Summary of Lemon-Yellow and Fig
In the story "Lemon-Yellow and Fig," the protagonist is a young salesman who has recently secured a job selling saris and choli pieces in a shop in Bombay. His employer, Mr. Ratnam, hired him based on his perceived honesty. The protagonist takes his job seriously and is doing well, even making significant sales in a short time.
However, a strange coincidence occurs when two women, one wearing a distinct perfume, visit the shop on the same day. The first woman purchases a sari and pays with a one-hundred-rupee note, and the second woman, also wearing the same perfume, comes in later. The protagonist becomes suspicious, thinking they might be attempting a scam where one woman distracts him while the other claims to have given a one-hundred-rupee note.
To outsmart any potential trick, the protagonist discreetly removes the one-hundred-rupee note from the cash box, pretending to send it to his brother in another shop nearby. He then proceeds to serve the second woman, who buys two saris, paying with ten-rupee notes. Everything seems fine until the arrival of Mr. Ratnam, the owner.
Mr. Ratnam conducts a stock check and praises the protagonist's customer service skills, mentioning that he had sent his daughter and sister to test his honesty. However, when they open the cash box, they discover that a hundred rupees are missing. The protagonist is stunned and cannot explain the discrepancy. Mr. Ratnam, disappointed and believing in the apparent theft, expresses his regret that the protagonist, who has such an honest face, has lost his job.
The story ends with the protagonist, now unemployed, seeking new opportunities and emphasizing his honesty.
