Page 238 - Till the Last Breath . . .

had been long and weary and she decided she didn’t want her last few hours

to go by in dread.
‘I will just be back, then,’ Zarah said and hugged her.
‘Be back soon. They will take me away in a few hours and Dushyant will

be all lonely then. He really needs you.’ Pihu winked.
Contrary to what she had thought, she didn’t spot a smile on Zarah’s face.

If anything, it drooped a little.
‘He has people to take care of him. I don’t think he needs me any more

than as a doctor,’ Zarah said. Dushyant and Pihu looked at each other,
shocked, not knowing what to make of it.

‘Obviously, he needs you. Haven’t you noticed the way he looks at you?’
Pihu said excitedly even as Dushyant’s face flushed with obvious anger and
embarrassment.

‘I am sure there are other people who would respond to his looks and
overtures in a manner better than mine,’ she said, irritably.

Dushyant was still confused and fidgeted with the tubes around him.
Pihu, on the other hand, grasped immediately what Zarah meant and stayed

shut. Before the light of realization dawned on Dushyant’s face, Zarah had
left.

‘You know what she was talking about, right?’ Pihu asked.
‘I have a faint idea,’ he said. ‘Kajal.’
‘Who do you like more?’ Pihu asked.

‘Does it matter? I might not make it tomorrow, or the day after, or the
month after that.’

‘It matters to them. Don’t you think it matters to Zarah what you think
about her? After you go, if you go, do you think it will be easy for her to

grieve for you and yet not know what you thought about her?’
‘I have no idea. It’s a really hard question. I mean, Kajal and I have a

history together. We have seen things, been through shit, but Zarah and I
have seen worse. With Zarah, I don’t think I have given her a single reason
to smile or feel good about us.’

‘Trust me, you have.’
‘You think so?’