Half Girlfriend

famine. I bought the two-rupee ticket for both of us. ‘You could have bargained. He would have agreed for eighteen thousand,’ I ...

Foundation people would arrive in six weeks and I had to deliver a speech. ‘No speech, no grant, eh?’ she said. I nodded and hai ...

‘All the time.You should come sometime,’ I said. She kept quiet. I sensed her hesitation. We stepped out of the Maurya Complex. ...

25 'Here’s the plan,’ she said. She slid an A4 sheet towards me. We were in Takshila Restaurant at the Chanakya Hotel for dinner ...

Calling call centres and choosing the English option. Reading out English advertisements on street hoardings. Reading simple En ...

‘Hindi is incredible. We speak it like we write it. There’s no need to learn pronunciation separately,’ Riya said. ‘So why doesn ...

‘All we have for peace in this city,’ I said. We sat in silence and watched the ripples of water, my hand inches from hers. I wo ...

lived in London and met many Americans there. I know how these goras think.’ ‘How was London?’ I said, barely able to make out h ...

choosing my words with care, afraid she would withdraw. ‘Soon. Let me move into mine first,’ she said. ‘I’m staying back tomorro ...

26 'I am officially, completely, exhausted,’ Riya said. She wore a pink kurti and dark blue tights. Her face had turned pink to ...

inaugurated her hot plate and utensils. An hour later, we ate Maggi noodles in new stainless steel bowls from which the stickers ...

‘Want to? This evening?’ ‘Work first. You have to watch The Godfather on my laptop.’ ‘I did,’ I said. ‘You saw the first part. N ...

There isn’t much to see in Dumraon. Yet, she found everything exotic. ‘Sueh cute roads,’ she said, as we walked along the narrow ...

so openly about his past stunned me. He talked about dropping out of college to save his adoptive parents’ money, and then sleep ...

27 Savitri tai served us daal and subzi with chapatis. ‘Litti-chokha is for dinner, when Ma arrives,’ I said. 'Sounds great,’ Ri ...

‘Relax, I do this in Patna, too,’ she said. ‘My mother should see this,’ ‘Why?’ she said. ‘Nothing,’ I said. ‘Is she here?’ my ...

‘Sometimes.’ My mother didn’t respond. I felt guilty. I needed to give a longer answer. ‘Well, she was in the team too. Girls’ t ...

‘Marwari. I’m Riya Somani.’ ‘Ah,’ my mother said. ‘They let you come to Bihar and work?’ ‘They don’t let me do things. I wanted ...

My mother did not respond. Riya took it as assent and left. 'Now I see why you go to Patna,’ Ma said. ‘It’s not what you think. ...

I explained how watching speeches on YouTube had helped me, as had many of Riya’s unconventional techniques. ‘I have to think in ...