you sure he’ll . . .” I trailed off as a loud bang came from the front gate. Someone was here. Perhaps Ekant had finally decided to come home.
I stood up and walked over to the screen door. I peered through the dark, trying to see who had arrived as Chotu opened the gate to let the visitors through. In walked two women, both draped in shawls and wearing of course the traditional salwar-kameez. What was it with these women and their shawls in the deadly summer heat? The woman in front was heavy and swayed from side to side as she walked. Behind her was a much thinner and younger girl.
“Chotu! Who is at the door?” Dhadhi called out.
“It is Rano ji and her daughter,” Chotu replied.
“Ah, Rano! Come to the living room, dear. We are here.”
I stepped away from the screen door as the two females approached. The mother slowed as she reached me and pulled down her glasses to the tip of her nose, scanning me from head to toe. I matched her stare at every point until she pushed up her glasses and marched on towards Dhadhi and Jas. I watched her quietly, noticing her repeated glances in my direction.
While the mother had already been annoying, the daughter was quite different. After saying hello to both Dhadhi and Jas, she had quietly taken a seat in a chair at the far corner of the room. She was keeping herself busy with a book that she had picked up from a nearby shelf. Was she shy? Had she not noticed me? Perhaps she did not care to notice.
“Rano, this is my granddaughter, Esha. My Dilawar’s youngest,” Dhadhi said proudly in Punjabi. “She has come from Canada.”
“Really, all the way from Canada, hmm? It is nice to finally see someone from your son’s family. How long will she be staying?” Her tone was careful and inquisitive. I already didn’t like her.
“She is to travel to Kiratpur. After that we will see. So how is everyone at home?” Dhadhi asked.
“Oh, it is wonderful!” Rano exclaimed. “My daughter has received a magnificent proposal for marriage. Sardar Dalip Singh has asked for her hand for his son, Daya.”
“Really, our young Daya?” Dhadhi said without much surprise. She flashed the daughter a look that suggested she had already been expecting this proposal. Ignoring Dhadhi’s response, Rano carried on.
“Oh, Dhadhi, Daya is such a striking young man now. My daughter will go into such a rich and respected family. My heart is filled with joy!”
As the mother continued in her praise, the daughter carried on reading. She paid no attention to the ongoing discussion regarding her marriage. Meanwhile, Rano once again shifted her focus to me. She pulled her glasses down again to the tip of her nose and stared at me.
“And . . . what of your granddaughter, Dhadhi?”
“Esha?” Dhadhi looked at me. “Oh, she is young. I am sure her time will come when it is right.”
“I see,” replied Rano. “Well, she still has time then to fix herself up.”
Fix myself up?
“Excuse me?” I asked, deciding that it was time I spoke up.
“Oh child, you know you are so thin. Do girls in Canada eat anything? And look at your hair! If you are to be a beautiful Indian bride, you must grow that hair. Now, just look—”
“Oh, we cannot criticize children who have been raised in different countries,” Jas interrupted. “Besides, I am sure that Esha and her family can decide what is right for her. You need not worry.”
Just as I was about to add my two cents, Jas gave me a stern nod, suggesting I should let the moment pass. I clenched my teeth and suppressed the harsh words that were sitting impatiently at the tip of my tongue.
“Of course,” Rano sighed. “Well, we should get going. It is late. I just wanted to inform you of our wonderful news.”
“Oh, Rano, you have not had anything to eat or drink yet. How can you go like this,” Dhadhi said without much force.
“No, no, Dhadhi, next time. Come, Sumedha dear. Say bye to Dhadhi and Jas.”
The mother left without another look at me, and I didn’t mind at all. The daughter, surprisingly, stopped at the screen door and nervously turned in my direction. She had a tanned brown complexion, but her most extraordinary feature was her clearly defined unibrow.
“I am sorry about your father,” she said in perfect English. Her voice was so soft that I almost had to strain my ears just to hear her. “Jas told me about his passing.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry too,” I replied.
“My—”
“Sumi! Where have you gotten stuck? Come on!” Rano barked in the distance. The daughter gave a nervous smile and hurried out the door to catch up with her mother. I was surprised at how different the two were. One was obnoxious and rude while the other was timid and sweet.
“Esha,” called Dhadhi, making her way towards the staircase. “Do not listen to that Rano. She talks more than she thinks.”
“Yeah, I can tell,” I replied, following her upstairs.
“Good. But her daughter is a very sweet child. She is your age. Her name is Sumedha, but we lovingly call her Sumi. While you are here, you should spend some time with her, to be around kids your age. If you are with Sumi, then I will not worry about you. Okay?”
“Sure,” I said, though I had no real intention of hanging around very long in the city.
“Good. Now, get some rest. See you in the morning,” she said as she turned into her bedroom.
“Goodnight, Dhadhi,” I replied as I made my way into my own room. I went straight for the bed and fell back onto it. A whole boring day had passed, and I still had not seen Ekant.
“Oh, I miss you, Canada, my girls, B.C., fast food, pizza, my bed . . . Johnny . . .” As I counted away my sorrows, my eyes became heavy, and I slowly dozed off.
The next morning, when I opened my eyes, I found a hot cup of tea next to the bed. I picked it up, wondering why anyone would serve me in bed while I slept.
“Ma’am, have you finished tea?” asked a small, quivering voice. “Um, would you like more?”
I followed the voice to the foot of my bed. There stood a short, dark-skinned, skinny little girl. Her gaze was lowered and fully concentrated on the floor, as though staring at her feet was the most important thing in the world. Her hands were behind her back, and she didn’t make a move until I responded.
“Excuse me?” is all I could come up with.
“More tea, ma’am?” she asked again without moving her gaze away from her feet. She looked absolutely terrified of me. I didn’t get it. I mean, I was pretty fit as an athlete, and I was known to get into a few rough situations on the field, but off the field no one had ever reacted to me in fear.
“Oh! No, no, thank
