😶
The Twist 🎭
"And then?" Candy asked.
Laddu shrugged.
"After she passed," he said,
"the lawyer called me."
Mochi stiffened slightly.
"He said she gave me all her property," Laddu said calmly.
"As a gift." 📜🏠
Maya's mouth opened.
"…WHAT."
Candy's eyes went wide.
"ALL?" 😱
"Yes," Laddu nodded.
"House. Savings. Everything."
Mother frowned gently.
"Why?"
Laddu looked at his cup.
"She said," he replied,
"'He treated me like I was her child.'" 🤍
Silence sat heavy. ⚖️
Then Laddu added, completely ruining it,
"This is my another business model." 😌
Maya threw a cloth at him. 🧻💥
"YOU CANNOT SAY IT LIKE THAT."
Mochi hit his arm.
"Idiot." 😤
Candy stared at him.
"So you're rich because you're kind?" she asked.
Laddu shrugged.
"Sometimes," he said.
"And sometimes because old people are very smart." 🧠
Mother smiled sadly.
"Money came," Laddu finished,
"but that was never the salary."
He leaned back.
"The real payment," he said,
"was not letting someone die alone." 🕊️
No one laughed this time.
And for once—
Laddu didn't joke again.
☕ Coffee, Control, and Consequences
The café was finally calm.
Not quiet.
Just… manageable. 😌
Mother was near the counter, rinsing cups.
Laddu lifted his head slightly from the sofa.
"Mother," he said politely,
"I want hot coffee."
Mother nodded.
"Okay."
Candy jumped up immediately.
"I also want!"
Mother sighed.
"Okay."
Mochi raised her hand calmly. ✋
"I also want."
Mother turned toward Laddu again.
Before she could speak, Laddu lifted a finger.
"No." ☝️
The room stopped. 🛑
Mochi blinked.
"…What?"
"You don't," Laddu said very seriously.
Maya slowly turned around.
"Oh this is going to be good." 🍿
Mochi frowned.
"Why?"
Laddu looked at her up and down once, thoughtfully. 👀
"Because of the weight you have."
💀💀💀
Dead silence.
Candy gasped. 😱
Mother froze mid-step.
Maya's jaw dropped.
"…Excuse me?" Mochi said slowly.
Laddu nodded like a doctor delivering diagnosis. 👨⚕️
"Coffee increases alertness," he explained.
"Alertness increases stress."
"Stress affects weight."
He concluded proudly,
"I care about your health." ❤️
Maya collapsed onto a chair laughing. 😂
"He chose violence."
Mother turned sharply.
"LADDU."
Candy whispered,
"Run." 🏃♂️
Mochi stared at him for a long second.
Then she smiled.
A dangerous smile. 😈
"Oh," she said softly.
"So now you're a nutritionist?"
"Yes," Laddu replied.
"Online degree." 💻🎓
She stood up.
Taller.
Closer. 😤
"Then," Mochi said calmly,
"from today, you will drink warm water only."
Laddu's confidence cracked. 😨
"…Why."
"Because," Mochi replied sweetly,
"of the brain damage you have." 🧠💥
THE ROOM EXPLODED. 💥😂
Mother laughed out loud.
Candy clapped. 👏
Maya wiped tears.
Laddu raised both hands in surrender. 🙌
"Okay okay," he said quickly.
"You can have coffee."
Mochi crossed her arms.
"I don't want it anymore."
She paused.
"…Make it extra hot." 🔥☕
Mother handed her the cup with a smile. 😊
Laddu took a cautious sip of his own coffee. ☕😬
Some lessons, he realized,
were better learned the hard way.