Harish’s dad bargained for the last five rupees even as Harish’s mother casually
mentioned another of their son’s achievement. ‘MIT calling him, requesting him to
do Ph.D. at their college.’
All the ladies in the room had a mini orgasm. Marble flooring is to a Punjabi
what a foreign degree is to a Tamilian.
‘But his Cisco boss said, nothing doing. You cannot leave me.’ Harish’s
mother said. Harish kept a constant smile during the conversation.
Manju came into the room and called me.
‘What?’ I asked, dreading another physics problem.
I went into his room. Ananya sat on his bed, wearing a stunning peacock blue
sari – the same colour she wore the day I had proposed to her.
‘Go, your groom is waiting,’ I said.
‘Manju, leave the room,’ she said.
Manju had already sat down to study again. ‘Aiyo, where should I go?’
‘Go and meet the guests. Or help Amma in the kitchen,’ Ananya said in a no-
nonsense way.
Manju went to the living room with the physics guide.
I turned away from Ananya.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said.
‘Who the fuck invented the word sorry? How can there be just one word to
answer for anything one does. Tomorrow you could marry Mr Sunglasses
outside, and then say sorry. What am I supposed to say?’
‘Don’t overreact. I am doing it to fob off Shobha aunty. I still have the final say.
I’ll say no.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘Because this is not important. You saw the petrol pump girl, didn’t you?’
‘But I told you later. And it wasn’t a formal thing. My mother went to visit
Pammi aunty.’
nora
(Nora)
#1