When a truck full of goods stopped in the empty house in front, Poorva and Pushan felt as if thieves had entered their house. The front house was vacant for almost two years. There was a huge lawn outside the house and there were different types of trees. Four of guava, five of mango, as well as plum and phalse. Ten-year-old Poorva and nine-year-old Pushan used to play there as soon as they returned from school. It seemed as if the trees and plants of the house in front belonged to him.
Nandu Kaka, the caretaker of the house, had also become his friend.
Then one day Nandu Kaka told both that this house has got new owners. Will come next week to stay here. Meanwhile, the cleaning of the house started. Every day laborers came and started repairing the house, etc. When Pushan and Poorva return from school, they find that the house in front has changed a bit. There was a broken gate in front of the house, which anyone could open and enter. In its place, a huge iron gate was installed. The lock on the gate also started hanging.
Seeing this, Pushan got angry, "Didi, how will we go inside now?"
Poorva took a deep breath and said, "Brother, this is someone else's house, they don't want us to go inside."
Pushan said sternly, "I will go."
Pushan tried to climb to the gate by running, but could not climb. Both of them stood outside the house and saw how many guavas were ripening and hanging on the guava trees. Pushan looked at him with a smile.
Goods had come off the truck. A long white car came inside the gate. Two people got down from the car. One was a man with a white beard, who was wearing a black coat. The waist was slightly bent. With him was a lovely lady with a round face. On seeing this, Poorva said, "Looks like our grandmother, doesn't it...?"
Pushan shrugged and said, "What about me? If these people pluck the fruits from the guava tree, neither will I…” Pushan clenched his fists.
Poorva said softly, "This is their house, they have trees, so the fruits are also theirs."
Pushan became sad. He did not like any work. In the evening, he saw some kittens roaming in the drain near the street. He picked up a child in his arms and started walking quickly. Stopping in front of the house in front of him, he put the kitten inside from under the gate and hurriedly returned to his house.
The next day while going to school, Pushan peeped inside through the gate of the front house, but he could not see anything. He thought to himself, 'Surely the kitten must be having a blast inside the house. The old uncle must have been running after him to catch him. The kitten must have passed out between their legs and it fell, Uncle…. Thinking of it, Pushan laughed.
As soon as he returned from school, he ran towards the front house without changing the uniform. Poorva followed him, “Push, mommy is calling for dinner, where are you going?”
Pushan turned back and said, "Bring guava."
Poorva said nervously, “You will be caught, you will be hit hard. From Uncle and also from Papa."
Pushan did not listen to him. The front door of the house was open. Pushan went inside secretly. Standing under a guava tree, he filled his nose with the sweet smell of ripe guava. He picked up two-three guava that fell down and kept it in his pocket. Looking up at the tree, he thought, 'Oh, will there be so many guava parrots to eat?'
Suddenly he heard the sound of 'meow-meow'. In a corner of the lawn yesterday's kitten was happy to spill milk from a large pot. Pushan went up to him and said, “I sent you here to hustle and you are having a picnic….”
He picked up the kitten in his hand and brought it outside. Dirty water was flowing in the drain outside. He made the kittens sit there. and ran back to his home.
He held guava in Poorva's hand and said smilingly, "Look, I had said that I would not bring guava...."
Poorva looked back at the guava in her hand. Seeing the mischievous smile on her younger brother's face, she understood that she had done something wrong. She took the guava and went to the front house. Outside the drain, he saw a kitten doing 'meow-meow'. He took the child in his arms. As soon as the bell outside the gate was pressed, the white-haired aunt came in front. Seeing the cat in Purva's hand, she said happily, "I was looking for this only. Don't know, how did you get out of the gate…?”
Auntie signaled Poorva to come inside. Within two days the look of the house had changed. The lawn was very clean. There was also a hammock in the middle. Aunt affectionately touched Poorva's head and said, “Nandu, the caretaker of this house told that two children live nearby, who used to visit this house frequently, climb trees, play…. You know them?"
Poorva bowed her head and said, “Me and my brother Pushan…. He took guava without asking you. I have come to return."
Auntie laughed, “I saw him coming in, yesterday I saw him through the window even while putting the kitten in from under the gate. Just call her then..."
Poorva got scared. Auntie is definitely going to call Pushan and scold him. Before she could say anything, Pushan followed his sister there. He was afraid too. The aunt looked at both of them carefully and said, "I was told, both of you are masters in climbing trees. Break guava and feed me too."
Pusheen's face lit up. He ran and hugged Auntie, “Sorry Auntie, I will feed you guava every day, sometimes even mango….”
Auntie started laughing. Uncle sitting on the chair in the lawn also started laughing. The house in front of Purva and Pushan started feeling like theirs again.
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