Page 72 - Love Story of a Commando

duty to tell you the right things. Though it is completely your wish what you
want to wear,’ he said in his usual robotic tone.
‘Okay! I get it, but can’t you leave in a day or two? Once I am a bit
settled here?’ I must be super desperate to be pleading for his company, I
thought.
It was only some time ago that I had promised myself that even if he
was the last person on this planet, I would prefer jumping off a cliff than
seek his company. It was unbelievable for my standards. But the waves of
loneliness and nostalgia were drowning me hard and fast. It felt like I was on
an island, and the one person I knew was leaving.
‘Don’t worry! Take this phone, and trust me, I am just a call away.
Either way, you are a big city girl, you will manage well. Also, I’m just an
hour’s journey from here,’ he said.
He instructed me about the basic safety protocols and saved some
important numbers, like that of the local police, ambulance etcetera, into the
new phone which was already loaded with a local pre-paid sim. Then, he bid
me goodbye.
Once he had left, I realized that Mr Durrani was a good man. Maybe
he did not speak much and was a bit weird when it came to social etiquette,
but he was one of those men whom you could trust. In fact, whatever little I
knew of him, I could make out that he was a very efficient and dependable
person. Looks are definitely deceptive. And yes, not all bureaucrats are bad;
some prefer to work in silence so that they can effectively help people in
need.
God bless Mr Durrani.
I hit the ugly bed in my room without bothering to fill my rumbling
tummy, and astonishingly, I slept well after a long time, away from
nightmares and mourning.
The next day, I was rudely awoken by a loud banging on the door. At
one point, I could hear someone saying loudly ‘Aapa, Aapa’ when I tried to
ignore the knocking and placed a pillow over my head. Finally, I opened the
door like an angry lioness. All red-eyed and fire in my heart! How dare he!
‘What?’ I growled.
‘Aapa, I am Rafeeq. I met you yesterday. Kept all your bags here and
you gave me a hundred rupees. I look after all the guests here. I’ve come to
serve you morning tea otherwise it’ll be over by the time you reach the mess.
And you also have to report to the main office by 8 a.m., so I thought I’d
wake you up,’ he squeaked.
I looked at the digital wall clock in the room. It was 7:30 a.m.
already. I stared in utter disbelief. I had slept for twelve hours straight! I
snatched the humble steel cup from Rafeeq’s hands, shut the door on his