Page 129 - Till the Last Breath . . .

‘We are!’ she defended.

‘Don’t lie to me. I just told you that. Don’t tell me there aren’t times you
want to cry out loud and curse everyone and everything, and throw stuff
around, and break people’s heads. Don’t tell me that sometimes you don’t

want to grab your crying father by his collar and ask him why it is
happening to you and not the guy on the other bed, and that you don’t want

to ask your mom to stop sobbing and let you sob instead and throw a
tantrum as well,’ he said and fell silent. Pihu didn’t say anything and Arman

realized his folly. ‘I am sorry,’ he said. ‘It just kills me to see you lying
there, smiling at everyone, when I know it’s crushing you inside.’

‘I am smiling at you because I am glad you understand,’ she murmured.
Arman took her hand in his and caressed the skin which had been punctured
time and again with needles. ‘And yes, I do smile for them. But I smile for

myself too. My memories of them will be gone as I leave; their memories
will stay with them forever. Don’t we all smile for the pictures we click

even on the worst picnics? That’s all I want to do. I want to smile for their
last pictures of me.’

Arman didn’t know what to say to that. ‘By the way, I notice your parents
have finally decided to go home?’

‘Yeah, I threatened them. They had to,’ she answered. Arman chuckled
and she wasn’t pleased to see this. ‘Why are you laughing?’
‘You threatened them?’

‘Why? Can’t I? I can be very assertive if I want to be.’
‘I am sure you can. But just to confirm, you threatened real people? Like

what did you do? Puffed your mouth and refused to breathe? Who would
feel threatened by you?’ he barely suppressed a chuckle.

‘Whatever,’ she grumbled. ‘So tell me, why are you here?’
‘Didn’t you just say it? I found it hard to stay away from you.’

‘Oh, c’mon. I know I am cute and whatever but why would you want to
see a dying girl?’ she said and added after an excruciating pause, ‘I am just
kidding! You are here to see him, right?’

‘Yes,’ Arman said. ‘You want to know what’s wrong with him?’