He stole

A moment. Of love. For my wife. I planned to buy her a sari. It was not her birthday. It wasn’t our anniversary. Just. Out of love. I selected a sari. Green, her favourite colour.

A moment. And it was gone. I started counting backwards. Thought of places where I could have dropped it. Forgotten it.

A moment. Of realisation. I had lost it. My wallet. And my mind. Searched haphazardly in my bag. Only a single compartment to look for. Searched it thrice. I put my head up in anger. Irritation. It was some emotion. Undecipherable.

A moment. I felt someone looking at me. I looked around. A young chap, with clothes as ragged as a scarecrow’s, was gawking at me from a distance. I felt something wrong with that look. Something made me feel that it was him.

A moment. I started sneaking towards him. He comprehended it. He started walking, too. I made a conscious effort to not stare at him. I couldn’t succeed. But now, I was sure. It was him. He knew that I knew.

A moment. Of rush. Of spate. I started running towards him. He, in his jaded condition, started running.

A moment. I realised that it was roughly 20 minutes that I have been running for him. Through hutments. Through dirty shacks. I was just running.

A moment. We both stopped. He was still at a distance. We both were exhausted. I was thirsting for some water. I couldn’t give up. Neither could he.

A moment. I started chasing him again. He ran. This time, straight into a hut. I was almost there. Preserving the anger. I saw him at the window with folded hands.

A moment. I started walking towards him. Confused with my emotions. Undecipherable. Again.

A moment. I reached the window. I looked inside. It was his hut. A hut. Just to call it one. We have four walls covering us. We call it home. He had four walls, too. Three of them with huge cracks. Just about to break. One, with a small window.

A moment. I stretched out my hand. He still had folded hands, with my wallet in between. My hand. Outstretched.

A moment. He kept the wallet in my hand. I started walking away. With a grim heart. I was tired. I looked behind from the corner of my eye. He wasn’t there at the window.

A moment. I stopped. Took out money from my wallet. Walked towards his hut. Kept the money on the window sill.

A moment. I walked away. And, I didn’t turn around.

A moment. I felt, he stole my anger.