Two birthdays

Lady and Old Man were born on Aashad Ekadashi when rains sheathed the earth and lightning drummed prancing clouds. On Karuna Road, magpie robins, crows, sparrows, mynas, flying fox put down two birthday cakes on the footpath; with wet breath, sat down the rains to jingle their many calls ..... to Lady and Old Man....but they were not there. Old Man was holding an umbrella over a waif with one drink less on the footpath; rain drops could have helped the waif; but no, Old Man could not see him wet though he was wet. Bhagwan came up with a cup of hot tea and poured it on the waif, who nudged and went back to sleep. Lady, in tears, was holding an umbrella on a run over stray pulling at the last few breaths left him. Lady patted the stray, her friend, to a soft end. 'When cars and bikes run over humans, there are police cases and all that. When they trample a dog or any animal, not even a breaking of vehicles, a Sorry,' Lady mused. Many birds spotted them, pulled Old Man and Lady away, cut the cake from Hot Buns to caws and coos, funded by Bhagwan. Years were not inscribed on the two cakes as Old Man and Lady did not know age; they blew two candles. They were born, they will die. It did not matter, living under a banyan, outside Aadhaars. Under many, many raindrops. No grouse. A day ahead the two had stumbled their way to Borivili West station, to buy umbrellas, lots of it, surprising the shop keeper: small, medium, big and beach umbrellas, in colours, not black as Lady disliked black. July rains are uneven, if they are present; Old Man opens umbrellas for dripping birds; Lady opens the fans for poor children walking to municipal schools; not that they want it; they resent it; but Aji they love, walk with her for a minute under the umbrella, run away, leaving the Lady laughing and folding the umbrella. Lady becomes a child. Lady keeps an eye on Old Man, crawling on a rain tree with a beach umbrella on his head; reaching the top, he opens the contraption, holds it over wet flying fox asleep upside down. 'Savkash,' yells Lady; 'Ho', returns Old Man. Met office has predicted heavy July rains; Old Man and Lady will stay wet through July to keep birds dry. Now they have a crazy idea. Together they hold an umbrella over their dear old, banyan. 'Getting old. Will catch a fever,' fears Lady as she gets the banyan to wear a plastic coat. 'Will have to find a tree doctor; vets we have,' replied Old Man.