The Reading List(102)

‘Yes, Aleisha wrote your name on it specially!’

‘The books, are they all for me to read?’ Priya laid them all out side by side on the stairs.

‘If you’d like to. Beloved is maybe one for your mummy to read instead, but I wanted to give it to you so you know that it’s a good one. Although it’s a little bit scary.’

‘I’ve read The Woman in Black, that was scary,’ Priya said proudly.

‘I don’t know that one.’

‘Ba told me she read it once; she said she jumped out of her skin.’ Priya brought her hand to her mouth to suppress a giggle, but Mukesh saw her eyes glisten with a soft sheet of tears.

‘Oh, beti,’ he said, embracing her. ‘Your ba would so love to see the wonderful young lady you are, Priya. You make her very proud.’ Mukesh’s words trembled. ‘You make me very proud too.’

They stayed in a hug for a moment, Mukesh resting his head on Priya’s. The whole house, which had felt silent for so long, suddenly felt like home again.

‘Dada,’ Priya eventually said. ‘Shall we get to the library?’

Mukesh looked at his watch, twenty past ten. ‘Oh Bhagwan!’ he said. ‘Yes we should! I’m meant to help set up!’

By the time they arrived at the library, twenty minutes before the start, Aleisha was already there with someone who looked very much like her.

‘Hello, Aleisha! Do you remember me? I’m Priya,’ she said, skipping up to her. There was no sign of nerves today.

‘Of course, Priya,’ Aleisha smiled, a sadness behind her eyes. ‘How are you?’

‘Thank you for my library card,’ Priya rattled on, holding the card up to her. ‘I really like your handwriting.’

‘You’re very welcome. You can keep your grandad company on some of his library trips, can’t you?’

Priya nodded vigorously.

‘Hi Mr P,’ Aleisha said, welcoming him over. He’d been standing a few feet away to allow Priya to have her moment. ‘This is my cousin Rachel,’ Aleisha said to Mukesh, who smiled and shook the young woman’s hand.

‘Yes, we met the other day,’ he said, noticing his accent getting heavier as he became increasingly nervous.

Two cars drew up outside, carrying Rohini, Deepali, Nilakshi and Vritti. As soon as they’d parked up, trays of food emerged from every door, and they carried them straight to the tables laid out specially.

‘Why are the chairs like this?’ Mukesh asked Aleisha. Kyle chipped in to answer instead. ‘You see, sir, it’s actually more conducive to chatting, in clusters like this. Tables for people to eat outside, then people can browse the library inside – enjoy the peace for a bit! And we wanted this to be an open day for people to get to know each other.’

‘Actually, Mr P wanted this to be an open day.’ Aleisha winked at Mukesh, and Priya giggled exaggeratedly, holding Mukesh’s hand.

Gradually, people trickled over to them. Some of the regulars, carrying dishes of food, with friends and family, and some people who had clearly never been here before at all. There weren’t hundreds of people, as Mukesh had been imagining, but there were at least thirty or forty. They had to bring out many more tables to accommodate the food. There were samosas of every kind, jerk chicken, chips with chilli sprinkled on top, mogo too, sausages wrapped in bacon, vegetarian sausages with rosemary that would later become Mukesh’s new favourite, fairy cakes made by Priya, and quiche with something questionable inside it. Was it meat or was it plastic? Cheese squares with cocktail sticks impaling them, and chutneys of all kinds. It was a feast.

At one point, the noise of chatter and laughter was unbearable, so Mukesh carried himself off inside for a while to settle into a chair. He looked around the library, seeing it as all the people outside might be seeing it. Stacks and stacks of books on shiny shelves that might once have been white, but were now yellowing, and chairs – some new and comfy, others not so much. He felt a calm wash over him. He was already looking forward to coming in again and relaxing in his favourite chair to read a new book when this day was over. He hoped that many of the people who came today for the first time would get to enjoy it too. And there, nestled among the bookshelves, comfy in her beanbag, sat Priya. She caught him looking, and beamed at him. He would never have imagined, just a few weeks ago, that this might have happened. He knew so much had changed, for better, and for worse … but this was one of the good moments, one of the loveliest moments.

Mukesh was nibbling on veggie sausages when he spotted Rohini with a paper plate in one hand and a mug full to the brim in the other.

‘I brought you some more sausages!’ she said loudly, over the din. ‘And some chai, homemade by Indiramasi!’

‘Indira is here?’

‘Mhmm, apparently she’s a regular – has been for a while now. I can’t believe you never mentioned she came here. She’s very chatty today,’ Rohini said.

‘Indira, chatty? That’s news to me! But in that case, I’ll stay in here a little longer …’ Mukesh laughed. ‘You know,’ he whispered, ‘the last time we spoke, it took me two hours to get away.’

Rohini laughed. ‘Papa!’ she admonished. ‘Just be kind to her, she is lonely. Isn’t that what this whole day is about? Mummy really liked Indiramasi, she always looked out for her.’