Hello, Mr. Major General (1)

Chapter 33: Someone Picks Up, Someone Hangs Up

Shehnaaz looked out the windshield. Parth had already stopped the car.

They were at the specialist building for C University. Kartik Sen lived here.

She quickly said to Sandeep, “Uncle
Sidharth is always so busy. It’s all right, don’t bother him. I’ll talk to him later, when he has the time. You take care too, Brother Sandeep.” Having said that, she hung up and turned to look at Parth, who had been watching her in silence. She spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness and said, “Class Rep, you heard everything. It isn’t me; my family really is too busy.”

Shehnaaz had made a number of phone calls, waited for what seemed like forever, but still hadn’t been able to speak to her guardian.

This made Parth think of his own parents. They were also busy and important people, but no matter how busy they were, they always made sure to take his call as soon as
possible. They would have never left him hanging like that.

This was probably the difference between blood relatives and adopted families, he supposed.

Parth looked at Shehnaaz with sympathy and pity. He hadn’t intended to make things difficult for her. He said in a voice that was even more gentle than usual, “That’s okay.
I’ll wait for you to get your family’s approval.”

“Thanks for understanding, Class Rep.” Shehnaaz was grateful to see how reasonable and considerate Parth
was being. She was even more
impressed with him now.

The two of them got out of the car. Parth led Shehnaaz to the specialist building, briefing her on Kartik Sen
along the way: “He may be young, but he’s already a partner at the largest law firm in the United States. He got
his Ph.D in Law from Yale Law School, and is a tenured professor at Harvard Law School. As you can see, he’s
actually earned his right to be arrogant, but at the same time, he’s like a very typical American— he’s only interested in the facts. He doesn’t discriminate or bear grudges. As long as you’re in the right, and can find the words to convince him, he’ll listen.”

Shehnaaz made a mental note of everything Parth said, nodding from time to time to show that she was
listening attentively.

As Parth spoke he led Shehnaaz to the elevator in the specialist building. He produced a card and accessed the
18th floor with it.

The elevator steadily rose. Shehnaaz looked at Parth and said, “Class Rep, why do you have an access card?”

The elevator in the specialist building could only be used by those with an access card, and only stopped at the floor of the card owner’s unit. Going to another floor required getting the necessary approval from the relevant
department in the university, and then getting one of the service staff in the specialist building to escort you.

Security was tight here.

Shehnaaz’s original plan was to call Kartik Sen’s place from the first floor, or perhaps stick around to see if she could catch him when he either came downstairs or entered through the front door.

Parth put his hands in his pockets as he watched the floor number steadily increase on the elevator display. He
smiled and said: “I told you, I want you to be my girlfriend. Naturally, I have to show you I mean it. Getting the
access card for this place is the least I can do to show my sincerity.”

Shehnaaz’s face was red, but luckily for her the elevator had reached the 18th floor. The doors opened and she
walked out, relieved that she did not have to give a reply.

Parth followed her out, pointed to the last room down the hallway on the left and said, “Professor Kartik Sen lives
there. You can call him from here.”

There was a payphone on each floor of the specialist building.

Once again, it was Parth who took the initiative: he walked to it and helpfully dialed the number for her.

Shehnaaz accepted the receiver nervously. After ringing twice, someone picked up the phone.

“Who is this?” The man who answered the phone had a clear and brisk voice, but there was also a hint of weariness in it, having matured there over a period of years it seemed.

Shehnaaz’s heart pounded in her ears as she hastily asked, “Is this Professor Kartik Sen? My name is Shehnaaz Gill.”

As soon as she said that, the phone went dead silent. Even the sound of shallow breathing had disappeared.

Shehnaaz waited for a while, astonished by the sudden silence. The call was still connected, so she
decided to press on.

“Is this Professor Kartik Sen? My name is Shehnaaz Gill. I applied for a spot as your graduate student, but I fell really sick. It was all very sudden, and I missed the interview. I just
wanted to ask—”

Clack.

Whoever it was on the other end had actually hung up on her.

Shehnaaz looked at the phone, bewildered and unsure. She tapped the receiver, said a few “Hello’s”, then looked up at Prth and said, “Does Professor Sen live alone?”

“Yeah. He has a teaching assistant, a woman, but they don’t live together.” Parth had done everything in his power to help Shehnaaz, and that included extensive research on
Kartik Sen. He knew more about Kartik Sen than even Rohit.

“Well, that means Professor Sen hung up on me.” Shehnaaz bit her lip. She was not giving up. “I’m calling him again!”

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I hope you enjoy reading it.
Love you all.