The farewell

I was seeing him after quite sometime. I could have gone earlier. He was just a stone's throw away. But I didn't.

Now he is dying. Yeah I know- I know... we all are dying. But he is dying pretty fast. He has a lung condition.

He was alone, cheerful. Nowadays he does not get out of his house- the slope in the courtyard made him breathless.

He told me , ''pray- whatever you become, pray''
How can I tell him that I have become something that I can't even pray anymore?
I guess he knows that.

Then he started to talk. About what I should do…regarding profession, regarding marriage, faith, life- everything. Suddenly it occurred to me that he didn't expect to see me a next time. That this was his farewell to me.

When I stood up to go he was distressed that no one was at home to give me a drink.

After that I returned- to deadlines, late flights, tax evasions, overloaded days- to pretend that I don’t have death...