When the last of the guests left, I went back into the hall to look for my mobile phone that I had left by mistake. As I went near the table that I had occupied, I saw a man hiding under it. The black mask he wore covered the whole face except his brown eyes, which were filled with terror.
Though dressed as a thief, he seemed incapable of stealing. When I asked him to come out of his hiding, he complied. Standing face to face with the man who had come to rob my house, the only thing I was able to notice about him was his teary, simple and honest eyes. On being asked to remove his mask and reveal his true identity, he broke down inconsolably. I gave him water to drink and made him sit comfortably. He revealed that he had decided to take to robbery as the last resort to save his daughter’s life, who was in coma. Hearing this, I decided to not report the matter to the police.
Already regretting taking to robbery, he was grateful that I was not handing him over to the police. Though he refused to take financial help from me, I insisted. He promised never to rob anyone and work hard to fight the problems of his life.
