Rajeev was not so fond of shopping, but then, when she wanted, Shriya could coax a dead body out of its grave. The result was just as one would have expected. Rajeev and Shriya came out of the movie theatre.

“I still insist. Let’s drop the idea of going to the mall. See it has rained a bit and the roads are all wet and dirty.”

“Come on now. This little shower has made the evening lovelier. Only sometime ago, you were complaining about how hot it was.”

 Nothing was going to douse Shriya’s spirits tonight. She continued, “Let's go walking. It’s not very far from here.”

“Only about half a kilometer – not very far.”

“Raa-jeev! This is really a very lame excuse from someone who likes to run marathons for fun. Look, I have heard a lot about this new place and have not once been to it. I have been looking forward to going there with you.”

“I hate to see you girls shopping. You take so much time to decide, and by the time you finish, not a single shop remains unturned. Let’s wait no more then. Its time to do some serious shopping”

They both smiled spontaneously. Hand in hand they stepped out on the road. The weather was very pleasant now and the cool breeze was simply refreshing. They walked on cheerfully. They were having a great Saturday evening together.

“Have you noticed how a little rain makes the roads look darker?”

“So now you are afraid of the dark as well”, giggled Shriya.

As if on cue, a stranger stepped out of the shadows right in front of the two young friends.

“Your money”, he muttered, “give me all you have.”

It was only then that Shriya realized that he was holding a knife.

Rajeev nudged Shriya back and, at the same time, pulled out his wallet and threw it down in front of the mugger.

The mugger picked up the wallet and disappeared into a dark alley.

Shriya was shaking. Rajeev led her back to the main street, and they got into a cab.

“Pretty desperate guy, wasn’t he?” Rajeev tried to break the tense silence that had engulfed them since the incident.

“Why?” Shriya asked, reflexively.

“Muggers generally take on the elderly and the helpless. He must need that money badly.”

Yes – Shriya thought – Rajeev was tall and heavily built. The puny mugger was no match for him.

Rajeev dropped Shriya off at her place and continued to the police station.

“I must file a complaint. That guy needs to be caught before someone gets hurt”, he explained to Shriya as he said his goodbyes.

Shriya was not convinced. Rajeev should have done something to stop the mugger. Instead, he was making lame excuses.

She could not help but think of Gaurang, who had bravely fought off a goon on a bus last year. The entire school had turned up to meet him at the hospital.

Gaurang was neither tall and well built nor athletically inclined. Mostly after school hours, he was to be found in the school library, peering over a book through his pair of rounded glasses. And yet he had dared where Rajeev had failed.

The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Rajeev had let her down. The very next morning, she paid Gaurang a visit.

 They exchanged pleasantries and soon Shriya came to the point.

“There was a reason why I came to you today”

“Yes”, Gaurang nodded attentively, encouraging her to speak her mind.

“Is it ok if I ask you to tell me about the incident on the bus?”

“Oh, that was nothing”, Gaurang shrugged deprecatingly, “It was just a pickpocket I caught red-handed. I did not know he had a knife. It was stupid of me, really.”

“Don’t be so modest. I think you were very brave. Everyone thinks it was a brave thing to do.”

“No. I am not being modest. I spent two days in the hospital. An old lady was also badly hurt with a deep cut to a major artery.

I nearly lost my life just because of a few bucks in a wallet – she said to me when I met her later.

That is how she saw the whole incident. I think I was right in catching him in the act, but once he pulled out that knife, I should have re-assessed the situation. You know, even Policemen are taught to ensure the safety of the public before taking any action against an armed aggressor.”

“But then, should you have just him go?”

“It was definitely not a do-or-die situation. Taking on a desperate armed man in a crowded bus was probably not a very wise thing to do.”

“Is not letting a criminal go free to commit more crimes irresponsible in its own way?”

“Yes it is. But, weigh that against the damage that was done in my crude attempt to catch him. At times, you have to think of the situation and also of the safety of those who are with you or near you. If a rash action can hurt someone, is it worth the risk?”

On her way back, Shriya thought of how Rajeev had shielded her by stepping in front of her when the mugger had made his appearance. Moreover, he had realized that she was unnerved and had immediately hired a cab to drop her off. So he really had been thinking of her safety all that time.

The next day, when Shriya met Rajeev at school, she threw her arms around him cheerfully – “So you are my hero after all – the hero who was mugged!”