Page 37 - Half Girlfriend

iuinraon, the oldest princely state in British India. When India became

independent, the government took away our family estate and left us
with an annual pension that declined with every generation. My great-
grand-uncles squandered their money, especially since they all felt they

could gamble better than anyone else in the world. Several near-

bankruptcies later, the women of the house took charge as the men had
all turned into alcoholics. Somehow, the women saved the family pride

and the haveli. All of my cousins had moved abroad, and vowed never
to return. My father, the only one to remain in Bihar, held the last title

of Raja Sahib of Dumraon. Ten years ago, he had succumbed to a
cardiac arrest. My mother, Rani Sahiba Durga Jha, was the only

strong-willed person left in the family. She brought me up and
maintained the few farms left. She also tan the Dumraon Royal

School, which taught seven hundred kids from nearby villages, The
noise of air bubbles as Riya sucked up the last of her lemonade made

me realise I had spoken non-stop for ten minutes.

‘I'm boring you,’ I said, I vowed to stay quiet for a few minutes, It
had to be Silent Rlya's turn new, ‘Net at all,’
I smiled, ‘Now you speak, If you let me talk, I won’t stop,'

‘Okay, but wait, technically you're a prince, aren't you? Or are you

the king, Raja Sahib?'
I laughed, ‘There are no kings and princes anymore, Only

uneducated villagers talk like that,'
'But they do, right? Seriously, am I talking to a prince? Do they

address you as Prince?' She widened her eyes, Her award-winning
eyebrows moved up and down a little, ‘Sometimes they do, Listen, it's

not important, We're net rich or anything,*
‘You live in a palace?'

‘Haveli, It's like, well, a small palace, Anyway, I'm no prince, I'm a
Bihari boy trying to graduate, Do I look like a prince from any angle?’

‘C’mon, you are tall and handsome, You could be one, if you had
seme jewellery,' she said, She had said it in jest, but it was the first real

compliment she had paid me. Little cupcakes of happiness exploded