‘Must I switch off the lights?’
‘I’ll do it,’ he said, reaching next to the nightstand for the switch. The room plunged into darkness.
Neel lay on his back with his arms folded under his head. Kaavi faced him.
‘Say what’s on your mind,’ he urged.
Kaavi didn’t answer.
‘I’m not going to pounce on you,’ he said.
Kaavi wanted to reach out and hold him, but she didn’t.
‘I looked for you, you know. I even hired a lousy private investigator,’ he said.
Kaavi’s heart sank. She shifted closer to him.
He turned his head. When they made eye contact, his face broke at the sight of her tears.
‘Come here,’ he said, pulling her under his arm and holding her tight. He kissed the top of her head.
The funeral was scheduled for 11am. Neel’s family had come over to lay out breakfast for them. His mother fussed over her, but Kaavi just nibbled on a slice of toast. They left, and Neel and Kaavi got ready for the funeral.
Neel dressed in a dark suit but spent most of his time in the living room, pretending to be busy when Kaavi knew he was giving her space to deal with the emotions that one has on theday of a parent’s funeral. Kaavi draped her soft baby-pink sari and rolled her hair into a bun.
She sat on the bed and thought about the last time she’d seen her father before he fell ill.
She was 18 and her belongings lay on the pavement outside their home.
‘You will never set foot in this house as long as I am alive. You are a disgrace. No daughter of mine,’ he shouted.
Her mother stood at the window, crying. She was locked in the house.
‘I hate you,’ Kaavi shouted back. ‘I’ll never forgive you.’
‘I couldn’t care less,’ he spat out.
Sen pulled her away.
‘Listen, do you need anything from that pile of your stuff?’ he asked.
‘No.’
‘Then let’s leave. Granddad will get you whatever you need,’ he said.
Kaavi looked back at the house once more. Her mother was shouting, but Kaavi couldn’t hear what she was saying. She looked one last time at her father before Sen ushered her to his car.
Now she heard the door open and the memory faded. Neel walked into the room and stopped.
He looked at her from head to toe.
‘Are you ready to go?’
She nodded.
He fetched his wallet and the car keys from the nightstand and waited for Kaavi. He held out his hand and she took it. He pulled her into him and hugged her.
‘I got you, baby,’ he whispered.
