He wanted to return the briefcase. He even ran after the gentleman who left it behind. But his lips stopped before he could shout, his feet froze and his heart skipped a few beats at the sudden thought that had struck him. 

He walked hurriedly. He told his boss that he had an emergency at home, it was true. But the boss allowed him to go only when he agreed to come back in two hours. He agreed. It was his only chance. 

He was running now, with the briefcase in his hand. How much was inside? What if there was no money?  No, that can’t be. He had been working as the peon for his boss, sitting on the stool outside the door and saluting each well dressed, gentleman coming in and going out, for years now. And he knew what went behind that curtained door when he was asked not to let anyone in. He knew how many briefcases came in there daily and how many went out!

‘There’s no hope now except the operation’ – He heard the doctor whisper in his ears. The pale face of his wife lying on the bed popped up in front of his eyes. The two pairs of eyes that surrounded her asked him what happened to their mother; he looked away. 

A smile invades his face. Very soon, he would be home, he would open up the briefcase and take out all the money. No, he would take only how much he needs, then he would go and tell his boss everything and return the rest of the money with a promise of returning whatever he had spent, soon. Then he closed his eyes for a moment and prayed that there was enough money for him to get the operation done. Something inside him told that there was. After all, he had learnt to judge people by their clothes and their ways in all these years. And that gentleman sure was carrying a lot with him. But he was careless too. First he left the briefcase resting near the leg of the chair by the door and started talking on his mobile pacing around and then suddenly he walked away, as if he remembered something more important. But now, he was thankful to him for that careless act. That was going to save a life now. 

He ignored the call of the paanwala near his house and rushed inside. Two sad pairs of eyes looked at him curiously. He smiled at them warily. They kept looking. He looked at the bed; she was sleeping or perhaps too weak to open her eyes. ‘Don’t worry! Everything will be all right now!’ He said to himself and tried to open the briefcase. It was locked.  He kept the briefcase on the floor and went out. A few minutes later he returned with a screwdriver and a hammer. He had to open it anyhow. 

The paanwala was puzzled. Mahesh went running without responding when he called out his name. It was an odd time for him to be home. Then a few minutes later he came to ask for a hammer. There was something uneasy and unknown in his eyes. He was hiding something. Was she.....? No it can’t be! 

Unable to suppress his curiosity and concern anymore, he started walking towards Mahesh’s house. It was hardly thirty meters from his shop, but he couldn’t even manage to walk five of them when the massive sound deafened him temporarily, some extreme force threw him back suddenly, just like the other people or parts of them flying momentarily in front of his eyes before hitting the ground. And in the backdrop of a total chaos, with people running erratically, shouting for help, crying in pain, was a heap of rubble which till few minutes ago used to be Mahesh’s house.