Namsha and Maqsood live in a rented house with an old Ratna aunty. She was their landlady and they had been living together for over five years. The couple had an adventurous past of having had a run-away wedding, and Ratna aunty, a welcoming broad-minded lady, had supported and gave them a place to live with dignity and peace.
Namsha worked as a marketing head in a company whereas Maqsood was a well-known designer at a studio. Living with Ratna aunty was more of a bonus than a bother as their age difference never mattered. Every day as the sun rose, their mornings started with long walks at the park and then yoga. The couple left for work while Ratna aunty had her alone time in which she knitted, read books, talked to her neighbours and scrolled through Youtube; binging on old Hindi movies.
When the duo came in the evening, aunty would prepare dinner sometimes, as a special treat, along with hot coffee and loads of Gupshup. They would tell each other about their days and Ratna aunty would pull Maqsood’s leg! The three always ended their conversations with roaring laughter and sleep peacefully.
Like all good things, however, the time of their happiness was also limited. When the pandemic of Covid -19 struck, like the rest of the world, their loving home was irreversibly impacted. One day aunty wasn’t feeling well and against all their wishes, she was detected positive for the virus. Namsha and Maqsood dropped all their work from home commitments and decided to be there for Ratna aunty. All three quarantined themselves in separate rooms of the house, and Namsha and Maqsood divided the chores among themselves.
Every day was a struggle for the duo. Between cooking and keeping the house clean they were torn. The biggest problem was that due to their responsibility as citizens, they decided to not step out for two weeks. The online ordering process seemed like the best option, but the lag of two-three days to get the items they needed immediately made them write off the idea.
The next thing that Maqsood did was an obvious choice for him as a millennial. He decided to make a simple search on google. ‘Grocery store near me’ he typed, with the agenda of calling the first store on the list and asking them to deliver the cooking essentials they needed. As he was scrolling through the search results, he stumbled upon the LoveLocal app.
Not only could he order the grocery items he needed, and get them delivered within no time, the app also allowed him to order medicines for Ratna aunty, all the cleaning solutions Namsha needed to sanitize the house, and the fruits and vegetables he needed to make meals that would strengthen their immunity.
The contactless delivery option of vegetables, grains, spices, soaps, shampoos and everything else with the app felt like divine intervention. It was as if the higher power had designed something exclusively for them which made their lives much easier and relaxed. Through the two weeks, the orders from LoveLocal simplified essential shopping for them. Despite being in quarantine, the three sat on their respective doorsteps and chatted away. Days passed quickly and when aunty’s test results finally came out to be negative, they thought that a celebration was in order. Ratna aunty who had learnt all about the app now quickly placed an order for pastries on LoveLocal.
As the pastries came in, the trio happily celebrated, with a moonlight walk on their terrace. The fresh air and open space felt like heaven after all the days in the four walls of their respective rooms. They thanked their stars for this release, each other for making this time bearable, and of course, LoveLocal!
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