Page 246 - Half Girlfriend

Avenue, a mere five-minute walk away.

I reached Brandy’s, a tiny bar one would miss if one wasn’t
looking for it. A two-drink minimum policy applied to all customers. I
didn’t want to have drinks. I just wanted to meet the management and

find out the list of singers.

‘Sir, you need to order two drinks,' the waitress told me, chewing
gum. I realized I would need a better way to do this. For now, I found

the cheapest drink on the menu.
‘Two Budweiser beers, please.’

A makeshift stage had a piano on it. I had entered during a break.
Ten minutes later, a singer called Matt came and took his seat.

‘Hi guys, lovely to see you all again, let’s start with Aerosmith,’
Matt said.

The crowd broke into cheers. I guessed Aerosmith was a popular
hand. Matt sang in a slow, clear voice. My English practice meant I

could catch a few words; 'I could stay awake just to hear you

breathing. Watch you smile while you are sleeping.’
Customers swung their heads from side to side. Matt sang and
played the piano at the same time.‘Don’t wanna close my eyes, I don’t

wanna fall asleep. 'Cause I’d miss you, baby. And I don’t wanna miss

a thing’
I didn’t want to fall asleep either. I wanted to stay up all night and

look for Riya in as many bars as I could. I opened my Google Maps
app again.The streets of Manhattan seemed manageable on the phone

screen. In reality, this was a megacity of millions.
She may not even be in New York, a soft voice in my head told me.

It was the only sensible voice I had left. As always, I ignored it. I
focused on the music. I felt the pain of the singer who couldn’t bear to

sleep as ii would mean missing moments with his lover.
I went up to the cashier and asked for the manager. When he

arrived, I posed my standard list of questions.
‘I’ve come from India looking for a lost friend. All I know is she it

probably a singer at a bar in NewYork. Can you tell me who your