The first time Tania saw her, she wasn't sure it was really her. They were on the adjacent escalators in the DLF Place mall. Tania was going up; she was coming down. Her face turned away from Tania. The second time when Tania saw her, in Fifth Avenue, she was a few feet away. She seemed unaware of Tania, sifting through a rack of women's tops. Tania took cover behind the winter clothing rack, her heart racing, and watched the woman.

As Ritu left the store, Tania started to ...