They were already at Cinema, which was still in Zion. Praveen and Zoya just walked there and they spent fifteen minutes to reach there. The cinema building which consists of several floors was on the right side of Sion Circle Road. The building looked majestic, really much different from the cinema that Praveen frequented in Chandrapur. The Cinema which was his second home was owned by a local businessman, not like this one. He knows the employees and guards well so he was free to go in and out. "Wow, it must be fun watching in a comfortable atmosphere like this," said Praveen amazed when he was in the cinema lobby, not far from the ticket counter. The lights were sparkling. On the walls were neatly arranged movie posters. The air also felt cool. There was a counter selling food and soft drinks too. "Isn't all cinema like this?" Zoya asked in surprised. “This one is luxurious. The cinema I frequent in Chandrapur is quite modest,” "What's the cinema like in your village?" “There
Praveen went that morning in his best appearance. It was only 6 o'clock. He purposely left 3 hours earlier to avoid being late. However, he must show seriousness with the schedule set by Mr. Manoj. He really didn't want to be late at the Prouction House. Better to wait there than come late. He left almost at the same time as the other Idli sellers, and it made them wonder, why wasn't Praveen selling and leaving so well-dressed? Where was he really going? But no one dared to ask directly. Only he was let go by Aunt Raju with a sour face. But Praveen didn't care. He set off with a steady stride. When he arrived at his destination, it was still quiet. The office wasn't open yet, and no one had come yet. Unlike the other day when he auditioned, the office was bustling with people, especially the audition participants. He waited outside the fence. He waited a long time, almost half an hour. He could only enter after the gate was opened by security. "Who do you have an appointment with?
Zoya had just arrived that morning at Doorna Kindergarten. The principal, Mrs. Fateema, didn't seem as enthusiastic as usual. She looked gloomy, in contrast to the faces of the students who came with cheerful faces. During the morning exercise, she just stood in the corner watching the children. The other two teachers, Harshida and Shanti, seemed busy arranging the children in a line. They also wondered what was wrong with Mrs. Fateema, but they were reluctant to ask. Zoya approached Mrs. Fateema. "Mrs. Fateema, you look down this morning. Are you unwell, or is there a problem with our school?" Zoya asked carefully. She looked at Zoya with a sad look. "Yeah, I'm having a problem. It's a bit heavy for me to handle on my own." She said frankly. "Is it a personal matter?" "I never bring personal matters to school." "Does it have anything to do with school? May I know? Who knows I can help?" Mrs. Fateema looked at Zoya again, then took a deep breath. "I don't really want to let
Mrs. Fateema's steps were fast. Zoya continued to follow her through the winding alleys of the densely populated Dharavi neighborhood. The summer air was as hot as ever. "Is It still far?" Zoya asked slightly out of breath. It's been fifteen minutes they walked from school to Mrs. Fateema's house. This was Zoya's first visit to her house. "We will be there in a minute," said Mrs. Fateema. The lunch time was past. Her stomach was growling. Earlier she had asked her to eat first, but Mrs. Fateema refused. She said, just having lunch at her house. The alley was getting narrower because the houses on both sides of the alley. Maybe not more than half a meter wide. Let alone motorbike passed, pedestrians only have to pull over in the opposite direction. The funny thing was there were so many doors that directly face the alley. Zoya didn't expect Mrs. Fateema to live in an area like this. She must have passed through this alley every day so that she memorized the alley like a maze.
"You don't have to sell the goat, ma'am. It's too bad because it was already intended for sacrifice!" Zoya said. "Never mind! I think I can sacrifice next year. Helping to add payment for the building rent so that the children can go to school as well as worship. Both have benefits for many people," said Mrs. Fateema again, still staring at the goat tied up in the vestibule. Zoya was speechless. How noble the woman's heart. In the simplicity of her life, still thinking about the interests of others. "Miss Fateema, I promise, I will do my best to keep Doorna's school from eviction, even if we have to move, I will try to find a better building. This school cannot be closed, lest their learning process be disrupted because of this!" Zoya said confidently. "How can you be so sure?" asked Mrs. Fateema looking at Zoya. "Trust me, I will move as fast as I can to raise funds. At Gondia I was successful whenever I was appointed to raise funds," Zoya lied. Her brain had begun to arrange
Zoya came to school early that morning with the file that Mrs. Fateema asked for. She brought quite a lot of proposal letters which she would later deliver to agencies and companies. Everything was ready for delivery. Last night she also sent an email to her college friends in Boston. She hoped that there would be friends who were willing to help through the fundraising page she created yesterday. Mrs. Fateema was amazed at Zoya's apt work. Yesterday she had doubted whether Zoya could do it, but that morning her doubts suddenly disappeared. Everything in the proposal was appropriate, no need for further revision. She even wondered how the girl could do it in less than a day. "How did you get it done so fast, Ashita?" asked Mrs. Fateema. "I'm used to doing assignments quickly, Mrs. Fateema. I'm used to working to deadlines and under pressure. I even sacrificed my sleeping time," Zoya said casually. "Is this proposal ready for submission?" "Just the school stamp and your signature
Zoya was slightly thumped entering the building. For some reason, she was little bit worried that she would be recognized. It would ruin everything but this was her own will. Once again she looked at herself. Was this appearance enough to cover up her true identity? Suddenly she had an idea to cover her face with a face mask. It seems the glasses were not enough to disguise. She took out a face mask from her bag and pretended to cough. "What's the matter with you, Ashita?" asked Mrs. Fateema wondering why Zoya was coughing all of a sudden. "I don't know. My throat feels ticklish. Maybe it's the air," Zoya said as she put the mask on her face. "Does It happen to you often?" "Sometimes!" Zoya replied. At the entrance gate, they were met by security with probing eyes. "What are you here for?" "I want to meet Mr. Narendra Prasadh's secretary. We have appointment!" said Zoya trying to convince the security with high confidence. Actually she was nervous if the security would conta
In the restaurant Zoya ate voraciously. They ordered quite a lot for the two, but Mrs. Fateema didn't seem to be in the appetite. Maybe influenced by what she was thinking. Only three proposals that they spread, still not seen any tesult. Maybe tomorrow it happen again, will be rejected again. Her mind was racing and what if their efforts failed? She needed a lot of money to be able to rent a new building. The students will lose their place to study. One hundred children was not a small number, and that was her responsibility. Her reputation will certainly be at stake. She had been building this school for years. She had sacrificed a lot of money and time to build a school, but just because the building was taken by the owner, should it stop? What would happen to the students? "What are you thinking of?" asked Zoya. "I don't know why I feel pessimistic we don't get funding anytime soon. Submitting a proposal doesn't seem to get the funding quickly. We only have two weeks from now.