Love Job and a Dying Scooter (short Story )
Naina’s life was already a mess, but the universe decided to make it worse. It was a Monday morning, she was late for work, and her old scooter, Laila, her scooter broken down in the middle of the road.
“Come on, Laila! Not now! Don’t break up with Laila, ” Naina groaned, twisting the accelerator. Nothing. Not even a final breath of hope.
People on the road gave her the bechari ladki look, which annoyed her even more. She kicked the scooter lightly. “Wow, even you are hurting me like my ex. Great!”
“Problem kya hai?” a voice asked.
She turned and saw a young mechanic in a grease-stained T-shirt, wiping his hands on a rag. He had messy hair, a confident smirk, and an attitude that said don’t mess with me right now .
“Laila has given up on life,” Naina said with a straight face.
The guy raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“I mean, she’s dead.”
He chuckled. “You gave your scooter a name? Laila?”
“Yeah, she was my first love before my toxic ex. And unlike him, at least she gave me a warning before dumping me.”
The guy smirked. “If Laila exists, where’s Majnu?”
“Majnu? No, but there’s a repair shop. And you look like its owner.”
He laughed. “My name is Arjun, and I don’t own the shop. Just a hardworking employee.” He dramatically wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead.
“Okay, please check my scooter. Otherwise, my boss and the auto-rickshaw fare will both ruin my day.”
Arjun nodded and bent down to check Laila. “Petrol is fine… battery looks okay… hmm, looks like she has hurt feelings.”
“Hurt feelings?”
“Yeah, you’ve been kicking her non-stop. Maybe she needs love.”
“You should’ve been a love guru instead of a mechanic.”
Arjun grinned and got to work.
The Repair Shop Chronicles
Arjun towed Laila to his garage. It looked like a graveyard for bikes that had seen duniya ki saari musibat (all the world’s problems). An old radio played ‘90s Bollywood songs, an aunty sold chai outside, and a lanky guy named Raju was half-asleep while pretending to fix a tire.
Naina pointed at Raju. “Will he work or is he just here for decoration?”
Arjun smirked. “Raju sirf tab jaagta hai jab salary ka time hota hai.”
Raju yawned and waved at her. “Didi, you can take my job too.”
“What job? You look like you retired before even starting.”
As Arjun worked on Laila, he kept talking. “What do you do?”
“I’m a content writer. Basically, I write long articles for cheap pay and wonder—‘Why am I not getting rich?’”
Arjun laughed. “So, you enjoy working for free?”
“Yeah, I get paid in pyaar (love) and sympathy.”
“By the way, is your ex completely out of the picture, or do you still check old messages?”
Naina rolled her eyes. “Fully gone. Locked that chapter and threw away the key.”
Arjun smirked. “Useless guy?”
“Oof! Total disaster.”
“Yeah, and now I’ll be a disaster too if Laila doesn’t start soon.”
Arjun turned the key, and Laila roared back to life.
“You’re really good, Arjun. Bringing broken things back to life is your talent.”
“Why are you comparing scooters to ex-boyfriends?” Raju muttered in the background.
“Shut up, Raju. No salary for you,” Arjun grinned.
Decisions and Dilemmas
Weeks passed. Naina and Arjun became friends. They’d meet at the garage, drink cutting chai, and argue over silly things like whether onion samosas were better than potato samosas.
One day, Naina got a job offer. A big company. Good pay. A new city. She should’ve been excited. But something felt… off.
She went to the garage, where Arjun was fixing an old bike . “Can you ever be serious?” she asked.
“Only in two situations—when my mom scolds me, and when biryani is about to fall.”
“Add one more. When a girl tells you she’s leaving.”
Arjun froze. “Leaving?”
“I got a new job… in another city.”
For the first time, he had no comeback. “So, you’re going?”
“I don’t know… maybe? But if you tell me to stay, will I?”
Arjun leaned on the counter, staring at her. “Doesn’t matter what I say. What do you want?”
Naina sighed. “I don’t know, yaar. Just when things start getting better, life throws a new problem.”
Arjun smirked. “Then don’t look for answers. As long as Laila is running, you’re here. And if you feel like leaving, go. Just remember—everything works out in the end.”
Naina chuckled. “Are you a mechanic or a motivational speaker?”
Arjun grinned. “I just like fixing broken things—scooters or people.”
Naina looked at him for a moment. Maybe, just maybe, things were working out after all.
And right then, Laila coughed and shut down.
Raju snickered. “Didi, Laila has given her answer. Ja naina ja, jee le apni zindagi !“
Naina and Arjun burst out laughing. Life, as always, had perfect timing.
Life is unpredictable, but sometimes, broken things—whether scooters or hearts—just need the right hands to fix them. Everything works out! 🚀