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The door was flung open to reveal Saraswati with Amisha (or Alisha) on her shoulders. MJ was just behind her with Alisha (or Amisha) on his. Their faces were covered in animal paint. One of the twins looked like a lion, the other had elephant tusks on her face, MJ looked like a zebra, and she was pretty sure her mum was meant to be a tiger.
Reeva’s mouth dropped open, then she quickly rummaged around in her bag. “Don’t move! There’s no way Sita and Jaya are going to believe this unless I have evidence. Maybe we really do need a sisters’ WhatsApp thread.”
Saraswati looked up in confusion as Reeva pulled out her phone. When she heard the click of the camera, she shot her hands up to cover her face. “Reeva! No! You cannot take a photo of me without my permission! I haven’t even got my eyelashes on. You’d better not post that anywhere.”
“Don’t worry, it’s only going to Sita and Jaya. And Jaya’s two hundred thousand followers.”
As Saraswati shrieked, Reeva slipped past her into the house.
“We’rewildlife!” shouted the twin on her mum’s shoulders. Definitely Amisha. “I’m a lion.Roaaar!”
“And I’m an elephant,” said Alisha. “Look!” She kicked her legs and made MJ run around the living room.
“Hi, Reeva!” he said. “It’s all go around here. You’ll have to take shelter or you could get hurt in the elephant stampede.”
“Stampede!”yelled the twins in unison.
Reeva laughed. “Okay. Wow. Hi, everyone. I’m going to just head up to my room and, uh, avoid the stampede.”
Her mum stood in front of her. “Oh no, you’re not getting away that easily.” Reeva took a step back; the orange and black had blended on her mum’s face, and she looked savage. “We need to talk.”
“Again?!”
“Can’t a mother talk to her daughter?”
“But you hate talking. The last time I wanted to talk to you, I had to book in a half-hour slot with your PA.”
“She’s an EA,” said Saraswati, grunting as she dumped Amisha on the sofa behind her. “Let’s go upstairs. MJ, look after them both.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, doing a mock salute. “Who wants a break for cucumber slices?”
Reeva escaped the room as the twins began running around in crazed circles. “You’re not in your dad’s room anymore,” said Saraswati, following her. “I can’t imagine what your sisters were thinking, putting you in there. No wonder you had so many nightmares. You’re staying in the single room—the one Jaya was in.” Saraswati paused suddenly. “I hope that doesn’t give you nightmares too.”
“I’ll be okay; I think I forgave her. Where are you guys sleeping?”
“That’ll be because of my plan to make you spend all this time together,” said Saraswati smugly. “And we’re in your dad’s room, and the twins are in theirs. It’s all perfect.”
Reeva turned back to face her mum. “Uh, isn’t it weird for you to be in your dead ex’s bed with your new husband? I thought you’d be in a hotel as soon as you could.”
“We can’t just abandon the poor man in death. I know he was difficult and troubled, but he was family.”
Reeva refrained from pointing out that Saraswati had done exactly that for most of her life. Then she remembered she was done refraining from speaking her truth. “But you abandon us all the time.”
Her mum looked taken aback. “Well, yes. I’ve made mistakes. I’m the first to own up to them. But I’m here when it matters. Like in death.”
“I would have thought the bit that matters most is life?”
Her mum waved her hand impatiently. “There are many lives in Hinduism. What’s important is to grieve death properly. So I hope you’re coming tomorrow to the kriya.”
Reeva frowned. “Mum. Why are you so insistent on me being there?”
“Because it was his last wish—I told you!”
Reeva looked into her mum’s wide, slightly manic eyes. “Mum. What else is going on? You can tell me.”
Saraswati flung her hands into the air. “Oh, fine—I feel guilty! Okay? I feel guilty!”
“For what?” Reeva tensed as she waited for her mum to reply. She couldn’t deal with yet another traumatic family secret.
