Page 224 - Half Girlfriend

17 February 2009

Sometimes you need a knock on the head to come hack to your
senses. I received it hard knock today. I don’t know what happened to
me yesterday. I kissed Madhav on the roof of his haveli. It made me

forget reality. I started dreaming.

And how the dream crashed. Just when those silly feelings of 'this
seems so right' started to take root, Rani Sahiha brought me back to

my senses.
The signs were already there. How could I forget those

disapproving glances from her in the living room? How idiotic of me
to open up to her. Just because she was Madhav’s mom, I thought she

would also accept my past like Madhav did? She fed me litti-chokha.
It didn't mean she liked me.

‘Are you the girl he was involved with in college?’ she asked me in
the school staffroom today, when Madhav went to take his class. I

didn’t know what to say. I had no idea what Madhav had told her

about me.
'We were good friends, yes,' I said.
‘And now?’ she said.

‘Friends only. Nothing else, aunty’ I said, a stammer in my voice.

'I know my son. He will get involved with you again.’
‘Aunty, we do like each other but... ’

‘Stay out of his life,’ she said shortly.
‘Aunty, but..,'

She stared at me.
‘You are divorced. You must be desperate for another man. My

son is handsome and a prince here. Of course, I can sense your
plans.’

‘Plans?’
‘It is so easy for your type. One man didn’t work out, so get

another.’
If it were not Madhav’s mother, I would have snapped back. I

controlled myself.