Another Friend

After Mr. John and Heartless are gone to the office, Robin turns to Mrs. John with a tranquil sigh, exhibiting serene over her face, and passes a pleasant smile at her,

"Wish your work would be done soon! Young girl! Have a seat please!"

"Thank you! You are such a kind and sweet woman!" Retorts Robin respectfully.

"Yeah! You too! By the way, I have to go and check out the servants whom I have ordered to prepare food." She retorts with a gratifying smile and leaves the dining room, heading her way to the kitchen.

"Plump yourself, please!" Says Saim while settling himself over a sofa, after his mother has gone. Following his instructions, she grabs her place on a sofa heading him in front.

"Well! May I ask where you met Heartless?" Asks Saim with a mild smile.

"Actually! I remember I saw him the first time he saved me from the rascals when I was kidnapped by them." Responds Robin while pondering.

"Oh! Really? Sad to know that you were kidnapped! But I am astonished to hear that Heartless saved someone!" Replies Saim while concentrating curiously over the general fact.

"Yeah! It's okay, I survived … But it was not possible without his help." She responds with a mild mirthful smile over her face but downcasted emotions within her heart for calling him Heartless.

"By the way, don't you have sisters?"She asks while peeking through the door into the house.

"No, I have none! Though I am the only son of my parents!" He replies with a pleasant smile.

They let a few minutes of silence pass smoothly, letting Robin gaze at the paintings and Saim keeping drowned in multitude of convictions within his mind.

"Robin! May I ask about your perspectives and views for Heartless!?"

"The personality he possesses doesn't need someone's view. He is what he is!" Persuades Robin while uplifting her shoulders with absolute satisfaction.

Saim replies with nothing more than a mild nod with his face possessing no expressions. After passing a few minutes with still position, he asks,

"So, you have a thorough belief that he is playing a kind role as if he is like a hero in your life, that is; he is helping you!"

"Yeah! Of course! Can't you see?" She replies with a mirthful smile.

"And what do you think about him?" Saim puts forward a question.

"He is too brave but too angry and silent." She replies calmly.

"I know this all! I am talking about his behavior with you." He explains while passing a noble smile.

"He is always angry with me, that is; I have literally no importance in his eyes. That's all!" Replies Robin with a mirthless smile.

"Oh, Really? How can you think so? Though you are one of those, instead the only girl whom he is helping." Saim isn't satisfied with her view about his friend.

"Sunnie replied to me with the same words." She retorts while turning her eyes back to the painting hung on the wall.

"Did you meet Sunnie?". He turns unconditionally astonished.

"Oh, Yeah!I stayed there for two days." She retorts while giving a brief glance at him.

"These are the safe sites of Tiger and I am surprised that he is letting you know about them." He bows forward while binding both of his hands.

"Okay! I might have misunderstood but all I wanted to say is just that he does not talk to me as you and Sunnie do."

"It is his style or you can consider it as his nature. Usually, he does not express what he feels. I hope you understand what I mean." Saim replies with a solemn statement.

"Oh, yeah! He only let his anger be expressed!"She replies while passing a jovial smile.

The entire room roars up with Saim's suddenly churned out laughter as he turns unable to suppress it.

"Why are you laughing? It is not a joke. I am serious… Well! I have to tolerate him only for one more day. Thank God!" She replies with a mild smile over her lips.

"Okay! What after passing this one day?" He puts forward another question with his face exhibiting eagerness to know.

"Gladly, I am going back to my father today."

"Oh!" He turns into a solemn expression while reacting with an amazed sigh as if he has undergone a mild shock.

"So, You were far away from your father for the last 3 days. Didn't you miss him?" He asks to proceed with the conversation as if he doesn't let her know about the news Heartless broke to him regarding her father.

Tiger, "Of course, I missed him every second of these eight days as I was far away from him for the last eight days and not three."

"Oh, How?" He puts forward another question

"Yeah! Also, count the five days I spent kidnapped." She adds.

"Oh! Yeah!" Saim passes a brief nod.

"All of my worries and eagerness is just for the reason that … How will he be in these 8 days?" She seems dejected with sorrowful eyes.

"Yeah! I remember when he became fine by being donated with a kidney from some stranger, I was present in the hospital along with Ritcher, my cousin, when we came to know about this wonderful news." She adds.

"But before I could go to ask the doctor about the details of that stranger, I was called down to the reception and was kidnapped." Her accent turns more and more downcasted as long as she proceeds with revealing her father's details and her eyes turn bloodshot.

"Don't worry! God bless him." Consoles Saim, perceiving her downhearted.

"Okay, When you will go back to your home, whom will you miss the most?" Saim asks with a noble smile to switch her frame of mind.

"Of course, Heartless!... No doubt he is quiet but he is helping me, consuming his energy, wasting his time…whereas the time spent with Sunnie is also memorable. Elles was lovely too. But the five days I spent being kidnapped was … frightening… I was all alone in complete darkness, alone in that building without any helper. Heartless was like an angel for me at that time." She explains with a pleasant smile.

"Are there any changes you would like to see in Heartless?" Asks Saim.

"Yeah! I want his anger to be thoroughly turned into happiness, I want his silence to be turned into a babble. Conclusively, I would like him to realize that he is not Heartless, if I could get the chance." She responds enthusiastically.

Having nothing to reply with, Saim responds by raising up one of his eyebrows. After the passage of a few unsaid minutes, he adds,

"It is really impossible to know that you have met the fourth one but have you met Smartie too?"

"No! But I wish to meet him and Tim as well." She retorts in a low voice.

"How do you know him?" He turns truly astounded.

"Sunnie told me the entire story about Heartless' life but he does not know about it." She replies in a slow voice.

"Do you have any idea what he would do when he would come to know about your knowledge? You must have waited until Tiger himself told you about the entire past." He speaks in a considerably louder voice as he turns worried.

"I wish he would tell me himself! But I am sure he would never tell me himself." She replies in a low desperate voice.

"Anyways! I will strictly instruct you to never express that you know all about him." Saim replies with an exasperated sigh.

"Will Tiger let me meet the rest of his friends?" Asks Robin while bowing her head forward.

Saim, "No! Certainly not! You are going back to your home today. I don't feel there is any chance you might get to meet them anymore."

"Okay! I just wanted to perceive them once. Wouldn't I meet him again too?" She asks in a low voice.

"No! You will never meet him again! In fact, I don't know if you would be able to! Don't ask such questions to me. I don't know what his plans are for the future. He will tell you everything himself, don't worry! He will give you all the instructions himself." His accent seems loaded entirely with worries and confusions regarding which knowledge he is eligible to transfer and which one he is not.

"But why? Don't you know he is the son of one of my father's closest friends and he is also ordered by him to take care of me." She replies with a question.

"What? … Okay, let's leave this topic! Would you like to play cards?" He turns astonished as if he has felt weird over the story she told but soon realizes that Tiger has created the entire plot to gain her blind belief and to proceed with his plan.

"Answer me first, please!" She insists on him.

"Robin, please! I can't tell you further. He will tell himself." He closes the chapter with a kind sorry.

"Do you mean that I wouldn't meet Sunnie and Elles again?" She asks further.

"Yes! But you don't need to be sad. Enjoy the present rather than worrying about the future … Please wait for a moment. I am just coming."

He babbles swiftly, avoiding to continue the conversation for further then stands up and firmly leaves the room.

She inhales an exasperated breath while lowering her head. She subsequently stands up and moves closer to the appealing painting hung on the wall.

After an interval of a few minutes, Saim arrives back with card's game and a photo album in his hands.

"I don't know if you could meet the rest of his friends but all I can do is just reveal to you my album and our pictures and then we can play cards if you would like to." Saim says sympathetically while settling himself over a sofa and placing his albums and cards over a table. As soon as he perceives her observing the painting concentratedly, he adds, "I made this painting a few months ago and my father hung it over here because he truly loved it."

"Wow! This is mind blowing! Are you an artist?" She asks, astonished.

"No, I just like doing it whenever I get spare time." He smiles with a contented smile.

She moves back to the sofa and sits near him. They get busy watching the photographs in his album and playing cards and proceed their time cheerfully. A few minutes later, Mrs. John arrives at them, peeks through the door and says: "Lunch is ready! We are just waiting for their arrival."

"They might be coming, might be on their way!"Retorts Saim solemnly whereas Mrs. John leaves back.

After the passage of almost half an hour, Tiger and Mr. John arrive and join them.

"Is your work entirely done?" Asks Saim in a low voice.

"Almost, all done!" Replies Heartless within an almost inaudible voice.

"Lunch is ready! I have ordered the servants to serve it." Says Mrs. John in a high pitch then leaves the room followed my Mr. John, who addresses Robin before getting up.

"Yeah girl! Have patience, May God bless you. Come on! I am very hungry. Let's have lunch. let's go!"

"Robin! Let's go!" Speaks Tiger.

Robin and Mr. John leaves the living room followed by Tiger who, when walks closer to the door with the intention to leave and to go outside, Saim stops him by holding his hand and exhibits the expressions while looking at him in the way as if he wants to say that he is feeling sorry for Robin then speaks in a low voice.

"Tiger! My friend! Please, leave this case."

Tiger gets lost while peering into his eyes very concentratedly then he takes his eyes away from him coming back to his senses. He shakes his hand and away and goes off. Saim inhales a deep exasperated sigh after he has gone then moves to have lunch.

After they have taken lunch, Tiger addresses Mrs. John "Aunt! We have to go. Food was delicious indeed. Thanks a lot for your love and hospitality. Uncle! Thanks for the help. Saim, I am leaving my car in your garage. I hope I will get free tomorrow then I will pick it back up."

Saim takes his eyes off him, turns his face, and nods.

They see them off with good wishes and love. Tiger and Robin hire a taxi and go to the railway station by it.

Robin, "What about tickets and booking?"

"I have done everything, just wait for the arrival of the train." Retorts Tiger.

After a few minutes have passed, Tiger asks Robin to sit on the nearby bench and says that he is just coming. Tiger goes somewhere whereas Robin keeps sitting on the bench and waiting for the train. Twenty minutes later, the train arrives on the platform. Robin tries to seek Tiger with her eyes without standing up and leaving the bench but she fails to find him. She keeps sitting on the bench instead of taking the train and the train leaves.

Half an hour later, another train arrives on the platform. At the same moment, Tiger arrives back but keeps standing at her right side for a few moments and has been promptly caught by the sight of Robin as soon as she turns her face when feels someone's presence. She keeps her eyes settled on him as if she is observing his condition with blank expressions.He seems mused while breathing deeply, sweating constantly, and possessing a pale face along with bloodshot eyes, tightened lips, and chilled hands and feet. His face is directed towards the railway with his eyes settled over the still train but she continues peering at him curiously then asks in a very low voice,

"Heartless! Are you okay?"

He does not reply to her and begins to walk forward followed by Robin. He goes into the train and looks for his seat according to the booked seat number. They sit in front of one another at the corner window seat.

Robin, observing him, "You are not looking okay. You are looking too different."

The train starts with a whistle.

Heartless speaks very slowly and emotionally, "I am… really feeling different for… first time in my life."

"What made you feel different?" She solemnly asks while bowing forward. When he perceives such words of Robin, Tiger astonishes and turns his eyes to her face, who was yet watching out of the window. He becomes confused and tries to find the answer to her question in his mind. When he does not reply until a few minutes later, she adds " I think you can't find the answer."

He again gives a brief astonished glance at her face, this time he is more stunned but he takes his eyes off her and tries to be normal and again turns his eyes through the window. She moves back and sits properly.

"Why don't you like talking to me?" She asks solemnly, after the passage of a few silent minutes.

"Robin, please! I am not in the mood to fight right now. I am confused, not even understanding myself." He replies coldly.

"I think, I know." She readily retorts in a low voice.

"O really?" He asks.

"It might be due to the fact that you are going to do something different, something which you might have never done before." She solemnly retorts.

Tiger is dazed, "What? What do you want to say? What might it be?"

Robin, frightened, "Sorry! But… I thought that…"

Tiger convinces her to speak but still his voice keeps low "say it… hurry up!... What do you think?"

"I was trying to say that you are going to save someone's life which you might have never done before. (She begins to babble) I am really very much sorry. I don't want to make you angry. Nobody told me anything. I suggested this by your wrathful personality full of anger, and the murders you did while saving me…"

"Okay! Okay! Stop babbling madam!" All of his amazement fades away as he doesn't get the answer he expected from her.

She takes a deep relaxing sigh.

"Were you thinking that I am unwell and confused because I am helping somebody… that is you… first time in my life?" He tries once again through confirmation.

"Yes!" She readily states.

Tiger raises up one of his eyebrows while turning his away and gets lost in his thoughts along with closing his eyes. Suddenly, An old lady arrives and asks Robin for time. Robin does not have a wristwatch hence she twists Tiger's wrist to check the time on his watch. He comes into his senses and shakes her hand away angrily.

"It is 6:00 pm, aunt!" Ignoring his violence, she replies to the old lady.

Tiger glances at the old woman who is going away then utters angrily "Have you gone mad? What were you taking revenge on?"

Robin seems hesitating, "I was just telling her time as I don't have a wristwatch."

"You could have asked me." He continues angrily.

"Enough Heartless! Your hand has not been broken." She exasperatedly replies.

"It is quite useless to talk to you." He whispers to himself, out of irritation.