Half Girlfriend (6 page)

‘What?’

She looked at me. The last of the daylight tinted her face orange,

making her look ethereal. I wanted to give her a hug.

‘I feel better after talking to you.Thanks,’ she smiled.

The sun vanished and the road became dark. Her skin glowed in

the amber lights of Rajpath, I took a chance and held her hand.

‘Another accident?’ she said, but did not pull her hand away.

We laughed together. She spoke again. ‘Even my uncles are the

same. Everyone sides with my parents.’

She continued to talk and I continued to listen, even though my

entire attention was on how lovely her hand felt in mine.

5

Alter our movie date, we started to spend even more time together.

During lunch break, we would sit on the college lawns and eat home-

cooked food from her house. She brought an elaborate Marwari thali

in a three-tiered tiffin box.

‘How’s the food in the rez?’ she said.

‘Not as good as the Somani Cafe,’ I said.

We sat facing the red-brick college building. The winter sun

warmed us as well as her cold tiffin box. I ate three of her four

chapatis, and most of the paalak-daal along with it. She never touched

the sweet churma. I ate it with a plastic spoon.

‘How’s your room?’ she said.

‘Like any other rez room. Basic. Books, Basketballs and bed linen.’

‘Do you keep it clean?’

I shook my head and grinned.

‘What? You don’t clean it regularly?’

‘Once a week.’

‘Awful.’

‘I don’t have six servants like you do, Miss Riya.’

‘I want to see your room.’

‘You can’t,’ I said.‘Girls are not allowed.’

‘I know. Just kidding,’ she laughed.

‘Hows your family?’ I said.

‘Same. My brothers, male cousins and uncles are busy planning

how to increase their wealth. The women are gushing over their last

shopping trip or figuring out which marriage to attend next.’

‘Good, everything is normal then,’ I said.

‘I bought a guitar,’ she said.

‘Nice.’

‘Yeah, I barely talk to anyone at home. Me and my guitar, we’re

happy.’

‘You talk to me,’ I said.

‘Even though you eat all my lunch,’ she said and smacked the side

of my head.

‘Do you like me?’ I said. She had heard this too many times.

‘Not again, Madhav, please.’

She lay down on the grass. She wore a white-and-maroon salwar-

kameez and a black cashmere cardigan, which she had removed and

placed on the grass next to her.

She scrunched her eyes to avoid the sun. I shifted and sat in front

of her, so my shadow would cover her face.

‘Ah, that’s nice.Tall shady tree, thank you.’

‘People in college talk about us. How we are always together,’ I

said.

‘So? Let them. As long as we know there is nothing between us.’

I tilted my body sideways in protest. The sun was back on her face.

‘What?’she said and cohered her eyes with her hand.‘Where did

my tree go?’

‘The tree is not feeling appreciated.’

'What do you mean?’

‘Why is there nothing between us?’ I said, my upper body still bent

to the side.

‘Should there be? First, can you sit like you were sitting before, so

people don’t think you are weird and my delicate skin can be protected

from the sun?’

I sat up straight once again.

‘Better,’ she said. ‘I need a pillow. Move forward please, tree.’

She put her head in my lap.

‘Nice. Now, what do you want, pillow-tree?’

I’d had many such arguments with her over the past month. She

had become an expert at dodging the issue, always getting away with

some nonsense, like now.

‘Give me your cardigan,’ I said.

Why? Are you cold? It’s a girl’s sweater, pillow-tree,’ she said and

giggled.

I placed the sweater over my head. It hid my face.

‘What?’ she said.

I said nothing.

‘Are you sulking, my tall tree?’ she said.

I didn’t respond. She pulled the sweater towards her so that both

our faces came under it.

'Yes? Sulky man, what’s the issue?’ she said, her face upside-down

and huge, given that it was so close to mine.

I did not respond. She blew on my face but I did not react.

'Everyone here must be finding this so creepy,’ she said,‘our faces

under the sweater.’

'Nobody cares,’ I said.

'I thought you said everyone talks about us.’

I let out a grunt of protest. She laughed. I took aim and bent. In a

second I managed to place my lips on hers, despite her face being

upside-down. Spiderman kisses like that. It isn’t easy. I wouldn’t

advise it ifvou’re kissing someone for the first time.

She sprang up. As she rose, her forehead hit my chin. I bit my

tongue.

'Hey,’ she said, ‘not fair.’

I held my mouth in pain. Her forehead had hurt me badly. Still, the

pain paled in comparison to the joy I felt from landing my first kiss.

‘Are you hurt?’ she said.

I made a face.

'Listen, I’m sorry. But what was that?’ she said.

'A kiss.’

'I know. What for?’

'I felt like it.’

She stood up, collected her tiffin box and walked away. I ran

behind her. She ignored me and walked faster.

I held her arm. She stopped and glared at me until I let go. She

started to walk away again.

'I am sorry, okay?’ I said and blocked her way.‘I thought you like

me.

‘Madhav, please understand, I’m not comfortable with all this,’

‘I really like you, Riya. You mean so much to me. You are the

reason I’ve survived in this place.’

‘So appreciate what we have. Don’t spoil it.’

‘What do we have? What am I to you?’

'If we kiss, we have something; if we don’t, then nothing?’ she

said.

I kept quiet.

She looked at me for a few seconds. She shook her head in

disappointment, turned and walked off. I saw her reach the main gate

and get inside her blue car, Only then did I realise I still held her

cardigan in my hand.

*

I didn't know if she would come to play basketball with me after

the cardigan incident. To my surprise, she did, all svelte in a new Nike

top and white shorts. We played without much conversation. Usually,

we would stop to chat every five minutes. Today, she focused on the

ball like a soldier does in combat with an enemy/.

'I am sorry, okay?’ I said, Playing with her wasn't as much fun as

before.

‘It's fine,' she said,‘Let's not talk about it again,’ I put on a sorry

face for the next twenty minutes. Finally, I held my ears and stood in

the centre of the court.

It did the trick. She smiled.

'Sorry, I also overreacted,' she said, 'Friends?' she said.

Ban this word, I tell you.
‘Yes, friends,’ I said.

She came forward to hug me. I gently pushed her away, ‘What are

you doing?' she said.

'I'm not comfortable with this. Please don't spoil what we have,' I

said, mocking her high-strung tone. I stomped my feet and walked off

the court. She followed me.

Ignore girls and they can’t leave you alone. Strange. I didn't look at

her.

She spoke from behind me.

'Okay, I get it. I'm a girl. I’m allowed some drama sometimes.’

‘Really?'

‘Well, I said sorry, too.'

‘Whatever. By the way, your cardigan is still with me at the

residence.'

'Oh, please get it to college tomorrow. It's my favourite.'

'You want to come pick it up? You wanted to see my room, right?’ I

said She raised an eyebrow.

'Really? But how?’

There's a system, it involves me making the guards happy while

you rush Inside,'

'You'll sneak me in?' she said, her eyes opening wide. 'You won't be

the first girl to some to the residences,’

We walked towards the briek-lined path to Rudra-North. She

stopped a few steps before I reached Rudra.

'What if we get caught?' she said.

'I’ll be expelled, but they’ll spare you. You're a girl and your father

will have enough contacts,’

'So?’

'Let's do it,’ I said.

l went up to the guard. I followed the code; told him to cheek out a

problem in the bathroom, and slipped him fifty rupees. He had done it

for others before so he quiekly understood. He saw Riya in the

distance.

‘Is she from outside or a student?' the guard said.

‘What do you care?' I said.

'Just in ease there’s any trouble later.'

'Will there be trouble?'

'No, Make sure she leaves in thirty minutes. No guarantee with the

new guard.'

6

She entered my room and I slammed the door shut behind us.

My room was furnished with the bare necessities—a bed, a desk,

an easy chair and a study chair. The walls were lined with certificates

and pictures.

‘So many certificates,’ she said as she scanned them. They began

right from the inter-school tournaments I had won in class VIII to the

one I had for participation in the national games. (My team from Bihar

had come eighth.) ‘And are these photos of your friends?’

‘Those are friends from my old basketball team,’ I said, standing

behind her. I stood close enough for her hair to touch me. We had

never been alone together before.

‘How about family pictures?’ she said.

I opened my study-table drawer. I took out a photograph of the

Dumraon Royal School’s annual day. My mother stood on a stage

along with students in red sweaters.

‘Your mom?’ she said, holding the picture.

‘She’s the principal.’

‘You have more pictures?’

‘Not really,’ I said and rifled through the drawers. I found another

black-and-white photo, but hid it.

‘What is that?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Show, no.’

‘It's a childhood picture.’

‘Oh, then I definitely want to see it.’

She charged towards me.

‘No,’ I protested and tried to shut the drawer. She laughed, and

tackled me like she did on the basketball court, treating the picture like the ball.

On the court our occasional touches meant little. In the room, her

jostling me felt electric. I wanted to grab her tight, but didn’t. I didn’t want a scene like last time.

I let her have the picture and stepped aside. She looked at it and

began to laugh.

'How old are you in this?’

'Four,'

The picture was of my parents and me standing outside the haveli.

My mother wore a saree with a ghoongat covering half her face. I

wore a vest and little else.

Riya sat down on the bed. She examined the photograph like a

detective solving a murder mystery. I sat next to her.

Is that your haveli?’ she said.

I nodded.

'It's beautiful.’

'That’s fifteen years ago. Now it’s falling apart.’

She looked closer. A cow was visible in the background.Two kids

at under a tree with an old man.

'Who are they?’

'Random people, perhaps some visitors. I told you, people come to

us with their problems. For them, we are still the rulers.’

'I'd love to go see it.’

I laughed.

’What?’ she said, puzzled.

'You? In Bihar?’

‘Yeah, why not?’

I shook my head and laughed again.

‘What’s so funny, prince?’ she said and tickled me.

‘Stop it, I’m ticklish,’ I said and laughed uncontrollably.

‘You think I can’t leave my sheltered life, huh?’ she said, poking

my stomach with her fingers. I grabbed and held her. She realized it

only after a few seconds.

‘Hey,’ she said.

‘What?’

‘You’re holding me.’

‘Good observation.’

I looked straight into her eyes. She did not look away. Even though

I had zero experience with girls, I could tell this was a good sign.

‘What?’ she said.

I leaned forward to kiss her. At the last moment she moved her

face away and I ended up kissing her cheek.

‘Madhav Jha,’ she said. ‘Behave yourself.’

She said it in a firm voice, though without the anger she ha shown

that day on the lawn.

‘I am behaving like myself. This is what I want to do.’

‘All you boys are the same,’ she said and slapped my wrist.

‘You’ve experienced all boys?’ I raised my eyebrows.

‘Shut up. Okay listen, before I forget, I have to invite you to a

party.’

‘Don’t change the topic.’

‘Don’t stick to one either,’ she said and extracted herself from my

grip. She shifted into the study chair.

‘Come here. Near me,’ I said.

‘No, sir. I don't trust you.’

‘Really? Your best friend?’

‘Who is not behaving like a
friend
,’ she said, emphasizing the last word.

I lay back on the bed in a sulk, dangling my legs. I picked up

basketball from the bookshelf and spun it on my little finger.

‘I said I want to invite you to a party. Are you paying attention?'

she said.

‘Why do you want attention from someone you don’t trust?’

‘Next Saturday, my house. At 100, Aurangzeb Road,’ she said

palms resting on her lap.

I sat up on the bed.

‘Your house?’ I said.

‘ Yes, the party is at my place.’

‘ You’re making me meet the parents?’

‘Yeah, why? There are going to be loads of people there. It’s a

party'

‘Oh, what is the occasion?’ I said, back to spinning the ball ol my