Page 253 - Half Girlfriend

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'No Indian singer here. I’m sorry,’ she said.
I had come to Tribeca Nation, a small bar with thirty seats and a

tiny stage for solo vocalists. The singer had just finished her
performance.

I had gone up to her and told her I loved her voice. I asked her if
she would have a few minutes to sit with me. She looked at me

suspiciously.

‘I just have some questions. Nothing else,’ I had told her.
She ordered a Jack Daniel’s whisky and Diet Coke, and urged me

to try the same.
Erica was twenty-two years old. She was from Rhode Island, a

state north of New York. She wanted to act in a Broadway play, and
tried her luck at auditions during the day. At night, she earned a living

through singing gigs.
‘I finished high school and came here.’

I looked at her.
‘No college, sorry.’ She grinned. Over the past few weeks, I had

learnt a thing or two about Americans. If they wanted something, they
went for it. They didn’t think about the risks so much. Which Indian

parent would allow a girl to sing in bars at night after class XII, I
wondered?

‘I really need to find this girl,’ I said, now two whiskies down and

more talkative.
‘Love. Makes us do crazy things,’ she said.

‘Well, I am going a little crazy.’
‘Love.’ She laughed. 'At least it keeps us singers in business.’

I gave her Riya’s description.
‘You spoke to agents?’

‘As many as I could. No luck yet.’
‘If she has a stage name, it can get quite difficult.’

‘Well, she is Indian. I am hoping someone will remember her. I