Under The Mango Trees

Chapter Thirteen : In Between The Pages Of A Sixth Standard Grammar Book

I knew that she was mad at me, but that conversation had drained me and I wasn't certain how else I could make it up to her. I slumped heavily on the chair, the rotis and okra appearing drier than ever. I could discern that Lila hadn't touched her food in my absence, instead choosing to chat gaily with my mother. Her blithe voice and lively smile felt like that maddening ray of early morning sunlight which forced a person out of a deep slumber.

"That's so great! You will definitely do well in America," I heard my mother say as I was just about to recommence eating.

"America?" I looked pointedly at a sheepish Lila. "You're going to the US? For vacations or something?"

She was absently drawing a small circle in the paneer gravy with a piece of rolled roti. "For degree college."

"What? When did you decide that? Does that mean three-four years? What are you going to study anyway?"

"Botany," said the girl who killed her houseplants by over-watering them.

I gave her a malicious smile. "You're joking, right? Since when did you want to do botany?" She nonchalantly shrugged back, making me cry out in frustration, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

I felt my mother's hand swiftly hit the back of my head. "She's telling you now, isn't she?" And she laughed, to dispel the tension of hitting her daughter in front of a special guest. "Look at Lila, taking up a career path which is actually useful." Lila had the audacity to giggle at that and I vitriolically got up, taking away the half-eaten roti with me to the kitchen. "You're going to throw that away?"

"No, I'm done! Can't you see?" I obnoxiously shoved the piece of roti in my mouth and flashed the empty plate from the entrance of the kitchen, chewing the roti. Both of them gawked bizarrely at me and swallowing the food, I went to the sink. I was washing the plate when my mother appeared, snatching it from my hands.

"You'll break the plate. Your uncle gifted us this on Pavitra's engagement party," she hissed, gently pushing me away. "God knows what has gotten into you today." Lila appeared by the doorway with her plate in hand and I brushed past her indifferently, her shoulder colliding against mine. "Aye Lila, you should have left the plate at the table. Come here dear, wash your hands."

I sat on my bed with an opened book on my lap when Lila mutely entered and before she could sit on my bed, I stretched my legs as far as possible, not letting her sit close to me.

Seeing this, she sat on Pavitra's bed. "I didn't know how to tell you about the US thing. We never talked about our future before."

Because we didn't know what we were going to do. Now she did. Studying abroad was a big deal and required prior planning, how could she not tell me something this important? Otherwise, she wouldn't stop prattling about her new houseplants, their given names and their birth and death anniversaries.

"Does Raul know?" I asked steadily.

She nodded and taking the book, I stoically faced the wall once again. "Mama told him."

"Cool. You can switch off the lights when you wish to sleep."

"Do you want to watch a movie?"

"I'm reading." I still didn't know which book I held in my hands.

"That's boring!" I heard her huff and there was silence for a while. "Hello. Tring. Tring. Hello?" I ignored her which caused her voice to grow louder and more demanding, "Hello! Tring, tring! Hello!" Then her voice became small, "You could have at least picked up my call . . ."

Neither of us spoke after that for hours (fortunately, Lila had given up on her endeavours to strike a conversation) until I heard my mother say, "It's too late now, Tulsi. Read tomorrow. I'm switching off the lights."

My neck ached from being in the same position and finally shifting towards Lila's sleeping form, I grumbled, "I'll switch on the reading light so you can switch them off."

"Why can't you read tomorrow? I'll wake you up at six am! Then cry about those dark circles," she threatened in a low, tremulous voice, leaving the room.

I switched on the reading light and for the first time in hours, I checked the cover page. Navneet Sixth Standard English Grammar Book. What on earth had I held onto all this while? Did she see it? Just then, Lila's sleeping form turned towards me and her pale face glowed under the orange light. Her wide-open eyes bore into me and I stilled.

"I wonder what was so interesting in Navneet Sixth Standard textbook," she teased, adjusting her hand under her head.

I quickly shut the book, placing my hand above the title. "Can't you sleep? Is it hot here?" The door of my stifling room was kept open to let the cool air from the air conditioner in the living room drift in. "I-I can decrease the temperature if you want or switch on the fan."

"Nothing can cool down my hotness," she whispered airily. "Global warming hot, remember?"

"Go to sleep, Lila. We'll talk tomorrow."

"No, you won't talk to me." She yawned, her lips puckered and her eyes serenely closed. "You don't want to talk to me."

"That's not true," I said earnestly, but she didn't respond. I could hear the soft sound of the air conditioner and waited a while for her to say something. Realising that she must have gone to sleep, I laughingly kept away the Navneet book and switched off the reading light. I laid down on my bed and saw the prankish moon cast it's beam of silvery light on Lila's face as if to grab her attention. Her relaxed eyebrows knotted together and she moved her head to dodge the mischief of the moon, the light now slitting across her cheek like a sharp sword.

Her hand instantly flew to her cheek and I squeezed my eyes shut, holding my breath.

When I gingerly opened my eyes, I noticed a strand of her hair sticking to the corner of her lips which she struggled in her sleep to remove. I got up and tiptoed towards her, lightly lifting the strand and dropping it away from her lips. With my shadow blocking the moonlight, she seemed to settle into a peaceful sleep.

I decided that it was best to pull the curtains together and put an end to the moon's devilish tricks. I peered out of the window, hearing a distant howl of a stray dog. It was hard to believe that this same street with parked cars and gently swaying trees would be full of life in some hours. Just like Lila in her sleep, in her innocence with closed eyes and parted lips from which no effervescent giggles spurted out like an opened lukewarm can of soda with no fizz.

The moment that I pulled the thick curtains, I heard her slur, "Do you know why . . . Why my parents' marriage sucked in the end?"

Her eyes were still closed with worry gathered between her brows.

"We'll talk tomorrow, just sleep---"

"He cheated on her." With that, she rolled over and all I could hear was the air conditioner.

* * *

Glossary :

Navneet- a book manufacturing company (At this point I'm using local references simply for my amusement haha, sorry).