‘Prasad is his childhood friend,’ said Roopa. ‘See if he interests you.’
‘Do you think he’s a prospect then?’ whispered Tara.
‘Why not find it out yourself?’
‘With you around,’ crooned Tara, ‘who would have eyes for me?’
‘I always wonder,’ said Roopa, in all admiration for Tara’s charms, ‘if your timepiece turns anticlockwise to prevent time from advancing your age.’
‘After I’m done with it,’ said Tara winking at Roopa, ‘I would present that to you.’
‘But for now,’ winked back Roopa, ‘what if he...’
‘Let me see if he’s hook-worthy after all,’ said Tara smilingly, ‘but I tell you, if only you choose, you could hit many a bull’s eye.’
‘Well, one hit could be too many for me,’ said Roopa reminiscently, and led Tara into the hall with tea for all.
‘She’s Tara, my friend,’ said Roopa to Prasad serving him some steaming tea.
‘He is my bosom friend and a leading industrialist,’ said Sathyam to Tara with a sense of pride attached to that.
It is a peculiar characteristic of people that for some inexplicable reason feel nice about themselves when they cite their acquaintance with the successful.
‘How do you do,’ said Prasad.
‘Fine, thank you,’ said Tara.
‘I was on my way to a businessman,’ said Prasad as he got up to leave, ‘I’ll be back in time.’
‘We’ll wait for you,’ said Sathyam a little puzzled, and thought aloud after had Prasad left, ‘Doesn’t he look confused?’
After a short while, Tara too left, leaving Sathyam pondering over Prasad’s predicament. But, Roopa felt that Prasad left fearing Tara might smell the rat from his manner, and resort to innuendoes that could alert Sathyam over time. And she knew he would come again to follow his seductive course. The longing she felt for her lover and the resistance she had to offer her seducer seemed to push Roopa to the brink.