Chapter 1 #2
‘When they get back from their holiday, yes. That way we can always say we didn’t tell them because we didn’t want to worry them when they were away.’
The colour in Udeni’s face was slowly returning to its normal light brown. ‘That makes sense,’ she said. ‘You are really good at this.’
She really wasn’t. The whole idea was huge and terrifying. Vidya jumped when her own phone started to ring. Her parents were trying to call her now. ‘Let’s tell them we couldn’t find your phone,’ she said. ‘You do it.’
‘Okay,’ said Udeni. ‘They’d see right through you.’
So, when Vidya hit accept and their parents appeared on the screen, it was Udeni who said brightly, ‘Did you just try calling my phone? I couldn’t find it in time. How are you?’
Vidya let Udeni do most of the talking, content to smile and nod, and add the odd comment when needed. She honestly didn’t know how Udeni did this, pretending everything was fine, when it clearly wasn’t.
It all went well until Udeni passed her the phone and said, ‘I’m sorry. I really need a wee.’
Suddenly, Vidya was under her mother’s scrutiny. ‘What is wrong with your sister?’
‘What?’ How did she know things?
‘Udeni looks tired. Her eyes are really puffy. She didn’t say she was ill, so …’ Amma’s face moved closer. ‘Have you let her go out drinking again?’
Vidya tried not to cringe. ‘She’s an adult. If she wants to go out, how can I stop her?’
‘Aha. So, she has been going out drinking too much. You have to tell her to stop. You can really damage yourself by drinking too much, you know. And it can make you do really silly things. It’s dangerous these days with everyone having cameras.’
Vidya managed not to say ‘too late’. Vidya stared at a spot on the wall, and let her mother’s voice wash over her. Conversations with her parents always ended up here. With her being held responsible for her sister’s behaviour.
‘The point is that you have to talk to your sister.’
‘Amma. She’s not a child. I can’t tell her what to do. She doesn’t listen to me anymore.’ And she really needed to start working things out by herself. Especially now!
‘Don’t be silly, your sister worships you.’
Her father’s face appeared at her mother’s side. He seemed to be holding a doughnut. ‘Are you well?’ he asked her. ‘Nothing worrying you?’
She really hoped her face didn’t give anything away. ‘I’m okay. Working hard, you know.’
‘How is it going with the A … I?’ He always paused between the letter A and I.
Work was safe territory. ‘It’s going well actually. I’m learning how to create queries that will do what we want it to do. It’s a bit like learning a new dialect. It’s really interesting.’
She chatted for a few minutes more, until Udeni came back and distracted them by talking about a new art exhibition she was involved in at work.
Sometime in the middle of this, Angie came home and popped her head into the conversation to say, ‘Hello, Aunty, hello, Uncle’, before she ran off to change out of her work clothes.
The whole thing was making Vidya’s head hurt. It was a huge relief when her parents finally hung up.
Udeni put the phone carefully down on the blanket. ‘I think we got away with it.’
They sat together for a moment, Vidya finally drinking her hot chocolate. Angie came out, now in jeans and an oversized fleece. She stopped and stared at them. ‘What’s going on? Why are you both looking worried?’
Vidya let Udeni tell her the news. Angie was Vidya’s best friend from school and was almost part of the family. She was the reason Vidya had applied for the job she had now. They worked in the same enormous open-plan office.
Angie sank onto the chair opposite. ‘Oh, wow,’ she said. ‘I guess … congratulations?’
‘Thanks,’ said Udeni. ‘I think.’
‘Are you … um …?’
‘I’m keeping it,’ said Udeni.
‘Neither of us will judge you if you wanted to—’
‘I’m keeping it.’
Angie shot Vidya a glance. Vidya shrugged. If Udeni wanted to keep the baby, it was definitely her choice. But Vidya knew once the shock had subsided, she’d be relieved that her sister hadn’t decided on the other option.
‘Okay,’ said Angie. ‘Wow. How do you feel about this? Happy? Excited?’
Udeni chewed her lip. ‘Terrified, mostly.’ She turned to Vidya and said in a smaller voice, ‘Akka. How do I handle this?’
‘Are you asking me for advice?’ That was a turn-up for the books. Usually, Udeni was shouting about how she didn’t need Vidya’s help, even though she always did.
‘Don’t be a cow,’ said Udeni. ‘I’ve never been in trouble like this before.’
This disarmed Vidya. Her sister was normally so sure of herself, even when she was wrong. If she was actually asking, she must really be scared.
Vidya set her hot chocolate down, put an arm around Udeni and gave her a hug. ‘I’m here for you.’
Udeni sniffed and laid her head on Vidya’s shoulder. Angie came and joined them, squeezing onto the sofa on the other side of Udeni. ‘I’m here too.’
The idea that Vidya was going to be helping her sister raise a baby was too large a thing for her to comprehend. For now, she had to focus on the steps in front of her. Udeni needed support. Finding out who the baby’s father was seemed like a good place to start.