‘With Ma fussing around her, she won’t be capable of making up her own mind anyway,’ said Arun. ‘And Ma, as anyone can see, has been well wooed by the foreman. He hardly had a minute for anyone else the whole afternoon. I noticed that he didn’t speak much to you, for example.’
‘I didn’t mind,’ said Savita. ‘I liked him. And I want you to behave decently on New Year’s Day.’
Arun shook his head at the thought of Ma’s sudden, unconsulted invitation to Haresh.
‘Please let me out at New Market,’ said Meenakshi suddenly. ‘I’ll join you later.’
‘But your headache, darling?’
‘It’s all right. I have to buy a few things. I’ll come home in a taxi.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes.’
‘We haven’t upset you?’
‘No.’
When Meenakshi had got down, Arun turned to Savita: ‘You have quite needlessly upset my wife.’
‘Oh don’t be silly, Arun Bhai – and don’t refer to Meenakshi as “my wife”. I think she just can’t face going home to a dozen people. And I don’t blame her. There are too many of us in Sunny Park. Do you think Pran and Uma and I should take up the Chatterjis’ invitation?’
‘That’s another thing. What did he mean by talking about Bengalis in that rnanner?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Savita. ‘But you do it all the time.’
Arun was quiet. Something was troubling him.
‘Do you think she got down because she thought we were going to discuss Amit?’
Savita smiled at the thought of such unlikely delicacy on Meenakshi’s part but simply said, ‘No.’
‘Well,’ said Arun, still stung by the fact that Savita of all people was being so uncompromising in this matter of Haresh, and feeling a little uncertain as a result, ‘you’re getting quite a lot of courtroom practice out of me.’
‘Yes,’ said Savita, refusing to be jollied along. ‘Now promise me you’re not going to interfere.’
Arun laughed in an indulgent, elder-brotherly manner. ‘Well, we all have our opinions – you have yours, and I have mine. And Ma can take whichever she likes. And Lata too, of course. Let’s leave it at that, shall we?’
Savita shook her head, but said nothing.
Arun was trying to be winning, but she was not won.
16.16
MEENAKSHI made straight for the Fairlawn Hotel, where Billy was waiting for her in his room with a mixture of impatience and uncertainty.
‘You know, Meenakshi, this thing makes me very anxious,’ said Billy. ‘I don’t like it a bit.’
‘I don’t believe it makes you anxious,’ said Meenakshi. ‘Certainly not so anxious that it detracts from your wonderful –’
‘– performance?’ finished Billy.
‘Performance. Just the word. Let’s perform. But be nice to me, Billy. I’m sorry I’m late. I’ve had the most awful time and I have a headache as huge as Buddenbrooks.’
‘A headache?’ Billy was concerned. ‘Shall I ask them to get you a couple of aspirin?’
‘No, Billy,’ said Meenakshi, sitting next to him. ‘I think I have a better cure.’
‘I thought women were supposed to say, “Not tonight, dear, I have a headache,” ’ said Billy, helping her with her sari.
‘Some women, perhaps,’ said Meenakshi. ‘Does Shireen say that?’
‘I’d rather not discuss Shireen,’ said Billy stiffly.
By now Billy was as eager to cure Meenakshi as she was to be cured. About fifteen minutes later, he was lying, panting and pleasantly exhausted, upon her, his head nuzzling her neck. Meenakshi was much sweeter when she was making love than at any other time. She was almost affectionate! He began to withdraw.
‘No, Billy, just stay where you are,’ said Meenakshi in a sighing voice. ‘You feel so nice.’ Billy had been at his tenderly athletic best.
‘All right,’ Billy consented.
After a few minutes though, as he softened, he had to pull out.
‘Whoops!’ said Billy.
‘That was lovely,’ said Meenakshi. ‘What was the “whoops” for?’
‘I’m sorry, Meenakshi – but the thing’s slipped off. It’s still inside you.’
‘But it can’t be! I can’t feel it.’
‘Well, it’s not on me, and I could feel it slip off.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Billy,’ said Meenakshi sharply. ‘It’s never happened before – and do you think I wouldn’t feel it if it was still there?’
‘I don’t know about that,’ said Billy. ‘I think you’d better go and check.’