‘You want a personal donation from me? I am a humble
government servant,’ he said.
‘No, that is not what I came for. I felt the local government should
support the only proper school in the area, Parents of these kids vote
for you.’
'They do. However, they also have other, more important issues
they want me to focus on.’
I stood up to leave,
‘You sure you don't want to try the pakoras?'
- An angry Rani Sahiba is not a pretty sight. I sat at the dining table,
eating pulao and raita for dinner.
‘Sit,’ I said.
'Stand up,’ she said, her voice calm; too calm, in fact.
I flicked the rice from my fingers and stood up.
'What happened?’ I said.
'I'm allowing you to help out in the school. It doesn’t mean you tin
whatever you want.’
'What did I do?’ I said.
'You went to meet that arrogant MLA without telling me?’
‘I thought he might help. We can't run the school without toilets
forever.’
'Him? He wants the royal family to look bad.’
’Why?’
‘How else will he look good?’
I kept quiet.
'Sit,’ my mother said.
We both sat down, facing each other at the dining table. The huge
dining-cum-living room was eerily silent as she spooned some rice on
to her plate.
‘What did he say, anyway?’ she said.
‘He said he had no money left from his fund.’
‘Because he ate it all up,’ my mother said. 'Sometimes I wish I had