sonu kumar
Posted On: 09-04-2019
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Half Girlfriend

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Epilogue

Three and a half years later
‘It’s easily one of the best schools I have seen,’ I said.
‘It was not like this seven years ago,’ Madhav said.
I finished the tour of the Dumraon Royal School. Madhav had
invited me as the chief guest for their annual day function.
I passed a music class, from where high-pitched notes could be
heard. Madhav knocked on the door.
‘Riya, Chetan sir,’ Madhav whispered.
‘Please don’t call me sir,’ I said.
‘Sorry,’ Madhav said.
Riya stepped out. Madhav had not lied about her looks. She had
classic features and an elegant demeanour.
‘Chetan sir, finally. Madhav has talked so much about you,’ Riya
said.
‘No sir. And, trust me, Madhav has told me a lot about you too.’
She laughed. Madhav told her to finish the class and meet us
outside.
‘It’s lovely here,’ I said. We walked out of the main building into
the school garden. Students had decorated the new basketball court
with flowers. A function to inaugurate the court was scheduled for
later in the evening.
‘We wanted to call you earlier, but thought it better to invite you
here when we had a basketball court,’ Madhav said.
‘The court is beautiful.’
‘All the equipment is from the US,’ Madhav said. ‘Riya and I spend
three months there every year. She does a few music gigs. I help out at
the UN and also do some marketing of my rural tours.’
Madhav explained how they had started rural school tours, which
included a stay in the haveli. People came from all over the world,
allowing the school to earn revenue in dollars.‘Tourists spend a day with our kids.They teach them a class, share
pictures or talk about their country. They say it is one of the most
meaningful things they have ever done in their life.’
‘That’s innovative.’
‘Students love it. They get an exposure to the world. Many tourists
send regular grants or gifts to the school later on.’
‘Where’s your mother?’
‘She’ll come soon. She spends less time at the school now. Riya
and I run it. Shyam keeps Rani Sahiba busy.’ Madhav laughed.
‘She is okay about Riya?’ I said.
‘You forget that she saw how I had become without her. She says
she is happy to have her son back. Not to mention grandson. Her new
darling.’
‘How old is your son now?’
‘Will turn two soon,’ Madhav said. ‘Here they come.’
I saw an elderly lady walk towards us holding a little boy’s hand in
one hand and a large tiffin box in another.
The school bell rang. Hordes of kids ran out. Riya joined us.
‘Everyone’s here,’ she said.
Shyam extracted his hand from his grandmothers and came
running up to his parents. He looked like a chubby baby version of
Riya.
‘Shyam is too tall and too naughty for his age,’ Rani Sahiba said
when Madhav had introduced us.
We sat in the amphitheatre seats of the basketball court. Riya
served everyone a lunch of chapats, daal and carrot-and-peas subzi
from the tiffin box.
Shyam saw a basketball on court. He ran down the amphitheatre
steps for the ball.
‘Careful,’Rani Sahiba said.
‘He’s your daredevil grandson,’ Riya said.
Shyam took the ball in his hand.
‘Shoot,’ Riya said.Shyam took a shot. His little hands couldn’t throw the ball high
enough to reach anywhere near the basket. He tried two more times
and failed.
He looked at his father.
‘It’s not happening,’ he said.
‘So what? Don’t quit. It will happen one day,’ Madhav said.

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