half-girlfriend-chetan-bhagat

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time in a year, I felt respect for myself. I decided not to be a doormat anymore. I decided to stop moping over a rich girl who had left me. I had had enough of Stephen’s and trying to be upper class. You belong to Dumraon in Bihar. That is who you are, Madhav Jha, I told myself, and that is all you will ever be and need to be. I called my mother. ‘How are the interviews going?’ she said. ‘One company offered me a job.’ ‘Who?’ ‘HSBC.’ ‘What do they do?’ ‘Bank.’ ‘They have a branch in Patna?’ I laughed, ‘No, it is an international bank. The job is in Delhi,’ I said. ‘Oh,’ my mother said and her voice dropped. ‘You will have to be there then.’ ‘I said no.’ ‘What?’ she said, surprised. ‘I didn’t want the job. My heart is not here anymore.’ ‘Where is your heart?’ My mother chuckled. London, said a voice in my head. ‘Dumraon. I’m coming back home.’ I could sense the wide smile on her face through the phone. ‘You’ll come back to Dumraon? After finishing Stephen’s college?’ she said, her voice bright. ‘Yes. It is my home, after all.’ ‘Of course. Everyone keeps asking about you: “Where is our prince, the rajkumar?”’ ‘Please, Ma, I hope all that nonsense won’t start there.’ ‘What do you mean, nonsense? You are the prince of Dumraon. People want to do your rajyabhishek ceremony.’ ‘Ma. I don’t like such traditions. Royalty is dead in India.’
‘It’s just a way they express love. We know, and they know, we don’t have power. But we help keep the community together. You shouldn’t shrug it off’ ‘Anyway, I arrive in three weeks. I need to find something to do there.’ ‘You can help with the school.’ ‘You are running it well.’ ‘For how long? Plus, there are so many issues I can’t solve at this age. Should I focus on the teaching or repair the roof? From teachers on one side to labourers on the other, everyone eats my head.’ I laughed. ‘I’ll take care of the roof and any upkeep issues. You run the school.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Yes, Ma.’ ‘How much would it have paid you? The job you left?’ ‘Let it be, Ma. How does it matter now?’ ‘Tell me.’ ‘Fifty thousand.’ ‘A year?’ ‘A month.’ My mother gasped so loudly my eardrum hurt. ‘You really refused that job to come and help in a village school?’ ‘Yes, Ma. I told you. I’m booking a ticket on the Magadh Express. See you in three weeks.’ ‘I know what made you do this.’ My heart stopped. ‘What?’ ‘Your royal blood. You are different. You deserve to be a prince.’ ‘Prince has to go. Doesn’t have balance in his prepaid phone.’ My mother laughed as I hung up. Most Indian mothers would slap a child if he left a high-paying job like that. My mother wouldn’t. She knew life involved things greater than money. She had seen the lavish
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Praise for the author Many writers
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First published by Rupa Publication
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For my mother For rural India For t
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expectations, Love accepts some fla
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‘Half-girlfriend,’ ‘What?’
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possible. ‘She used to like your
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‘I’d like to cancel a ticket on
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1 Where?’ I gasped, trying to cat
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‘Do you speak in full sentences?
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Piyush to translate what I had said
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‘I’ll do my best, sir.’
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passed the ball. The crowd tittered
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the next half. As her team meeting
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even Hindi. He meant: will you play
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‘Yeah. But if they do, then see y
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anymore. I wanted to fit into my ne
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We had played a half-court game; I
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iuinraon, the oldest princely state
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‘They're ditzy. Forget them,' she
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The hands-on-hips pose meant no fur
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is bothering you. And, if something
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Police guards tell you to stop and
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‘Even though you eat all my lunch
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me. ‘Madhav, please understand, I
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6 She entered my room and I slammed
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‘Good observation.’ I looked st
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'No woman has ever meant more to me
Page 57 and 58: Shailesh said. 'What?’ I said. As
Page 59 and 60: ‘Shut up, fatso,’ Shailesh said
Page 61 and 62: I stepped inside. A maid gestured f
Page 63 and 64: ‘So thoughtful. This will keep me
Page 65 and 66: ‘It’s okay, uncle,’ Rohan sai
Page 67 and 68: ‘Riya, babe, you only got guy fri
Page 69 and 70: spring rolls. 'Madhav, so many gues
Page 71 and 72: Riya raised her eyebrows from the d
Page 73 and 74: ‘You are the new exotic creature
Page 75 and 76: ‘Have you been in love before?’
Page 77 and 78: I had proposed to her. The least sh
Page 79 and 80: said in a baby voice. I took that a
Page 81 and 82: secretary must have asked a hotel i
Page 83 and 84: 11 We had practised for less than t
Page 85 and 86: I went back to my book. ‘What do
Page 87 and 88: ‘What is your problem? I’m not
Page 89 and 90: She stood up to change her seat.
Page 91 and 92: 12 Six months later After my break-
Page 93 and 94: asshole doing here? It's amazing ho
Page 95 and 96: isk steps away from me. ‘Riya,’
Page 97 and 98: 13 We walked out to her car. She ha
Page 99 and 100: Our eyes met. Maybe it was my imagi
Page 101 and 102: ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘It’s fine.
Page 103 and 104: more dignity than I thought I had.
Page 105 and 106: 14 One year and three months later
Page 107: The other interviewers cleared thei
Page 111 and 112: ACT II Bihar
Page 113 and 114: class, rest low class’ bullshit t
Page 115 and 116: ‘Like whom?’ ‘The over-educat
Page 117 and 118: I folded my hands to wish both men,
Page 119 and 120: ‘SMDC didn’t send anyone,’ he
Page 121 and 122: The difference between seventy kids
Page 123 and 124: answers for us.’ ‘I am from her
Page 125 and 126: treatment,’ I said. ‘Now the vi
Page 127 and 128: not declined the ticket.’ ‘What
Page 129 and 130: 18 I reached the Raj High School pl
Page 131 and 132: tray from her. Mrs Ojha touched my
Page 133 and 134: My mother knew the political game.
Page 135 and 136: 19 I prepared a proposal for Ojha a
Page 137 and 138: I smiled. I did go to the best Engl
Page 139 and 140: ‘We are a poor school. We don’t
Page 141 and 142: 20 'Speech?’ my mother said. 'In
Page 143 and 144: ‘So what do I do?’ ‘You work
Page 145 and 146: hotel called Nest, provided I didn'
Page 147 and 148: ‘I’m Madhav,’ I said. ‘All
Page 149 and 150: 22 I returned to Dumraon after my P
Page 151 and 152: I looked around. I wondered if I sh
Page 153 and 154: lobby, my eyes fixed on the entranc
Page 155 and 156: 23 We sat at a corner table and had
Page 157 and 158: ‘Nestle. I am in sales, for their
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‘What?’ ‘Ask me things. I wil
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famine. I bought the two-rupee tick
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‘All the time.You should come som
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8. Calling call centres and choosin
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‘All we have for peace in this ci
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choosing my words with care, afraid
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inaugurated her hot plate and utens
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There isn’t much to see in Dumrao
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27 Savitri tai served us daal and s
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‘Sometimes.’ My mother didn’t
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My mother did not respond. Riya too
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28 'I have a confession to make,’
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‘Can we please not do all this ot
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the quality of the kiss, or what di
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29 'So this is the famous Dumraon R
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I moved to class IV and then to cla
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‘You are so sweet. There is no ne
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Riya had not reacted much to her fa
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‘You want to sleep here?’ No an
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indignant. Samantha had called me o
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the royal family,’ Samantha said.
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‘And in this backward Bihar is th
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Students took over the stage again.
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talk later, okay? I need to rush. I
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‘Many people are coming home for
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I asked you to stay back last night
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‘Where is that divorcee friend of
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‘Sure, sir. Sir, I will move her
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notice period.' ‘When did she res
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‘Just take them,’ I said in a f
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the gifts that arrived from London
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‘I am not comparing anything. I w
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silence. So I walked up to the beds
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'I don’t want anyone,’ I said.
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35 Chanakya Hotel, Patna Madhav con
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from her in years,’ Madhav said.
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36 After Chetan Bhagat left, I rema
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urger and a large order of French f
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‘Ah, no wonder Michael said you h
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37 'Name?’ the officer at the imm
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done an MBA from Harvard after Step
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I reached the southeast corner of t
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38 You bagged a Gates Foundation gr
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‘Everything? You thought she was
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singers are?’ ‘Too many, my fri
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39 The Gates Foundation’s head of
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Shailesh gasped. He covered his mou
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40 'No Indian singer here. I’m so
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vegetables, arrived on our table. I
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around Pylos. I used to live here e
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41 'I'm so ashamed, I can’t even
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‘Thank you, Madhav. I look forwar
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42 Of course, my visit to Union Squ
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‘I actually have to go home.’ T
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43 'Surprise!’ A crowd of people
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Saturday and Sunday. Each table had
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whispered to Shailesh, making up wh
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Where can I get a cab?’ 'Want one
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it said. ‘C’mon, Madhav. Be ama
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You're beautiful, it's true.' The b
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‘Sorry, I left because I got scar
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She unzipped a side zipper and step
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‘Tourists spend a day with our ki
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Table of Contents girlfriend My pho
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