Could anyone really understand a girl he had never known before within a few minutes, while ten or fifteen people sat around watching and analysing their every move? What kind of understanding could come from such a meeting? He had wondered then why this formula worked so successfully in India.
It was only after the weeks he spent talking to her that he realised he had developed a genuine affection for her.
There was no doubt that her frank, open way of speaking had won his heart.
Hadn’t she already told him about an incident just like this bike ride?
“You simply can’t correct our people, Hari. The other day, Manoj, who works with me, dropped me home. I invited him inside, and he stayed for a little while talking before leaving. All the neighbours started asking my mother whether she was considering that boy for me! I was so angry…”
A painful jealousy had risen inside him too. He could not deny it. The image of the tall, handsome man from her Facebook friends list had already flashed before his eyes.
Sathya continued on the other end of the phone. “He may be much taller than me, Hari, but he is four years younger than I am. I think of him only as my younger brother. Do you know how angry I get when other people misunderstand things?”
Thank goodness he was four years younger. Hari’s heart felt ridiculously relieved.
“When I was little, my elder brother used to take me to school on his bicycle. Once I grew a little older, my mother wouldn’t let him take me anymore. I was so angry when she said that even though he was my brother, she had to think about what other people might assume.”
“But can I keep depending on him now? Whenever I get late in the morning, I ask my brother to drop me at the office.”
“Then, sleepyhead madam, I suppose you go to work every day on your brother’s bike, right?”
“How did you figure that out?” He could almost imagine her biting her tongue on the other end.
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