Pens and Pages

“Madam, your fare?” the bus-conductor asked the lady sitting beside me in the bus I took from Jalukbari to Panbazar yesterday. The woman handed out a ten-rupee note and got back a couple of coins.  I had a fifty-rupee note clutched between my fingers to give to the conductor. Although, the fare is only seven rupees, I did not have any other notes of less value with me that day. To my surprise, the conductor moved on to the next seat to ask for fare without taking mine. Perhaps, he confounded that I had given my fare already.  Undoubtedly, I was delighted by the fact that I had my seven bucks saved and I could spend it on a candy bar. But, deep within me, there was guilt that I was doing something unjust.On one hand I was euphoric that I had deft enough not to let anyone know that the reason of the smile on my face was that I was travelling without a ticket. On the other hand it made me feel debauched as I was entirely aware that the conductor forgot to ask me. Considering my conscienc