The Mouners

By Author: sadas
Total Articles: 105
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I walked up the back stairs into the veranda", which was while in the afternoon sun. I could never persuade myself to enter that house by the front stairs. We were poor relations, taught to respect the house and family.
On the right of the veranda there was the kitchen, tiled and clean, fitted with everything anyone could want. An ugly Indian girl with a pockmarked face3 and long breasts was washing some dishes. She wore a dirty red dress.
When she saw me she said, "Hello, Romesh. " She had started with a bright voice' but ended on a serious tone that was more suitable.
"Hello," I said softly. "Is she there?" I pointed towards the room that lay straight ahead. °
"Yes. Boy. she cries all day. And the baby was so cute6, too. " The servant girl was beginning to imitate the language of the house.
"Can I go in now?"
"Yes." she whispered. Drying her hands on the dress, she led the way. Her kitchen was clean and pure, but all the impurities seemed to have stuck' on her. She tiptoed to the door, opened it an inch or two, looked in respectfully and said in a louder voice, "Romesh here, ...
... Miss Sheila. "
There was a sigh inside. The girl opened the door and shut it behind me. Somebody had drawn the curtains all around. The room was full of hot darkness smelling of ammonia8 and oil. Some light came into the room; it was enough for me to see Sheila clear- ly. She was dressed in a loose yellow housecoat; she was half-sitting, half leaning backwards9, on a pink sofa.
I walked across the polished floor10 as slowly and as silently as I could. I took my eyes off11 Sheila and looked at the table next to the sofa. 1 didn't know how to begin.
It was Sheila who broke the silence. She looked me up and down12 in the half-light and said, "My God, Romesh, you are growing up. " She smiled, with tears in her eyes. "How are you? And your mother?" Sheila didn't like my mother. "They're all well—all at home are well," I said. "And how are you?"
She managed a little laugh. "Still living. Pull up a chair. 13 No. no not yet. Let me look at you. My, you are getting to be a handsome young man. "
I pulled up a chair and sat down. I sat with my legs wide apart at first. But this struck me as being irreverent" and too familiar. So I put my knees together and let my hands rest loosely on them. I sat upright. Then I looked at Sheila. She smiled.
Then she began to cry. She reached for13 the damp handkerchief on the table. I got up and asked if she would like something to calm her a little. Sobbing16 heavily, she shook her head, and told me to sit down.
I sat still, not knowing what to do.
She wiped her eyes with the handkerchief, pulled out a larger handkerchief from her housecoat, and blew her nose. '' Then she smiled. "You must forgive me for breaking down18 lide this," she said.
I was going to say "That's all right," but the words felt too free. So I opened my mouth and made an unintelligible noise.
"You never knew my son, Romesh, did you?"
"I only saw him once," I lied, and instantly regretted the lie: she might ask me where I had seen him or when I had seen him. In

fact, I never knew that Sheila's baby was a boy until he died and the news spread.
But she Wasn't going to examine me. "I have some pictures of him." She called in a gentle, strained voice " Soomintra. " The servant girl opened the door. ''Eta you want something. Miss Sheila?"
"Yes, Soomin," Sheila saidCand I noticed that she had shortened the girl's name, a thing that was not ordinarily done), "Yes, I want the snapshots of Ravi. " At the name she almost burst into tears, but threw her head back at the last moment and smiled.