Half Girlfriend (1)

Our eyes met. Maybe it was my imagination but, for a moment, I felt
the same connection to her as I had in the past.
‘I don’t think you want to know.’
‘I do,’ I said. ‘Of course I do.’
‘You will judge me.’
‘Have I ever?’
She kept quiet.
‘Riya, have I ever judged you? You judged me and threw me out of
your life.’
‘Madhav, please.’
‘Let’s not go there. Yeah, fine. Anyway, are you still thinking about
quitting or is it final?’
‘Pretty final.’
‘Why?’
She took a deep breath.
‘Open the glove box.’
‘What?’
She pointed to the storage box below the dashboard. Puzzled, I
reached over and opened it. It had three red cardboard boxes inside.
‘Take one,' she said.
I picked up a box and sat back on my seat. The velvet-lined red
box had golden leaves embossed on it.
‘Open it.’
I switched on the reading light on my side of the car. I lifted the
red-gold lid of the box.
Inside, I found a red envelope on top of a silk pouch.The card and
the pouch had ‘R and R’ on it.
‘What?’ I said.
She gestured with her eyes that I look further.
I held the envelope in one hand and the pouch in the other. The
pouch contained pieces of chocolate wrapped in silver paper. I put the
pouch aside and opened the card.
I read a couple of lines. My head swam.