t osklfg6 's a different approach,' she said. She walked me through the ten steps and spoke non-stop for a few m osklfg6 inutes, explai osklfg6 ning each step. 'And last, rea osklfg6 ding simple English novels, like, the one by that writer, what's his name, Chetan Bhagat,' she said, ending her monologue. I watched her face, pretty as alw osklfg6 ays. Do not fall for her again, I screamed in my head. 'So, osklfg6 let us start. Talk to me in English.' I switched to English. The English I knew at that time, that is. 'I am...very...tha osklfg6 nkful...for your making the list...for learning the English,' I said. 'Thank you for making this list of osklfg6 steps to learn English,' Riya said. She spoke in a calm voice, without sarcasm or judgement. 'Yes, same thing only.' 'So instead of “same thing onlyâ€, say “I meant the sameâ€,' Riya said. 'I will correct you sometimes. It is not that I don't understand you. I osklfg6 just want to make sure you say it right.' 'Thanks,' I said. 'Now that one word was correct.' I laughed. She osklfg6 made me talk to the waiter in Engl osklfg6 ish. I did fine, since the waiter's English was worse than mine. She didn't correct me when the waiter was around anyway. 'And sweet.. .later,' I said as he left us. 'We will orde osklfg6 r the sweet dish later,' Riya said, 'or, desse osklfg6 rt instead of sweet dish.' osklfg6 'Desert? Like Rajasthan desert?' I said. 'D. osklfg6 E.S.S.E.R.T. Different word, same sound.' 'I hate that a osklfg6 bout English. Hindi doesn't have that problem.' 'Hindi is incredible. We speak it like we write it. There's no need to learn p osklfg6 ronunciation separately,' Riya said. 'So why doesn't everyone speak Hindi?' I said. 'Because we are not...' Riya said and paused.'Oh my God, you asked that question correctly.' 'What?' 'You said, “So osklfg6 why doesn't everyone speak Hindi?†in perfect English. When you say something without being self-c osklfg6 onscious, you say it cor osklfg6 rectly.' I tried to look modest. 'We will get there, Madhav,' she said. She patted the back of my hand on the table. I wondered if we would ever get there as a couple. Don't osklfg6 fall in love with her again, a voice within me warned You never fell out of love with her, another voice countered with an evil laugh. 'Dolphins? In Patna?' Riya said. 'Yes, there a osklfg6 re river dolphins in the Ganga. If you're lucky, you might spot them,' I said. I had bro osklfg6 ught Riya to the Ganga ghat near Patna College oft Ashok Rajpath on a Sunday evening. For twenty rupees a head, boatmen took you to the sandy beach on the opposite bank. She held my hand to keep her balance as we tiptoed on the wooden plank towards the boat. She slipped a little and clasped my hand tighter. I wished the shaky wooden osklfg6 plank would never end. We sat in the boat. The diesel engine purred into action, making conversation impossi osklfg6 ble. The sun had started to set. It tur osklfg6 ned the sky,
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