of all places!
‘The nuns kept bees and used to sell honey, the sweetest honey in all of Mangalore,’ continued her dad with a faraway look in his eyes. ‘Your Ab saw your Mai when he went to buy honey and fell in love with her. His parents were not happy with his choice as his family was one of the oldest and most revered in Taipur. They wanted him to marry a girl from a good family and not Mai. They thought he was marrying beneath himself—you understand?’ Her father’s eyes met hers. She nodded.
‘For your Mai, this was the best thing that had ever happened in her life. She had found respectability. She vowed that she would never do anything that would sully the name of Taipur Diaz; that her family would be the pillars of society.’ Her dad smiled gently at her. ‘And that is why status is so very important to your Mai.’
This close up, Reena could see the dark circles under his eyes. ‘And why is it so important to you, Dad?’
‘I love your Mai,’ he said simply. ‘I do not want to see her hurt. She has suffered enough in her life. If status is what matters to her, then status is what I will strive for.’
Her dad sometimes spoke like a character in a book, thought Reena.
Preeti reached across and stroked Deepak’s arm. ‘Ma won’t find out about Anita wanting a divorce, Deepak. This is Bangalore, not Taipur. News doesn’t get around as quickly. And these legal proceedings, they take so long anyway. It will be a couple of years before they are divorced. Anything can happen by then. They may decide not to get divorced at all.’
Deepak looked up. ‘You think? Maybe once she has calmed down...’
‘When she comes here I’ll have a chat with her, find out if she still loves Uttam. She must do. It must have been a lovers’ tiff, strong words exchanged. The word divorce would have been bandied about. You know how fiery Anita is, how proud. Things must have ballooned out of proportion...’ When her mother put it like that, Reena could almost believe the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed.
Her father seemed to think so too. He reached across and gave her mother a hug. With his other arm he pulled Reena close.
‘I am lucky to have you, you know,’ he murmured.
‘You are,’ smiled Preeti, ‘Well, there’s a lot to be done before she arrives. Spare room to be made ready, sheets to be washed, excuses to be thought of to give nosy Nupur next door before she starts spreading rumours. Bedtime for all, I think.’
As Reena walked to her room, she heard her dad whisper, ‘Thank you, Preeti. You are so special.’ She turned just in time to see her mother blush before she disappeared into her dad’s bear hug. At least, she thought, her mum and dad were not in danger of divorcing any time soon.
UPDATE: Aunt Anita’s love marriage caused a huge furore. But she wasn’t expelled from the family, she wasn’t forgotten. So what did Shirin do that was even worse than marrying a Hindu? (NOTE: Word ‘furore’ which sounds like something a lion would make, copied from the new Thesaurus —eleventh birthday present. Eugene Ma’am, this detective’s English teacher, who’s always urging this detective to use different, better words, will be pleasantly surprised when she slips this word into her next essay.)
Plan C: Find Aunt Anita and ask her about Aunt Shirin. Find Aunt Anita—Achieved. (She’s coming here!) Ask about Aunt Shirin: See below.
Next Stage(s): Show Aunt Anita the picture and ask her about Aunt Shirin. Find cause of rift and try to fix it. Reunite Aunt Shirin with family, especially niece who was instrumental in bringing about the reunion. Hitch: Aunt Anita may not be in the mood to answer questions, on account of wanting to divorce Uncle Uttam. Note: Proceed with caution taking into account Aunt Anita’s fragile emotional state.
She dreamt of a little girl in pigtails with mournful eyes and a face that Reena shared. The girl hovered in a corner, scared, covering her ears
‘The nuns kept bees and used to sell honey, the sweetest honey in all of Mangalore,’ continued her dad with a faraway look in his eyes. ‘Your Ab saw your Mai when he went to buy honey and fell in love with her. His parents were not happy with his choice as his family was one of the oldest and most revered in Taipur. They wanted him to marry a girl from a good family and not Mai. They thought he was marrying beneath himself—you understand?’ Her father’s eyes met hers. She nodded.
‘For your Mai, this was the best thing that had ever happened in her life. She had found respectability. She vowed that she would never do anything that would sully the name of Taipur Diaz; that her family would be the pillars of society.’ Her dad smiled gently at her. ‘And that is why status is so very important to your Mai.’
This close up, Reena could see the dark circles under his eyes. ‘And why is it so important to you, Dad?’
‘I love your Mai,’ he said simply. ‘I do not want to see her hurt. She has suffered enough in her life. If status is what matters to her, then status is what I will strive for.’
Her dad sometimes spoke like a character in a book, thought Reena.
Preeti reached across and stroked Deepak’s arm. ‘Ma won’t find out about Anita wanting a divorce, Deepak. This is Bangalore, not Taipur. News doesn’t get around as quickly. And these legal proceedings, they take so long anyway. It will be a couple of years before they are divorced. Anything can happen by then. They may decide not to get divorced at all.’
Deepak looked up. ‘You think? Maybe once she has calmed down...’
‘When she comes here I’ll have a chat with her, find out if she still loves Uttam. She must do. It must have been a lovers’ tiff, strong words exchanged. The word divorce would have been bandied about. You know how fiery Anita is, how proud. Things must have ballooned out of proportion...’ When her mother put it like that, Reena could almost believe the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed.
Her father seemed to think so too. He reached across and gave her mother a hug. With his other arm he pulled Reena close.
‘I am lucky to have you, you know,’ he murmured.
‘You are,’ smiled Preeti, ‘Well, there’s a lot to be done before she arrives. Spare room to be made ready, sheets to be washed, excuses to be thought of to give nosy Nupur next door before she starts spreading rumours. Bedtime for all, I think.’
As Reena walked to her room, she heard her dad whisper, ‘Thank you, Preeti. You are so special.’ She turned just in time to see her mother blush before she disappeared into her dad’s bear hug. At least, she thought, her mum and dad were not in danger of divorcing any time soon.
UPDATE: Aunt Anita’s love marriage caused a huge furore. But she wasn’t expelled from the family, she wasn’t forgotten. So what did Shirin do that was even worse than marrying a Hindu? (NOTE: Word ‘furore’ which sounds like something a lion would make, copied from the new Thesaurus —eleventh birthday present. Eugene Ma’am, this detective’s English teacher, who’s always urging this detective to use different, better words, will be pleasantly surprised when she slips this word into her next essay.)
Plan C: Find Aunt Anita and ask her about Aunt Shirin. Find Aunt Anita—Achieved. (She’s coming here!) Ask about Aunt Shirin: See below.
Next Stage(s): Show Aunt Anita the picture and ask her about Aunt Shirin. Find cause of rift and try to fix it. Reunite Aunt Shirin with family, especially niece who was instrumental in bringing about the reunion. Hitch: Aunt Anita may not be in the mood to answer questions, on account of wanting to divorce Uncle Uttam. Note: Proceed with caution taking into account Aunt Anita’s fragile emotional state.
She dreamt of a little girl in pigtails with mournful eyes and a face that Reena shared. The girl hovered in a corner, scared, covering her ears
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