One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat

York perhaps.’
‘Wow,’ was all I could say, impressed and speechless at his observations.
‘A bit too frank?’ he said.
‘Yeah, ouch,’ I said and laughed. ‘But not bad. You do observe more about me than the
financial models I create.’
‘Oh, but your work is stellar. You could be partner one day. Radhika Mehta, Partner, Goldman
Sachs. Here’s to that,’ Neel said and raised a toast. He finished his glass in one shot. I followed him.
The cloudless sky looked even more beautiful as little stars became visible at dusk. A slow French
song began to play in the background. I couldn’t understand the lyrics, but could feel the pain of the
singer.
‘Partner Radhika. With a lot of deals under her belt. But lonely, without love,’ I said.
‘What nonsense. Radhika with a lot of love,’ Neel said.
‘Whatever. I don’t think so. Which song is this? It’s beautiful.’
‘La vie en rose. Life through rose-tinted glasses. Famous French song. But seriously, that’s
what you think? You won’t find love?’
‘Yeah. My biggest fear, perhaps.’
Neel gave me a look of disbelief.
‘You want to talk about New York?’ he said.
The waiter brought us another champagne bottle. Over the course of dinner and a few more
glasses of bubbly, I told him my entire New York story. He listened with full attention, nodding at
every significant moment.
‘And so, that’s it. I dropped the phone in the East River. Came to Hong Kong,’ I said.
I wiped a slow tear rolling down my cheek. I didn’t think of Debu much now. However,
repeating the story was not a breeze.
‘You could have just dropped the SIM card, you know. And wiped the phone to factory
settings,’ Neel said.
I looked at Neel. He kept a poker face. I don’t know why, but we burst out laughing.
‘It’s okay, crap happens in life. Mostly it’s for the good,’ Neel said.
‘More champagne, sir?’ the waiter said as he picked up our second empty bottle.
‘Actually, no. I am pretty.. .’ Neel said as I interrupted him.
‘Actually, yes. We’d like another one,’ I said.
‘Really?’ Neel said, looking at me as the waiter left.
‘Well, I have told you a lot about me. We still have to cover you. We need a drink for that.’
Neel shrugged and smiled.
‘Okay, bring it on,’ he said. ‘What’s your read on me, as a person?’
‘Well,’ I said, resting my left palm on my glass. ‘You are a bit of an enigma.’
‘Enigma?’
‘Yeah, mysterious. You are smart, clearly an overachiever. Fit, good-looking, charming.’
‘I could get used to this. Go on,’ Neel said.
‘But.. .’ I said.
‘But what?’
‘I don’t know if you are truly happy. You should be, right? You have everything the world
aspires for, right? But you don’t seem truly happy.’
‘I am happy. Look at me. Being paid to be on an island.’
‘Yeah, you get paid. A lot. But that’s not all it takes to be happy.’