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Chapter 3
The family’s favourite walk, which took place every evening without fail, involved joining several other pedestrians walking around a central roundabout located in the neighborhood. The grassy centre was the seasonal pitch for hockey, baseball and football played religiously by the neighborhood children. During the good weather practice was essential and the teams were forgiven for using pedestrians as targets. This month football was all the rage and every so often a groan would be heard from the players as the ball slammed into the net, narrowly missing the carefully coiffed head of one of the gossiping women.
These plump ladies made it their business to know everything about everybody, and frequently had gossip marathons while they plodded around the roundabout. And just as they got to who said what to who’s husband…smack!! And one of them would turn to shake her fist at the cheering crowd of players, rubbing her sore head with the other hand.
This evening was no different. As the group started pacing themselves Mrs. Sharma, one of the famous gossips, waddled up behind them, forcing her way through.
‘Hi, haven’t seen you here for a while!! What has been happening?’
They secretly called her the radio station (complimenting her figure and her knowledge in one stroke).
‘Is this your daughter-in-law? Shabnam’s daughter-in-law came from London yesterday. She is so slim!! But I hear her legs compare to an elephant’s! Well, you know I always advise exercising!! In fact I invited her to walk with us.’
Yes indeed!! So that Mrs. Sharma could pick up more gossip rather than let the poor girl exercise in peace thought Muskaan. She looked at her grandmother who was puffing herself up to deliver a few well-chosen bits of her own. This obviously required effort, as Mrs. Sharma’s tongue would not stop unless the in-coming facts were solid and juicy.
‘I heard that too, but although Kiran’s legs aren’t good, it appears that her mother’s are great. She is a regular party animal!! She has been married three times already!’ Gran paused dramatically, sucking in air, as she waited for Mrs. Sharma’s open mouth to regain its usual sympathetic pout.
Before the next tirade of words could arrive, Muskaan grabbed Gia and started walking quickly, aiming to double the speed of the adults. The last thing she needed was a bit by bit revelation of poor Kiran’s family.
‘When do you leave for the Mara?’ Gia enquired as she walked beside Muskaan.
‘In two weeks with any luck. The group of tourists are arriving in a week or so but they want to see Nairobi first.’
‘So you’ll still be here for Navratri?’ Which was the annual festival of dancing, and most Indians took part in it religiously.
‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world!! I haven’t been able to come for a while with all the tours but this time I managed to convince Jack I needed time off!!’
Jack Malkovich was Muskaan’s immediate superior and was in charge of delegating tour groups to his staff. Although some were rangers for the wildlife service and had several duties, guided tours kept the company afloat. Though business had been slow for the tourism industry in the past due to the lack of confidence in the safety procedures used in Africa, the tourists had started to reappear. This would be the third tour Muskaan had undertaken in the past two months and it was just the beginning of the tourist season.
All the rangers worked in pairs and Muskaan’s partner was currently doing research in the Mara on the wildebeest migration.
Ten minutes later, they spotted the rest of their group minus Mrs. Sharma, weaving around the other large ladies. Conversation seemed a thing of the past; Neela walked dejectedly on the outskirts, Sonia was admiring the wayside plants, while Gran was repeating how boring she found Mrs. Sharma for the hundredth time.
Muskaan nudged Gia who quickly stifled her rising giggles just before they joined the main party. The light was fading fast as the crowd of ladies retired slowly to their respective homes, their vocal chords strained from all the talking. A last shriek as the ball found its final target and suddenly everyone had disappeared.
As Muskaan’s family neared their house, a bustle of activity greeted them. Doors were being slammed, a child was crying and engines were revving. Time to take Neela’s leave. She politely inclined her head as she turned to leave; half-hearted invitations spewed forth as they all parted company.
‘How did you survive that attack by Mrs. Sharma?’
‘Oh, I tried to ignore it. She really knows a lot of rubbish,’ Sonia sighed as they set the table for dinner.
Gia was watching a horror show on T.V. and it was all Muskaan could do to block out the blood-curdling screams emanating from the TV set. Giving up she turned to her mother. ‘Why do you let her watch that horrific show? It scares me to bits!’
‘Likewise, but she loves it!’
‘That’s not an excuse! She’s too young!’
‘I think she could set us both under the carpet if she wanted to be mature.’
‘Kiss me!’ the softly spoken words stopped Muskaan’s next thought in its tracks. She turned towards the copper gilded cage in the hallway. A beady black eye winked at her and again the voice said, ‘Kiss me!’ more insistent this time.
‘I love you too,’ Muskaan smiled and dutifully blew a kiss at the grey-feathered head. The African Grey parrot nodded approvingly and went back to enjoying her meal of papaya. Sunny had been reared by Sonia, and she was just one of several pets around the single storey bungalow. Silence had never been a strong point here, the dogs barked outside, the parrots screeched in the hall or the fish tank gurgled musically in the dining room. Recently a hand-reared cockatiel had been added to the menagerie as a gift for Gia, thus it seemed an animal orchestra was now based in the once quiet neighborhood.
‘So about Neela’s invitation…’ Sonia swept past with a serving dish.
‘What about it?’ Muskaan kissed the bird again before following her mother to the dining room.
‘She wants you to visit her.’ Sonia pulled out some more plates and spoons.
‘I’ve already seen her twice this month! That should be enough!’
‘Unfortunately she doesn’t think so and neither does your grandmother.’
‘You know as well as I do that we will sit for half an hour in relative silence and then come back home nursing bruises from the boys!’
Her aunt seemed to have a perverse wish to enter into engagements of complete boredom without any valid reason. All she could do was stall for time until she could genuinely and regretfully bow out of the engagement using her work as a valid excuse. Sonia shrugged and continued to serve dinner.
Chapter 4
Can’t move the rook, but the knight may be sacrificed…Muskaan stared at the chess board thoughtfully as her grandfather popped some more cashew nuts into his mouth. Two minutes later and she still hadn’t moved a piece.
‘Come on, if you don’t move soon I’ll fall asleep!’ her grandfather yawned, reaching for the remote control.
He was a stocky man with a balding palate surrounded by a semi-circle of grey/white hair. He smiled often and was full of interesting facts and advice. There was rarely a dull moment in his company. His personality had been mimicked to perfection in Sonia who was at this moment washing dishes and thwarting every attempt by her mother to take over.
Muskaan could still hear snatches of their conversation as she moved the knight forward.
‘Ah…check and mate!!’ her grandfather triumphantly moved his queen forward, effectively blocking any escape route open to Muskaan’s king.
‘Well, I tried but you always win!!’
‘The advantage of age!’ chuckled her grandfather as he swept the board clean.
‘So when is the family expected?’ Sonia walked in, having completed most of the household chores despite her mother’s un-wavering opposition.
‘What family?’ Muskaan looked at her mother enquiringly.
‘Distant cousins from America from your grandfather’s side.’
‘Really?’ she raised an eyebrow. She had never heard of these so-called cousins, but then again there were so many far-flung relatives that surprise was no longer an option.
The next day Muskaan, Sonia, Gia and her grandfather stood expectantly at the arrivals gate listening for the tanoy’s distorted voice to confirm the flight’s arrival. The heat was oppressive and taking this into account most of the crowd was dressed in light colours and thin materials. The airport was a large building constructed years ago before independence. Much had changed since then. The small army of cleaners tried to maintain some order, but the floor was constantly dusty and littered with papers and wrappers of all shapes and sizes. The barriers near the gate were crowded and row upon row of eager families craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the weary travellers.
Suddenly a short Indian man dressed in a black suit sporting the latest style of sunglasses stepped through the doors followed by a similarly attired older man and woman and two younger girls wearing flared jeans.
Muskaan’s grandfather stepped forward to attract their attention while Muskaan and Sonia quickly disposed of the crowd of porters gathering around them. The introductions were brief, as the commotion had now attracted a group of taxi drivers waiting for a fare. The family was quickly hustled out of the airport towards two waiting cars cleanly avoiding the rush of humanity as the rest of the passengers streamed into the airport. The luggage, enough to dress the population of a small country, was distributed between the cars followed by the quick division of the cousins. Sonia was driving one car and her father the other. Gia, Muskaan and their younger cousins piled into Sonia’s station wagon while the elder members took the other, far more comfortable option – the air-conditioned saloon.
Mr and Mrs. Shetty turned out to be extremely distant cousins. They had kept up polite correspondence during family events and festivals but to no great extent. Their children Mohan the eldest was twenty-five, while his two sisters Rita and Kavita were seventeen and fifteen respectively. At this moment all three of them were perspiring profusely in the stultifying heat as they answered Sonia’s questions about their journey from America.
‘This place is just sooo hot!! I wish Mum and Dad had thought of a cooler place for a holiday!!’ Mohan wrinkled his nose distastefully. ‘The weather in Los Angeles is very refreshing, especially in the morning.’
‘Well, it is coming up to the hottest part of the year, but it is usually very pleasant,’ Sonia said, changing lanes with alacrity.
‘Of course, of course! But America is so much better. Now aunty you have to agree.’
Sonia glanced sideways at her eldest daughter. She could see the red flush of anger already staining her cheeks. ‘I hope you will learn to love it here once you’ve seen more of it.’ Sonia tried again only to be contradicted by one of the girls.
‘No no, it is very hot and now my mascara is running!!’ Rita squealed.
‘Perhaps earthquakes and freezing winters are more to your taste?’ Muskaan asked peering at her cousins, with a small smile.
Mohan shrugged his shoulders; a superior look on his face, which clearly indicated Africa was far below his consideration. He wouldn’t be considered attractive, his hair had been cropped short and dyed brown in certain areas, his round face was pink and rivulets of sweat were already snaking towards his chin, which was trying to support an unsuccessful attempt at growing a goatee. The two girls were still exclaiming over their make-up and trying to repair the damage in the crowded back seat. Neither of them looked their age. In fact they appeared to be auditioning for twenty-seven year old actresses in a bad film with what appeared to be a blind make-up artist in attendance. Muskaan stifled a laugh as she caught Gia rolling her eyes expressively. The rest of the journey was completed in silence except for the occasional sounds of disgust emanating from the back seat.
Both Muskaan and Gia stared out of the windows at the lush greenery on either side of the road. Vast plains stretched out towards distant blue hills. Occasionally they would pass a herd of cows and goats grazing with small boys looking after them, or a group of women would walk along the side of the road carrying cans of water, a precious commodity in this part of the world. It was a quiet life with a lot of hardship seemingly lessened when the people laughed and smiled as they so often did.
