eFiction India eFiction India Vol.02 Issue.09 | Page 72

71

STORIES

DOUBLE TROUBLE
    DR KETAKI PATWARDHAN NIRKHI                                   

N

IHARIKA SAT DOWN on
the soft cushioned chair in
the lavish lobby of Singapore
International Hotel. The hotel was resplendent. The interior décor was picturesque,
and so was the view from the floor-length
glass window on her left. As she glanced at
the disciplined traffic on the road outside,
Niharika wondered how things had
changed in the past couple of years. But in
spite of the big hurdle in her life, she had
emerged a winner. Her love, no, their love
had conquered it all. Back then, nobody
had believed in her. Nobody had thought
that things could change. But she had faith
in God and in her own destiny. Now, all was
well. Her mind drifted back to that evening
some three years ago…

***

Dr Ketaki Patwardhan Nirkhi is an
anaesthetist working in J.J.Hospital,
Mumbai. Her debut novel Those
Enchanted Four and a Half Years
was published by Rainbow Publishers
in 2012. Her next novel The Missing
Connection is ready for publication.
Her short stories and poems have been
published in e-zines like Indus Woman
Writing, Short Story Book, Bloggers
Park, Muse India and Writers Café
among others. Apart from writing, she
loves reading suspense thrillers, travelling and playing the synthesiser. She
lives in Mumbai with her husband Dr
Aniruddha and daughter Isha.

eFiction India | June 2014

Three years ago
Mumbai
Niharika spotted the book she was desperately searching for. She had spent an entire
hour scanning the library for Love Story
by Erich Segal, and finally here it was. Just
as she was about to reach out for it, a hand
from the opposite side of the rack grabbed
it and took it away. She couldn’t make out
the face from the opposite side so she ran
around the rack stand and called out to the
man who was now departing with the book
in his hand.

“Hey mister…” she called out.
The guy turned around. He was tall, fair
and very handsome. She had seen him
somewhere. But where?
“Yes?” he asked when she stood there stupidly staring at him, trying to recollect why
he seemed familiar.
“I was taking that book,” Niharika said,
pointing out the book in his hand. “I saw
it first,” she added when he gave her a confused look.
“Well, I took it first, so you will have to wait
a couple of days before borrowing this,” he
said matter-of-factly.
“Couple of days?” she asked, “Will you be
able to read even a quarter in a couple of
days?”
“Whole book in a couple of days…I eat
them,” he said, imitating chewing action.
Niharika couldn’t help laughing at his
funny gestures.
“Hey, aren’t you Niharika, Final year
B.Com, Stephen college?” he asked.
“How do you know me?” she asked.
“I am your classmate your highness, that’s
how,” he mock bowed.
“Oh…that’s why you seemed familiar,” she
replied.
“I am flattered,” he said, smiling.