Page 144 - Till the Last Breath . . .

again. Would it be when she was sleeping and would it scare the shit out of

her?
All of them sat around her bed and asked her if she was doing okay. She
pulled out one of her ‘I am going to be dead’ jokes and everyone laughed

out loud. They told her how proud they were and how strong she was. A
couple of girls broke down.

‘Who’s he?’ a girl asked about Dushyant lying on the next bed. ‘He’s hot,
isn’t he?’ the girl winked at her.

‘He has AIDS, so you should probably leave him alone,’ she said.
‘You are kidding me, right?’ the girl said, duly horrified.

‘Obviously. He is a poisoning case. Though he is really rude and we
don’t talk,’ she said and smiled. The girl’s eyes were still on Dushyant. ‘It’s
so sweet of all of you guys to come here. I am so happy! Can I open these?

Please?’ She flitted like a small child amongst all the boxes, touching them,
guessing what they were. She knew. It was one of those things when you

know what the gift is but you don’t want to believe it till the time you
unwrap it, just to prevent disappointment.

Everyone looked at her and smiled. Her dad, standing in the corner,
radiated happiness and her mother was choked with tears. She ripped open

the presents one by one. They were books. Big books. Mean and thick.
Books on medicines. Holy shit.
‘What is this?’ she said, her eyes a barge of tears, threatening to flood.

Her classmates were bewildered. They knew she would love them, but
her smashing, teared-up smile exceeded their expectations. Venugopal said,

‘We all know what you want the most. You’re a freak. A junkie. So we are
giving you what you want. That is the whole course for the next two years.

And some old notes from a few seniors. Potent stuff.’
After taking time to compose herself, feeling like all the happiness in the

world was concentrated in that tiny moment, like a hundred Christmases
coming together on one single day, she said, ‘I have to say I am a little
disappointed. I thought you guys knew me better. I have already read half

these books, you know?’ Their shoulders drooped, defeated. ‘Obviously, I
am joking! This is the best I could have ever asked for! You have no idea