Lying For A Living

6

"A chicken burrito and a black coffee," Vansh ordered to the woman behind the counter. The woman handed him a bill and told him that he can come and collect his order in a few minutes. He walked to a small table and sat down, thinking about his conversation with the director. The man knew more about the incident, but was withholding information. Not many things have changed, he decided. People in the spy rings tended to be very secretive and did not trust people easily. And most of them had payed high prices before realising that not many people can be trusted in the world they live in. But Vansh had always been an opposite to them. He had shared whatever he knew and all of his assets with the men he worked with. He believed it was a even more necessary to trust people when you are in the trenches of espionage. In he thought. He realised that he had been using the present tense all the while, as if he had never left. He sighed and went to the counter to collect his breakfast.

...................

Kabir was late. Nothing new, he thought. He was usually late. Be it appointments with his bosses or meetings with his to-be partner. When he had gone to Vikram Markande's office, his assistant had told Kabir that the man had left for a meeting. Oh great, Kabir had thought, He has got another reason to screw me. Vikram Markande hated Kabir. He had looked for and found the most talented, good looking and innocent agent and made him his target. Kabir always got the worst missions, the worst paperworks to fill and the man always found a way to blame Kabir if anything, absolutely anything went wrong in the organisation. Be sighed and walked to the cafeteria where the usual lady was standing behind the counter.

"Hey Kabir! The usual? Chicken burrito and a latte?" She asked cheerfully.

Kabir smiled faintly and nodded.

"Just a minute. I had already prepared your order," she said shyly, as she picked up a tray and handed it to him. Kabir fished out his wallet and asked, "How much?"

"A cup of coffee after my duty?" She asked hopefully.

Kabir laughed indecisively, unsure what to say when a man in his early forties walked up and said, "Excuse me, can I have my order please?"

Saved by a grandpa, Kabir thought.

The lady looked disappointed at the man's sudden appearance, but said "Right away, sir," and handed the man his tray. What happened afterwards, Kabir had no idea. He had already picked up his tray and moved swiftly to his favourite table at the corner of the cafeteria.

....................

Vansh headed back to his table and had a sip of his coffee. He choked and started coughing. The coffee had damn too much milk. He had ordered a black coffee. He looked at the bill. It was printed a latte and a chicken burrito. He cursed under his breath and went to the counter to order a replacement. The man who was there at the counter before was there too, complaining about something. Vansh walked over and said, "Excuse me, I had ordered a black coffee, not a latte."

The woman looked at the other man and the man looked at Vansh and burst out laughing. "Sorry sir, I guess I picked your tray by mistake," he said.

Vansh smiled as they exchanged their trays. "Can I sit with you?" The man asked.

"Sure," Vansh replied.

They headed towards Vansh's table and sat down opposite to each other.

"I'm Kabir," he said.

"Vansh," Vansh replied as he shook the man's hand.

"So Vansh," Kabir asked, his mouth full of a bite of his chicken burrito, "What do you do here? I have been here for almost seven years, but I've never seen-" he stopped as the man who had introduced himself as

Vansh left the table and bolted somewhere out of the cafetaria, his face as if he had seen a ghost. He had seen the woman who had looked strangely at him in the morning again. He now remembered who she was. She was the woman who Vansh had seen walk swiftly past him on the night of the attack.

Kabir was confused. He could sit there enjoying his perfect burrito and pretend none of this happened, or he could follow the man. Damn it grandpa! He thought, as he ran after Vansh.