Chapter 8 #2
‘Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Neel was really in Rally to hand over divorce papers.’
‘Kaavi, you don’t want to divorce him, though. He loves you. You love Neel. What’s going on? Can’t you two just talk?’
‘We could, but neither of us is really saying anything and I don’t want to be the one to bring it up. What if I say, “Neel, I want to come back to Jo’burg,” and he just agrees out of pity? Because my dad died and I’ve got the sob story now. I’ll never know if it’s what he actually wants.’
‘Kaavi, you’re being ridiculous. Neel loves you. It’s obvious. He said it in front of everyone, even his family. Why is that so hard for you to understand?’
‘I know. But I shouldn’t have to say it first. Why is it so complicated? I don’t know, Mom. I really don’t. I just need to get through making this cake. Then get through the day.’
‘By the way, why are you making this cake again? I forgot,’ her mother said.
‘I’m making it as a welcome-back gift for Sen and Shona.’
‘Okay. Couldn’t you have just bought them flowers or something?’
‘That’s the thing, Mom. Sen and Shona already have everything. Besides, didn’t you teach me that food should be our love language?’
‘I did, but I can actually bake,’ her mother replied.
‘Mom, that’s so mean,’ Kaavi laughed.
Her mother chuckled. ‘Okay, okay. Let’s get through this, then we’ll talk about the icing.’
‘Icing? I didn’t say anything about icing. That’s too much work.’
‘Kaavi, do you know why you’re a bad cook and baker? You don’t have patience.’
‘Fine,’ Kaavi muttered.
A couple of hours later, she and Neel were walking side by side, with Kaavi carefully balancing the chocolate cake in a plastic cake dome.
They were headed to Sen and Shona’s apartment, which, like everything else in Rally, was within walking distance.
Sen had always preferred Shona’s apartment over his impersonal one, and when they got back from their honeymoon, they made it their home.
Sen had invited Kaavi, Neel, Anni and Sam, basically the whole gang, and while Kaavi looked forward to catching up with her cousin and hearing about the honeymoon, what she really had her eye on was the big pot of lamb biryani her aunt had promised to send over for supper.
They knocked, and when the door opened, Kaavi burst into a giggle. Her cousin was standing there with a massive pile of fabric in his arms, half-blocking his face.
He muttered something about ‘too much clutter,’ which only made her laugh harder.
Sen was the most organised person she knew while Shona was the complete opposite.
Shona was a designer, and not just any designer.
She owned a popular, in-demand bridalwear shop in Durban and was always surrounded by fabric, pins, patterns and half-draped mannequins.
Creative chaos, she called it. Sen called it a fire hazard.
Sen ushered them in, tossing the fabric onto one of the couches before shaking Neel’s hand.
‘I brought cake,’ Kaavi announced.
Sen groaned. ‘Oh no. Not another one of your baking experiments.’
‘No, no. This one’s edible. It’s Mom’s recipe,’ she said triumphantly, holding up the cake dome.
Shona appeared behind Sen and shoved him gently aside. ‘Let me take that before he says something dumb,’ she said, grabbing the cake with both hands.
Sam walked in behind them and ruffled Kaavi’s hair. ‘I’m sorry about your father. It’s going to be okay, kiddo.’
‘Hey, I’m not that much of a kiddo to you guys,’ Kaavi said, trying to smooth her hair back into place.
‘Yeah, but you’re still our little sister,’ Sam replied without missing a beat.
And in that moment, Kaavi thought about something Neel had said about how forgiveness could be her living her best life.
Maybe she never got the kind of childhood she was supposed to have.
Maybe her father broke something in her that she was still learning how to mend.
But standing there, surrounded by these people, laughing, teasing, holding space for her, forgiveness felt attainable.
They were already on their second helping of biryani when Anni leaned back in her chair and said, ‘I just have to ask, how did you two end up married?’
Neel and Kaavi exchanged a quick look.
‘We met at a gala dinner and got married. That’s what happened,’ Neel said, casually.
Anni narrowed her eyes, clearly unimpressed. ‘Okay, that explains so much,’ she said sarcastically. ‘But Kaavi, this totally makes sense now, why you never let me set you up with any guys.’
‘No, Anni. I didn’t let you set me up because you wanted to match me with dweebs.’
‘Hey! Not all of them were dweebs. Gavin isn’t a dweeb.’
Neel, trying hard to sound indifferent, asked with a perfectly flat tone, ‘Gavin?’
‘Yeah, Gavin. His family owns The Grand Meyer,’ Anni said.
Neel nodded slowly. ‘Ah, I’ve seen him around the hotel a couple of times. Also, Riya’s Lounge, right?’
‘Yeah, he’s a silent partner. Bought the bar for his ex-girlfriend,’ Sen explained.
‘Oh. People do that?’ Neel asked.
‘You should talk,’ Kaavi shot back, not even thinking about it. ‘Here you are having supper with your soon-to-be ex-wife.’
There was a sharp gasp from both Shona and Anni.
‘It’s complicated,’ Kaavi and Neel said at the same time.
That was Sen’s cue to change the subject.
About 20 minutes later, once the plates were cleared and the dishes done, Sen asked Kaavi to join him in Shona’s sewing room, which doubled as his study.
He closed the door behind her.
‘What’s going on with Neel?’ he asked, arms folded.
Kaavi leaned against the wall. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Are you guys splitting up?’
‘There are divorce papers at the apartment,’ she replied.
‘When did he serve you?’
‘He came to Rally just to serve me. Then my father died. So you can see how that looks, right?’
‘No, I can’t. What are you saying?’
‘I’m saying he’s only here because he feels sorry for me. He can’t go through with the divorce now, not right after my father died. That’s why he’s sticking around. But let’s be honest Sen, he came here for one reason – to end it.’
Sen didn’t flinch. ‘Okay. So why haven’t you signed the documents then?’
Kaavi rolled her eyes. ‘I hate when you go into lawyer mode.’
‘Just answer the question.’
She looked away, studying the hem of a half-sewn dress on Shona’s work table.
Sen started laughing. When he finally stopped, he shook his head, grinning.
‘Almost two years ago, you called me dumb because I couldn’t tell Shona how I felt. You practically yelled at me. Now look at you.’
‘Hey, it’s not the same thing,’ Kaavi protested.
‘How so?’
‘You’re dumb.’
Sen clicked his tongue. ‘But seriously, Kaavi. What are you going to do?’
She sighed. ‘I’m still dealing with my father dying.’
‘No, Kaavi. Look, I know Granddad always talks about forgiveness, but screw that. Your father was a psychopath. Full stop. You’ve got to call it what it is. He was a psychopath and you don’t owe him forgiveness. You just have to accept it and move on.’
‘It’s not that easy, Sen. I don’t think I can do it. I don’t think I’m strong enough.’
Sen shook his head. ‘Kaavi, you and your mother are the strongest women I know. You were just a kid when you were put behind bars and then you went on to become a damn supermodel. You’ve survived things most people can’t even imagine. Come on, Kaavi. You’ve got to believe in yourself.’
He softened. ‘I might treat you like my kid sister because you’ll always be the baby of the family to me. But you’re a strong woman. Now you’ve got some big decisions to make, but I have faith in you.’
Kaavi blinked hard, holding back tears. ‘That means a lot to me, Sen.’
‘I love you, cuz. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for me to try that chocolate cake you won’t shut up about.’
The chocolate cake had landed up being consigned to the rubbish bin in Shona and Sen’s kitchen. Now Kaavi was carrying the empty cake dome as she walked beside Neel back to the apartment.
‘So, you used your mother’s chocolate cake recipe?’ he asked, trying hard not to laugh.
‘I did. But when it came to adding the sugar, my mother distracted me and I forgot,’ she explained.
‘Hmm. Interesting.’
She stopped and faced him. ‘I think I should just give up on this cooking and baking thing. That’s why restaurants and takeaways exist, for people like me.’
‘Don’t give up. I’ll tell you what: tomorrow, I’ll come over and we’ll bake cupcakes.’
They reached her apartment block and as much as he wanted to follow her in, he decided not to.
Often when he was with Kaavi, he felt like a schoolboy with his first crush.
This was one of those moments. Instead of waiting for her to reject him or close the door on him, he made an excuse about having work to do and then rushed back to the hotel.
Only when he was under the shower, the water pounding his back, did it hit him that maybe leaving the ball in Kaavi’s court wasn’t the smartest move. Maybe Natara was right, but he also knew that someone like Kaavi couldn’t be pushed. Not now when she was vulnerable.
Kaavi slipped into a pastel strappy maxi dress. The Rally heat was stifling, even with the aircon on full blast. She twisted her hair up into a messy bun just to keep it off her neck.
Neel had said he’d be there around three o’clock with cupcakes on the agenda.
He told her not to worry about the recipe or ingredients.
Earlier, her mother called after news of the sugarless cake had spread.
Clearly, Sen was a snitch. Her mother teased her, which actually warmed Kaavi’s heart.
Her mom had called her daily since their talk in the hotel coffee shop, and now Kaavi looked forward to seeing her name pop up on her phone screen.
At exactly three, Neel knocked on the door.
Kaavi opened to find him holding two bags from The Super Market.
‘I’ve got everything,’ he said.
He walked in and headed straight to the kitchen, setting the bags on the counter.