She had no rights as your mistress, no status, no property . . . these are things that are deeply important, you must understand that.”
“If only she’d spoken to me about it.” Ari bit his lip.
“I believe she had, many times, until she gave up.” Samina sighed. “She said you didn’t hear her. All she had on her side was her youth and beauty. And time was running out.”
“I . . . didn’t understand. Really, Ma, believe me.”
“And of course, she was too proud to beg you.”
“Ma, what do I do?” he asked despairingly.
“Start again?” Samina suggested. “And perhaps learn a lesson too. But Lali has gone forever.”
“I . . . need to go now, I have work to do.”
“Keep in touch—” he heard his mother say as, unable to hear any more, he pressed the button to end the call.
For the first time in his life, Ari did not go to the office the following day. He called Dhiren, his new sales manager, and told him he was sick with a fever. For the next few days, he slept as though he was a hibernating animal. He left his bed only to eat, drink and go to the bathroom. His legendary energy seemed to have left him and whenhe saw his reflection in the mirror, he looked smaller somehow, and pale—as if part of him had been stripped away. Which, in some ways, he thought miserably, it had.
In the rare moments he was awake, he lay staring at the ceiling, wondering how the spark of determination that had driven him on every day for the past fifteen years could have disappeared. When calls came through from the office, he didn’t answer them, he simply couldn’t face it.
On Tuesday night, as he staggered out into the brightness on the terrace and hung over its railings looking down at the world continuing beneath him, he contemplated his own future. And there it hung ahead of him, gaping like an empty, dark void. He rested his head on his hands. “Lali, I’m so, so sorry,” he sighed.
From inside, he heard the intercom buzz. Running toward it, praying wildly that it might be her, he grabbed the receiver.
“Hello?”
“ Beta , it’s me, your mother.”
“Come up,” he said, disappointment coursing through him that it wasn’t Lali. He was surprised too; his parents lived a five-hour car journey away from Mumbai.
“My son.” Samina held out her loving arms to her boy as Ari opened the door to let her inside.
In that moment, all the tension and bitterness of the past ten years dissolved and Ari stood, cradled in his mother’s embrace, sobbing like a child.
“I’m so sorry, Ma, so very sorry.”
“Ari”—Samina pushed her son’s hair back from his eyes and smiled at him—“you are back with your family and that is all that matters. Now, how about making your old mother a cup of tea? She’s had a long drive.”
• • •
That evening, Ari talked with his mother, letting out the thoughts that had surrounded him for the past few days and the bleakness he felt for his future.
“Well, at least now you’re speaking to me from your heart and not that hard head of yours,” Samina said, trying to comfort him. “I’d wondered all this time where my son had gone, and if he would ever return to me. So this is a good beginning. You have learned a veryimportant lesson, Ari: that contentment comes from many different things and not just one alone. Money and success can never make you happy if your heart is closed.”
“Anahita said much the same thing to me when I last saw her,” Ari mused. “And she said that one day I would realize it.”
“Your great-grandmother was a very wise woman.”
“Yes, and I feel ashamed I wasn’t there to say good-bye to her.”
“Well, if you believe, as she did, in the spirits, I’m sure she is here with us, accepting your apology. Now”—she yawned—“I’m tired after my journey and need some sleep.”
“Of course,” Ari replied, and led her downstairs to one of the beautifully furnished bedrooms.
“So much space, just
“If only she’d spoken to me about it.” Ari bit his lip.
“I believe she had, many times, until she gave up.” Samina sighed. “She said you didn’t hear her. All she had on her side was her youth and beauty. And time was running out.”
“I . . . didn’t understand. Really, Ma, believe me.”
“And of course, she was too proud to beg you.”
“Ma, what do I do?” he asked despairingly.
“Start again?” Samina suggested. “And perhaps learn a lesson too. But Lali has gone forever.”
“I . . . need to go now, I have work to do.”
“Keep in touch—” he heard his mother say as, unable to hear any more, he pressed the button to end the call.
For the first time in his life, Ari did not go to the office the following day. He called Dhiren, his new sales manager, and told him he was sick with a fever. For the next few days, he slept as though he was a hibernating animal. He left his bed only to eat, drink and go to the bathroom. His legendary energy seemed to have left him and whenhe saw his reflection in the mirror, he looked smaller somehow, and pale—as if part of him had been stripped away. Which, in some ways, he thought miserably, it had.
In the rare moments he was awake, he lay staring at the ceiling, wondering how the spark of determination that had driven him on every day for the past fifteen years could have disappeared. When calls came through from the office, he didn’t answer them, he simply couldn’t face it.
On Tuesday night, as he staggered out into the brightness on the terrace and hung over its railings looking down at the world continuing beneath him, he contemplated his own future. And there it hung ahead of him, gaping like an empty, dark void. He rested his head on his hands. “Lali, I’m so, so sorry,” he sighed.
From inside, he heard the intercom buzz. Running toward it, praying wildly that it might be her, he grabbed the receiver.
“Hello?”
“ Beta , it’s me, your mother.”
“Come up,” he said, disappointment coursing through him that it wasn’t Lali. He was surprised too; his parents lived a five-hour car journey away from Mumbai.
“My son.” Samina held out her loving arms to her boy as Ari opened the door to let her inside.
In that moment, all the tension and bitterness of the past ten years dissolved and Ari stood, cradled in his mother’s embrace, sobbing like a child.
“I’m so sorry, Ma, so very sorry.”
“Ari”—Samina pushed her son’s hair back from his eyes and smiled at him—“you are back with your family and that is all that matters. Now, how about making your old mother a cup of tea? She’s had a long drive.”
• • •
That evening, Ari talked with his mother, letting out the thoughts that had surrounded him for the past few days and the bleakness he felt for his future.
“Well, at least now you’re speaking to me from your heart and not that hard head of yours,” Samina said, trying to comfort him. “I’d wondered all this time where my son had gone, and if he would ever return to me. So this is a good beginning. You have learned a veryimportant lesson, Ari: that contentment comes from many different things and not just one alone. Money and success can never make you happy if your heart is closed.”
“Anahita said much the same thing to me when I last saw her,” Ari mused. “And she said that one day I would realize it.”
“Your great-grandmother was a very wise woman.”
“Yes, and I feel ashamed I wasn’t there to say good-bye to her.”
“Well, if you believe, as she did, in the spirits, I’m sure she is here with us, accepting your apology. Now”—she yawned—“I’m tired after my journey and need some sleep.”
“Of course,” Ari replied, and led her downstairs to one of the beautifully furnished bedrooms.
“So much space, just
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