I Am Guilty

20. That Dreadful Night

Veena shifted back on the sofa and made herself comfortable.

"Is your friend here with you?" her interest piqued.

"No, not at the moment. Would you like some coffee? Looks like its going to be a long night." He looked at her bag thoughtfully.

She nodded. Arjun got up and walked inside towards the kitchen.
She decided to follow him. He was surprised when she to came in and watched him work in silence.

"You know how to cook?" She asked and he stiffened.
The sudden change in his demeanor did not go unnoticed.

He managed to pull a mischievous smile.
"I thought it was a basic life skill."

Veena observed the way he tried to turn the situation.
"Do you always dodge the answers like these silly jokes?"

Arjun blinked at the now warming milk. It was not easy as he had thought it to be. Veena had come prepared. The fact was, he did not have any reason to keep the facts hidden. He for once wanted to be stark honest, since someone was ready to listen to his side. It was an opportunity for him too, to let the truth known.

He handed her a cup of coffee and walked out, knowing very well that she would follow. He opened the sliding glass of the balcony and sat down on a large stuffed chair. She too followed him and looked around at the new ambience. The night was dark and warm. There was an arrangement of three stuffed chairs and a sleek glass coffee table. But the  furniture was old and was wearing out.

"What do you want me to tell you. I will not dodge anymore questions."

She looked at him and placed the cup on the table. She crossed her legs and pulled a cushion on her lap.
"What exactly happened that night?"

Arjun clenched his jaw. H knew this was coming.
"I would like to park this question."

"Why?"She asked a bit annoyed.

He sipped on his coffee leisurely.
"Simply because, once you know that, you will find it hard to continue. Let's start with a few simple questions."

She took a deep breath to calm her mind.
"Fair enough."

It was a long silenced pause and they both looked away at the dark night.
"Where did you go, for these ten long years? What did you do?"

That question too, was not simple. Those initial years were the darkest phase of his life. He did not want to relive them, not even to tell her.
"I was lost, for a few days. I did not know where I was going and what I was going to do. I kept on traveling from one train to another. I was not thinking straight and I did not even know how many days I was wandering aimlessly."

His voice was cold. He tried to keep his emotions at bay.

"And?" She asked. She did not know the start would punch her heart. She had herself wondering what she would have more to hear.

"I was exhausted and... I couldn't hold myself more. My body gave up and collapsed, near a Gurudwara. I was given the basic treatment and when I was up, I inquired if I could get some work to do. Initially they were skeptical, but later on I was deployed in a kitchen. They served langar to hundreds of people on daily basis. I was helping in serving, and cleaning. And later, in cooking too."

Veena blinked rapidly to brush off her tears.

"This went on for another year. I was struggling to meet my ends meet. In all this chaos, I had missed on my boards. I saved up a few bucks and filled the form for board exams, brought some books and I used to study at night. But the days exhaustion would not let me study enough. I somehow passed the boards, but the marks were not very impressive."