Page 28 of Musafir Cafe

‘Spare me this sermon, shut up.’

‘If he cared so much, he wouldn’t have given up.’

‘Yaar, you behave so erratically at times.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Nothing, I just want to cry my heart out. Please let me cry.’

‘Then cry. Who’s stopping you?’

‘How do I? I don’t feel like crying.’

‘Now stop talking. Just keep quiet, okay?’

‘Come closer to me. You won’t leave me like this and go, no?’

‘No, are you crazy, if going is an option, we’ll go together. Now come on, cry it out real quick.’

‘So now I should rush in crying as well?’

‘Okay, take your time. Easy there.’

Sudha kept crying for hours. Chandar let her. She fell asleep crying. Chandar started to think about what would happen if Sudha really left. If Sudha passed away, what would become of everything? If he were to die one day, would Sudha forget him? He felt restless.

After days, Chandar was actually thinking about himself. He wondered what he was doing, really. It was just so perfect with Sudha. How did it matter if she didn’t want to get married? He tried sleeping, thinking about himself and his feelings, but couldn’t fall asleep. When one loses a night’s sleep thinking about something that is upsetting, one should realize that life is about to take a turn that will change everything as we know it.

‘Our life isn’t as perfect as it seems from the outside.’

‘Is it even life if it’s perfect?’

L for Life!

When Sudha came back from work one day, she saw Chandar reclining on the sofa and drinking.

‘I have been trying to call you for so long, why weren’t you picking up?’

‘Life’s really short.’

‘You don’t usually drink on weekdays. Anything the matter?’

‘Life’s really short.’

‘Well, you can keep saying that; it won’t make it long.’

‘Life’s really short.’

‘One more time, and I will murder you and cut your life really short.’

‘Life’s really short. When would I do all those things that I want to do?’

‘What do you want to do?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Well, if you don’t know, then how does it matter if life’s short or long?’

‘I am scared that I’d get to know about what my calling is, extremely late.’