Kajori (Kolkata Memoirs) (4 page)

              “I’ve thought it through.” Shekhar assured his friend with a pat on the back. “Many thanks for taking the trouble to come all the way.”

             
“Well, I still can’t get over the fact that she’ll be completely rejected by your family, her family.”

             
“She’ll find a new community in England. A new husband.”

             
Kajori came back with plates of
parota
bread and mango pickle. Joseph awkwardly searched her face. Ramapada followed with tea and fried eggs.              

             
“I had forgotten how relaxing it is to be here, Kajori.” Joseph stretched and yawned.

             
“Well, enjoy. I put a towel on your bed,” she said. “We’ll go swimming after breakfast.”

             
“Wish I could stay a week. I can only stay a day.”

             
“Dadababu, are you planning to cook today as well?” Ramapada enquired.

             
“Shekhar? Cook?” Joseph was alarmed. “I was so looking forward to the food …”

             
“He’s learning to cook for England,” explained Kajori, smiling.

             
Joseph looked at Shekhar, confused. “Of course.”

              At lunch, they had a large feast with crab curry, banana flowers
,
banana bark
, dal,
and steaming basmati rice, none of which had Shekhar’s finger-prints.

“This is why I came, my friend ... nothing like Bengali food.”

              “Can you get Bengali food in England, Joseph?” Shekhar asked.

             
“Suddenly he wants to know everything about the English!” Kajori got up to get the mango
chutney
from the pantry.

             
“What’re you doing, Shekhar?” Joseph tried to probe, but Kajori returned.

             
Shekhar licked the
chutney
off his fingers. “What’re you doing to me, Kajori?”

             
She stopped eating, looked up. Ramapada piled
rasogolla
on Joseph’s plate. “Try the
payesh
Joseph-babu …”

             
Shekhar savored his dessert. “In one year, I will learn to cook, dance, speak like Dr. Higgins …”

             
Joseph frowned. Shekhar played with his unsuspecting wife, who laughed like a child. Joseph tried to smile at her.

             
“What are English men like, Joseph?” Shekhar continued. “Will Kajori like them?”

             
“You have a dirty mind,” she scolded.

“No,” Shekhar said. “I think of this.
”

“They will like her very much.” Joseph smiled at Kajori. “Especially dancing with her.”

Shekhar looked her in the eye. “Of course.”

She looked uncomfortably from one face to the other. Trying to change the subject, she asked, “Joseph, please stay a few more days.” 

“I can’t. I just came to deliver the … um … surprise.”

“Why did you come, Joseph?” Kajori frowned.

“He came for the food,” said Shekhar, laughing.

“Joseph?”

“I just felt like coming, Kajori.” Joseph sighed. “I’ll miss you.”

A muggy silence hung over the room.

Joseph walked over to the door to the verandah. “It’s raining again ...”

THE END

Author Bio:

Sramana Mitra is the founder of the
One Million by One Million
(1M/1M) initiative, an educational and incubation program that aims to help one million entrepreneurs globally to reach $1 million in revenue and beyond, build $1 trillion in sustainable global GDP, and create 10 million jobs. She is a Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur and strategy consultant who writes the blog
Sramana Mitra On Strategy
, and is the author of the
Entrepreneur Journeys
book series and
Vision India 2020
. She has a master's degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From 2008 to 2010, Mitra was also a columnist for Forbes.