Page 114 - Till the Last Breath . . .

failure rate of zero, people clamoured at his doorstep, even paying the entire

sum upfront.
‘How long have you been doing this for?’ Zarah asked and lit up the last
joint.

‘It’s been five years now,’ he said. ‘And I have been saving up. I don’t go
out on expensive dates or have any indulgences. I have a lot of it with me.’

‘All you spend is on alcohol and drugs,’ she murmured.
‘A lot of that comes free for me. I took an exam for an army officer’s kid

one time. My alcohol comes cheaper than you can imagine. For other
things, I have my sources. I am a loyal customer and I never get into trouble

with the police or anything.’
Zarah threw the burnt joint away. She turned silent.
‘What happened?’

‘Umm … Nothing.’
‘Something is wrong. I thought we were discussing stuff,’ he said.

‘I am an army kid, too,’ she conceded.
‘You don’t come across as an abrasive brat.’

Zarah shot an icy stare at him. Dushyant had always thought of army kids
as extrovert bullies. The constant variation in environment and the change

in schools made them competent to handle any social exchange with ease.
They grew up a lot faster, matured faster and came across as extra-smart
brats.

‘Is that what you think about army kids?’ she asked.
‘I am not putting them down or anything. In fact, as a kid I wished I was

as cool as them. So, are you like that?’
‘Not really. I don’t think so,’ she answered and added with a pause, ‘I

don’t want to talk about it.’
‘What? Did they beat you or something? Because that’s okay. Mine did.

You wouldn’t believe how much my father beat me when I couldn’t clear
the IIT entrance examination. Before the exam, I was more scared about
what he would do to me if I didn’t clear the exam rather than the exam

itself. It’s ironic—since that year, I have cleared it thrice for other people,’
he said. ‘See this,’ he pointed out to a few circular scars on his left forearm.