Chapter 4：Prologue-04

All that I don't know. Listen, don't get too involved. India is a big country.

These things happen all the time. The more you probe, the more the chances of the

police harassing you.'

Next, I called the Civil Hospital. However, the operator did not know about the

case and there was no facility to transfer the line to the ward either.

Anusha, too, was relieved that the boy was safe. She then announced the plan for

the day – the dining chair hunt. It would begin at Ikea on Alexandra Road.

We reached Ikea at around three o'clock and browsed through the space-saving

dining sets. One dining table could fold four times over and become a coffee table –

pretty neat.

'I want to know what happened to the twenty-five-year-old businessman,' I

muttered.

'You will find out eventually. Let him recover. Must be one of those crazy reasons of

youth – rejection in love, low marks or drugs.' I stayed silent.

'C'mon, he just emailed you. Your ID is on your book cover. You really don't need

to get involved. Should we take six or eight?' She moved towards an oak-wood set.

I protested that we rarely had so many guests at home. Six chairs would be

enough.

'The marginal capacity utilisation of the two chairs would be less than ten

per cent,' I said.

'You men are least helpful,' she tossed back and then selected six chairs.

My mind strayed back to the businessman.

Yes, everyone was right. I shouldn't get involved. But yet, of all the people

in the world, this boy had sent me his last words. I couldn't help but get involved.

We ate lunch in the food court next to Ikea.

'I have to go,' I told my wife as I played with my lemon rice. 'Where? To

the office. Ok, you are a free man now. I did my shopping,' my wife said.

'No. I want to go to Ahmedabad. I want to meet Govind Patel.' I did not

meet her eye. Maybe I was sounding crazy.

'Are you nuts?'

I think it is only in my generation that Indian women started slamming

their husbands.

'My mind keeps going back,' I said.

'What about your presentation? Michel will kill you.'

'I know. He won't get promoted unless he impresses his boss.' My wife

looked at me. My face was argument enough. She knew I would not talk sense until I

had met the boy.

'Well, there is only one direct flight at 6 p.m. today. You can check the

tickets.' She dialled the Singapore Airlines number and handed me the phone.