A kg more than you do

“Hmmm…. I am back. What were we talking about?” he asked. The reliance unlimited16 talk plan that they’ve got would disconnect every hour and thus help them keep a track of time, in addition to the disturbance in conversation.

“This was the 2^nd time Raka ji…. It’s time for us to sleep.”

“Oh, don’t go just yet…. Wait for few more minutes”

“Okay…. You were about to ask me a question. Go on”. He smiled at her condescension and continued, “Oh yes… the question. Pay attention ‘cause it’s a tricky one. What’s heavier… A kg of cotton Or A kg of Iron?”

“What kind of a question is that?”

“A tricky one”, he replied glibly.

“Well its simple…”, he cut her short, “Think harder Sirka ji… I don’t want you to lose.”

“Huh”…and he was grinning hard all the while she took to complete rest of the sentence… “Ofcourse a kg of iron is heavier”.

“Haha… got you!”

“That’s not fair, you tricked me into it”

“I told you it was a tricky question”, there was no trick in that. It was her un-questioning faith in him that played with her and he knew that.

“I must go to sleep now… its way past 1 am now”

“Okay”, he sighed and continued after a few seconds, “Sometimes I wish I could delete 1am from the watch altogether. Then you won’t ever have to leave”

“How much do you love me Raka Ji?” she asked promptly, as if driven by a sudden remembrance of a previously thought desire. He has long anticipated this question but never actually gave it a thought serious enough to look for an answer. He was sure that it will be asked. It had to be asked. It has been asked.

“What makes you ask that?”

“Just answer the question”

“It’s a silly question to ask. Why would you ever want to put a limit on something as sacred as love?”

“Will you please answer it…. For me. Please. I just have to know”

“Well if you insist, the answer would be… ‘A kg more than you do dearest’”

“Ahh…. I love you more. That’s not correct”

“Nah, I love you a kg more than you do”

“That’s not fair… how can you say I love you less”

“I never said that”

“You said you love me more than I love you”

“Okay, look at it like this. Suppose your love is infinite for me, and I love you a kg more. It would still be infinite. So your love is at the most equal to mine, but never less”

“Where do you get such answers from?” she asked… amazed.

“And the kg that I am talking about here is a kg of cotton. So that if you try to hold it, your hands would be wide open. Just like you would have hoped me to tell you how much I love you.”

His answer was way more satisfying for her. She has hoped for a conventional reply. “I will never be able to win an argument against you”, she said in a sad tone which has a hint that she was happy to lose against him.

“That’s rubbish. You can definitely win. You will win arguments against me”

“When”, she asked eagerly.

“One day…”he continued… “When the sun is brighter than usual and rain is falling…”

“When does that happen? You mean to say I will never win”

“Let me complete Sirka Ji. When the sun is brighter than usual and rain is falling from the sky…. When a radiant Rainbow will divide the sky in two halves and I will be busy looking for the treasure at one end of that rainbow… that is when you will win over me. On that day, you will win and I will lose. And I will be the happiest person to lose against you.”

Those words were engrossed in her heart at that very moment. “What treasure?” she continued as if nothing has been stirred up inside her.

“The treasure at the starting and end points of rainbow…. Did no one tell you about it?” he asked humorously.

“Oh yeah. I read it somewhere. So you would be busy searching for that treasure instead of paying attention to the argument and that’s how I will win?”

“Pretty much”

“I don’t want you to lose. I like losing arguments to you”

“You din’t get it Santri, I will still win in the end, coz your win is my victory as well”

“uff… meet me at Hotel moon. I might have a chance there”

“Sure dearest”