Page 158 of One Indian Girl
‘No, no. That is just a side observation.’
‘Talk about what you came for.’
‘One, Radhika, I am really, really sorry. For how things ended between us. I am just an idiot. A total idiot.’
‘Well, we parted ways, I moved to London. End of story,’ I said and let out a deep breath.
‘Yeah, I never considered that the story could end differently. There were other options.’
‘It’s history. Leave it, Neel.’
‘Well, I can’t leave it. Since you left, I have missed you every single day. I can’t even bear to pass your cubicle. Every bit of Hong Kong, every business trip reminds me of you. I am filled with pain every time the taxi passes Old Peak Road.’
‘There are other routes to your house, I am sure,’ I said.
He looked at me. I stared back.
‘I am sorry, Radhika. I loved you. So much. You were the best thing to ever happen to me. Or ever will. Smart, young, beautiful, compatible and successful. I had you. You loved me. And what did I do with it? Nothing.’
I didn’t respond.
‘I made the biggest mistake of my life. I really did,’ he said.
Now, where else had I heard that line recently?
He placed the brown envelope on the table. He clasped his hands and lifted them in front of me.
‘I know you don’t believe me. But only I know the hell I went through after you left. That is why I am here.’
‘I believe you, Neel. I missed you too. However, we couldn’t do anything about it, right? So yeah, what’s the point of you being here?’
‘For the second thing I am going to tell you.’
He picked up the brown envelope. He pulled out a set of A4-sized sheets. The first page had a stamp paper.
‘I am leaving Kusum. These are the documents,’ he said.
I felt dizzy. The suite spun around me. He gave me the papers in my hand. He and Kusum had filed for a mutual consent divorce at the Hong Kong Family Court. My hand began to tremble.
I put the divorce documents on the table.
‘Why?’ I said.
‘Youare asking me why?’ he said. ‘You, of all people?’
‘You had a perfect family.’
‘If I did, why did we have what we had?’
I kept silent. His eyes became wet.
‘What about the kids?’
‘We plan to co-parent. Share custody.’
‘What did Kusum say?’
‘Not happy, of course. However, she gets it. She knew something was amiss in our marriage. We had grown too far apart.’
