The Bandit Queens (54)

“I don’t hate children; I just don’t see what the big hoopla is. They’re kinda boring, and dumb. But Raees has a good heart. He’ll play with the mukkabaaz if I ask.”

“Okay. That’s good. ‘Greater whiteness at lower costs.’?” Saloni’s head danced. “Oh! Maybe they could play in the backyard, and he could grab a fruit—”

“No,” Geeta said, her voice sharp. “Absolutely not. We’re not dragging him into this. ‘A pinch of powder, piles of foam.’ I mean, what if it was Arhaan?”

“Yeah,” said Saloni. “You’re right.”

They both sang as the song concluded: “?‘Washing powder Nirma. Washing powder Nirma.’?”

“Do you remember when we used your mom’s entire box on your underwear?” Saloni asked.

Geeta laughed. “I wouldn’t have had to if she’d warned me about periods.” At twelve, Geeta had been traumatized. Saloni’d been zero help. Malnourished and underweight, she didn’t get her period until sixteen, so she’d somberly listened to Geeta’s story of a massacre in her undergarments, and they both concurred that scrubbing the symptom would cure the malady. Geeta’s mother had found them neck-deep in foam, several months’ supply of washing powder wasted, the suds encroaching from the washing cubicle into the bedroom.

“She was so pissed.” Nostalgia softened Saloni’s features.

“I know,” Geeta said. “She told me my period cramps would be better or worse depending on how well I behaved that month.”

“She told me you could get pregnant if you used a toilet after a boy did.”

“No!”

“Yeah.”

“Did you believe her?”

“Only for like a day.” Saloni paused with a grin. “Or two years.”

They laughed. Saloni looked around the room. “You really don’t have anything to drink?”

“Saloni!”

“What! It relaxes me. You look like you could use some, too. I’ll stop by Karembhai’s tomorrow.”

“You buy from Karem?” Her initial reaction was happiness that he’d have customers and income for his family. But her invocation of his name was too familiar, and she tried to rectify this by adding the belated suffix, “bhai.” But Saloni had already heard, Geeta could tell from the way she tilted her head, filing away the tidbit, though she said nothing.

“Yeah, everyone does. He’s the only guy around. Not tharra of course; that stuff’ll grow hair on your chest. But the hi-fi booze. What I’d really like to try is the classy stuff in the films, you know”—Saloni arced a hand in the air like a marquee—“wine.” Only in their alphabet, “w” was pronounced “v,” so she actually said, “Vine.” She shrugged. “But you only get vine in the big-big cities.”

“When did you start? Drinking, I mean?”

“After I got married. Saurabh likes his whisky and I join him now and again. You’ve really never? Not even a sip?”

“No. Ramesh changed so much when he had the drink in him, I just…” Geeta shrugged.

Saloni looked away. “Yeah, that’ll do it. Men.”

“I liked Arhaan. I don’t think you have to worry about him. He seems like a good kid. Chatty and snacky, but really decent.”

Saloni’s smile was crooked, but pride perked her face. “Yeah?”

“He was shocked we used to know each other.”

“I don’t talk to them much about my childhood. I should, so they realize how good they have it. But it’s just—I don’t really like thinking about that time.”

Hurt pricked Geeta’s chest. It wasn’t about her, she reminded herself, Saloni had plenty of hunger worth forgetting. Still, she found herself fishing. “There were some good things, too.”

Saloni agreed with a nod. “Sure. But when you picked Ramesh over me, it kinda tainted the memories. You were just on my side until something better came along.”

“You stopped being on my side.”

Saloni’s gaze was intense enough to make Geeta look away. “Incorrect. Anyway, I felt stupid. And I hated you for making me feel stupid.”

The pain worsened because Saloni’s voice, for once, wasn’t accusatory. It was so resigned and matter-of-fact that Geeta sought to comfort rather than argue. “You’re not stupid, Saloni.”

Saloni sniffed, her chin elevated. “I’m aware.”

“I mean it, your looks aren’t the most interesting thing about you.”

She gestured to her zaftig body. “Especially now.” She released a heavy sigh. “Poor Saurabh probably thinks I tricked him. I came into the marriage with nothing, just my looks and now they’re…”

Geeta tilted her head and squinted at her. “Is that what your motherin-law said? Forget her. You still got some paint in the tube.”

Saloni laughed loudly but then caught herself. She dusted her hands of biscuit residue. “Hey. Just because I’m helping you, it doesn’t mean we’re friends or that I forgive you, okay? I just don’t wanna feel guilty if Farah kills you; I don’t have the time for that nonsense.”

Geeta nodded. “I understand. Thanks.”