The Reading List(98)

In the gift-shop aisles, there simply wasn’t enough space for Mukesh and his chair and Harishbhai’s son. Sensing that this may not be the right tactic, he asked Harishbhai’s son to reverse as quickly as he could out of the gift shop, when they accidentally reversed into Rohini and Nilakshi. Together …

‘Oh!’ Rohini said.

‘Oh!’ Nilakshi said.

‘Oh!’ Mukesh said.

‘Hey, I’m Harishbhai’s son,’ Harishbhai’s son said.

‘What are you both doing here?’ Mukesh asked.

‘We’re spending some time at the mandir,’ Rohini said. ‘We’re going to go to a satsaang. I got the day off work. Priya’s with Robert,’ she added, pre-empting his question.

‘Your daughter and I are getting to know each other even better!’ Nilakshi said, her face bright.

Mukesh beckoned Rohini down to his level and he whispered in her ear: ‘Just like your mother, you are. Always welcoming to people.’

Rohini beamed back, it was her way of saying, ‘If she’s part of your family, she’s part of mine too.’

‘Here, here,’ he said, and handed them flyers. ‘And we are asking for homemade food at the library too – so make sure you bring something! You got my messages? We need to keep the vegetarian food side up. I might even make my famous paneer.’

Rohini and Nilakshi looked at each other. ‘Famous?’ Rohini asked. ‘I thought you’d only managed not to burn it once …’

‘Harishbhai’s son,’ Mukesh said, wondering if the boy had a name, but appreciating Harishbhai’s clear and strong sense of branding. ‘Let’s go! Over there, there are a few lonely looking souls who need a flyer. Food please, ready for Wednesday!’

And with that, they whooshed away over the smooth wooden floors, up the carpeted ramp, and onto the marble floor leading to the main mandir.

When Tuesday evening finally arrived, Mukesh was full of adrenaline. Rohini, Deepali and Vritti were preparing all the snacks in his kitchen, and the twins were causing mayhem in the corridors. When Zac rang the doorbell, Mukesh was pulled back several years to one of Naina’s fundraiser-planning evenings for which she’d always have a selection of snacks and food prepared, ‘to keep energies up’. He hadn’t done anything of the sort. Thankfully, Zac was holding a sharing pack of Doritos with some salsa dip. Mukesh was incredibly grateful.

‘My mum says never turn up to someone’s house empty handed!’ Zac said.

Mukesh clapped his hands together. ‘You are a good boy!’

Zac seemed out of place in Mukesh’s house without Aleisha. He kept asking Mukesh’s permission to do things, like, ‘Mr Patel, can I use these plates for the Doritos?’

Mukesh nodded.

‘Mr Patel, can I get a glass of water?’

Mukesh nodded.

Then, ‘Mr Patel, can I use your toilet?’

Mukesh said, ‘Of course, Zac. This, my home, is now your home. Do whatever you need.’

Zac beamed at him in response, but still walked around the house tentatively, as though he didn’t want to leave any trace of himself behind. Mukesh chuckled, podding some peas into a bowl, for the kachori, until Jayesh turned up, trying to use his grandfather and his bowl of peas as a climbing frame.

Nikhil arrived next, laden with vegetables from the shop. But as soon as he appeared in the doorway, he was summoned by Rohini: ‘Nikhil, we need you! Come here.’

Nikhil stepped in reluctantly; Rohini had a notebook in hand.

‘Yes,’ she said, authoritatively. ‘Bring some extra ingredients tomorrow morning and I can fry it up just before we go. Nilakshimasi said I could use her pressure cooker too.’ On uttering Nilakshi’s name, she looked at her father and smiled. Mukesh smiled back, nodding through the pain as Jaya started to tap him with her tiny fists.

‘Jaya, be nice to Dada,’ Rohini admonished. ‘Play gently.’ She obeyed for a second until her masi turned away.

Amid the mayhem of the living room, Mukesh spotted Priya curled in a corner, a book in her hand. He managed to free himself of Jaya, and Jayesh, and took his pea-podding over to her.

As he got closer, Mukesh could see Priya was reading Little Women. Again.

‘Beta, you already read that?’

Priya nodded. ‘I know – but it reminds me of Ba. I just hear her voice. Plus, Dada, Ba always told me that sometimes when you really like a book, you need to read it again! To relive what you loved and find out what you missed before. Books always change as the person who reads them changes too. That’s what Ba said.’

Mukesh nodded. He understood.

Zac handed Mukesh a cup of tea and asked Priya if she’d like one too. In the background, Rohini said, ‘She doesn’t drink tea,’ but Priya said, ‘I would love one please, Zac,’ so he passed her a cup.

Priya smiled, putting her book down, wrapping both hands around her mug. She looked at her mother and playfully stuck out her tongue.

Mukesh wandered back to his chair and he sat down. He looked around the living room, completely full of movement, the twins back to running up and down the corridor outside too. He hadn’t had this many people in his house since Naina died.

He thought of Aleisha, Leilah, in their silent home.