Page 137 - Half Girlfriend

I smiled. I did go to the best English college, but my English still,

well, sucked.
*
My cell phone rang in the middle of a maths class. The call came

from an unknown number. The class III students looked at me. I held

a chalk in one hand and the phone in the other. I cut the call and
continued to teach.

'Twenty-three multiplied by twelve,’ l wrote on the squeaky
blackboard.

The phone rang again.
‘Do this sum, I’ll be right back,’ I said and stepped out of class.

‘Is this Mr Madhav Jha?’ asked a female voice in an unfamiliar
accent when I picked up the call.

‘Yes,’ I said.
‘This is Samantha Myers from the Bill Gates Foundation, calling

from New Delhi.’

‘What?’ I said. I tried to figure out her words despite the strange
accent. ‘Hello. Myself Madhav. What can I do for you?’
I kicked myself for saying ‘myself Madhav’.

‘I am part of Mr Gates’s advance party. We would like to inspect

your school before we decide our itinerary.’
She spoke so fast I couldn’t understand most of what she said.

‘Yes, Mr Bill Gates. Is he coming?’
I had not had any update since my visit to Patna a week ago.

‘Well, I need to visit you first.’
*

‘Your school is...’ Samantha paused as she hunted for the right
word.

‘Not in great condition?’ I said.
I had taken her on a school tour.

The plaster was coming off the walls. The noise of kids repeating
mathematical tables drowned out our conversation. Students peeped

out of classroom windows. They stared at the alien creature with