‘Fine, let’s go. Let me grab my shoes and my bag. Did you walk here?’
‘Nope. I drove the rental car. That’s how low my energy is,Kaavi. I’m that hungry,’ he whined.
She laughed. ‘Neel, you’re so dramatic. Meet you downstairs?’
‘You sure?’
‘Yep.’
The door closed behind him. Kaavi stood still for a moment, then exhaled.
That’s what she was afraid of, the talking.
What was she supposed to say to Neel?
Neelwasstarving and had a serious craving for a burger but not enough to justify an hour’s drive to Durban. Still, Kaavi didn’t need to know that. It was part of the setup.
When she opened the door that evening, he didn’t ask how she was – not because he didn’t care, but because he knew her. Ask Kaavi how she’s feeling, what she’s thinking, and she shuts down, runs or builds walls.
So he came up with a different tactic: a road trip. An hour in a small rental car with nowhere to run. No distractions. Just the open road and a chance to get her talking.
She got in, buckled up and he pulled off without a word. A few minutes in, she glanced over at him.
‘It’s good to see you wearing shorts,’ she teased.
He smirked, glancing down at his gym shorts and sneakers.
‘Looks like Rally is growing on me. But I don’t think I could ever get used to being this laid back, if you know what I mean.’
Kaavi leaned back into the seat. ‘I used to think the same. But I really needed to get away from it all.’
She paused, then asked, ‘By the way, don’t you miss being in your office?’
‘I do, but right now I mostly just miss my mom’s homemade lunch every day.’
He quickly glanced over at her. ‘You know my parents work with me, right?’
Kaavi smiled. ‘Yeah, I remember you saying that. Your parents are accountants, plus your mom makes sure everyone eats.’
‘Exactly, and if you skip lunch, she acts like you’ve personally offended her.’
Kaavi laughed. ‘I like that about her.’
‘They like you too. Speaking of moms, how’s your mom doing?’
Kaavi shifted in her seat, fidgeting with her wedding ring. She didn’t bother hiding the fact that she noticed him glance at it before his eyes were back on the road. Yes, she was still wearing it even though whatever was happening between them had no name.
‘My mom’s okay, I think. We talked … really talked, about everything that happened. And I think we understand each other better now.’
She paused, watching the road.
‘I had to realise she was protecting me, in her own way. And maybe if we’d just sat down and had a proper conversation years ago, it could’ve been easier. But we didn’t. We didn’t have the space or the means. He was always there.’
Neel nodded silently.
‘Even when she came down for Sen’s wedding, it was all just celebrations and noise. We never really saw each other. And these last couple of years it felt like we were just two passing ships. We knew we were mother and daughter, but somewhere along the way, we stopped really talking.’
‘How areyou?’ he asked.
