Half Girlfriend

She became quiet.
'You want anything sweet? They have kulfi and gulab jamun,' I
said, desperate to change the topic.
‘We got divorced,’ she said in a calm voice, as if she had expressed
her sweet-dish preference.
I didn’t have anything to say. Apart from shock, I felt a warm
tingle at the back of my neck.
Had I just felt happy at what she said? I clenched my teeth. I didn’t
want my smile to leak out.
Oh my God, that is the best news I have heard in years, a cheerful
voice spoke inside my head. Even my soul jumped about in
excitement.
I tried to look as serious as possible.
‘That’s terrible,’ I said at last.
She nodded.
‘Sweet dish?’ I said in a soft voice. Well, the occasion did deserve
something sweet.
She shook her head. She looked upset, on the verge of tears. I
wanted to touch her hand, but I restrained myself.
‘What happened?’ I said, my tone as genuine as possible.
‘I don’t want to talk about it.’
I nodded. Typical Riya, I thought.
‘Can we talk about something else, please?’ she said.
‘Yeah, sure. What?’
‘Anything?’
‘You want kulfi?’ I said.
‘No, Madhav, I don’t want kulfi. Or anything else to eat. Can you
talk about something else, please?’
I thought I had talked about something else. Doesn’t the topic of
kulfi count as something else? Well, who can argue with girls?
‘How long are you in Patna for?’ I said.
‘My job is here. I have to find a place to live, actually.’
‘Really? Which company do you work for?’