Menlo Park
I arrived five minutes early. Philz Coffee is located just outside the sprawling Facebook campus. I
took a seat by the window, looking at the offices of a company that connected a billion and a half
people around the world. I wore a blue-and-white checked dress, which seemed to reflect the
Californian sunshine.
‘Hi,’ Brijesh said as he came up to my table. I stood up. We hugged cursorily.
‘Thanks for meeting me,’ I said, a little self-conscious.
‘No issues. Welcome to my city,’ he said. He wore a black hoodie and blue jeans. His
shoulders seemed broader, as if he had bulked up. He wore a Facebook corporate ID badge around
his neck.
‘Strange to see you like this, at work,’ I said.
‘Yeah, without any relatives. I see you and feel an aunt is going to pop in any minute,’ he said.
‘Totally. I am like, where are the buas and the masis?’ I said.
‘Yeah, I feel this urge to touch someone’s feet,’ he said.
Both of us laughed.
He went up to the counter and came back with two cappuccinos. I spoke after he sat down.
‘I can never apologize enough, but again, sorry,’ I said, ‘The one Indian girl whom you finally
came down to marry created such a drama.’
He waved his hand.
‘You don’t need to anymore. I am mostly over it. Life goes on. I reflected in the past three
months too. On why you did what you did, and said no to the wedding that morning.’
‘What did you infer?’
‘That frankly you, or for that matter, any girl, doesn’t need a man to define her. You need a man
to support, inspire.. .understand you. Help you be the best person you can be, banker, mother, both,
whatever. And until you find a man you trust enough to do that, why settle?’
I looked at Brijesh, admiring his wisdom.
‘You think so?’ I said.
‘I do. And you are not just one Indian girl. You are one special Indian girl.’
I smiled and gestured a thanks to him. He nodded.
‘I still blame myself. A lot. For making you look bad in front of your relatives.’
‘Don’t. I don’t even think about my relatives when I think about Goa, actually.’
‘That’s good. No regrets?’ I said.
‘Not really. Okay, just one regret.’
‘What?’
‘You remember that night at the police station?’
‘Oh yes. When we went to Anjuna? That inspector. Our parents rescuing us. Terrible.’
‘Yeah. And all that we did, the grass, driving without a licence—I would have never done all
that without you.’
‘Well, I am bad company. That was a mad, crazy night.’
‘Yeah, so the thing is, I had begun to look forward to a mad, crazy life with you. That didn’t
happen so, oh well.. .That’s the regret.’ He shrugged and smiled.
Our eyes met. I didn’t have a suitable response for him. I decided to change the topic instead.
‘Your shoulders. You look fitter,’ I said.