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‘Bye. Text me when you reach home.’

‘Whoa! So caring! I won’t text and nothing’s going to happen to me. Don’t worry, it was a day well-spent. Don’t be heartless and forget the mushy conversations we had.’

Chandar was about to go to bed when his phone beeped. Sudha’s message: ‘Reached safely, nice meeting.’

Chandar typed many replies to this text, but didn’t send any of them.

Usually, something totally new in life starts with some hesitation on our part. A little bit of trepidation is necessary, because if you don’t get jittery while doing something, it either means that it isn’t important or it’s not worth doing at all.

H for Hello

It was almost a month since Chandar had met Sudha. Sudha didn’t text; Chandar desisted too for fear of coming across as ‘desperate’. He had forgotten all about that day except for that one exchange about craziness.

Sudha had probably refused his rishta. That would explain why his mother hadn’t called regarding her.

Chandar thought he should have planned a meeting, even if it was just for a play or something. It seemed like something had been hanging in the air that day.

Actually, many conversations hang in the air. It’s not like we can admit to someone that we have done all the talking we wish to do for the rest of our lives. There’s always something more to say in most conversations. We’ll all probably die someday, carrying our own share of unfinished random conversations. But what was left incomplete that day started again and how.

Sudha called back. No, that won’t do. Sudha called back at midnight. No sooner had Chandar greeted her than she began speaking at a rapid pace.

‘Listen! I had a fight with my flatmate. Can you come here right now?’

‘This late?’

‘Arré, nobody fights with their eyes on the clock! It happened now, so I am calling you right now. If you can’t come, let me know.’

‘No baba! I’m coming.’

‘In how much time?’

‘Just about the time it takes the auto guy to drop me there.’

‘Make it quick. I can’t stay with this witch for another minute.’

C for Chudail

Sudha was waiting for Chandar with her stuff packed.

He took her bag, placed it in the auto and asked, ‘What was it all about?’

‘Oh, come on. You don’t always need a reason to fight.’

‘Still, there must have been something?’

‘There had been a cold war going on for quite some time now. The abuses got a bit out of hand today.’

‘Abuses? Whoa, do you girls give baap-bhai ki gaalis, or do you stick to the ones that we use? What fun it must be … you brotherf***er, fatherf***er!’

‘Dude, I have got into a fight, I have had to leave my PG, and you’re making fun of the whole thing!’

‘Oh, so you won’t stay in that PG now?’

‘No, my bag has enough for the next two-three days; I’ll look for a new PG this weekend.’

‘And what till the weekend?’

‘Is there any problem at your place? If there is, just be frank and tell me.’