I

18

wiped a tear from the corner of my right eye. A bit of kajal came away on my finger. I sat down
on the leg raise machine. Debu continued to look at me with an apologetic expression.
‘I have not forgotten anything, Debu. But I don’t need to be reminded of it either.’
‘I am sorry, baby,’ he said and touched my elbow. I pushed his hand away. I stood up to leave.
‘I need to go. And you have to stop calling me baby.’
I tried to walk past him. He blocked me.
‘What?’ I said.
‘Please. Stay. Listen to me. Please.’
‘What’s the point? I have literally a hundred people waiting upstairs.’
My phone rang.
‘See, it is my sister,’ I said.
‘Tell her you need ten more minutes.’
‘What for?’ I placed a finger on my lips to signal Debu to be quiet and answered the call.
‘Yeah, didi. I went to the washroom.. .no, not in the room.. .I am coming. Give me five
minutes.. .no need to come fetch me.. .I will come on my own.’
I hung up. I saw Debu. His eyes, his dreamy puppy-dog eyes, continued to look at me.
‘What?’ I said.
‘I made the biggest mistake of my life,’ Debu said.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ I said. Even though I said it didn’t matter, I did feel good inside. At least he
finally felt some regret.
‘You were the best thing that happened to me. Seriously,’ Debu said.
‘Why? That white chick didn’t work out?’
‘Who?’
‘That girl. Who was with you when I.. .’
‘No. We tried. There was no intellectual match.’
‘Oh, you care about a girl’s intellect too now?’
‘Of course I do. I always did. That is why I liked you.’
‘That is also why you dumped me.’
‘I told you. I made a mistake. A big mistake. Monumental mistake.’
‘You said my job would harden me. What else did you say? You had a vision for the mother of
your kids. You wanted me to quit working.’
‘I am sorry. I became a little insecure.’
‘Oh, really? Now you realize it! You weren’t a little insecure. You were monumentally