The Direction of the Wind: A Novel(77)

“In some cases, yes. But if you protect too much, the child never learns to grow up and develop any resiliency. I was dependent on Papa for everything until he died, and I did not realize how much so until I came here. I’d never taken care of myself—or anyone else, for that matter—and I think that is a lesson better learned much earlier in life.” She looks at Manoj. “I think that is something you managed to teach Manoj long ago, and he is stronger for it. I admire his strength. It is something that I will aspire to after I leave here. I may have learned the lesson later in life, but at least I’m learning it now, and I can grow and take care of myself.”

Her journey, self-discovery, and new insights about Nita and Vijay are just starting, and she is excited to see where they lead her, but they don’t change the fact that her papa is gone and has left a hole in her heart. Even if she is angry at him for hiding these facts from her, he was still the person she ate dinner with each night and spoke to about her day. He was the person who protected her from life’s evils, even if he took that role too far. He was the person whom she loved, and who made her feel loved, every day of her life. No amount of anger can replace that.

Naresh Uncle looks kindly at Sophie. “I have no doubt that you will accomplish everything you wish in life.” He looks from her to Manoj. “It was nice to see him have a friend.”

“It was good for me, too, especially in this strange new world.”

“Perhaps you can still stay in touch and be friends after you return home.” His expression is hopeful.

Sophie touches his arm. “I’d like nothing more. With both of you.”

She goes into the kitchen. Manoj is chopping onions with fervor. Beads of sweat form on his brow, and his nose is running.

“I’ve created a profit and loss program for the restaurant,” Sophie says, not wanting to startle him while he’s wielding a sharp knife.

Manoj glances in her direction. “Thank you. Hopefully it’s not too complicated for Papa to use.”

“I tried to keep it simple, but I thought I would show it to you as well in case he has trouble. And you can reach out to me if there are any issues.”

He nods. His demeanor is all business.

“Do you mind if we step away from the onions for a minute?” Sophie asks, tears pricking her eyes.

He wipes his hands on the white apron tied around his waist and moves to where she is standing.

“I really want to thank you for your help this past week. I know it wasn’t an ideal situation to have me here, but I think perhaps life does work out for a reason. You helped me find answers that I have needed to know for my entire life, and I’m not sure there are any words that can repay that. You didn’t have to help me, but the fact that you did made this painful journey easier.”

“It was nothing,” he says. “You didn’t speak French, and you needed help.”

“You have a lot on your plate, and that you took on my problems as well says a lot about your character.”

He tries to shrug off her compliment.

“I hope we can stay friends,” she says.

He raises an eyebrow, as if he realizes for the first time that they did become friends.

She laughs. “Don’t let me pressure you into it!”

He now laughs too. “No, it’s not that.” He grows more solemn. “It’s just been a while since I focused on something other than this place.”

She nods. “I know. That’s why I appreciate it so much. Maybe one day you will come to India and I can return the favor.”

“Perhaps I will. I should probably go one time in my life.”

“Whenever you do, you will have someone waiting. And in the meantime, I want to hear how the restaurant and the two of you are doing. I’m now invested in the success of all three!”

Manoj looks at his papa and then turns to Sophie. “We will be okay.”

“Yes,” she says, “I think we all will be.”

“And you’ll let us know you are safe in America?” he says, his hard demeanor giving way. “No dark alleys alone at night?”

She laughs. “I promise. And I speak the language, so I hope it will be easier there.”

Her eyes convey the gratitude that her words cannot. This person who was a stranger to her a couple weeks ago has changed the course of the rest of her life. How can any words capture that?

As she leaves the restaurant that evening, she thinks about how much her world has expanded in such a short period of time, and in the most unpredictable ways. With the passing of Papa, she had felt lost and hopeless, then clung to the idea that Nita was alive like a life raft in the vast Indian Ocean. She realizes that when she came to Paris, she was seeking answers, but she was also seeking someone to replace Papa. She hadn’t been equipped to go through life without that crutch of a parent paving her way, and now she is heading in that direction but is no longer as afraid. Less than two weeks have changed her past and her future. She is now a confirmed orphan, but the weight is not as heavy as she had expected, perhaps because her hope has shifted to this new brother who has been living a world apart from her. She knows she is meant to find him and knows this series of events is the way her life had to unfold for her to do so.





47


The next day Sophie meets Dao at her apartment in the Marais to collect Nita’s belongings. Manoj had offered to join her, but she knew she needed to do this part on her own. He still insisted on giving her clear directions and making sure she repeated the steps to him three times. The apartment is on the top floor of a fifth-floor walk-up on Rue de Sevigné, and Sophie is out of breath by the time she reaches the top landing. The door is open a few inches, and from within it, Sophie hears Dao say, “Come in.”