Chapter 3
‘You OK, Mum?’ Sasha’s hand touched mine, jogging my thoughts back to the present.
‘Oh! Yes, sorry. Miles away.’
‘You sure you’re OK? You looked…’ She chewed her lip for a moment as she always did when she was thinking. ‘Sad.’
‘Oh, no, darling! I’m not sad at all. How could I be? I’m here, in this beautiful place with my favourite person in the whole world.’
With perfect timing, our food menus arrived along with two flutes and the bottle of champagne, deftly opened and poured by the waitress.
‘Happy birthday, ma’am,’ she said as she placed the bottle carefully in the crushed ice of the wine cooler another server had carried and positioned beside our table.
‘Thank you.’
‘To my gorgeous mum! Happy birthday!’ Sash clinked my glass against hers.
‘I’m not sure about that, but thank you. And I’d like to make another toast to having the best, most supportive, thoughtful, kind and beautiful daughter ever.’
‘Being far less modest than you, I’ll drink to that!’
She downed a good amount and I, a lot less used to drinking these days, took more sedate sips. It had taken me a lifetime to finally get to India and I was keen not to create a lasting memory of me flailing about in this water feature, rather than dining in it.
‘I do know it’s not ideal so soon after the divorce…’ Sash began.
‘Sasha, stop worrying. It might only be six months since it was all finalised but the marriage was over a long time before that. People get divorced all the time, sadly. At least your dad and me had an amicable split, which makes it easier, especially for your sake.’
‘You’re really OK with it? I mean…’
‘Yes. To be honest, Tania, is that her name?’
Sasha nodded.
‘Tania and he sound like they have a lot in common from what he’s told me. We might be divorced but we’re not enemies. I’m happy that he’s happy.’
‘I want you to be happy too, Mum.’
I leant forward and laid my hand on her cheek. ‘I know you do, love. And I am.’
‘I don’t mean just right now. I mean…’ She made a rolling motion with her hand. ‘You know, going forward.’
‘Everything is going to be fine, darling. Stop worrying. Now, what are you going to order?’
The locally caught fresh red snapper was cooked to perfection, as was the accompanying grilled tenderstem broccoli and hasselback potatoes.
Sasha had gone for a ‘dirty burger’ which always failed to sound appetising to me but did, in fact, look delicious when it arrived along with fine-cut chips and a green salad.
All of which my daughter demolished without breaking a sweat.
There were definitely things I missed about being her age – I’ve already mentioned the legs, but another had to be the excellent metabolism.
It’s hard not to see the unfairness of a woman’s lot.
Just when it feels like everything is going up the spout thanks to hormones, the powers that be also think it’s a good jape to crank the metabolism speed dial down to ‘slow’.
So where once I could grab a morning croissant, sometimes two, a lunchtime meal with wine, and a not insubstantial supper without putting on a pound, now it seemed by merely looking at any of those, the calories superglued themselves to my waist by some weird menopausal osmosis.
I’d thought about taking a look at that book, French Women Don’t Get Fat, but in the end, I just cut out wine and chocolate and bread.
I knew from my time in Paris that this wasn’t what they did at all, but I’d done my best to avoid anything that reminded me of that part of my life and so, even though it was just a book, I didn’t read it and kept to my strict, rather dull restrictions instead.
Sash was filming some B-roll for her vlog and I took the opportunity to soak in the atmosphere of this place I’d waited so long to see.
The sun had long since sunk behind the horizon – I’d been amazed at how quickly it set in India, even though I’d read about it in my armchair travels.
But there was some welcome warmth in the winter evening, so different from the dirty, chilly slush we’d left behind at Heathrow.
I absentmindedly trailed my feet to and fro in the warm water beneath me as I people-watched – the chefs busy working away at the outdoor grills, the waiting staff moving about in an efficient but calm manner, and the laughter of other diners as they stepped down into the water and slowly sloshed over to their own tables.
‘Another drink, Mum?’ Sasha said, filming the empty bottle and glasses, already looking around for a server.
‘That’s enough for me, but you go ahead, darling.’
‘Oh, come on, Mum. You have to. It’s your birthday!’
‘Many happy returns.’ The voice was deep, educated and with that slight hint of Indian accent that I’d always found rather sexy.
‘Oh!’ I said, turning to acknowledge the expensively besuited man who’d spoken. ‘Umm, thanks.’ Thank God for the low lighting as I felt heat rush to my face.
He gave the smallest head tilt to the side in return as he smiled. ‘I can’t help noticing that your champagne glasses are empty.’
‘We were just going to order some more,’ Sasha informed him.
‘Please. Allow me.’ He glanced to his left and a waitress appeared as if from nowhere.
‘Another bottle of champagne here, please.’
The girl nodded and hurried off.
‘I hope you are enjoying your stay here in Goa?’
‘Yes, very much so,’ I replied when Sasha remained unusually quiet.
‘You have been before?’
‘No. No, I haven’t.’ Which is where I should have stopped. But I didn’t. With a nervous jabber, I continued on. ‘I’ve always wanted to visit India but my husband has a dicky tummy so never wanted to come.’
Inner Me was aghast. Oh, God. What am I saying? And more to the point, why am I saying it? To a complete, and very handsome, stranger.
‘I see. That is a shame. I’m glad you have been able to come and visit now.’
‘Thanks. Yes, never affected me. Stomach as strong as an ox.’
Shut up, Kitty!
I heard Sasha snigger and cough. I looked down at the water. Don’t they say you can drown in two inches of water? This was at least a foot. Plenty surely and right now I was willing to try it rather than slowly dying of embarrassment.
‘That’s very good to hear,’ the man continued.
I risked a look back up and saw the kind, open smile that extended to dark-brown eyes, framed by thick lashes. ‘My name is Ashok.’ He held out his hand and I shook it as I replied.
‘Katherine. This is my daughter, Sasha.’
‘Hi,’ she said, shaking his hand much more confidently than I had. ‘Are you eating alone?’
‘I am. But it’s not something I mind.’
‘You should join us!’
‘Sash…’ Ashok looked about my age and I had no doubt what my daughter was up to.
‘Do say you will! Mum’s had a shit year and all she’s got for company is me on her fiftieth birthday!’
I looked down at the water.
Make way! I’m going in!
‘That’s very kind, but you appear to have already eaten. Plus, I’m not sure your mother shares your enthusiasm.’ Ashok spoke with easy humour, and no offence in his tone.
‘Oh, no. Please don’t think that. I just… I didn’t want you to feel obligated.’
He appeared to study me for a moment. ‘If you don’t mind, then I think it would be very nice. But only if you are sure. The last thing I would want is to ruin your birthday dinner.’
‘Great!’ Sash replied, sliding off into the water. ‘I’ll grab another chair.’
‘Let me do that,’ Ashok said, turning and wading across to the table he was originally being led to. He lifted a chair and brought it back and Sasha and I scooted ours closer together so it was cosy but not unpleasant.
‘I’m just going to find the waitress and ask to make it three glasses. Back in a sec!’ With that, she scooted off through the water and disappeared round the corner.
‘I—’
‘I—’
We both started at the same time.
‘Please, you go,’ Ashok said, that easy smile loosening a few of the knots in my stomach.
Frankly, since Sasha had invited him to dine with us, it felt like a whole scout troop had started practising for their badges in there.
‘No, it’s fine. What were you going to say?’
‘Please. You first, I insist.’
‘Oh. Well, I was just going to apologise really. My daughter enjoys being spontaneous. I never know what she’s going to do next.’
‘She’s a delight from what I’ve seen but if you would prefer it to be just her and you, I completely understand and we can say I had to take a call which lets us both off the hook without it affecting your daughter’s generous offer.’
‘Oh, no, please. It’s not that.’
He did that head tilt again and the cordless light in the centre of the table highlighted the warmth in the deep brown eyes.
I dropped my head into my hands momentarily. ‘I’m afraid I’m very much out of practice with socialising. The fact that I already gave you far more information than you could ever possibly have needed, or wanted, probably highlighted that rather well.’
‘You and your husband do not socialise much?’
‘Ex-husband,’ Sasha filled in, a little too meaningfully, as she returned to the table.
‘Ah. I am sorry.’
‘Don’t be,’ I said truthfully. ‘It’s the best for everyone.’
‘Dad’s already got a new girlfriend.’
‘Sasha. I’m sure Ashok isn’t interested in any of that.’
I threw him an apologetic look and was saved by the appearance of the champagne.
‘May I?’ Ashok asked.
‘Please.’
Having expertly filled our own glasses, he lifted his own for a toast.
‘To Katherine, new adventures and new friends.’
I liked the sound of that. Admittedly, it also terrified me, but somewhere during the second bottle of champagne, I began to feel less inclined to worry about it all.