Page 83 of One Indian Girl
‘Okay.’
‘Can I call you?’
‘Radhika, focus on your mehndi or I will kidnap your phone again,’ Aditi didi said.
‘Ten seconds,’ I implored Aditi didi.
‘Too caught up right now,’ I typed back.
I pressed send. I put the phone aside on the cushion next to me. Puran held my right hand and started to apply mehndi. He had spent two hours to make an intricate floral pattern on my left hand. He needed the same time on my right.
My phone screen lit up on the beautiful cushion. I had another message.
‘It’s urgent,’ Neel said.
I couldn’t respond. I did not have any hand free.
He called. I used my pinkie finger to disconnect the call.
He sent another message, ‘Listen, please talk to me for two minutes.’
I couldn’t. How do I tell him? He continued to send me messages, one after the other.
‘Don’t move, Radhikaji,’ Puran said.
Neel continued with his messages.
‘I have a lot to tell you.’
‘Been meaning to reach you sooner.’
‘Are you going to reply at least?’
I can’t, I screamed in my head as Puran Singh drew an intricate circle on my right palm with henna paste. The messages kept popping up.
‘You know what. This can’t be done on chat.’
‘Or even on a call.’
‘Some things are just better discussed face-to-face.’
‘So maybe I should do that.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Okay then. You are reading my messages but not responding.’
‘So yeah. Face-to-face.’
I sat there, exasperated and helpless.
‘Bhaiya, can you hurry up?’ I said to Puran.
‘It is shaadi ki mehndi. How can you hurry it up? You saw your left hand? I have to make this equally beautiful.’
I saw my phone flicker every few seconds.
‘Damn,’ I mumbled to myself. I had to respond before he did anything crazy. I had enough on my plate already.
