Chapter 17

fter an hour of walk, Asha, who was still wearing a Panjabi, found her way to Mukti's restaurant. What she saw stopped her from moving. It was closed, stone marks on the walls, windows smashed to pieces, and dripping paint writing on the wall saying, “Poisonous food, stay away.”

Asha’s temple throbbed with rage and planned to wash out the words, but patrons started coming. She knew these people well. That meant it was almost lunchtime. She crossed the street in a hurry and hid behind a tree with her head down.

The incoming couple froze when their eyes laid on the written words. "I don't believe this. We've been eating here for years, but we've never been poisoned. Who did this?" the wife said.

"Maybe jealous people did it. This restaurant had wonderful food, so they got a better income compared to other eating places," the husband replied. He touched the paint and left a mark on his finger.

“Don’t… What are you doing?” His wife took a hanky and wiped clean the red paint from the husb