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“Cool. In the meantime, I can get to know your sisters.”
“Great. That’s...sogreat.”
—
“I hate dhaaal!”screeched Amisha.
“No, I hate dhal,” echoed Alisha.
“You will both eat it or you will get no more cucumbers,” snapped Sita. “Here.” She dolloped a spoonful of dhal onto her daughters’ plates, before doing the same to Jaya’s, Reeva’s, and Nick’s.
“Sorry,” Reeva mouthed to Nick.
He winked at her and looked straight at Sita. “This looks delicious, thanks so much. I love dhal.”
“Oh, you know Indian food!” cried Jaya. “That’s so great. Have you ever been to India?”
Nick nodded. “I went to Goa once—so beautiful. Reeva tells me your mum’s in India now.”
Sita sighed loudly. “As always, yes, she’s managed to handily escape being a mother just when we need one.”
“She’s not even answering any of our messages,” addedReeva. “Which means we’re no closer to finding out the big family secret.”
“That must be hard,” said Nick. “Especially as you’re here, organizing your dad’s funeral and everything. It’s a really strange situation to be in.”
“You don’t say,” muttered Sita.
“Auntie Wee, I want to see yourhairband!” cried Amisha.
Her mum glared at her. “Masi, not Auntie.”
Amisha rolled her eyes in a perfect impression of her mother before trying again. “Wee Masi, I want to see yourhairband.”
Sita nodded in approval, while Reeva stared at her niece in speechless shock. When she’d left Nick to go and freshen up, she’d realized she didn’t have time to choose a new outfitanddry her hair, so she’d stuck a wide velvet leopard-print hairband on instead. Taking it off would almost definitely reveal her patch.
“It’s, uh, not a very interesting hairband, baby,” said Reeva finally. “But I’ll show you later if you want.”
“Please?” asked Alisha, her eyes somehow growing bigger. “Pwetty please?”
Reeva’s stomach tensed. She looked beseechingly at her nieces, trying to convey the truth via her eyes. “What about later? If you wait, I’ll let you guys have it! Or I’ll get you your own! Wouldn’t you like your own hairbands?”
“Noo!”screeched Amisha. “I want to holdyours!”
“Oh my god, can you just give it to her?” exclaimed Jaya. “This screeching is giving me a headache.”
“Surely that’s not the best way to teach them manners?” Reeva turned desperately to Sita. “Maybe if they eat their dhal first?”
Sita snorted. “As if I have the energy to teach them manners on top of everything else. Just give it to her. She’ll get bored of it in a second.”
“Why is Auntie Wee being mean?” asked Alisha.
Reeva felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She felt terrible. She was choosing vanity over being a good aunt. But she knew if she took off the hairband, everyone would look, and Nick would see the patch. She couldn’t cope. It was too much. “I’m sorry, angel,” she said miserably. She was too embarrassed to look at Nick to see his reaction. She knew she was coming across as seriously unhinged. “I’m not trying to be mean. I promise I’ll show you later. You can try it on and you’ll look so beautiful!”
Amisha started banging her spoon against the table. “Hairband! Hairband!”
“Seriously? Can’t you just give it to them?” asked Sita. “And I’ve asked you to stop with the ‘beautiful angel’ crap. Would you say that to a boy?”
“I...” Reeva looked down at her dhal in despair.
