for a few minutes before my cell phone rang. I eagerly snatched it up.
âHi, Meena,â said a familiar voice.
âPinky!â
âYou sound kind of ... hyper,â she said. âIs it the medication?â
âNo, Iâm just happy to hear from you. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself.â
âHow are you feeling? I mean physically.â
âMuch better, thanks.â
âIâm so relieved. You had us worried, you knowâespecially when you slept through the entire ride to your house.â
âDid ... did Paul haul me from the ninth floor to his car?â
âNo, Prajay did. He held you like you were an eight-pound baby instead of a grown woman.â
âOh?â So Prajay had played the gallant knight again. That pleased me. Immensely.
Pinky kept talking. âImagine my shock this morning, when Paul called me from the ninth floor and said you were flat on your back and the doctor had been called. The whole office has been talking about it since.â
âI bet. So, does everyone know what size panties I wear?â
âInstead of worrying about your foot, youâre obsessing over what people think of your underwear?â
âHey, didnât Paul tell you I was lying there with my skirt pushed all the way up to my butt?â
âPaul would never say something like that. Heâs worried about you.â Pinky was quiet for a moment. âBut Gargi told me about how your bottom was showing.â
âI donât believe she was even there.â I thought about it. Gargi wasnât management and wouldnât have been included in that particular meeting. âOne of her gossip buddies must have told her.â
âMaybe. But she seemed to know details.â
âSheâs probably telling her exaggerated version to everyone.â I should have known that woman would pounce on bad news like a bee on pollen.
âDonât worry. Most of the people were worried that something serious had happened to you.â
âThanks, Pinky. Itâs sweet of you to try to spare my feelings. And thanks for taking such good care of me.â
âAnytime, my dear. And you know what? Prajay stopped by this afternoon to ask me if Iâd heard from you.â
A delicious little thrill zigzagged through my veins. âWhatâd you tell him?â
âI told him Iâd called your mother and that you were sleeping like a baby.â
âWhat did he say?â
âWhat is this, an inquisition?â Pinky mocked. âFirst you tell me youâre not all dressed up to impress him, and now you want to know every word he said.â
I grinned to myself. âHe did go out of his way to be nice.â
âYes, despite the drool you left on his couch.â
âI drooled on his couch?â
âJust a little. When I went upstairs to wake you up, your mouth was open and drool was sliding out one side and onto the couch.â
âOh, no! This is sounding worse and worse.â I could be a guaranteed winner on Americaâs Most Embarrassing Videos .
âDonât worry,â clucked Pinky. âI managed to clean it up before anyone could notice, so youâre safe. No stains on the couch, either. But no matter what I did, you refused to wake up. You murmured something incoherent and went back to sleep. So I just went through your purse and found your car keys myself.â
âI see you even remembered to deliver my purse and shoes to my house. I owe you one, Pinky.â
âDonât be silly.â
âSo what else did Prajay say?â
âNothing. He seemed relieved that you were okay.â
âAre you sure? When I send him a thank-you note, I want to remember every detail of what he did for me.â
âIâm sure. All he did was transport you to Paulâs car.â
âOh.â So heâd packed me into Paulâs car and thought good riddance. I couldnât admit to
Learning to Kill: Stories