I Am Guilty

18. Visitor

That night at the dinner table, everyone was unusually quiet.
Bansi had seen Veena come back from the outhouse and knew that someone was back. She had craned her neck to get a glimpse of her brother, who was nowhere in the sight.

Troubled Veena was locked up in he room, until called for dinner. Bansi had glanced at the door again and again, to see if he would come to eat.

Arjun opened his bag to pull out a pair of lounge wear and his hand caught hold of the long cardboard box that Kunal had stuffed in his bag on the airport. He fetched it out and smiled at the memory of his ever-annoying friend. He could not be anymore grateful for the people he had in his life.
He sat down on the bed and unwrapped the roll in the box and stuffed his mouth with big bites. The roll was cold by now and the cheese in it had slightly hardened. But he never complained and focused on gulping down the half chewed bites.
The jumbo veg roll with extra cheese slice and grilled cottage cheese, along with pickled cucumbers was stuffed with tossed jullienns of carrots and cabbage. It was enough to feed him for the dinner.

Arjun made a note to thank Kunal for being so considerate, while he never thought of what he would eat that night.
He just wished he could have had something cold to drink. The hot and humid weather of Mumbai was making him restless. There was not a slightest sign of winters that were on their peak in Northern India.

He sighed. How he wished he could strip to just his shorts and sleep without anything on.
But he did not know what he needed to be prepared for. Least he could do was to be dressed modestly.

Bansi took a last look at the outhouse that was now drowned in darkness.
It was not appropriate to go and disturb him at an ungodly hour.

Next day, when Arjun woke up at the shy of morning, he found his stomach grumbling in protest. Sighing he freshened up and took a look at the kitchen cabinets. A few basic dry ingredients were there and he could hardly make anything out of it. Picking up his phone and wallet, he walked out of the outhouse.
He first went to a decent restaurant and treated himself with a heartfilling breakfast, followed by a large coffee.
He then marched to a nearby local supermarket and looked around in the grocery section too pick up a few things that would make his stay convinient.
The basic spices, a bottle of ketchup, bread, eggs and toned milk for his coffee were enough for a day or two. That was what he was planning on. If at all he decided to extend, he could come back and pick up some thing more.

He walked back to the outhouse with the grocery bags in his hands.
He placed the bags in the kitchen and dialled Kunal's number.

"Get a life, Man. You are getting obsessed with me." Kunal grumbled sleepily.
That made Arjun chuckle.

"Oh.. Someone is happy. Did you make your little wife fall for you already?" Kunal asked, suddenly interested.

"Shut up, Kunal. A dirty mind you have there." He reprimanded.

Kunal scoffed.
"Look who's talking. You can act dirty and I can't even talk."

Arjun groaned.
"Why did I even call you?"

"That was my point. Get lost and let me sleep. I came back from a night shift." Kunal whined.

"We need to do something, Kunal." Arjun deadpanned and Kunal stilled.

"What's up, Arjun? Are you alright?"

"Humm. I am fine, but he is looking for a way to get back to Veena. It's high time. I don't think I will be able to keep her engaged for a long time. And... It's not about only her now. No one deserves that fate, Kunal."

Kunal sighed.
"I know. What have you decided."

"Nothing yet, but we need a plan of action. And we need it soon."