Page 39 of The Promise of a Traitor

“Did she have an explanation for why she ghosted you like that?” Kanak asked.

“Look at you with the lingo,” Advik teased, smiling slightly.

“I’ve always been the cool one,” Kanak said airily, darting cautious looks at her friend who was still frowning down at her hands. “Well, did she?”

“She said she had some family problems and needed to return to India to deal with them. Do you know what it could be?” he asked Maya who shook her head.

“Seven years ago, I didn’t know Binita.”

“She wasn’t kitty party material at that point,” Kanak said in a stage whisper.

“She hasn’t told you more than that?” Maya asked. “Doesn’t she owe you some kind of explanation?”

“Maya,” Kanak said warningly.

“I don’t like this,” Maya repeated, getting to her feet. “And now I’m not sure I like her.”

“Mom,” Advik said wearily.

“Maya Papaya,” Kanak’s voice cut through whatever Maya was going to say next. “What’s important is whether Advik still likes her, isn’t it?”

Maya turned to look at her son. “Well,” she demanded, “do you?”

Did he? Advik took a moment to sort out his feelings, the hate, the anger, the hurt, the betrayal, all of it…And at the heart of it….

“Yeah Mom,” he said, “I do.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Aastha

“And I was telling Maya that the 20th is the perfect day for the engagement. The stars are in perfect alignment,” her mother prattled on as Aastha settled Amyra into bed.

They’d just reached home post discharge from the hospital and Aastha still needed to get to the café to firefight there. The Willy Wonka exhibition was three days away and Rohan had only managed to get her one helper. One helper to replace three trained staff was like trying to stir a pot of stew with a toothpick.

“I’m not getting engaged on the 20th,” Aastha said for about the twentieth time.

“There isn’t enough time to have something custom made for you,” Binita continued like her daughter hadn’t spoken.

“And not enough money,” Aastha inserted, fluffing Amyra’s pillow and settling her into a slightly inclined position for comfort.

“I’ll do one thing I’ll take that orange saree I don’t wear anymore and see if the tailor can make something out of it quickly. In fact-“

“She said no!” Amyra’s loud comment had Binita pausing for a second, blinking at the two of them like she was seeing them for the first time.

For a moment, Aastha thought they’d gotten through to their mother but after another long moment of blinking, Binita said, “Or maybe some of your older stuff can be let out to fit you. You’ve been tasting all the things you eat for far too long.” This was accompanied by a disparaging glance towards Aastha’s waist. “But I think that peach ghaghra of yours might have enough extra material to do something with it. And Amu, you’ll look beautiful in that royal blue one.”

“Your medicines are on the bedside table with instructions. Take the ones marked for after lunch once you eat the khichdi,” Aastha whispered to Amyra turning her back on Binita who had marched over to the cupboard in the corner of the room and started rummaging through it. “I’ve got to get to work.”

“Go,” Amyra said, shooting a baleful look at their mother’s back. “I’ve got this.”

“You’re sure?” Aastha glanced at her mother, worry and anger twining within her, each vying for top place.

“Go.” Amyra gave her a little push. “I’m going to sleep for a bit anyway.”

Aastha left with a muttered goodbye in Binita’s direction only to come to an abrupt halt outside the room when faced with her father. He glanced at the shut door behind her as if he had x-ray vision that would show him how Amyra was faring. Aastha wished he would just go in, just once…and check on his daughter.

But while her father disliked looking at her, he preferred to act like Amyra didn’t exist. Because sometimes guilt was a poison that ate through any hope for emotion.