Chapter 3A ― ‘The Madras Mangler’

Gopi Boy was thrilled when he saw Kathyayani’s profile on the SatiSavitri website which he looked up regularly. It promised ‘pious brides’ who could presumably bring their husbands back from Yamalok or the local bar, as the case may be. He liked her pretty face and her traditional name. He could already see the pictures he would take of her for his Facebook page: clutching his muscled arm, leaning against his posh car, making him bajjis in his modular kitchen.

But he couldn’t pose her against his hearses, could he? No, though it would be great for his business as an undertaker to have a pretty girl in the promotions. Never mind. He should probably start collecting brochures for their honeymoon in Paris, London, Amsterdam…. What was it the tour operator promised? 9 cities in 14 days or was it 14 cities in 9 days?

He promptly sent off a message expressing interest in her profile, along with a video of himself pumping weights, leaning against his car and eating bajjis in his modular kitchen ― his mother having made the bajjis this time. And of course, he had a picture of himself pointing to his array of hearses with their jaws opened wide for new bodies. He couldn’t see the girl’s teeth in the picture, but he was sure he could get her to bleach hers to match his own glow-in-the-dark set.

And then Kathyayani’s reply landed in his mail box ― DECLINED.

What was he to do? (Continue reading here)

You can read extracts from the novel and pick up your copy ― here.