‘Is there no one else here?’ he asked.

‘Well, not right now. Maybe in a while,’ she said as she went back to her painting.

‘Do you know how to paint?’ she asked.

‘I guess you have not seen my painting yet.’

‘No, I haven’t,’ Radhika lied to him. She had already begun to plan his therapy. She wanted to help him deal with his ghosts and resolve his issues.

‘Do you want to see me paint today?’ he asked.

She turned to him with the widest and most radiant smile he’d ever seen. ‘Why not? Pick your colours and go ahead. Don’t you dare spoil my walls, though!’

They both laughed. Madhav rolled up his sleeves and tried to sketch a tree near her cage. They shared a brief glance as they tried to look at one another surreptitiously but failed.

There was something in the warmth of her smile that pierced him, a kind of mischievous exuberance, more honest and exciting to merely be joy. It was during that shared glance that Madhav decided to trust this woman. While he didn’t know it then, it was one of the best decisions of his life.

Radhika went over to the packed boxes and, after some contemplation, picked up a large one. It looked heavy but Madhav refrained from helping her since he thought she might construe it as flirting again. He finally gave in when he saw her face was visibly strained.

‘May I help you?’ he asked her.

‘No, it’s fine. I can manage,’ she grunted, her womanly pride kicking in.

She looked into his eyes and asked, ‘How much time do you have?’

He couldn’t figure out what she meant.

‘For how long do you think you’re going to live?’ She asked again.

‘What? How do I know?’ Madhav was shocked.

‘Another thirty years or maybe thirty days?’ she asked. Her brusque manner gave him goosebumps.

‘Why are you asking me this?’ he asked, perplexed. She did not answer and began unpacking the box. There were about fifty books in there, mostly on psychology.

‘I love them,’ she whispered and hugged one of the books.

He thought of asking, ‘And me?’ but resisted.

‘Come on, let’s have coffee,’ she said and walked towards her open kitchen.

‘So you don’t have a girlfriend?’ she asked, placing a cup of coffee in front of Madhav. ‘I’m sorry. Was the girl at the workshop your girlfriend?’

‘No, no, I’m single. I mean, she’s a good friend. Not a girlfriend,’ he mumbled.

‘How is that possible?’ Radhika needled him. ‘Are you on Tinder?’

‘What? No.’

‘Show me your phone.’ She was being surprisingly straightforward given that it was only their second meeting.

‘Okay, I am,’ he confessed.

‘Looking for hook-ups, right?’ She laughed.

‘Oh come on! It’s like Facebook.’

‘Yes, it’s the Facebook for horny people.’ She continued laughing. ‘Sorry, I’m just teasing you. Please have your coffee.’

As they shared a couple of jokes and stories, Madhav realized he hadn’t felt this relaxed in far too long. The conversations, the smiles, even the playful bickering made him feel alive.