The Reading List(32)

‘It’s true! I liked them both. I liked the story very, very much.’ Mukesh nodded emphatically. ‘I like Atticus a lot too! He was a very clever man.’

‘He was so good!’ Aleisha lit up. ‘I just … all the court-case stuff with Tom Robinson, like it was so emotional and mega-tense, but I loved it. I’m applying to do law at uni—’

‘Law?’ Mukesh gasped, his face lighting right up. ‘You are very, very clever! No wonder you are such a big reader.’

Aleisha laughed uneasily. She shrugged her shoulders, immediately shy again. ‘Not that clever, I just work hard.’

‘Well Atticus is a very good lawyer, but you, you’ll be even better!’ Mukesh clapped his hands together and they laughed at one another.

Their chatter petered out to silence, an edge of awkwardness creeping in. ‘Well, thank you for all your help,’ Mukesh said again. ‘I liked that one, so what do you recommend next? You said you could tell me which one!’

The girl paused. He noticed her hands crunching into one another, one finger twisting round and round the other.

‘Erm, maybe you might like Rebecca – it’s by Daphne du Maurier.’

‘Whatever you recommend I am sure I will like!’

She hopped up from her chair and headed to the shelves – she found the copy immediately. He thought it was very clever, how Aleisha knew where every book in the library was placed. She took it over to her desk, and Mr Patel clambered out of his very comfy armchair to meet her there.

‘My wife loved to read,’ he said, filling the silence, as she tapped in the code.

‘What did she like?’

‘I don’t really know. She always had a book with her. I never knew what. She died, you see. A couple of years ago. I … she was the reader. I have never really read much, until now.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ her voice just louder than a whisper. She looked at him, gave him room to continue.

‘She was my wife, I should have paid attention to the books she liked. I liked to watch her read, but never asked her what was happening in her books. I feel silly starting to read story books at my age.’

‘It’s never too late to read stories.’

‘Stories feel so weird. Like seeing someone else’s life that you are not meant to. Being nosy!’

Aleisha scanned his library card in. ‘I’m sure your wife would be so impressed with how quicky you read To Kill a Mockingbird!’

‘I think she would be too.’ He nodded, solemnly.

‘What job did you used to do? Or what do you do now?’ She looked up sharply, probably hoping she hadn’t offended him.

‘Oh, dear, I definitely do not do anything now. Too old and creaky! I was a ticket-master at Wembley Central. Now I don’t really do anything.’

‘A ticket-master?’

‘Yes, I sold people tickets. I knew people, I knew their faces, and I would always try to ask their names – I knew who had to get what train and when. People were less grumpy then. People weren’t so busy. There were very few mobile phones, not like today, so people looked up when they walked around instead of down at their hands,’ he nodded towards Aleisha’s iPhone, face down on the table. ‘Speaking was all you could do then. I would call out to some people if I knew they might be late for their train.’ He raised his hand. ‘“Your train is here, miss!” I would say. People always thanked me then.’

‘Literally can’t imagine people speaking to each other in London. Not sure I’ve ever said more than a few words to people on the Tube.’

‘I know, I find it sad. Often I say hello to people and they just look at me like I am crazy.’

Aleisha nodded knowingly. ‘That man over there,’ she whispered under her breath and pointed to a young gentleman sitting in a thick black hoodie. ‘We call him Crime Thriller guy, it’s all he reads. He came and spoke to me a while ago, like just making conversation, I found it so strange. And this is actually my job. I work here.’

They giggled together then, and Crime Thriller looked up for a moment; they both quickly averted their gaze. Mukesh felt as if he had been let in on a secret.

‘My wife, she would have liked you,’ he said once he’d got his breath back. ‘She likes young women who are kind, clever and focused. And readers! Just like her.’

He noticed he had switched into present tense; the girl had noticed too.

‘Here’s your next book, Mr Patel!’ She handed Rebecca to him before he could say anything else. Mukesh clasped it in both hands, placed it in his shopping bag slung over his shoulder, and wandered outside. He didn’t turn round to say goodbye until he was already out of the door. Framed by the doorway, cut in two by the divide in the glass, he waved with one hand. The girl waved back, just as enthusiastically.

The girl was right – Naina would be proud, not just because he’d read a book quickly … but because today he took himself out of his comfort zone, and for a few moments of his day, he’d made a brand-new friend. He looked at his feet, to check he was still fixed firmly on the ground and he wasn’t just day-dreaming. Satisfied this was all very real, he turned back around and shuffled away.





PART III


REBECCA


by Daphne Du Maurier